1
00:00:00,360 --> 00:00:03,240
Speaker 1: This episode is brought to you by all State. Some

2
00:00:03,279 --> 00:00:06,120
Speaker 1: people just know they could save hundreds on car insurance

3
00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:08,840
Speaker 1: by checking all State first. Like you know, to check

4
00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:12,440
Speaker 1: the date of the Big Game first before you accidentally

5
00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:15,480
Speaker 1: buy tickets on your twentieth wedding anniversary and have to

6
00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:17,920
Speaker 1: spend the next twenty years of your marriage making up

7
00:00:17,920 --> 00:00:21,520
Speaker 1: for it. Yeah, checking first is smart, So check all

8
00:00:21,560 --> 00:00:23,880
Speaker 1: State first for a quote that could save you hundreds.

9
00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:26,600
Speaker 1: You're in good hands with All States savings. Very terms

10
00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:41,320
Speaker 1: apply All State Fire and Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates, Northbrook, Illinois.

11
00:00:42,440 --> 00:00:45,920
Speaker 2: Welcome in. There's another special edition of What's Right with

12
00:00:46,040 --> 00:00:48,920
Speaker 2: Nick Wright as we count down the fifty greatest players

13
00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:52,320
Speaker 2: of the last fifty years in the NBA. Now, last

14
00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:55,360
Speaker 2: week's was controversial. We knew it would be because last

15
00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:59,040
Speaker 2: week's was where I had my one almost I don't

16
00:00:59,080 --> 00:01:02,840
Speaker 2: know cheat code inclusion Luka antij That is, so this

17
00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:06,480
Speaker 2: list will age well. I understand Luca is not accomplished

18
00:01:06,520 --> 00:01:09,880
Speaker 2: enough to be twentieth. He hasn't technically accomplished enough to

19
00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:12,360
Speaker 2: be on the top fifty. But sometimes when you know,

20
00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:15,240
Speaker 2: you know, and I'm telling you right now, if people

21
00:01:15,319 --> 00:01:20,000
Speaker 2: were making a list of the greatest composers in world history,

22
00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:24,400
Speaker 2: and someone was like, Hey, there's this kid named Beethoven.

23
00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:26,479
Speaker 2: I think he should be on it. They're like, Eh,

24
00:01:26,520 --> 00:01:28,959
Speaker 2: he's only on one symphony something. If you put him

25
00:01:28,959 --> 00:01:30,559
Speaker 2: on the list, you'd feel good about it. So that's

26
00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:33,200
Speaker 2: the Luca part of it. However, now we're to the

27
00:01:33,200 --> 00:01:37,200
Speaker 2: top eighteen, and every single person on this top eighteen

28
00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:40,760
Speaker 2: not only clearly deserves to be there, but what you

29
00:01:40,800 --> 00:01:43,200
Speaker 2: are going to see is when you hear who we

30
00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:48,200
Speaker 2: get to and they're all NBA teams and their MVP finishes,

31
00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:52,000
Speaker 2: and they're all time rankings as far as scoring or rebounding,

32
00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:54,920
Speaker 2: whatever it is, you're going to realize, as great as

33
00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:57,240
Speaker 2: a player such as Chris Paul was, as great as

34
00:01:57,320 --> 00:01:59,720
Speaker 2: David Robinson was, guys who were just outside of this

35
00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:05,279
Speaker 2: top eighteen, this eighteen are head and shoulders statistically better

36
00:02:05,720 --> 00:02:09,120
Speaker 2: than everyone else on this list, with the possible exception

37
00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:11,720
Speaker 2: of James Harden. James Harden's the only one who has

38
00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:16,560
Speaker 2: a statistical resume all NBA's MVP finishes similar to these guys,

39
00:02:16,720 --> 00:02:21,519
Speaker 2: but Harden obviously has such a non existent great playoff

40
00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:24,760
Speaker 2: resume that he can't be included here. If he had

41
00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:27,760
Speaker 2: just one singularly great playoff run, he would have been,

42
00:02:28,040 --> 00:02:33,040
Speaker 2: But so eighteen seventeen sixteen will be today's episode. Oddly enough,

43
00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:37,000
Speaker 2: they are all power forwards, so you probably know who

44
00:02:37,160 --> 00:02:40,359
Speaker 2: the three guys are already, but what order will they

45
00:02:40,400 --> 00:02:43,919
Speaker 2: be in? Number eighteen and it pained me to put

46
00:02:43,960 --> 00:02:47,200
Speaker 2: him here. I'd love for him to be higher. He's

47
00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:50,080
Speaker 2: one of my favorite people in sports. He was one

48
00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:52,720
Speaker 2: of my favorite players to watch. But eighteenth is as

49
00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:56,600
Speaker 2: high as I could put him. Number eighty Charles Barkley.

50
00:02:56,800 --> 00:03:01,000
Speaker 2: So Barkley had five times, was for Team All NBA,

51
00:03:01,600 --> 00:03:06,560
Speaker 2: five times, Second Team All NBA, one time Third Team

52
00:03:06,600 --> 00:03:10,480
Speaker 2: All NBA. When it comes to MVPs, he was a

53
00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:15,360
Speaker 2: one time MVP and eight times he finished in the

54
00:03:15,360 --> 00:03:19,080
Speaker 2: top six. Eight times he was a top top six

55
00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:21,840
Speaker 2: MVP finisher, and he won a rebounding title if you

56
00:03:21,880 --> 00:03:24,480
Speaker 2: care about that. Never did win a scoring title. Obviously,

57
00:03:24,520 --> 00:03:26,840
Speaker 2: he was the best player on one finalist. And what

58
00:03:26,880 --> 00:03:29,519
Speaker 2: you will see about Charles when we talk about some

59
00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:32,680
Speaker 2: of the best players in sports history to never win

60
00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:36,720
Speaker 2: a ring is Charles' excuse if you will, for never

61
00:03:36,760 --> 00:03:39,360
Speaker 2: winning a ring. It's not much of an excuse. We'll

62
00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:42,680
Speaker 2: get to that momentarily, but before we get to, you know,

63
00:03:42,880 --> 00:03:45,000
Speaker 2: when he came closest to winning rings. Let's just go

64
00:03:45,120 --> 00:03:49,760
Speaker 2: through the postseason resume as a rookie. A rookie in

65
00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:53,800
Speaker 2: the playoffs, had a twenty three and eleven in an

66
00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:58,520
Speaker 2: Eastern Conference Finals game versus the eighty five Celtics. Again,

67
00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:04,000
Speaker 2: as a rookie, entire playoff run, he averaged fifteen and

68
00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:07,360
Speaker 2: eleven for his sixers team that went all the way

69
00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:11,160
Speaker 2: to the Conference finals. Again, that's as a rookie nineteen

70
00:04:11,240 --> 00:04:15,600
Speaker 2: eighty six, his second year, in the second round of

71
00:04:15,720 --> 00:04:19,839
Speaker 2: the Eastern Conference playoffs, he had a thirty one twenty

72
00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:25,200
Speaker 2: six and six. Again, thirty one points, twenty rebounds, six assists,

73
00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:28,320
Speaker 2: six steals in Game one of the second round of

74
00:04:28,360 --> 00:04:31,200
Speaker 2: the playoffs in his second year, in Game four of

75
00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:35,880
Speaker 2: that series, he had a thirty seven, fourteen and nine.

