WEBVTT - Nick’s Top 50 NBA Players of the Last 50 Years: #43-40 0:00:00.600 --> 0:00:03.240 The Apple Watch Series ten is here. It has the 0:00:03.240 --> 0:00:07.280 biggest display ever. It's also the thinnest Apple Watch ever, 0:00:07.640 --> 0:00:11.320 making it even more comfortable on your wrist whether you're running, swimming, 0:00:11.680 --> 0:00:15.240 or sleeping. And it's the fastest charging Apple Watch, getting 0:00:15.240 --> 0:00:17.919 you eight hours of charge in just fifteen minutes. The 0:00:18.000 --> 0:00:21.160 Apple Watch Series ten available for the first time in 0:00:21.200 --> 0:00:25.040 the glossy jet black aluminum compared to previous generations. iPhone 0:00:25.040 --> 0:00:28.200 Tennis are later required. Charge time and actual results will vary. 0:00:31.800 --> 0:00:34.600 This episode is brought to you by Unstoppable. Discover the 0:00:34.640 --> 0:00:38.000 inspiring true story about Anthony Roeblass, who defined every expectation 0:00:38.080 --> 0:00:40.960 to become a national wrestling champion, and Unstoppable, a new 0:00:41.000 --> 0:00:44.600 original movie from Amazon MGM Studios and director William Goldenberg, 0:00:44.680 --> 0:00:47.839 Evoking the excitement and camaraderie of classic sports dramas and 0:00:47.880 --> 0:00:51.280 thrilling wrestling matches. Unstoppable features an all star ensemble cast 0:00:51.360 --> 0:00:54.880 including Jerrel Jerome, Jennifer Lopez, Don Cheatle, Michael Panya, and 0:00:54.880 --> 0:01:10.800 Bobby Canavali. Watch Unstoppable now exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. 0:01:12.319 --> 0:01:15.520 Welcome in to another special episode of the What's Try 0:01:15.560 --> 0:01:18.320 with Nick Wright podcast and YouTube show. This is part 0:01:18.319 --> 0:01:22.120 of our series the fifty Greatest Players of the last 0:01:22.200 --> 0:01:26.520 fifty years in the NBA. Today we will reveal players 0:01:26.600 --> 0:01:30.320 forty three through forty. There are some very familiar names 0:01:30.360 --> 0:01:32.839 on this list we are, I mean, we're already getting 0:01:32.880 --> 0:01:35.119 to the real meat of the list. But the person 0:01:35.160 --> 0:01:38.120 we are going to start with I feel was the 0:01:38.240 --> 0:01:42.200 single most glaring omission from the NBA's just released top 0:01:42.240 --> 0:01:44.800 seventy five list. Now, we've had a few people already 0:01:44.840 --> 0:01:47.039 on my list that didn't make the top seventy five. 0:01:47.120 --> 0:01:50.360 Sidney Moncreef, who we discussed, Bernard King, who we discussed 0:01:50.360 --> 0:01:54.040 who I felt were unfairly excluded. After this name, we're 0:01:54.040 --> 0:01:57.080 about to reveal, there's only one more person on my 0:01:57.200 --> 0:01:59.280 list that is not on the NBA's list, and that 0:01:59.320 --> 0:02:01.880 will be contrab And we will get to him of 0:02:01.960 --> 0:02:04.160 probably a couple months from now, because he is very 0:02:04.240 --> 0:02:07.280 high on my list despite not making the top seventy five. 0:02:07.680 --> 0:02:11.880 But this person right here, in my opinion, his absence 0:02:11.880 --> 0:02:14.919 of being on the top seventy five list nearly invalidated 0:02:14.960 --> 0:02:18.440 that list in its entirety. This person is, of course, 0:02:18.880 --> 0:02:21.680 the forty third best player of the last fifty years 0:02:21.680 --> 0:02:25.360 in the NBA Dwight Howard. 0:02:25.720 --> 0:02:28.400 For forty three Dwight Howard. 