Name your top 2 of each category...

[BALLAHOLLIC]

Greatest Rivalry in NBA history?

1. Wilt Chamberlain vs Bill Russell. Nobody will ever play each other as much as these two did, They played against each other an astonishing 142 times with Russell and his Celtics edging Wilts 3 teams 85 wins to 57 wins. Wilt averaged 28 points and and 28 rebounds against Russell, Russell on the other hand averaged 14 points and 24 rebounds against Wilt. While Wilt dominates the stat section Bill Russell always seemed to gain the wins. It is either Wilt doesn't know how to win or he lacked the supporting cast that Russell had. When it comes down to it Wilt may have always dominated Russell with stats but Russell ended his career with 11 titles compared to Wilts 2.

2. Larry Bird vs Magic Johnson. What made this rivalry so great was that it started at the college level, When Magic's Michigan State team defeated Birds undefeated Indiana team in the NCAA championship game. Both had similar skills, But one was a guard and one was a forward so they rarley guarded each other. It was more of a one-upsmanship thing. They played 37 times against each other with Magic and the Lakers holding a 22-15 edge over Bird and the Celtics. It's AMAZING how similar there careers were. Bird has 3 MVPS, Magic has 3 MVPs, Bird made the All NBA First Team 9 times, Magic made the All NBA First Team 9 times. Both had great careers Magic has 2 more rings than Bird, Johnson has 5 Bird has 3. Both impressive.

Greatest Finals Moment:

1. Michael Jordan's last second steal and shot against the Utah Jazz which gave the Bulls there 6th NBA championship. That would have been the last shot of his career had he not played for Washington for 2 seasons.

2. Rookie Magic Johnson filling in at center for an injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He had 42 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 assists to give the Lakers the NBA title. That is an amazing statline.

Greatest shot in NBA history?

1. In the 1970 NBA finals Jerry West his a halfcourt buzzer beater to send the game into overtime. The Lakers lost that game but regardless it was an amazing shot.

2. Derek Fisher hits the turn around shot with 0.4 seconds left on the clock to give the Lakers a series lead against the Spurs in the Western Conference playoffs.



Greatest Coaching Performances?

1. Red Auerbach leading the Boston Celtics to 8 straight NBA titles. The longest run in NBA history by far.

2. Phil Jackson leading the Bulls to 6 titles in 8 years.


Greatest Upset?

1. The Denver Nuggets become the first 8th seed to beat a No. 1 seed in the 1994 NBA Finals when they elimited the Gary Payton lead Sonics.

2. The Golden State Warriors swept the MAJORLY favored Washington Bullets in the 1975 NBA finals. The Warriors upset Washington with a 4 game sweep, I find it funny that even the Warriors thought they were going to lose in the 1st or 2nd round. The arena they played in scheduled another event around the same time assuming they would be done playing, They had to play there games elsewhere.


Greatest Dynamic Duo?

1. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen of the Chicago Bulls.

2. Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Los Angeles Lakers.


Greatest Championship Team?

1. Chicago Bulls (1996). The team featured 4 future Hall of Famers, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Phil Jackson. They still hold the record for most wins in a season with 72.

2. Philadelphia 76ers (1983). Lead by Moses Malone and Dr. J. They went a combined 12-1 throughout the NBA playoffs. They beat the tough LA lakers team in the Finals.

[thispego]

[u]Greatest shot in NBA history?

1. In the 1970 NBA finals Jerry West his a halfcourt buzzer beater to send the game into overtime. The Lakers lost that game but regardless it was an amazing shot.

2. Derek Fisher hits the turn around shot with 0.4 seconds left on the clock to give the Lakers a series lead against the Spurs in the Western Conference playoffs.

:rolleyes :rolleyes :rolleyes :rolleyes :rolleyes :rolleyes :rolleyes :rolleyes :rolleyes :rolleyes :rolleyes :rolleyes :rolleyes :rolleyes :rolleyes :rolleyes

[1Parker1]

I'd say that crazy Kobe ending in the 2006 Lakers/Suns series Game 4 has to go up top somewhere.

[1Parker1]

what would you replace with?

:lol The Derek Fisher shot....

[Vizzini]

Greatest Finals Moment:
1. Isiah Thomas scoring 25 points in the third quarter in game six of the '88 Finals on a severly sprained ankle. You can say whatever you want about him as an executive, but there was no one tougher to ever lace up the sneakers. You would have to literally killed him to get him off the court in the playoffs.

2. Just because I can't think of another moment that I actually liked, I am going to say game six of the '05 Finals. The Pistons came out and sacked up to win a game in San Antonio and force a game seven. Now I know that they got beat that year, but that proved to me that the Pistons just were not going to let a heartbreaking defeat at home ruin them and that they were not going out like punks. They weren't going let the Spurs just have the title, they were going to make sure that they earned it.

[1Parker1]

Greatest Finals Moment:
1. Isiah Thomas scoring 25 points in the third quarter in game six of the '88 Finals on a severly sprained ankle. You can say whatever you want about him as an executive, but there was no one tougher to ever lace up the sneakers. You would have to literally killed him to get him off the court in the playoffs.

2. Just because I can't think of another moment that I actually liked, I am going to say game six of the '05 Finals. The Pistons came out and sacked up to win a game in San Antonio and force a game seven. Now I know that they got beat that year, but that proved to me that the Pistons just were not going to let a heartbreaking defeat at home ruin them and that they were not going out like punks. They weren't going let the Spurs just have the title, they were going to make sure that they earned it.