76
00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:40,520
Speaker 2: He would lose in seven by one point to Milwaukee. Remember,

77
00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:43,000
Speaker 2: earlier in the list we talked about Sidney Moncrief and

78
00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:47,800
Speaker 2: those underrated Bucks teams of the eighties. He averaged twenty eight,

79
00:04:48,120 --> 00:04:52,680
Speaker 2: fifteen and four for that series. As a second year

80
00:04:52,760 --> 00:04:57,280
Speaker 2: player nineteen eighty seven, played Milwaukee again, this time in

81
00:04:57,400 --> 00:05:00,360
Speaker 2: round one. Lost in round one, but averaged twenty five

82
00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:04,279
Speaker 2: and thirteen. Nineteen eighty nine played Ewing in the Knicks,

83
00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:08,159
Speaker 2: averaged twenty seven to twelve and five, but again lost

84
00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:12,039
Speaker 2: in round one. And now this is Barkley's window ninety

85
00:05:12,120 --> 00:05:14,880
Speaker 2: to ninety five, the end of his time with Philly

86
00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:18,000
Speaker 2: and his the beginning of his time with Phoenix. And

87
00:05:18,560 --> 00:05:21,720
Speaker 2: without spoiling anything here, here's what you need to know.

88
00:05:22,400 --> 00:05:26,280
Speaker 2: In those ninety to ninety five, that's six seasons. Five

89
00:05:26,320 --> 00:05:30,719
Speaker 2: of those years he made the playoffs. All five years,

90
00:05:31,240 --> 00:05:35,320
Speaker 2: Charles Barkley lost to one of two people in the playoffs,

91
00:05:36,279 --> 00:05:40,040
Speaker 2: Michael Jordan or Akim Olaje one. So why doesn't Barkley

92
00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:43,599
Speaker 2: have a ring? Well, he kept running into Michael Jordan

93
00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:46,799
Speaker 2: or Akim Olaje one, So let's go through it. Nineteen

94
00:05:46,960 --> 00:05:51,480
Speaker 2: ninety Game one of the playoffs throws up a thirty

95
00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:56,559
Speaker 2: eight and twenty one to start the playoffs averaged twenty six,

96
00:05:56,920 --> 00:05:59,520
Speaker 2: fourteen and four in round one to get out of

97
00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:02,440
Speaker 2: round one for the first time since year two nineteen

98
00:06:02,480 --> 00:06:06,200
Speaker 2: eighty six that we talked about. Round two against Jordan's

99
00:06:06,200 --> 00:06:10,279
Speaker 2: Bulls put up a thirty and twenty in game one,

100
00:06:10,800 --> 00:06:14,120
Speaker 2: put up a thirty four to twenty and eight in

101
00:06:14,240 --> 00:06:18,560
Speaker 2: Game three, but they lost the series. Of course. Then

102
00:06:18,560 --> 00:06:21,119
Speaker 2: the next year he played Michael Jordan, lost to Michael

103
00:06:21,200 --> 00:06:25,080
Speaker 2: Jordan again, and then shortly thereafter went to Phoenix Phoenix.

104
00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:28,880
Speaker 2: The spoiler alert, this is gonna end with him losing

105
00:06:28,960 --> 00:06:31,360
Speaker 2: to Michael Jordan. But how did he get there?

106
00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:32,360
Speaker 3: All? Right?

107
00:06:33,279 --> 00:06:37,440
Speaker 2: The Western Conference Finals for Charles Barkley nineteen ninety three

108
00:06:37,560 --> 00:06:40,680
Speaker 2: wins League MVP. It's his best chance to win a title.

109
00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:44,559
Speaker 2: He's never been to a finals. In fact, he's never

110
00:06:44,720 --> 00:06:49,800
Speaker 2: been to a game six of a conference finals. So

111
00:06:49,920 --> 00:06:53,960
Speaker 2: what does Barkley do against Seattle, Peyton and Kemp in

112
00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:57,920
Speaker 2: the Western Conference Finals? With the series tied two games

113
00:06:57,920 --> 00:07:01,000
Speaker 2: a piece? In Game five, throws up a forty three

114
00:07:01,080 --> 00:07:06,640
Speaker 2: point fifteen rebound, ten assist game again critical game five

115
00:07:06,680 --> 00:07:10,560
Speaker 2: of the series to get up in the series A

116
00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:13,360
Speaker 2: game away from the NBA Finals, puts up a forty

117
00:07:13,400 --> 00:07:18,200
Speaker 2: three fifteen to ten, and then in Game seven has

118
00:07:18,320 --> 00:07:22,360
Speaker 2: flatley one of the greatest playoff games anyone has ever played.

119
00:07:22,760 --> 00:07:25,880
Speaker 2: By game score, I think Basketball Reference might have its

120
00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:29,760
Speaker 2: game score as top two playoff game ever. If you

121
00:07:29,800 --> 00:07:33,520
Speaker 2: go back and watch it, it's remarkable. When I was

122
00:07:33,600 --> 00:07:36,640
Speaker 2: doing the research for this list and I went back

123
00:07:36,680 --> 00:07:39,360
Speaker 2: and watched what I could find of this game on YouTube,

124
00:07:39,840 --> 00:07:43,040
Speaker 2: I had Barkley's number from a night of drinking at

125
00:07:43,040 --> 00:07:46,640
Speaker 2: the NBA Finals years prior. I'd never texted him. I

126
00:07:46,840 --> 00:07:49,960
Speaker 2: text him just to tell him how amazed I was

127
00:07:50,040 --> 00:07:52,160
Speaker 2: with the performance. I was. Again, I was a little

128
00:07:52,240 --> 00:07:54,679
Speaker 2: I was eight years old when he did this Game

129
00:07:54,840 --> 00:07:57,760
Speaker 2: seven to get to his first and what would be

130
00:07:57,760 --> 00:08:02,880
Speaker 2: his only NBA Finals again Seattle. Forty four points, twenty

131
00:08:02,960 --> 00:08:06,200
Speaker 2: four rebounds to get to the finals. So what does

132
00:08:06,280 --> 00:08:10,120
Speaker 2: he do in the finals? In Game two, puts up

133
00:08:10,120 --> 00:08:13,800
Speaker 2: a forty two and thirteen in a game they would

134
00:08:13,840 --> 00:08:17,920
Speaker 2: lose by three. In Game four, puts up a thirty

135
00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:21,640
Speaker 2: two to twelve to ten in a game they would

136
00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:26,440
Speaker 2: lose by six. Averaged for the playoff run to the finals,

137
00:08:26,600 --> 00:08:30,280
Speaker 2: twenty seven points, fourteen rebounds, four assists. For the finals

138
00:08:30,320 --> 00:08:33,959
Speaker 2: basically the same twenty seven points, thirteen rebounds, six assists.

139
00:08:33,960 --> 00:08:37,120
Speaker 2: Now he also is the one that kind of lost

140
00:08:37,280 --> 00:08:41,360
Speaker 2: packson on the shot that won the title. That's gonna always,

141
00:08:41,480 --> 00:08:43,840
Speaker 2: you know, bounce round in his head. But that's what

142
00:08:43,880 --> 00:08:46,520
Speaker 2: he did. So that's ninety three's first year in Phoenix

143
00:08:46,559 --> 00:08:49,720
Speaker 2: Wins League. MVP gets to the finals is unbelievable. The

144
00:08:49,800 --> 00:08:52,160
Speaker 2: run to the finals is very good. In the finals,

145
00:08:52,320 --> 00:08:55,000
Speaker 2: loses to Jordan and what I think was Jordan's f

146
00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:59,280
Speaker 2: finest finals performance ever that series against the Suns. The

147
00:08:59,360 --> 00:09:03,880
Speaker 2: next year, starts the playoffs off with a thirty six

148
00:09:03,920 --> 00:09:08,600
Speaker 2: point nineteen rebound, seven assists for steel game averaged for

149
00:09:08,720 --> 00:09:12,520
Speaker 2: the first round of that's of that playoffs averaged thirty

150
00:09:12,559 --> 00:09:16,840
Speaker 2: seven to thirteen and six, including a fifty six point

151
00:09:16,960 --> 00:09:20,240
Speaker 2: fourteen rebound four assist game. But then in round two

152
00:09:20,880 --> 00:09:24,280
Speaker 2: he plays at Keema LaJuan and they lose in seven.