0:02:28.919 --> 0:02:32.600 The fact that he was not included on the top 0:02:32.639 --> 0:02:36.800 seventy five list made that more about popularity than about credibility. 0:02:37.040 --> 0:02:41.399 Dwight Howard, let's go over his resume five times. We're 0:02:41.400 --> 0:02:44.120 gonna go slow on this. By the way, five times 0:02:44.560 --> 0:02:49.760 All NBA First Team for context, that is more than 0:02:49.880 --> 0:02:55.280 Dark Novitzky, Chris Paul, Kevin Garnett or as of this moment, 0:02:55.520 --> 0:02:58.959 Steph Curry. None of those guys have as many first 0:02:59.000 --> 0:02:59.959 teams as Dwight Howard. 0:03:00.160 --> 0:03:01.320 He is a three. 0:03:01.160 --> 0:03:06.760 Time Defensive Player of the Year APEX Dwight in Orlando 0:03:07.320 --> 0:03:10.080 was so far and away the best defensive player in 0:03:10.120 --> 0:03:12.320 the league there was not even a debate or. 0:03:12.320 --> 0:03:13.520 A discussion about it. 0:03:13.919 --> 0:03:17.480 Career top fifteen all time and rebounds and blocks, and 0:03:17.520 --> 0:03:20.000 now I want to talk about the MVPs because yes, 0:03:20.080 --> 0:03:22.799 he's five time First Team All NBA plus one time 0:03:22.840 --> 0:03:26.120 second team, two time thirteen. But the MVP part of 0:03:26.160 --> 0:03:29.120 it is really the biggest part of his case. There's 0:03:29.160 --> 0:03:32.120 a five year stretch where he was a consensus top 0:03:32.160 --> 0:03:32.800 five player. 0:03:33.280 --> 0:03:34.280 You saw it right there. 0:03:34.600 --> 0:03:38.320 He finished second MVP voting once and he finished top 0:03:38.480 --> 0:03:43.600 five three other times, so he has four top five 0:03:43.760 --> 0:03:47.040 MVP finishes. And when he was at his apex, we 0:03:47.080 --> 0:03:50.320 will go to the postseason. He was the best player 0:03:50.400 --> 0:03:53.080 on a finalist. A finalist by the way that if 0:03:53.120 --> 0:03:57.560 not for the courtney Lee missed putback, maybe maybe takes 0:03:57.560 --> 0:03:59.920 that Lakers series not only to seven, maybe they win it. 0:04:00.200 --> 0:04:04.000 But how did Dwight peak? Dwight before his bat gave out? 0:04:04.200 --> 0:04:06.800 For he had real issues. And again some of this 0:04:06.880 --> 0:04:09.120 is his own doing because his game never matured, and 0:04:09.160 --> 0:04:11.840 some would argue he never matured. I understand that, but 0:04:11.920 --> 0:04:14.600 you can't hold the potential against him when what he 0:04:14.720 --> 0:04:19.880 realized was so great. Peak Dwight not only beat Lebron 0:04:19.880 --> 0:04:23.400 in a series, but the series that the Magic beat 0:04:23.440 --> 0:04:28.760 the Cats. Lebron in that series averaged thirty nine, eight 0:04:29.279 --> 0:04:32.359 and eight. It might be the single best series Lebron's 0:04:32.400 --> 0:04:36.440 ever played, one could argue, and Dwight beat him in six. 0:04:36.880 --> 0:04:40.680 With Jamir Nelson, Hadu Turklou and Rashard Lewis as his 0:04:40.800 --> 0:04:45.520 key contributors, Dwight in that series averaged a humble twenty 0:04:45.640 --> 0:04:48.680 six and thirteen and in the deciding game six to 0:04:48.680 --> 0:04:52.080 go to Dwight's first career NBA Finals, He put up 0:04:52.080 --> 0:04:57.039 a forty and fourteen forty and fourteen to send Lebron 0:04:57.080 --> 0:04:59.480 home to go to the finals, and then they lost 0:04:59.480 --> 0:05:02.880 in six to Kobe obviously, So then was Dwight's career 0:05:02.920 --> 0:05:05.080 over there? No, everyone kills him