dob72
☠️ Banned ☠️
DIME Magazine / Dime Magazine
When the Dime office erupts into yet another "Player X vs. Player Y" argument, it inevitably leads to the same question: If you had to win one game today, and both players became available, which one would you choose?
Right now we're taking it to another level. If every player in the NBA were available for one game only and you had to win that game, who would be the first off the board? This isn't the old standby "Who do you want taking the last shot?" We're talking about winning a game from the tip to the final buzzer, meaning your pick doesn't necessarily have to be a guy with a ton of game-winners on his resume.
Here's our Top 10, in descending order:
10. Carmelo Anthony  In addition to being one of our favorite guys to watch, 'Melo is also someone we'd love to have on our squad for a big game. Already the king of the pull-up jumper, 'Melo improved his driving and got in better physical shape this season, averaging 26 points a night. He proved he could not only take and make big shots, but he can also carry his team for an entire season. The Nuggets had injury problems literally from Day 1 (Nene blew out his knee three minutes into the opener), yet 'Melo led them to a division crown and made a late push for MVP when he went on a tear of 30-point games in March
9. Allen Iverson  This time of the year it's easy to forget about some like Iverson, whose team missed the playoffs. That's unfortunate, because A.I. is personally on a Barry Bonds-like run. Iverson's last two seasons have been arguably the best of his career, even as he hits his 30s and his history of injuries (you've seen the commercial) is supposed to have caught up with him. This season Iverson put up 33 points, 7.4 assists and almost two steals a night. He had 15 games of 40-plus points, including one 53-point outing. Few, if any, players in the League are quicker than A.I. or have his baseline-to-baseline speed. Almost no one is better at getting to the hole and playing the passing lanes. If you think Iverson has lost a step, talk to Antonio Daniels, who got broke off by A.I. in the award-winner for Dime's Play of the Year back in March. Putting the numbers aside, we'd want Iverson on our team simply because no one in the League has more heart. He comes to play each and every night, throwing his perpetually banged-up point guard-sized body into whatever enforcers and seven-footers are in the way.
8. Gilbert Arenas  While everyone was focused on LeBron James during the first round of the playoffs, Arenas was right there going shot-for-shot with LeBron, averaging 34 points, five boards and five assists per game in a series that was a play or three from going Washington's way. Arenas finished the regular season among the NBA's top five in points, steals, threes, free throws and was No.1 in minutes played. He had 12 games of 40 points on more. He's not a pure point guard (Arenas also led the league in turnovers) but his scoring and big-play ability makes up for that. Plus, Arenas plays with an omnipresent chip on his shoulder, basically inventing new reasons to stick it to whatever team he's lined up against.
7. Paul Pierce  Another forgotten soul whose squad watched the playoffs from home, The Truth is still coming off what was arguably his best season ever. He averaged 26.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.7 dimes and 1.35 steals a game, and knocked down more than his share of game-winners and clutch shots. Despite playing with one of the weaker supporting casts of any star in the League, Pierce still makes the Celtics competitive every night. Check his resume from this year against some of the NBA's premier wing players: Pierce dropped 50 in a game against LeBron, 43 on Ray Allen, 40 on Shawn Marion, 39 on Kobe Bryant, 36 on Carmelo, averaged 34 in three games against Dwyane Wade, and averaged 30 in two games against Andrei Kirilenko. And on almost all of those occasions, Boston either won the game or lost by a close margin. Pierce can post up, score from the outside, and he gets to the free throw line. He can get boards and drop dimes and play a little D, but that's just icing on the cake. His game is pure scoring.
6. Shaquille O'Neal  Not too long ago, Shaq would have been the no-question-about-it easy No. 1 choice for a list like this. But at 34 years old, he's clearly in decline. Three times this season the Diesel didn't even hit double figures in scoring, and had a ton of games where he dropped less than 20. That never used to happen in Orlando or with the Lakers. That said, Shaq is still a handful for anyone in the world to try and guard; he just seems to be at a place where he's only dominant when he thinks he has to be. For example, in the series-clinching game against Detroit, Shaq put up 28 points, 16 boards and five blocks while missing only two shots from the field. In the series-clincher against Chicago he played his best game of the year, posting a 30/20. And in March, on his birthday, he gave the Bobcats 35 and 12. But games like that are getting fewer and farther between.
5. LeBron James  "He's a beast." That's how most discussions about LeBron end in the Dime office. And what else can you say? Calling LeBron a matchup problem doesn't even begin to describe him; at 6-8 and 240 pounds, he's one of the strongest and one of the fastest players in the League. LeBron averaged 31 points, seven boards and six dimes in the regular season, and pretty much matched those numbers in the playoffs. He also had eight triple-doubles. If we needed one basket to win a game, giving LeBron the rock and letting him get into the lane at will is as good a play to run as any. But, hey, we've been over this before .