153
00:09:24,559 --> 00:09:28,280
Speaker 2: The next year, another remarkable round one, putting up a

154
00:09:28,320 --> 00:09:31,600
Speaker 2: thirty four to fourteen and three average, but then in

155
00:09:31,679 --> 00:09:35,920
Speaker 2: round two they lost to a kim Olajuan in seven,

156
00:09:36,120 --> 00:09:39,000
Speaker 2: again despite the fact, by the way in that series

157
00:09:39,040 --> 00:09:41,760
Speaker 2: he had a forty seven and twelve and then if

158
00:09:41,760 --> 00:09:43,400
Speaker 2: we're being honest, it was kind of over for him.

159
00:09:43,440 --> 00:09:48,000
Speaker 2: Then shortly thereafter he went and joined a Keem's team.

160
00:09:48,360 --> 00:09:51,440
Speaker 2: His body started breaking down. He had one more great

161
00:09:51,480 --> 00:09:54,280
Speaker 2: playoff game the rest of his career in nineteen ninety

162
00:09:54,360 --> 00:09:57,960
Speaker 2: nine against Shaq and Gobi had a thirty point, twenty

163
00:09:57,960 --> 00:10:01,000
Speaker 2: three rebound, five assist game in the only game Houston

164
00:10:01,040 --> 00:10:02,760
Speaker 2: won in that series, and that was kind of it

165
00:10:02,800 --> 00:10:08,320
Speaker 2: for Chuck. So he kept running into Jordan's dream the

166
00:10:08,440 --> 00:10:12,720
Speaker 2: two greatest players of the nineties by a wide margin,

167
00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:15,679
Speaker 2: those two guys, and he couldn't get thrown. So that's

168
00:10:15,720 --> 00:10:18,600
Speaker 2: why Charles Barkley is where he is, eighteenth on the list.

169
00:10:18,640 --> 00:10:21,120
Speaker 2: We have a caller that wants to chime in on

170
00:10:21,160 --> 00:10:23,200
Speaker 2: the Chuckster, go right ahead, Heye.

171
00:10:23,200 --> 00:10:26,679
Speaker 3: Sehn Gonzalez hosted the Sports Illustrated Weekly podcast here and

172
00:10:26,880 --> 00:10:30,600
Speaker 3: lifelong Sixers fan as a native Philadelphian. Of course, I

173
00:10:30,600 --> 00:10:33,360
Speaker 3: think Charles Barkley should be higher the number eighteen on

174
00:10:33,400 --> 00:10:35,800
Speaker 3: the list. I'm not supposed to reveal who's at seventeen,

175
00:10:36,160 --> 00:10:39,720
Speaker 3: but I will say I'm preemptively upset by it. Of course,

176
00:10:39,840 --> 00:10:42,360
Speaker 3: Charles Barkley should be higher than him, not just because

177
00:10:42,400 --> 00:10:44,880
Speaker 3: he was a better basketball player, but because of the

178
00:10:44,920 --> 00:10:49,080
Speaker 3: cultural figure that he is and was then and still remains,

179
00:10:49,360 --> 00:10:52,360
Speaker 3: so his outsized influence all over the place should have

180
00:10:52,440 --> 00:10:56,280
Speaker 3: him higher. Anyway, the whole thing is terrible. It's absolutely

181
00:10:56,480 --> 00:10:59,600
Speaker 3: more terrible than my Charles Barkley acts. I'm so sorry

182
00:10:59,679 --> 00:11:01,400
Speaker 3: that was awful, but so is your list?

183
00:11:01,880 --> 00:11:04,360
Speaker 2: All right? Well, that last part my list is not awful, John,

184
00:11:04,400 --> 00:11:07,520
Speaker 2: I apologize. We disagree about seventeen versus eighteen. That was

185
00:11:07,559 --> 00:11:10,960
Speaker 2: the worst Charles Barkley impersonation I've ever heard. So why

186
00:11:10,960 --> 00:11:14,120
Speaker 2: do I have Barkley eighteen and the person John is

187
00:11:14,160 --> 00:11:18,560
Speaker 2: talking about at seventeen? Well, we'll discuss that next. Because

188
00:11:18,600 --> 00:11:24,200
Speaker 2: the guy at seventeen has the regular season resume that

189
00:11:24,559 --> 00:11:27,440
Speaker 2: everyone knows it's good. I don't think people know quite

190
00:11:27,480 --> 00:11:29,280
Speaker 2: how good it is. What do you do with a

191
00:11:29,320 --> 00:11:32,840
Speaker 2: guy who was good but not great in the postseason,

192
00:11:33,200 --> 00:11:36,800
Speaker 2: but in the regular season has an argument he was

193
00:11:37,320 --> 00:11:40,880
Speaker 2: one of the three greatest players ever. That's number seventeen.

194
00:11:40,920 --> 00:11:41,760
Speaker 2: We'll do him next.

195
00:11:47,160 --> 00:11:49,920
Speaker 4: This episode is brought to you by Unstoppable. Discover the

196
00:11:49,960 --> 00:11:53,319
Speaker 4: inspiring true story about Anthony Roblast, who defined every expectation

197
00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:56,280
Speaker 4: to become a national wrestling champion, and Unstoppable, a new

198
00:11:56,320 --> 00:12:00,000
Speaker 4: original movie from Amazon, MGM Studios and director William Goldenberger,

199
00:12:00,040 --> 00:12:03,160
Speaker 4: evoking the excitement and camaraderie of classic sports dramas and

200
00:12:03,200 --> 00:12:06,600
Speaker 4: thrilling wrestling matches. Unstoppable features an all star ensemble cast

201
00:12:06,679 --> 00:12:10,200
Speaker 4: including Jerrell Jerome, Jennifer Lopez, Don cheatle Michael Tanya, and

202
00:12:10,200 --> 00:12:14,440
Speaker 4: Bobby Canavalli. Watch Unstoppable now exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.

203
00:12:16,720 --> 00:12:18,880
Speaker 2: All right, welcome back in What's Right with Nick Wright

204
00:12:18,960 --> 00:12:22,120
Speaker 2: fifty greatest players the last fifty years in the NBA's

205
00:12:22,200 --> 00:12:25,679
Speaker 2: we continue our countdown and we get to truly the

206
00:12:25,679 --> 00:12:29,520
Speaker 2: most legendary players in the history of the league. Number

207
00:12:29,559 --> 00:12:34,200
Speaker 2: eighteen was Charles Barkley. Number seventeen is a player whose

208
00:12:34,280 --> 00:12:37,760
Speaker 2: postseason resume, one could argue, is not quite as good

209
00:12:37,800 --> 00:12:43,840
Speaker 2: as Barkley's, but his regular season resume is truly not

210
00:12:43,880 --> 00:12:49,280
Speaker 2: only unimpeachable, but it's hard to make an argument that

211
00:12:49,840 --> 00:12:55,040
Speaker 2: anyone other than Lebron and Kareem clearly have a better

212
00:12:57,080 --> 00:13:01,480
Speaker 2: totality of regular season work than this player. You probably

213
00:13:01,520 --> 00:13:06,800
Speaker 2: know who he is. Number seventeen Carl Malone, So the Mailman.