for the Lakers year, 0:05:05.080 --> 0:05:07.679 even though that was one of the what five years 0:05:07.720 --> 0:05:10.839 he led the NBA in rebounding his first year in Houston, 0:05:11.200 --> 0:05:13.679 you guys remember the playoff series that was Dame's first 0:05:13.680 --> 0:05:16.320 career walk off the Dame where he waves goodbye to 0:05:16.360 --> 0:05:20.760 everybody and he beats Houston in round one. In that series, 0:05:21.320 --> 0:05:26.880 Dwight averaged twenty six and fourteen with three blocks for 0:05:26.920 --> 0:05:29.200 a series again that his team loses in six. 0:05:29.520 --> 0:05:31.440 For in the playoffs from. 0:05:31.200 --> 0:05:35.000 Two thousand and eight to twenty fifteen, so the entirety 0:05:35.040 --> 0:05:37.840 of his prime and then a couple of years after 0:05:37.880 --> 0:05:43.160 his prime, he was twenty and fourteen in the playoffs 0:05:43.440 --> 0:05:45.919 and by the way, he's now a champion now. Was 0:05:45.960 --> 0:05:47.640 he a huge part of that Lakers title? 0:05:47.640 --> 0:05:50.240 Seem No? But was he getting minutes? Was he valuable? 0:05:50.480 --> 0:05:51.760 You bet your ass he was? 0:05:52.760 --> 0:05:55.599 Is not being included in the top seventy five is ridiculous, 0:05:55.680 --> 0:05:57.159 and I want it Before we get to our caller, 0:05:57.279 --> 0:05:58.680 I want to ask him on's a quick question. 0:05:58.720 --> 0:06:00.480 You don't do a tunnel on these shows, but it's good. 0:06:00.560 --> 0:06:02.080 I'm glad you're here. 0:06:02.120 --> 0:06:05.279 Do you feel like Dwight is viewed by a lot 0:06:05.320 --> 0:06:08.120 of people, particularly your age are younger, as more of 0:06:08.160 --> 0:06:09.920 a joke or more of an all. 0:06:09.839 --> 0:06:15.000 Time I'd say it's pretty mixed, but I'm probably going 0:06:15.040 --> 0:06:16.960 to err on the side of a joke. Yeah, I 0:06:17.000 --> 0:06:18.840 think so. I think that you don't. 0:06:19.080 --> 0:06:21.479 I mean, you don't have a lot of recollection of 0:06:21.480 --> 0:06:25.240 when Dwight was dominating the league. No, you remember like 0:06:25.480 --> 0:06:29.200 you remember the images of the slam Dunk contest and 0:06:29.240 --> 0:06:33.200 then the bad stand Van Gundy press conference. Again, he 0:06:33.400 --> 0:06:38.320 was an absolutely all parties agreed top five guy in 0:06:38.360 --> 0:06:41.480 the league for a five year stretch, top three guy in. 0:06:41.440 --> 0:06:43.200 The league for a two year stretch. 0:06:43.480 --> 0:06:46.840 For him to be non included in the top Nunning 0:06:46.880 --> 0:06:50.000 five list was outrageous. I think we have a caller 0:06:50.279 --> 0:06:52.360 that is going to comment on Dwight Howard. I want 0:06:52.360 --> 0:06:52.840 to hear it. 0:06:54.279 --> 0:06:59.479 Question for you, Nick, if you took Moses Ballone's accomplishments 0:06:59.480 --> 0:07:04.040 and Dwight Howards and you made it a blind resume test, 0:07:04.800 --> 0:07:06.720 how would you be able to tell the two apart? 0:07:07.480 --> 0:07:08.280 Just curious? 0:07:09.440 --> 0:07:12.960 Okay, all right, so Rick is actually going a step 0:07:13.040 --> 0:07:15.480 further than I would go. Rick is saying he and 0:07:15.720 --> 0:07:19.840 Dwight Howard and Moses Malone have similar resumes. They flatley 0:07:19.920 --> 0:07:22.640 do not. Now now I have to give Dwight all 0:07:22.640 --> 0:07:25.640 that praise. I now have to bring realities. Moses Malone. 