4. Tim Duncan  Although his numbers were down this season, we wouldn't say TD is slipping just yet. A sore foot had him on limited duty/cruise control in the regular season, but in the playoffs Duncan killed, reminding everyone that he's still one of the baddest ballplayers on the planet. Peep Game 7 of the Dallas series: 41 points, 15 boards, six dimes and three blocks. Straight up, the guy is dependable, efficient and a proven winner. TD might not be as fun to watch as LeBron or A.I., but even the biggest hater has to admit they would love to have him on their team if they needed to win a ballgame.
3. Kobe Bryant  Surprised to see KB24 isn't right at the top? Consider the following: While Kobe is arguably the most talented player in the world and a proven clutch performer, that Game 7 showing against the Suns is fresh in our minds. Only taking three shots in the second half of an absolute must-win? Yeah, the Lakers were getting smacked, but you still would have thought Kobe would at least try to shoot his team back into it. But Kobe can't go any lower than three with us for the fact that he's still the best scorer in all of basketball. 81, 62 and 35. Remember that. And if you didn't pick Kobe first, he'd make it his mission to destroy your squad.
2. Dirk Nowitzki  As recently as the regular season, Dirk was probably hovering closer to No. 5 than No. 1 on this list. But from the Memphis series up through the Western Conference finals, he's been on an unbelievable run that boosts him into our top two. Dirk is one of maybe a handful of players in the League who is almost impossible to stop offensively, and now he's getting it done all across the board: in the playoffs he's averaging almost 12 rebounds and 1.5 steals a game. Nowitzki is too crafty for bigger defenders, too big for smaller guys, and has a nasty streak that makes him want to destroy you. Just ask Tim Thomas.
1. Dwyane Wade  About the only hole in Wade's game is his 3-point shooting, and that's more because he doesn't take them rather than he can't make them. Other than that, what else could you want from a ballplayer? D-Wade's got the handles, passing, defense, ability to create his own shot and comes through in the clutch. On top of that, he just has a knack for getting lucky; he'll throw up some crazy, impossible shots that have no business going in, yet Flash somehow gets them to drop. Look at it from this angle: the Pistons are the best defensive team in basketball, right? In 10 games against Detroit this year (including the playoffs), against a defense that was specifically geared to stop him, Wade averaged 27.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game. Bottom line, Wade will do whatever is necessary to win. In Game 7 of last year's conference finals, he could barely breathe due to a rib injury and still dropped 20 on the Pistons. This year in the series-clincher, Flash battled a nasty case of the flu and managed 14 points and 10 dimes. At the end of that day, we want a guy like that on our side, not playing against us.
Honorable mentions  Ray Allen, Chauncey Billups, Elton Brand, Kevin Garnett, Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, Steve Nash, Michael Redd.
When the Dime office erupts into yet another "Player X vs. Player Y" argument, it inevitably leads to the same question: If you had to win one game today, and both players became available, which one would you choose?
Right now we're taking it to another level. If every player in the NBA were available for one game only and you had to win that game, who would be the first off the board? This isn't the old standby "Who do you want taking the last shot?" We're talking about winning a game from the tip to the final buzzer, meaning your pick doesn't necessarily have to be a guy with a ton of game-winners on his resume.
Here's our Top 10, in descending order:
10. Carmelo Anthony  In addition to being one of our favorite guys to watch, 'Melo is also someone we'd love to have on our squad for a big game. Already the king of the pull-up jumper, 'Melo improved his driving and got in better physical shape this season, averaging 26 points a night. He proved he could not only take and make big shots, but he can also carry his team for an entire season. The Nuggets had injury problems literally from Day 1 (Nene blew out his knee three minutes into the opener), yet 'Melo led them to a division crown and made a late push for MVP when he went on a tear of 30-point games in March
9. Allen Iverson  This time of the year it's easy to forget about some like Iverson, whose team missed the playoffs. That's unfortunate, because A.I. is personally on a Barry Bonds-like run. Iverson's last two seasons have been arguably the best of his career, even as he hits his 30s and his history of injuries (you've seen the commercial) is supposed to have caught up with him. This season Iverson put up 33 points, 7.4 assists and almost two steals a night. He had 15 games of 40-plus points, including one 53-point outing. Few, if any, players in the League are quicker than A.I. or have his baseline-to-baseline speed. Almost no one is better at getting to the hole and playing the passing lanes. If you think Iverson has lost a step, talk to Antonio Daniels, who got broke off by A.I. in the award-winner for Dime's Play of the Year back in March. Putting the numbers aside, we'd want Iverson on our team simply because no one in the League has more heart. He comes to play each and every night, throwing his perpetually banged-up point guard-sized body into whatever enforcers and seven-footers are in the way.
8. Gilbert Arenas  While everyone was focused on LeBron James during the first round of the playoffs, Arenas was right there going shot-for-shot with LeBron, averaging 34 points, five boards and five assists per game in a series that was a play or three from going Washington's way. Arenas finished the regular season among the NBA's top five in points, steals, threes, free throws and was No.1 in minutes played. He had 12 games of 40 points on more. He's not a pure point guard (Arenas also led the league in turnovers) but his scoring and big-play ability makes up for that. Plus, Arenas plays with an omnipresent chip on his shoulder, basically inventing new reasons to stick it to whatever team he's lined up against.