214
00:13:07,360 --> 00:13:11,960
Speaker 2: Eleven time first team All NBA that is tied for

215
00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:15,760
Speaker 2: the second most ever, two time second team, one time

216
00:13:15,840 --> 00:13:19,160
Speaker 2: third team, which gives him the fit tied for the

217
00:13:19,280 --> 00:13:22,720
Speaker 2: fifth most All NBA teams ever. He's a two time

218
00:13:22,840 --> 00:13:29,600
Speaker 2: MVP with nine years Top five MVP finisher nine years.

219
00:13:29,800 --> 00:13:32,880
Speaker 2: He was a top five MVP finisher. When we started

220
00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:35,400
Speaker 2: making this list, he was the second all time leading scorer.

221
00:13:35,600 --> 00:13:38,000
Speaker 2: Lebron has since passed him. He is now the third

222
00:13:38,080 --> 00:13:41,760
Speaker 2: all time leading scorer. He's the seventh all time leading rebounder.

223
00:13:41,960 --> 00:13:44,600
Speaker 2: He has the second most minutes of all time. He

224
00:13:44,640 --> 00:13:49,200
Speaker 2: has a career average of twenty five and ten. He's

225
00:13:49,280 --> 00:13:52,760
Speaker 2: the only player of the last fifty years to have

226
00:13:52,800 --> 00:13:55,360
Speaker 2: a career average of twenty five and ten other than

227
00:13:55,480 --> 00:13:58,640
Speaker 2: Joel Embiid, and Embiid has the benefit of not having

228
00:13:58,640 --> 00:14:00,920
Speaker 2: that end of his career part of it drag him

229
00:14:00,960 --> 00:14:05,440
Speaker 2: down like most guys do. He has seventeen seasons of

230
00:14:05,520 --> 00:14:08,200
Speaker 2: averaging at least twenty points per game. That's tied for

231
00:14:08,240 --> 00:14:11,480
Speaker 2: the second most of all time. So again, he's the

232
00:14:11,559 --> 00:14:13,679
Speaker 2: number three all time leading scorer, number seven all time

233
00:14:13,720 --> 00:14:17,320
Speaker 2: leading rebounder, number two all time in minutes, top five

234
00:14:18,400 --> 00:14:21,800
Speaker 2: in all NBA teams. His second most first team all

235
00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:24,360
Speaker 2: NBA is ever the only twenty five and ten guy

236
00:14:24,400 --> 00:14:27,440
Speaker 2: of the last fifty years. Second is seventeen years averaging

237
00:14:27,480 --> 00:14:29,640
Speaker 2: at least twenty points per game. So why is he

238
00:14:29,720 --> 00:14:33,440
Speaker 2: only seventeenth, Well, it's not because the postseason resume is

239
00:14:33,480 --> 00:14:38,240
Speaker 2: non existent. But the postseason resume is not nearly what

240
00:14:38,280 --> 00:14:40,960
Speaker 2: the regular season resume is. So let's go through the

241
00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:43,520
Speaker 2: good with a little bit of the bad mixed. In

242
00:14:43,640 --> 00:14:47,720
Speaker 2: nineteen eighty eight, averaged thirty two to twelve for his

243
00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:51,280
Speaker 2: first career series win, and then average twenty nine to

244
00:14:51,320 --> 00:14:54,920
Speaker 2: twelve in a seven game loss to the Lakers who'd

245
00:14:54,960 --> 00:14:58,960
Speaker 2: gone to win the title, including in Game seven thirty

246
00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:03,040
Speaker 2: one p. Fifteen and so again, Young Garl malone game

247
00:15:03,200 --> 00:15:06,280
Speaker 2: seven against a Lakers team that would go on to

248
00:15:06,320 --> 00:15:09,840
Speaker 2: win the title thirty one, fifteen and four in a

249
00:15:09,840 --> 00:15:12,200
Speaker 2: couple of years without much in the playoffs. In nineteen

250
00:15:12,280 --> 00:15:16,800
Speaker 2: ninety one, had a thirty eight, thirteen and four to

251
00:15:16,840 --> 00:15:20,080
Speaker 2: beat Phoenix in Round one, and then had a forty

252
00:15:20,240 --> 00:15:24,440
Speaker 2: and sixteen in a game two loss in Round two

253
00:15:24,880 --> 00:15:27,680
Speaker 2: to Drexler and the Blazers. They would lose that series

254
00:15:27,720 --> 00:15:31,240
Speaker 2: in five. Nineteen ninety two, he gets to his first

255
00:15:31,280 --> 00:15:34,240
Speaker 2: career Western Conference Finals. How does he get there by

256
00:15:34,280 --> 00:15:37,800
Speaker 2: eliminating Kemp and Peyton in Seattle with a thirty seven

257
00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:43,520
Speaker 2: and thirteen, and then in ninety two against Portland in

258
00:15:43,560 --> 00:15:46,760
Speaker 2: the Western Conference Finals had a thirty eight and fourteen

259
00:15:47,160 --> 00:15:50,360
Speaker 2: in a critical game five series tied two games apiece,

260
00:15:51,040 --> 00:15:53,600
Speaker 2: but they lost in overtime. They would go on to

261
00:15:53,640 --> 00:15:56,080
Speaker 2: lose the series, and he wasn't great in the final game.

262
00:15:56,360 --> 00:16:02,160
Speaker 2: Nineteen ninety four, Western Conference semis Game seven against a

263
00:16:02,280 --> 00:16:06,680
Speaker 2: Kembey thirty one points, fourteen rebound, six assists to get

264
00:16:06,720 --> 00:16:09,880
Speaker 2: back to the Western Conference Finals, but lost to a

265
00:16:09,960 --> 00:16:12,360
Speaker 2: team in those Western Conference Finals, and then lost to

266
00:16:12,400 --> 00:16:15,000
Speaker 2: a team again in round one next year. This is

267
00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:17,000
Speaker 2: why a team's gonna be so high on this list.

268
00:16:17,120 --> 00:16:19,160
Speaker 2: If you notice from the Barkley segments, like what happened

269
00:16:19,160 --> 00:16:21,400
Speaker 2: to Barkley? Why do he make more the finals? Oh?

270
00:16:21,440 --> 00:16:23,440
Speaker 2: He lost to a keep? What happened to Malone?

271
00:16:23,440 --> 00:16:23,520
Speaker 5: Oh?

272
00:16:23,600 --> 00:16:26,840
Speaker 2: He lost to akeep nineteen ninety six? Though, for Carl

273
00:16:26,920 --> 00:16:30,800
Speaker 2: Malone facing elimination in the Western Conference Finals against Seattle

274
00:16:31,920 --> 00:16:35,480
Speaker 2: in game six, thirty two points, ten rebounds, seven assists,

275
00:16:35,600 --> 00:16:39,760
Speaker 2: four steals, but then in game seven wasn't great and

276
00:16:39,800 --> 00:16:41,880
Speaker 2: he still hadn't been to a finals. Now we're a

277
00:16:41,920 --> 00:16:46,080
Speaker 2: decade into his career, nineteen ninety seven, this is gonna

278
00:16:46,080 --> 00:16:49,920
Speaker 2: be Malone's moment. He won League MVP that year. Who's

279
00:16:49,960 --> 00:16:51,960
Speaker 2: controversial a lot of people thought Jordan should have won it.

280
00:16:52,080 --> 00:16:54,560
Speaker 2: Jordan should have won it, but Malone won League MVP.

281
00:16:54,640 --> 00:16:58,560
Speaker 2: It's his first League MVP. He's playing Shack in round two,

282
00:16:59,280 --> 00:17:02,360
Speaker 2: has a forty two and nine, followed by a thirty

283
00:17:02,400 --> 00:17:05,560
Speaker 2: two and twenty in games four and five, and they

284
00:17:05,640 --> 00:17:09,159
Speaker 2: beat Shaq in five. Utah died. It had a thirty

285
00:17:09,240 --> 00:17:11,800
Speaker 2: seven and ten in game three against the Bulls down

286
00:17:11,880 --> 00:17:16,600
Speaker 2: oh two and for the series average twenty four, ten

287
00:17:16,760 --> 00:17:19,760
Speaker 2: and four. Not bad, but he was always efficient in

288
00:17:19,800 --> 00:17:22,240
Speaker 2: his career. Is only forty four percent in those finals.