0:07:25.680 --> 0:07:27.640 You're going to see him on this list. He's not 0:07:27.720 --> 0:07:29.400 just a top thirty guy. He's not just the top 0:07:29.480 --> 0:07:32.160 twenty five guys, not just the top twenty guy. He's 0:07:32.160 --> 0:07:34.760 not just a top fifteen guy of the last fifty years. 0:07:35.520 --> 0:07:42.360 Dwight has four MVP top fives. Moses has three actual MVPs. 0:07:42.680 --> 0:07:46.440 Dwight was the best player on a finalist, Moses was 0:07:46.560 --> 0:07:51.440 finals MVP on arguably the greatest team to ever play, 0:07:51.800 --> 0:07:56.000 the eighty three six Ers. So listen, I think it 0:07:56.040 --> 0:07:58.040 made it pretty clear. I'm a big Dwight Howard supporter. 0:07:58.320 --> 0:08:01.239 Let's not go crazy and acting he and Moses Malone 0:08:01.240 --> 0:08:02.080 of the same resume. 0:08:02.440 --> 0:08:02.960 They do not. 0:08:03.320 --> 0:08:07.840 Moses Malone and his fellow Sixer teammate Julius Irving are 0:08:07.840 --> 0:08:11.400 probably two of the most disrespected players in NBA history. 0:08:11.560 --> 0:08:13.559 We'll get to them in a few months on this list, 0:08:13.800 --> 0:08:16.760 but now we will get to number forty two. And 0:08:16.880 --> 0:08:21.040 number forty two is another controversial inclusion. 0:08:21.760 --> 0:08:24.720 Number forty two Anthony Davis. 0:08:25.280 --> 0:08:29.800 So Anthony Davis's top line resume is a clear, no 0:08:29.880 --> 0:08:32.600 doubt guy. But then it gets a little hazier. So 0:08:32.640 --> 0:08:35.120 he's four time first Team All NBA. 0:08:35.200 --> 0:08:36.400 Which, as I mentioned just a. 0:08:36.360 --> 0:08:38.760 Moment ago, that's the same number Dirk and Kevin Garnett, 0:08:38.920 --> 0:08:41.160 two of the greatest power forwards ever. But he has 0:08:41.240 --> 0:08:44.000 no second or third team All nbas. He just has 0:08:44.040 --> 0:08:47.080 those first Team All nbas. He was third in the 0:08:47.200 --> 0:08:50.600 MVP voting in twenty eighteen, and by the way, he 0:08:50.679 --> 0:08:52.920 has another top five, so he already has two top 0:08:52.960 --> 0:08:55.959 five MVPs. We know he's a great defensive player, four 0:08:56.000 --> 0:08:59.160 time All the Defense, three time champion Blocks Champion. The 0:08:59.280 --> 0:09:04.719 question though, is the resume thick enough if he had 0:09:04.840 --> 0:09:09.280 a bigger body of work, his top level talent and 0:09:09.320 --> 0:09:12.920 his top level achievements, if the body of work were bigger, 0:09:13.360 --> 0:09:16.600 would have him higher than forty two. I'm comfortable with 0:09:16.679 --> 0:09:21.240 where he is because even though his playoff resume does 0:09:21.280 --> 0:09:27.000 not span many games, he has an underrated, unbelievable playoff resume. 0:09:27.360 --> 0:09:29.080 So I'm going to tell you some things I'm certain 0:09:29.160 --> 0:09:32.040 you don't know about Anthony Davis. He is for his 0:09:32.160 --> 0:09:36.240 career twenty seven points per game in the postseason. That's 0:09:36.280 --> 0:09:41.560 good enough for top ten all time. During that title run, 0:09:41.920 --> 0:09:45.079 he was twenty eight and ten. He was the second 0:09:45.120 --> 0:09:48.320 best player on a champion. That has to matter. He 0:09:48.360 --> 0:09:50.959 goes to the Lakers, they immediately win the titler the 0:09:51.040 --> 0:09:54.840 second best player. And the first two games of those finals, 0:09:54.960 --> 0:09:57.720 which were the first two finals games of his career, 0:09:57.960 --> 0:10:01.200 how does he answer