THat's funny....I would think Game 5 of the 2004 Finals would be more memorable to a Pistons fan...:rolleyes

[Vizzini]

THat's funny....I would think Game 5 of the 2004 Finals would be more memorable to a Pistons fan...:rolleyes

Yeah, but it was a blowout, hell even Darko played in that game, so while memorable, it was not as significant of a game as the '05 one was. I guess it just showed me that they weren't going just give up and a roll over. They may have lost game five, but losing that game didn't lose the series for them, they still fought back and gave San Antonio a fight to the death.

[1Parker1]

:lol I would just think that a blowout win in a clinching Game 5 against 4 future HOF'ers and winning a championship in this era would be more important than a Game 6, which yea, showed you had heart...but you eventually lost that series and ur chance to a repeat.

[Vizzini]

:lol I would just think that a blowout win in a clinching Game 5 against 4 future HOF'ers and winning a championship in this era would be more important than a Game 6, which yea, showed you had heart...but you eventually lost that series and ur chance to a repeat.


Well, I guess I'm just seperating the one game from the entire series. The only good i.e. quality game in the '04 Finals was the one the Pistons lost. I guess I remember the championship as a whole, while I have been able to seperate the effort shown in game six from the end result of the '05 Finals

[baseline bum]

To me:

Greatest Rivalry in NBA history?

1. Magic vs Bird: the rivalry that made the NBA into such a success. Magic vs Bird defined the 80s, and it's what made me into a fan.

2. Jordan vs. the league: MJ was untouchable. I've never seen anyone dominate a sport like this guy did. Every year you knew Chicago was taking home the hardware.

Greatest Finals Moment:

1. Isiah scoring 25 in the 3rd quarter of game 6 of the 88 Finals. To me, this was the greatest series in NBA History. To see Isiah completely take over a game of that magnitude like that against one of the 10 greatest teams in NBA history on their homecourt while playing on a badly sprained ankle was unforgettable.

2. Jordan dropping 37 in the flu game: game 5 of the 97 Finals. I figured for sure Chicago was done when I heard how sick MJ was before the game. I know when I have the flu, I have no energy whatsoever. You expect an NBA player to fight through it and show up, but not to have one of the greatest games of his career when he's at his weakest.

Greatest shot in NBA history?

1. Jerry West's half-court buzzer beater to send LA into overtime against the Knicks in the 1970 Finals. Considering the stakes of the game and the difficulty of the shot, I don't see how anyone could ever pick another over this one.

2. Gar Heard's shot to send game 5 of the 76 Finals to OT. The greatest moment of the greatest game in NBA history. Plus, the shot was a pretty difficult turnaround from 15-18 out.

Greatest Coaching Performances?

1. Phil Jackson - 2000 Lakers
That team was imploding in spectacular fashion. They were swept brutally two seasons in a row by Utah and San Antonio, and they looked like a bunch of talented malcontents who would never win anything (like the 2001 Blazers). Shaq was a playoff bitch who got swept every year, and played no defense. Kobe was a guy whose playoffs were characterized by airballs in Utah and a Nick Anderson-esque performance at the free-throw line late in a must-win at San Antonio. Yet, they developed an invicincible aura in the 2000 WCF that lasted them until 2003. Phil Jackson seemed to destroy the Blazers mentally himself. For most of that 2000 season the Lakers and Blazers were within a game or so of each other for the best record in the league. With the teams tied in the stadings I believe, Portland was hyping up a late-sesaon showdown with LA at the Rose Garden like it was game 7 of the Finals. This was supposed to be the time they took over the lead and the title of the best in the NBA, and Phil Jackson just came out and said the game didn't mean jack. Then he goes in and takes it from them. LA rides that momentum to a 67-15 record while Portland went into a huge slump, and didn't even break 60 wins. They were on pace to win 66 until they droped that game, and finished with 59. In a month and a half they dropped 7 games off of their season-long pace, going from a team that looked like one of the greatest in NBA History to just another underachiever. Talk about a coach owning his opposition.

2. not sure

Greatest Upset?

1. 2004 NBA Finals: Detroit Pistons over LA Lakers
No one in their right mind was picking Detroit. LA was coming off an incredible comeback to win 4 straight against a Spurs team that had won its previous 19 games. The best team ever on paper finally looked like it was coming together. The Pistons almost got beat by New Jersey, and couldn't score in the ECF against Indiana. At the time, a lot of people thought Detroit won that series only because Jermaine O'Neal got hurt.... and what happens? Detroit comes one shot from sweeping the paper champs in the second most lopsided Finals I've ever seen (2002 is of course #1).

2. not sure

Greatest Dynamic Duo?

1. Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant

2. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen

Greatest Championship Team?

1. 1991-92 Bulls: 67-15 against a strong league (before the expansion), with Jordan at the prime of his career and Pippen just entering his. MJ was such a sick athlete at this point of his career, and it was amazing just watching this guy drive to the hole and score no matter what defenses were thrown at him.

2. 1982-83 Sixers: Cheeks/Toney/Erving/Malone is an absolutely sick top 4. People forget just how good Andrew Toney was because injuries destroyed his career way too young, but he was such a sick athlete with a ridiculous reach... like Manu Ginobili in Tayshaun Prince's body. Moses Malone got everything off the boards, and they lost one game while going through a long-forgotten but very good Bucks team and the defending champ Lakers.