289
00:17:22,520 --> 00:17:26,240
Speaker 2: The Bulls win in six to another majestic Jordan, you know,

290
00:17:26,359 --> 00:17:28,840
Speaker 2: performance in Jordan moment, the flu game and all that,

291
00:17:29,520 --> 00:17:32,199
Speaker 2: and he loses in six to Michael. But twenty four

292
00:17:32,240 --> 00:17:34,600
Speaker 2: to ten and four not that bad. Nine ninety eight

293
00:17:36,840 --> 00:17:39,440
Speaker 2: gets a Keem in round one, has a thirty one

294
00:17:39,480 --> 00:17:42,439
Speaker 2: and fifteen against Akeem. A Keem at this point now

295
00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:45,560
Speaker 2: a Keem was older but was on the downside. Malone

296
00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:48,960
Speaker 2: again had just won League MVP, almost wanted again thirty

297
00:17:48,960 --> 00:17:51,359
Speaker 2: one and fifteen to beat a Keemen round one. In

298
00:17:51,480 --> 00:17:55,680
Speaker 2: round in round three against Shaq and Kobe, he had

299
00:17:55,800 --> 00:18:00,359
Speaker 2: a thirty average. Pardon me, thirty eleven and five to

300
00:18:00,520 --> 00:18:04,120
Speaker 2: sweep Shack and Kobe out sweep Mountain Western Commends finals.

301
00:18:04,480 --> 00:18:06,800
Speaker 2: Then in the finals they fall down three to one.

302
00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:09,960
Speaker 2: What does he do in game five thirty nine points,

303
00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:13,359
Speaker 2: nine rebounds, five assists, and then in game six the

304
00:18:13,359 --> 00:18:18,119
Speaker 2: box score looks good thirty one points, eleven rebounds, seven assists,

305
00:18:18,200 --> 00:18:21,399
Speaker 2: But we all know the story there, Bulls down three,

306
00:18:21,920 --> 00:18:25,560
Speaker 2: MJ hits two free throws, Bulls down one. Karl Malone

307
00:18:25,600 --> 00:18:28,680
Speaker 2: is the ball in the right box. MJ comes around

308
00:18:28,720 --> 00:18:31,040
Speaker 2: the baseline, strips it from him, goes down, hits the

309
00:18:31,119 --> 00:18:34,720
Speaker 2: jump shot stocked and misses Desperation three, and the Bulls

310
00:18:34,760 --> 00:18:37,680
Speaker 2: win the series. Bulls win the title. So we average

311
00:18:37,680 --> 00:18:41,359
Speaker 2: for that series more than respectable twenty five point eleven rebound,

312
00:18:41,359 --> 00:18:43,639
Speaker 2: four assists, this time on fifty percent shooting, but not

313
00:18:43,720 --> 00:18:49,800
Speaker 2: quite enough. Then in ninety nine, he's is the league

314
00:18:49,880 --> 00:18:56,199
Speaker 2: MVP in Round two Game six, facing round two. In

315
00:18:56,200 --> 00:18:59,560
Speaker 2: game six, he has eight points and his team goes home.

316
00:18:59,800 --> 00:19:04,080
Speaker 2: In two thousand, starts the playoffs off. Carl Malone not

317
00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:07,439
Speaker 2: dead yet, fifty to twelve to start the playoffs off

318
00:19:07,480 --> 00:19:10,239
Speaker 2: against Seattle, but they don't go very far. He then

319
00:19:10,280 --> 00:19:13,520
Speaker 2: eventually signs with the Lakers in four. In four, to

320
00:19:13,640 --> 00:19:17,920
Speaker 2: his credit, he did have a thirty point playoff game,

321
00:19:18,280 --> 00:19:20,240
Speaker 2: but he got hurt late in the playoffs. It's one

322
00:19:20,280 --> 00:19:22,280
Speaker 2: of the reasons the Lakers got blown off the court

323
00:19:22,359 --> 00:19:26,119
Speaker 2: against Detroit. Then his career was over. So he doesn't

324
00:19:26,160 --> 00:19:30,720
Speaker 2: have a lot of singularly great postseason moments. However, fifty

325
00:19:30,840 --> 00:19:33,880
Speaker 2: four times he scored thirty in a playoff game, that's

326
00:19:33,920 --> 00:19:37,040
Speaker 2: the ninth most all time. One one hundred and fifty

327
00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:39,880
Speaker 2: four times he scored twenty in a playoff game, that's

328
00:19:39,880 --> 00:19:42,680
Speaker 2: the fifth most all time. He is seventh all time

329
00:19:42,720 --> 00:19:49,440
Speaker 2: in playoff minutes, playoff points, and playoff rebounds. So something

330
00:19:49,680 --> 00:19:53,119
Speaker 2: there is some compiling there. I understand that, and he

331
00:19:53,320 --> 00:19:55,560
Speaker 2: was not No one's gonna argue he was a great

332
00:19:55,600 --> 00:19:57,960
Speaker 2: playoff four. He got a little worse come the postseason,

333
00:19:58,280 --> 00:20:03,240
Speaker 2: but in the regular season the resume is unimpeachable. That's

334
00:20:03,240 --> 00:20:06,120
Speaker 2: how he becomes the seventeenth greatest player of the last

335
00:20:06,200 --> 00:20:09,720
Speaker 2: fifty years. Karl Malone here is a caller who has

336
00:20:09,760 --> 00:20:11,479
Speaker 2: a Karl Malone question or comment.

337
00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:14,640
Speaker 6: John Stockton. When it came to the Utah Jazz and

338
00:20:14,760 --> 00:20:18,920
Speaker 6: the Stockton Malone combo was the more important of the two.

339
00:20:19,560 --> 00:20:22,760
Speaker 6: I'm just saying that means that you've got John Stockton

340
00:20:23,160 --> 00:20:24,679
Speaker 6: as a top fifteen player.

341
00:20:25,160 --> 00:20:27,280
Speaker 2: No, Rick, you know I don't have John Stockton in

342
00:20:27,280 --> 00:20:30,120
Speaker 2: the top sixteen. We had John Stockton in the top

343
00:20:30,160 --> 00:20:34,119
Speaker 2: twenty five. We had John Stockton twenty fourth, which is

344
00:20:34,480 --> 00:20:38,919
Speaker 2: not at all anything to sneeze at. But Rick's the

345
00:20:38,960 --> 00:20:41,359
Speaker 2: first person I've ever heard make the argument Stockton was

346
00:20:41,400 --> 00:20:44,639
Speaker 2: better than Malone. I've literally never heard someone make that

347
00:20:44,760 --> 00:20:49,080
Speaker 2: argument again. Carl Malone eleven times was First Team All NBA.

348
00:20:49,280 --> 00:20:53,760
Speaker 2: John Stockton two times was First Team All NBA. Karl

349
00:20:53,840 --> 00:20:59,280
Speaker 2: Malone had nine top five MVP finishes. John Stockton had

350
00:20:59,680 --> 00:21:03,920
Speaker 2: zero top five MVP finishes. So listen, I understand Stockton

351
00:21:04,200 --> 00:21:06,440
Speaker 2: all time leader and assists, all time leader and steals.