the bell? Thirty four nine followed 0:10:01.200 --> 0:10:03.920 by thirty two and fourteen after two games of those 0:10:04.000 --> 0:10:07.040 NBA Finals looked like man, is Anthony Davis going to 0:10:07.080 --> 0:10:07.840 be Finals MVP? 0:10:08.360 --> 0:10:10.040 Maybe? But it wasn't like. 0:10:10.000 --> 0:10:12.040 He had just started showing up to the playoffs with 0:10:12.040 --> 0:10:15.360 those finals when he was with New Orleans. Not only 0:10:15.640 --> 0:10:19.360 did they sweep Portland, people forget this game. I don't 0:10:19.720 --> 0:10:23.440 to win his first playoff series ever, Game four against 0:10:23.440 --> 0:10:27.440 Portland forty seven and ten forty seven and ten to 0:10:27.480 --> 0:10:29.760 send the Blazers, who were favored in the series home, 0:10:30.360 --> 0:10:34.920 then in his first playoff series with the Lakers to 0:10:35.160 --> 0:10:39.720 close out Portland forty and nine. The next round against Houston, 0:10:39.720 --> 0:10:42.640 he was good. Don't forget the Western Armands Finals, Western 0:10:42.640 --> 0:10:46.920 Hermand's Finals. Hey, battle of the big men, Jokicch versus 0:10:47.000 --> 0:10:49.720 Anthony Davis. Yokicch would go on to win the next 0:10:49.800 --> 0:10:54.280 MVP and damn near win another MVP right after. How 0:10:54.280 --> 0:10:56.920 did Anthony Davis end up doing it? How do you 0:10:56.960 --> 0:11:00.000 do against Jokis? Now on they win five? He averaged 0:11:00.440 --> 0:11:03.839 for the series thirty one and six against the guy 0:11:03.840 --> 0:11:06.760 who would then immediately become in some circles the best 0:11:06.800 --> 0:11:10.160 player in the league. He had a buzzer beating playoff game, 0:11:10.240 --> 0:11:14.439 winning three in that series. And so I think that 0:11:15.400 --> 0:11:18.200 the playoff resume again doesn't have a ton of games. 0:11:18.240 --> 0:11:21.640 He has thirty nine career playoff games. He's scored twenty 0:11:21.679 --> 0:11:23.160 five or more in twenty. 0:11:23.000 --> 0:11:25.560 Nine of them. She has shown up. 0:11:25.840 --> 0:11:28.640 And as far as his regular season resume, the MVP 0:11:28.840 --> 0:11:31.920 finishes the all NBAS speak to it. Here's another thing. 0:11:32.360 --> 0:11:36.240 Career in the regular season twenty three and ten. Some 0:11:36.320 --> 0:11:41.079 context in the last fifty years. So from this list, 0:11:41.360 --> 0:11:44.440 our start of it. How many twenty and ten regular 0:11:44.480 --> 0:11:45.920 season guys do you think there are? He is twenty 0:11:45.920 --> 0:11:49.120 three and ten. Ten other guys in the last fifty 0:11:49.160 --> 0:11:51.240 years to average twenty and ten for their careers. 0:11:51.440 --> 0:11:52.640 He's at twenty three and ten. 0:11:53.160 --> 0:11:57.120 So the championship, the peak in New Orleans, the playoff 0:11:57.200 --> 0:11:59.440 run with the Lakers, the fact that I think this 0:11:59.480 --> 0:12:02.040 list will look stupid as soon as two or three 0:12:02.120 --> 0:12:04.360 years from now if he's not included. He has to 0:12:04.360 --> 0:12:06.400 be on it. I know he became because he got 0:12:06.480 --> 0:12:09.120 hurt this year. Again somewhat unbald. He shouldn't have been 0:12:09.160 --> 0:12:11.640 top seventy five guy. Let's be honest and Davids top 0:12:11.640 --> 0:12:13.559 seventy five guy, and we're not including what you do 0:12:13.640 --> 0:12:17.880 in college. But the title run at Kentucky matters at 0:12:17.960 --> 0:12:20.040 least a little bit. Is number one pick title in 0:12:20.120 --> 0:12:24.120 Kentucky amazing. Immediately sounds like top seventy five guy. We 0:12:24.200 --> 0:12:25.480 have an Anthony Davis caller. 