Archx wrote:KembaWalker wrote:Duffman100 wrote:
So you think Shaq and/or Kobe could have taken a team with Will Barton and Aaron Gordon as their next best options to the 2nd round?
I think MVP Shaq could very easily take Aaron Gordon and Will Barton to the second round, yes
Very easily is a bit of a stretch. Shaq always more or less needed reliable SG/PG's to feed him the ball and also shooters that he could kick it out when he was doubled. Jokic on the other hand is the exact opposite. He actually needs competent people that he can pass the ball to when he is creating offense.
I'm not trying to argue who is a better player obviously but i'm not sure Shaq could have just easily carried this team to the 2nd round. Specially because you can't use elbows anymore like in the past.
And we'll never know because prime Shaq never went into a postseason without a starry roster. The closest possible example we have is 2nd year Shaq (far from his prime but already putting up prime Shaq numbers). Rookie Penny wasn't quite a star yet. That 4 seed Magic team got swept by the 5 seed Pacers (Reggie Miller and Rik Smits). Shaq had a bad series against the Pacers jumbo front line (the Davis bros and Smits), but it was also his first time in the playoffs. We never see Shaq on a mediocre roster again (and it's a stretch to call that Magic team mediocre) so we don't know what Shaq might have done in the playoffs with Will Barton/Aaron Gordon level running mates.
People just tend to ignore that some star players have better roster luck than others. Guys like Shaq, Magic, Larry play their whole careers on juggernauts with star teammates. Guys like Lebron and MJ we saw on a bad team only at the beginning of their careers, and then the rest of their careers are played with very ideal conditions. Guys like Kobe, Dirk, Wilt, Hakeem, Wade... we got to see in different contexts. And then every now and then you get a guy like KG, Dame, Iverson who spend most of their careers on competitive rosters.
Anyone who thinks individual players can drag or carry a bad roster to victory against a better team in the playoffs is just ignoring the actual details of NBA basketball history. It basically never happens. If you get lucky and get a weak playoff opponent (like everyone who played in the East from 2000-2016!!) a 1-star roster is sometimes enough (especially if that roster has good defense). But no 1-star was beating the Warriors in the first round this year. Not Embiid, not Giannis, not Michael Jordan or Bill Russell or Wilt Chamberlain. Basketball is just more of a team sport that some fans like to admit.
Anyways, I wish all the good health in the world on the Nuggets so that we get another deep playoff run and all the silly fans can feel silly about their silly little takes.