352
00:21:06,600 --> 00:21:09,480
Speaker 2: It's why he's in the top twenty five. But no, no, no,

353
00:21:09,520 --> 00:21:12,200
Speaker 2: Stockton's not better than alone. Nobody actually thought Stocktor's better

354
00:21:12,240 --> 00:21:15,520
Speaker 2: than alone. I can't believe Rick actually thought that. I

355
00:21:15,600 --> 00:21:18,240
Speaker 2: love Rick Buker, He's one of my favorite things say

356
00:21:18,240 --> 00:21:20,800
Speaker 2: about colleagues of mine. Who I disagree lot Rick Bucker,

357
00:21:20,840 --> 00:21:23,400
Speaker 2: great guy, bad takes. This might be the worst non

358
00:21:23,480 --> 00:21:25,680
Speaker 2: Lebron rip buger take I've heard other than that. I

359
00:21:25,680 --> 00:21:29,360
Speaker 2: appreciate him contributing to the show. Number sixteen one more

360
00:21:29,400 --> 00:21:37,560
Speaker 2: power forward, this one with a ring. He's next, all right,

361
00:21:37,600 --> 00:21:40,240
Speaker 2: welcome back in What's Right with Nick? Right, as we

362
00:21:40,320 --> 00:21:43,399
Speaker 2: continue our special edition the fifty Greatest Players of the

363
00:21:43,480 --> 00:21:46,520
Speaker 2: last fifty years. Next week we will be into the

364
00:21:46,560 --> 00:21:50,520
Speaker 2: top fifteen. I can't believe we've already come that far.

365
00:21:50,920 --> 00:21:54,280
Speaker 2: Number eighteen we just listed today was Charles Barkley. Number

366
00:21:54,320 --> 00:21:57,760
Speaker 2: seventeen we listed today was Karl Malone. Number sixteen plays

367
00:21:57,800 --> 00:22:01,280
Speaker 2: the same position. However, he has one thing those two

368
00:22:01,400 --> 00:22:03,720
Speaker 2: men don't have, and he got it under the most

369
00:22:03,720 --> 00:22:07,320
Speaker 2: difficult of circumstances. And this shows you how much a

370
00:22:07,440 --> 00:22:10,919
Speaker 2: ring can do for you, because, to be candid, he

371
00:22:11,160 --> 00:22:14,119
Speaker 2: certainly doesn't have the regular season resume of Karl Malone,

372
00:22:14,440 --> 00:22:17,280
Speaker 2: and he doesn't. He's probably a little shy of the

373
00:22:17,280 --> 00:22:22,280
Speaker 2: regular season resume of Charles Barkley. But the one postseason

374
00:22:22,359 --> 00:22:25,480
Speaker 2: run was brilliant enough. Plus it's got a pretty damn

375
00:22:25,480 --> 00:22:29,680
Speaker 2: good regular season resume. Number sixteen the third greatest foreign

376
00:22:29,720 --> 00:22:33,679
Speaker 2: born player as of today in NBA history. Number sixteen,

377
00:22:34,119 --> 00:22:38,200
Speaker 2: Dirk Davitz Dirk. Four time first team All NBA, five

378
00:22:38,320 --> 00:22:41,680
Speaker 2: time second Team All NBA, three time third Team All NBA.

379
00:22:42,119 --> 00:22:46,119
Speaker 2: He won an MVP and three times he finished in

380
00:22:46,160 --> 00:22:48,439
Speaker 2: the top three of MVP voting. He was a fifty

381
00:22:48,480 --> 00:22:51,680
Speaker 2: to forty ninety guy. And this is something I don't

382
00:22:51,680 --> 00:22:55,960
Speaker 2: think many people know. He he is the sixth all

383
00:22:56,400 --> 00:23:01,320
Speaker 2: time leading scorer in NBA history. Again, the number six

384
00:23:01,920 --> 00:23:06,200
Speaker 2: all time leading scorer in NBA history is won Dirk Novitzky,

385
00:23:06,560 --> 00:23:10,200
Speaker 2: and it gets forgotten to some, but it matters when

386
00:23:10,240 --> 00:23:13,240
Speaker 2: I say he doesn't have the regular season resume of Malone.

387
00:23:13,320 --> 00:23:16,359
Speaker 2: That's fair. Malone's third of Berkley. Maybe I shouldn't have

388
00:23:16,400 --> 00:23:20,160
Speaker 2: said it to Berkley. Barkley's got more regular top five

389
00:23:20,320 --> 00:23:25,960
Speaker 2: MVP finishes. However, Dirk had one playoff disaster that I

390
00:23:25,960 --> 00:23:28,800
Speaker 2: think MVP voters then held against him. Will get to that,

391
00:23:29,200 --> 00:23:31,359
Speaker 2: but he, of course more than made up for it.

392
00:23:31,560 --> 00:23:34,960
Speaker 2: So let's talk postseason. He obviously, you know, was a

393
00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:37,719
Speaker 2: finals MVP and a champion, but he also was the

394
00:23:37,720 --> 00:23:41,840
Speaker 2: best player on another finalist. Let's not forget about the

395
00:23:42,160 --> 00:23:45,160
Speaker 2: six finals, where du after being up two to oh

396
00:23:45,359 --> 00:23:47,159
Speaker 2: d Wade with a little bit of help from the

397
00:23:47,200 --> 00:23:51,160
Speaker 2: refs took that title from him, but Dirk carried two

398
00:23:51,200 --> 00:23:54,320
Speaker 2: Mavericks teams that did not have anything close to another

399
00:23:54,359 --> 00:23:57,920
Speaker 2: superstar to the finals, won the title one time. We'll

400
00:23:57,920 --> 00:24:00,439
Speaker 2: get to that eventually. He came into the league nineteen

401
00:24:00,520 --> 00:24:02,160
Speaker 2: years old, so it took him a couple of years

402
00:24:02,200 --> 00:24:04,240
Speaker 2: to make the playoffs. So when he did, twenty two

403
00:24:04,280 --> 00:24:07,560
Speaker 2: years old, first series of his playoff career, he had

404
00:24:07,680 --> 00:24:11,080
Speaker 2: back to back thirty three point games against the guy

405
00:24:11,119 --> 00:24:15,399
Speaker 2: we just talked about, Karl Malone. He also facing elimination

406
00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:19,960
Speaker 2: in one against Tim Duncan and David Robinson. Dirk Novitzky,

407
00:24:20,160 --> 00:24:23,919
Speaker 2: twenty two years old, had forty two points, eighteen rebounds,

408
00:24:24,080 --> 00:24:27,800
Speaker 2: two assists, and six blocks. Pretty good for a twenty

409
00:24:27,840 --> 00:24:32,240
Speaker 2: two year old. The next year faces Kevin Garnett, and

410
00:24:32,280 --> 00:24:34,160
Speaker 2: I think a lot of my colleagues would have Garnet

411
00:24:34,200 --> 00:24:36,639
Speaker 2: ahead of Dirk on the all time rankings. I don't.

412
00:24:36,680 --> 00:24:40,240
Speaker 2: It's close, but I don't. The next year played Kevin

413
00:24:40,240 --> 00:24:46,919
Speaker 2: Garnett averaged thirty three and sixteen to sweep KG, including

414
00:24:47,280 --> 00:24:51,600
Speaker 2: thirty nine and seventeen to close him out. The next year,

415
00:24:51,720 --> 00:24:56,240
Speaker 2: oh three. Now again, Dirks hadn't turned twenty five yet

416
00:24:56,280 --> 00:25:01,480
Speaker 2: forty six and ten to start the playoffs forty two

417
00:25:01,520 --> 00:25:04,520
Speaker 2: and ten to go up three to zero to round one.