0:12:25.520 --> 0:12:26.560 I do believe. 0:12:27.800 --> 0:12:34.280 Anthony Davis, always injured. Anthony Davis. Two playoff appearances in 0:12:34.640 --> 0:12:39.280 seven years in New Orleans. Anthony Davis, that's who you 0:12:39.360 --> 0:12:42.800 got in your top fifty. I can't wait to find 0:12:42.880 --> 0:12:44.280 out where you have Kevin Love. 0:12:45.760 --> 0:12:50.640 Okay, Comparing Anthony Davis and Kevin Love is just totally disingenuous. 0:12:51.400 --> 0:12:53.720 Anthony Davis didn't have a lot of success in New Orleans, 0:12:53.760 --> 0:12:55.640 but he had more success in New Orleans than Kevin 0:12:55.640 --> 0:12:58.520 Love did in Minnesota. And Kevin Love, when he did 0:12:58.559 --> 0:13:02.079 team up with Lebron, was not the second best guy 0:13:02.160 --> 0:13:04.920 averaging twenty eight and ten in a playoff run. He 0:13:05.040 --> 0:13:08.319 was the clear and obvious third best guy who became 0:13:08.360 --> 0:13:09.880 a liability. 0:13:09.200 --> 0:13:10.600 At spots in the playoff run. 0:13:10.960 --> 0:13:14.199 So, I again, that's a that's just not a fair 0:13:14.280 --> 0:13:18.360 com and I understand he doesn't have and I've said it, 0:13:18.360 --> 0:13:21.000 I said it for I'll say it again. The volume 0:13:21.080 --> 0:13:23.400 you would love to have, but the top level production 0:13:23.480 --> 0:13:28.559 is so good plus never backing down in the playoffs again. 0:13:28.720 --> 0:13:33.280 Top ten all time playoff points per game. A guy 0:13:33.320 --> 0:13:35.800 who in his first playoff series victory closed it with 0:13:35.800 --> 0:13:38.240 a forty seven and ten, his first playoff series with 0:13:38.280 --> 0:13:40.480 the Lakers close it with a forty and ten, opened 0:13:40.520 --> 0:13:42.800 his first two career NBA Finals games with thirty two 0:13:42.840 --> 0:13:45.920 and thirty four. Top seventy five player will be back 0:13:46.200 --> 0:13:49.120 with players forty one and forty right after this. 0:13:52.920 --> 0:13:55.400 Hey there, Ryan Reynolds here, it's a new year, and 0:13:55.480 --> 0:13:59.400 you know what that means. No, not the diet resolutions away, 0:13:59.440 --> 0:14:01.000 for us all to try and do a little bit 0:14:01.000 --> 0:14:03.559 better than we did last year. And my resolution, unlike 0:14:03.600 --> 0:14:06.960 Big wireless, is to not be a raging and raise 0:14:07.000 --> 0:14:09.320 the price of wireless on you every chance I get. 0:14:09.559 --> 0:14:12.920 Give it a try at midmobile dot com slash switch. 0:14:12.840 --> 0:14:15.439 Forty five dollars up front payment required equivalent to fifteen 0:14:15.480 --> 0:14:17.920 dollars per month new customers on first three month plan only, 0:14:18.080 --> 0:14:20.720 taxes and fees, Extra speeds lower above forty gigabytes on 0:14:20.760 --> 0:14:26.120 unlimited cementmobile dot com. For details, Welcome back into What's 0:14:26.200 --> 0:14:30.080 Right with Nick Wright podcast and YouTube show special editions 0:14:30.440 --> 0:14:33.600 Best fifty players the last fifty years in the NBA. 0:14:33.760 --> 0:14:36.240 We are counting them down. We are already to number 0:14:36.280 --> 0:14:38.840 forty one. Today, we will do forty one and forty 0:14:39.040 --> 0:14:42.160 then we'll be back in one week with we're already 0:14:42.160 --> 0:14:44.600 into the top forty players, thirty nine and so on 0:14:44.640 --> 0:14:47.160 and so forth. We already did today Dwight Howard and 0:14:47.200 --> 0:14:50.760 Anthony Davis. We're going to stay with a couple contemporary names. 