If Jordan was the best player of the last 30 years, who was/is the second best?

Fixed.

MVP of the 1985 NBA Finals, won by the only team to win a series-clinching game at Boston. Also shot the second-highest FG% of his career that season (.599) while averaging 22 and 8. Heck, he still averaged 23.4 points in 1986.


All that said, of the past 30 years . . . it's Magic. Raw numbers aside, he was so much more EFFICIENT than Kobe. When you combine Magic's scoring AND his FG% AND his assists, you have an offense that is simply more consistent than someone shooting 45% (while taking a ton more shots --- and missing 55% of them).

 

And I look at those stats as supporting Magic. Kobe is a shoot-first, shoot-second, shoot-third guard. Magic was the greatest point guard I've ever seen, and likely ever will see. The scoring difference is less than 6 points a game, and Magic was better is a number of other ways.

Kobe would be the only other player in the discussion for me, but he's not better than Magic.

 

If Magic takes six more shots a game (to match Kobe's average) and if he maintains that .520 shooting percentage, their PPG is about the same.

 

That's a huge "if," though, don't you think? One reason he was able to sustain that FG pct., presumably, is because he was very discriminating in his shot selection. Six more shots a game would surely drag it far down. What was their free-throw shooting percentage? That's usually a really good indicator of pure shooting ability.

 

Olajuwon. In his younger days he was athletic as wings. A great scorer with ridiculous move/s and one of the best shot blockers in history. He is 1st in blocks, 9th in steals, 11th in points and 12th in rebounds. Pretty ridiculous and he is one of the best passing centers ever (3058 assists I believe is most for center).

 

Bird or Magic for sure, and I'd give Magic a slight, slight, microscopic edge.

 

I think it's very close between Magic and Kobe. The more I read this thread, the more I want to flipflop the two...

 

Magic's FT% was .846, and it was .911, .890, .906 and .856 his last four seasons.

A rare example of someone who truly worked on and improved his shooting after entering the league.

Kobe's FT% .837

 

This is a silly rationale. Of course Kobe (and many other players) will end up with higher career totals because Magic was forced to retire prematurely after only 12 seasons. Doesn't mean they were better players. If it takes one player 17 years to surpass the totals another amassed in 12, that hardly makes him the superior player.

Career stat totals be damned, I know what I saw. And I never saw anybody who could dominate a game WITHOUT scoring like Magic, nor anybody who could control tempo like Magic, nor play as many positions as Magic. And, most importantly, NOBODY, other than perhaps Jordan and Bird, who had as much killer instinct and understanding of how to win basketball games as Magic. He's my choice.

 

Using career totals doesn't work because Magic's career was cut short.

Career averages are much better.

Magic: 19.5 pts, 11.2 assists, 7.2 rebounds, 1.9 steals, 52.0 FG%, .303 3PT%, 84.8 FT%
Kobe: 25.3 pts, 4.7 assists, 5.3 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 45.4 FG%, .339 3PT%, 83.7 FT%

So Magic was by far the better distributor, a better rebounder, and a better shooter. The only thing Kobe has is scoring average. While it certainly counts for something it is a bit inflated 2005-06 and 2006-07 when Kobe had no one and was shooting a ridiculous amount.

 

I'd like to change my vote to Magic.

 

magic. he was that rare guy who elevated everyone else's game. spit, he even raised kareem's game at a time he was mailing it in near the end of his career.

but we're really splittin' hairs with the first few after michael.