418
00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:06,440
Speaker 2: Now he did lose the next three. He was almost

419
00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:09,600
Speaker 2: a total disaster. But then in game seven thirty one

420
00:25:10,000 --> 00:25:13,920
Speaker 2: and eleven and then Game seven the very next round

421
00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:18,359
Speaker 2: against Chris Webber and the Kings, thirty and nineteen in

422
00:25:18,480 --> 00:25:22,560
Speaker 2: game seven to make his first ever Western Conference Finals.

423
00:25:22,800 --> 00:25:26,200
Speaker 2: This is an important moment for Dirk. Dirk's still young.

424
00:25:26,520 --> 00:25:29,280
Speaker 2: It's his third playoff run ever. He carries a MAVs

425
00:25:29,320 --> 00:25:33,800
Speaker 2: team to the Western Conference Finals and in the Western

426
00:25:33,840 --> 00:25:37,359
Speaker 2: Rifence Finals in game one, has thirty eight and fifteen

427
00:25:37,440 --> 00:25:40,639
Speaker 2: in Game one, but then he got hurt in Game

428
00:25:40,760 --> 00:25:43,480
Speaker 2: three and that was a rap for them. Now they're done, goodbye,

429
00:25:43,640 --> 00:25:46,639
Speaker 2: good night, You're out of there. Spurs end up obviously

430
00:25:46,920 --> 00:25:49,359
Speaker 2: winning the series. They also end up winning the title

431
00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:53,080
Speaker 2: that year. Could the MAVs if Dirk doesn't get hurt?

432
00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:55,240
Speaker 2: Do they win that title? Do those MAVs beat the

433
00:25:55,320 --> 00:25:58,560
Speaker 2: nets of three? Of course they do, But he didn't

434
00:25:58,560 --> 00:26:02,919
Speaker 2: get the opportunity. He got hurt six Round one playing

435
00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:07,919
Speaker 2: Memphis averages thirty one and eight and sweeps them Game seven.

436
00:26:08,440 --> 00:26:14,399
Speaker 2: Western Conference semis and iconic Dirk Novitzky moment. He's thirty

437
00:26:14,440 --> 00:26:18,280
Speaker 2: seven and fifteen in an overtime win against Duncan. But

438
00:26:18,359 --> 00:26:22,800
Speaker 2: more importantly, that's the and one, the Jenobli foul to

439
00:26:22,960 --> 00:26:26,680
Speaker 2: force overtime. Down three twenty one seconds left in the regulation.

440
00:26:27,000 --> 00:26:30,679
Speaker 2: Dirk Drives, gets fouled, makes the layup, it makes the

441
00:26:30,720 --> 00:26:34,840
Speaker 2: free throw, obviously goes to overtime, gets to the conference finals.

442
00:26:34,840 --> 00:26:38,200
Speaker 2: In the conference finals and No. Six series tied two

443
00:26:38,240 --> 00:26:43,120
Speaker 2: games apiece fifty and twelve. Again, let me say that again.

444
00:26:43,440 --> 00:26:47,159
Speaker 2: He had fifty and twelve to go up three to

445
00:26:47,160 --> 00:26:49,760
Speaker 2: two on the Suns in the Western Conference Finals. Twenty

446
00:26:49,800 --> 00:26:53,399
Speaker 2: three and eleven average in the finals, So in the

447
00:26:53,440 --> 00:26:55,800
Speaker 2: finals numbers go down a bit, no doubt about it.

448
00:26:56,200 --> 00:26:58,800
Speaker 2: But you're up against Shaq and d Wade. He averaged

449
00:26:58,800 --> 00:27:01,200
Speaker 2: twenty three and eleven. And let's not forget about those

450
00:27:01,200 --> 00:27:05,520
Speaker 2: finals games three, five, and six. They lost by a

451
00:27:05,720 --> 00:27:10,880
Speaker 2: combined combined six points. And in Game three Dirk had

452
00:27:10,920 --> 00:27:14,040
Speaker 2: thirty points, seven rebounds. Game six he had twenty nine

453
00:27:14,080 --> 00:27:18,080
Speaker 2: points fifteen rebounds. But they lose at that point, It's

454
00:27:18,080 --> 00:27:21,240
Speaker 2: like okay, So Dirk in O three probably wins the title.

455
00:27:21,280 --> 00:27:25,360
Speaker 2: But he got hurt in six, had some iconic moments,

456
00:27:26,160 --> 00:27:30,200
Speaker 2: the fifty to twelve against Nash and Amari and the Suns,

457
00:27:30,600 --> 00:27:34,560
Speaker 2: the and one in the game Game seven against the Spurs.

458
00:27:35,320 --> 00:27:38,800
Speaker 2: You lose in the finals, so be it. Then seven

459
00:27:39,760 --> 00:27:43,320
Speaker 2: they're the one seed, and what he wins League MVP

460
00:27:44,200 --> 00:27:48,040
Speaker 2: and what happens? They lose in round one to the

461
00:27:48,080 --> 00:27:51,440
Speaker 2: We Believe Warriors. He had a bad series, average less

462
00:27:51,440 --> 00:27:53,080
Speaker 2: than twenty points per game, and that's when it was

463
00:27:53,119 --> 00:27:57,040
Speaker 2: oh soft euro Dirk can't get it done. The next

464
00:27:57,080 --> 00:28:01,960
Speaker 2: year plays Chris Paul with his best hornet team averages

465
00:28:01,960 --> 00:28:05,080
Speaker 2: twenty seven to twelve and four, but loses in round one.

466
00:28:05,600 --> 00:28:09,919
Speaker 2: The next year plays Round gets to round two for

467
00:28:09,960 --> 00:28:12,600
Speaker 2: the first time in a few years. Plays Denver, that's

468
00:28:12,640 --> 00:28:17,560
Speaker 2: the best Carmelo Denver year averages thirty four to twelve

469
00:28:17,600 --> 00:28:21,159
Speaker 2: and four in the series, has forty four and thirteen

470
00:28:21,800 --> 00:28:25,119
Speaker 2: in their only win of the series. They lose in five,

471
00:28:25,160 --> 00:28:27,800
Speaker 2: and it's like, oh boy, like Dirk's not getting back

472
00:28:27,800 --> 00:28:32,080
Speaker 2: to the finals. Twenty ten, plays the Spurs in round

473
00:28:32,119 --> 00:28:35,680
Speaker 2: one three times in that series he scored at least

474
00:28:35,720 --> 00:28:39,400
Speaker 2: thirty three, but they lose in round one, and then

475
00:28:39,480 --> 00:28:44,160
Speaker 2: twenty eleven, the Critical Run twenty eleven playoff run, he

476
00:28:44,200 --> 00:28:48,040
Speaker 2: has thirty three, eleven and four to close out Portland

477
00:28:48,040 --> 00:28:52,640
Speaker 2: in round one. In round two, he sweeps the two

478
00:28:52,840 --> 00:28:57,680
Speaker 2: time defending champion Lakers in Kobe and far out played Kobe. Again,

479
00:28:57,920 --> 00:29:00,720
Speaker 2: that's not some old tired Lakers team. They just won

480
00:29:00,760 --> 00:29:03,800
Speaker 2: back to back titles. Dirk swept him out and played

481
00:29:03,800 --> 00:29:06,240
Speaker 2: better than Kobe in that series. And then the Western

482
00:29:06,280 --> 00:29:10,640
Speaker 2: Conference Finals against again, they're young, but Katie ross Harden.

483
00:29:11,520 --> 00:29:14,800
Speaker 2: Game one of those Western Goverends Finals, he plays one

484
00:29:14,800 --> 00:29:17,520
Speaker 2: of the greatest playoff games anyone's ever played. He had

485
00:29:17,560 --> 00:29:23,000
Speaker 2: forty eight points on fifteen shots. Derk Nivitzki had forty

486
00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:26,520
Speaker 2: eight points on twelve of fifteen from the field in

487
00:29:26,600 --> 00:29:30,200
Speaker 2: game one of that series. In Game three of that series,

488
00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:33,520
Speaker 2: he had another forty point game. He averaged thirty to

489
00:29:33,600 --> 00:29:36,800
Speaker 2: a game to get back to the finals. So round one,

490
00:29:37,920 --> 00:29:41,040
Speaker 2: you play Portland, Okay, that's not some great Portland team.