0:14:51.040 --> 0:14:55.160 The oldest name involved in today's edition is player number 0:14:55.200 --> 0:14:59.800 forty one, and that is iconic Gary Pate. The glove 0:15:00.560 --> 0:15:05.880 number forty one, Gary Payton. We'll go through the accolades. 0:15:05.960 --> 0:15:10.680 Those should be relatively simple. He has on the MVP front. 0:15:10.720 --> 0:15:14.400 It's interesting he has won top three, as you can see, 0:15:14.440 --> 0:15:17.920 third in nineteen ninety eight, but six times he was 0:15:18.000 --> 0:15:21.360 top six, so he has no other top fives. 0:15:21.560 --> 0:15:23.120 I expanded it to six. 0:15:23.040 --> 0:15:26.480 Because five separate times he came in sixth in MVP voting. 0:15:26.720 --> 0:15:29.320 He won a Defensive Player of the Year. Why does 0:15:29.360 --> 0:15:29.800 that matter? 0:15:30.080 --> 0:15:34.160 He is the only back court player to win Defensive 0:15:34.200 --> 0:15:37.360 Player of the Year in the last thirty plus seasons. 0:15:37.480 --> 0:15:40.800 In the eighties, Jordan One Moncrete won backcourt guys could 0:15:40.800 --> 0:15:43.440 win it. From the nineties to right now, the only 0:15:43.480 --> 0:15:44.960 one to do it was Gary Payton. He's one of 0:15:45.000 --> 0:15:47.760 the greatest defensive players ever. Peyton was a Defensive Player 0:15:47.800 --> 0:15:50.120 of the Year and in fact was the only guard 0:15:50.160 --> 0:15:54.120 to win the award for thirty plus years. Marcus Smart 0:15:54.160 --> 0:15:57.160 just broke that streak actually this season with Gary Payton 0:15:57.440 --> 0:15:59.920 presenting him that award, as they are now the only 0:16:00.040 --> 0:16:02.920 two guards to win this award since the eighties. And 0:16:02.960 --> 0:16:06.520 then you get to the tougher part of Gary's argument, 0:16:07.080 --> 0:16:12.320 which is he was good in the playoffs. It's hard 0:16:12.360 --> 0:16:16.480 to argue he was great in the playoffs, which because 0:16:16.520 --> 0:16:19.880 those accolades I just listed those types of MVP finishes, 0:16:20.120 --> 0:16:23.960 those all NBA appearances, how long he played, and the 0:16:24.040 --> 0:16:27.440 fact that the statistically he's never going to get the 0:16:27.560 --> 0:16:29.600 full He's always going to get a bit of the 0:16:29.600 --> 0:16:31.360 short end of the stick because so much of his 0:16:31.400 --> 0:16:34.880 impact was on defense. You would think deserves to be 0:16:34.920 --> 0:16:36.880 a little higher than what he is. Some would certainly 0:16:36.960 --> 0:16:38.720 argue you should be ahead of the guy who's we're 0:16:38.760 --> 0:16:41.160 about to introduce you to, who's very next on the list, 0:16:41.160 --> 0:16:44.560 who also is a point guard who played just after Gary, 0:16:44.680 --> 0:16:47.200 well really at the same time as Gary's, just they 0:16:47.480 --> 0:16:50.000 their careers at least overlapped the end of Gary's to 0:16:50.000 --> 0:16:51.280 the beginning of the next guys. 0:16:51.480 --> 0:16:52.920 So why is Gary not higher? 0:16:53.920 --> 0:16:58.800 Because the playoff resume has some we're missing some spots. Now, 0:16:58.800 --> 0:17:00.880 he was the best player on a fivest and in 0:17:00.920 --> 0:17:04.399 that run to the finals in nineteen ninety six, he 0:17:04.560 --> 0:17:07.880 was twenty one, five seven and two. 0:17:08.280 --> 0:17:09.000 That matters. 