7. Paul Pierce  Another forgotten soul whose squad watched the playoffs from home, The Truth is still coming off what was arguably his best season ever. He averaged 26.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.7 dimes and 1.35 steals a game, and knocked down more than his share of game-winners and clutch shots. Despite playing with one of the weaker supporting casts of any star in the League, Pierce still makes the Celtics competitive every night. Check his resume from this year against some of the NBA's premier wing players: Pierce dropped 50 in a game against LeBron, 43 on Ray Allen, 40 on Shawn Marion, 39 on Kobe Bryant, 36 on Carmelo, averaged 34 in three games against Dwyane Wade, and averaged 30 in two games against Andrei Kirilenko. And on almost all of those occasions, Boston either won the game or lost by a close margin. Pierce can post up, score from the outside, and he gets to the free throw line. He can get boards and drop dimes and play a little D, but that's just icing on the cake. His game is pure scoring.
6. Shaquille O'Neal  Not too long ago, Shaq would have been the no-question-about-it easy No. 1 choice for a list like this. But at 34 years old, he's clearly in decline. Three times this season the Diesel didn't even hit double figures in scoring, and had a ton of games where he dropped less than 20. That never used to happen in Orlando or with the Lakers. That said, Shaq is still a handful for anyone in the world to try and guard; he just seems to be at a place where he's only dominant when he thinks he has to be. For example, in the series-clinching game against Detroit, Shaq put up 28 points, 16 boards and five blocks while missing only two shots from the field. In the series-clincher against Chicago he played his best game of the year, posting a 30/20. And in March, on his birthday, he gave the Bobcats 35 and 12. But games like that are getting fewer and farther between.
5. LeBron James  "He's a beast." That's how most discussions about LeBron end in the Dime office. And what else can you say? Calling LeBron a matchup problem doesn't even begin to describe him; at 6-8 and 240 pounds, he's one of the strongest and one of the fastest players in the League. LeBron averaged 31 points, seven boards and six dimes in the regular season, and pretty much matched those numbers in the playoffs. He also had eight triple-doubles. If we needed one basket to win a game, giving LeBron the rock and letting him get into the lane at will is as good a play to run as any. But, hey, we've been over this before .
4. Tim Duncan  Although his numbers were down this season, we wouldn't say TD is slipping just yet. A sore foot had him on limited duty/cruise control in the regular season, but in the playoffs Duncan killed, reminding everyone that he's still one of the baddest ballplayers on the planet. Peep Game 7 of the Dallas series: 41 points, 15 boards, six dimes and three blocks. Straight up, the guy is dependable, efficient and a proven winner. TD might not be as fun to watch as LeBron or A.I., but even the biggest hater has to admit they would love to have him on their team if they needed to win a ballgame.
3. Kobe Bryant  Surprised to see KB24 isn't right at the top? Consider the following: While Kobe is arguably the most talented player in the world and a proven clutch performer, that Game 7 showing against the Suns is fresh in our minds. Only taking three shots in the second half of an absolute must-win? Yeah, the Lakers were getting smacked, but you still would have thought Kobe would at least try to shoot his team back into it. But Kobe can't go any lower than three with us for the fact that he's still the best scorer in all of basketball. 81, 62 and 35. Remember that. And if you didn't pick Kobe first, he'd make it his mission to destroy your squad.
2. Dirk Nowitzki  As recently as the regular season, Dirk was probably hovering closer to No. 5 than No. 1 on this list. But from the Memphis series up through the Western Conference finals, he's been on an unbelievable run that boosts him into our top two. Dirk is one of maybe a handful of players in the League who is almost impossible to stop offensively, and now he's getting it done all across the board: in the playoffs he's averaging almost 12 rebounds and 1.5 steals a game. Nowitzki is too crafty for bigger defenders, too big for smaller guys, and has a nasty streak that makes him want to destroy you. Just ask Tim Thomas.
1. Dwyane Wade  About the only hole in Wade's game is his 3-point shooting, and that's more because he doesn't take them rather than he can't make them. Other than that, what else could you want from a ballplayer? D-Wade's got the handles, passing, defense, ability to create his own shot and comes through in the clutch. On top of that, he just has a knack for getting lucky; he'll throw up some crazy, impossible shots that have no business going in, yet Flash somehow gets them to drop. Look at it from this angle: the Pistons are the best defensive team in basketball, right? In 10 games against Detroit this year (including the playoffs), against a defense that was specifically geared to stop him, Wade averaged 27.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game. Bottom line, Wade will do whatever is necessary to win. In Game 7 of last year's conference finals, he could barely breathe due to a rib injury and still dropped 20 on the Pistons. This year in the series-clincher, Flash battled a nasty case of the flu and managed 14 points and 10 dimes. At the end of that day, we want a guy like that on our side, not playing against us.
Honorable mentions  Ray Allen, Chauncey Billups, Elton Brand, Kevin Garnett, Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, Steve Nash, Michael Redd.