491
00:29:41,280 --> 00:29:44,600
Speaker 2: Round two, you sweep the two time defending champs. Round

492
00:29:44,720 --> 00:29:48,239
Speaker 2: three you outplay Durant. You have no other stars on

493
00:29:48,280 --> 00:29:50,880
Speaker 2: your team. You get to the It's young Durant, but

494
00:29:50,920 --> 00:29:54,040
Speaker 2: still Durant rouss Harden. You get to the finals. In

495
00:29:54,120 --> 00:29:59,160
Speaker 2: the finals, who's waiting for you? Lebron Wade Bosh and

496
00:29:59,200 --> 00:30:02,200
Speaker 2: that's all that's the story is told as it's Lebron's

497
00:30:02,240 --> 00:30:05,479
Speaker 2: meltdown and that did happen, but Dirk still had to

498
00:30:05,520 --> 00:30:08,800
Speaker 2: take it from him. Average twenty six to ten in

499
00:30:08,840 --> 00:30:13,760
Speaker 2: those finals. For the playoff run average twenty eight and

500
00:30:13,920 --> 00:30:18,720
Speaker 2: eight on he was one percent away from a fifty

501
00:30:19,240 --> 00:30:23,480
Speaker 2: forty five ninety five for the playoff run. For the

502
00:30:23,480 --> 00:30:26,800
Speaker 2: playoff run, he is shooting splits, were forty nine percent

503
00:30:26,800 --> 00:30:29,920
Speaker 2: from the field, forty six percent from three, ninety five

504
00:30:29,960 --> 00:30:33,520
Speaker 2: percent from the line. And then the next year he's

505
00:30:33,560 --> 00:30:36,680
Speaker 2: swept by OKC in round one that obviously the thunder

506
00:30:36,680 --> 00:30:37,840
Speaker 2: team that went to the finals.

507
00:30:38,240 --> 00:30:38,360
Speaker 3: Uh.

508
00:30:38,600 --> 00:30:41,920
Speaker 2: He averages twenty seven and six for the series and

509
00:30:41,960 --> 00:30:45,240
Speaker 2: then that was about it for him. But he was

510
00:30:45,600 --> 00:30:49,840
Speaker 2: amazing in the postseason early then after they made the

511
00:30:49,880 --> 00:30:54,080
Speaker 2: finals after six before eleven that's seven to ten run.

512
00:30:54,320 --> 00:30:56,280
Speaker 2: It's not that he was terrible, except for the one

513
00:30:56,360 --> 00:31:00,520
Speaker 2: year in seven seventy was bad eight nine ten. It

514
00:31:00,720 --> 00:31:04,040
Speaker 2: just lost to better teams and then back to the finals.

515
00:31:04,240 --> 00:31:07,880
Speaker 2: One of the most important impressive rings ever that gets

516
00:31:07,880 --> 00:31:11,920
Speaker 2: you number sixteen on the list, Dirk Novitski, let's go

517
00:31:12,000 --> 00:31:12,560
Speaker 2: to a caller.

518
00:31:13,080 --> 00:31:16,520
Speaker 5: Hey, Nick Megan, O leave here, UFC broadcaster and Spurs

519
00:31:16,520 --> 00:31:17,280
Speaker 5: basketball fan.

520
00:31:17,640 --> 00:31:19,440
Speaker 2: But the fact that I'm a Spurs.

521
00:31:19,120 --> 00:31:22,000
Speaker 5: Fan has nothing to do with my opinion that Dirk

522
00:31:22,080 --> 00:31:24,000
Speaker 5: on your list is way too high.

523
00:31:24,080 --> 00:31:24,800
Speaker 2: I mean, yes, he.

524
00:31:24,800 --> 00:31:27,880
Speaker 5: Has a ring, Yes, great offensive player, but some of

525
00:31:27,880 --> 00:31:31,000
Speaker 5: those playoff collapses about losing to the number eight seed

526
00:31:31,160 --> 00:31:35,520
Speaker 5: Warriors and the defense, I don't know, questionable. So if

527
00:31:35,560 --> 00:31:37,720
Speaker 5: he's this high in your list, I'm telling you Tim

528
00:31:37,800 --> 00:31:39,520
Speaker 5: Duncan better be top five.

529
00:31:40,040 --> 00:31:42,479
Speaker 2: Okay, well, I'm not gonna reveal where Tim Duncan is,

530
00:31:42,520 --> 00:31:46,920
Speaker 2: but Tim Duncan being around the top five is not

531
00:31:47,040 --> 00:31:50,120
Speaker 2: outrageous at all. Listen, Dirk was not better than Duncan.

532
00:31:50,160 --> 00:31:52,440
Speaker 2: No one rog you Dirk was better than Duncan. But

533
00:31:52,480 --> 00:31:55,400
Speaker 2: when you say some of those playoff collapses, it's really

534
00:31:55,480 --> 00:32:00,760
Speaker 2: just one, just one true playoff collapse. Again, three would

535
00:32:00,800 --> 00:32:02,600
Speaker 2: have won the title if he doesn't get hurt. You

536
00:32:02,640 --> 00:32:05,120
Speaker 2: can't tell me differently, And that was he was out

537
00:32:05,160 --> 00:32:07,760
Speaker 2: playing Tim Duncan in that series until he got hurt.

538
00:32:08,600 --> 00:32:13,120
Speaker 2: Six gets to the finals. Tough confluence of events with

539
00:32:13,160 --> 00:32:15,400
Speaker 2: the officiating and d Wade having one of the greatest

540
00:32:15,400 --> 00:32:18,560
Speaker 2: four game stretches in NBA history, then takes his lumps

541
00:32:18,560 --> 00:32:23,280
Speaker 2: and O seven again, no superstars, no top seventy five. Well,

542
00:32:23,360 --> 00:32:25,760
Speaker 2: Jason gives top seventy five guy on the eleven team,

543
00:32:25,920 --> 00:32:29,320
Speaker 2: but he wasn't in his top seventy five form when

544
00:32:29,360 --> 00:32:30,720
Speaker 2: he did it. He was a good player, but not

545
00:32:30,760 --> 00:32:33,120
Speaker 2: a great player. And Dirk carries him to a ring

546
00:32:33,560 --> 00:32:36,800
Speaker 2: sixth all time leading scorer, won an MVP, few other

547
00:32:36,840 --> 00:32:41,200
Speaker 2: top three MVP finishes, unreal playoff run, and some great

548
00:32:41,240 --> 00:32:45,360
Speaker 2: playoff numbers. Dirk Novitzky your sixteenth best player of the

549
00:32:45,480 --> 00:32:51,240
Speaker 2: last fifty years. Next week we will get into the

550
00:32:51,320 --> 00:32:58,080
Speaker 2: player who I believe to be disrespected by history and

551
00:32:58,200 --> 00:33:03,720
Speaker 2: disrespected by modern analytics more than any other player in

552
00:33:03,880 --> 00:33:07,040
Speaker 2: NBA history. He'll lead off our list as we get

553
00:33:07,040 --> 00:33:09,840
Speaker 2: into the top fifteen next week on the fifty Greatest

554
00:33:09,840 --> 00:33:12,000
Speaker 2: Players of the last fifty years? On What's Right with

555
00:33:12,080 --> 00:33:25,120
Speaker 2: Nick Ray