0:17:09.160 --> 0:17:11.639 That absolutely matters. It was the best he ever was 0:17:12.040 --> 0:17:16.159 and in those finals. Don't listen to what Michael Jordan 0:17:16.240 --> 0:17:19.800 tried to tell you on that propaganda fest that was 0:17:19.800 --> 0:17:22.119 called The Last Dance, where he's like, oh, Gary Payton 0:17:22.600 --> 0:17:26.920 never really bothered me that much. In those NBA Finals, 0:17:27.200 --> 0:17:31.399 George Carl foolishly did not let Gary guard Michael at 0:17:31.400 --> 0:17:34.479 the beginning of the series. The Bulls promptly went up 0:17:34.560 --> 0:17:38.360 three games to nothing. Jordan did whatever he wanted. Then 0:17:38.960 --> 0:17:42.199 once they put Gary Payton on Michael game four, the 0:17:42.200 --> 0:17:45.600 Sonics won, Game five, the Sonics won Game six, was 0:17:45.600 --> 0:17:48.119 close until the end. The Bulls end up winning the title. 0:17:48.440 --> 0:17:52.680 In those final three games, Michael Jordan was twenty three 0:17:52.720 --> 0:17:56.080 points per game and thirty seven percent shooting. 0:17:56.640 --> 0:17:59.000 It is far and away. 0:17:59.040 --> 0:18:02.200 The worst three games of any of Jordan's Finals appearances, 0:18:02.359 --> 0:18:04.879 so Gary gets credit for that. The problem is on 0:18:04.880 --> 0:18:07.320 his playoff resume, not a lot of other. 0:18:07.440 --> 0:18:09.160 Great moments he had. 0:18:09.160 --> 0:18:12.639 In two thousand, he had won great game against Utah 0:18:12.680 --> 0:18:14.440 thirty five, ten to eleven and six. 0:18:14.880 --> 0:18:17.080 That's, you know, the one of his few. 0:18:16.960 --> 0:18:19.840 Thirty point career playoff games and his only career playoff 0:18:19.840 --> 0:18:25.159 triple double. He Overall, he averaged twenty two to seven 0:18:25.480 --> 0:18:28.359 during his nine year playoff prime. Again, that's good, and 0:18:28.400 --> 0:18:31.080 he did it with great defense, but it wasn't enough 0:18:31.080 --> 0:18:33.600 to quite break through even when he had Apex Sean 0:18:33.680 --> 0:18:34.920 kemp Now. 0:18:34.880 --> 0:18:36.679 Where I don't think he gets enough credit as this. 0:18:37.840 --> 0:18:41.560 He was a more than a rotation player for the 0:18:41.600 --> 0:18:43.760 Miami Heat that won the title in two thousand and 0:18:43.800 --> 0:18:46.520 six with Dwayne Wade. During that playoff run, he was 0:18:46.560 --> 0:18:48.639 twenty four minutes per game, so he's at the end 0:18:48.640 --> 0:18:49.080 of his now. 0:18:49.240 --> 0:18:50.920 The numbers aren't good, but. 0:18:50.920 --> 0:18:53.520 He was valuable enough to be on the court for 0:18:53.600 --> 0:18:56.200 half of the game in those in that playoff run, 0:18:56.320 --> 0:18:59.440 and in Game five of the six Finals, the critical 0:18:59.480 --> 0:19:02.040 game for Miami to win their third straight to go 0:19:02.160 --> 0:19:05.600 up three games to two, he played thirty one minutes 0:19:05.600 --> 0:19:07.840 in that game that was a one point Miami win. 0:19:07.920 --> 0:19:10.679 So some high leverage moments in there as well. But 0:19:11.200 --> 0:19:14.399 he's not higher because there's not a lot of great 0:19:14.840 --> 0:19:18.199 iconic playoff moments we can point to. Let's go to 0:19:18.280 --> 0:19:21.440 one of our callers on a Gary Payton question. 0:19:22.480 --> 0:19:24.320 I'm Martin Weis. I'm about to tell you why Gary 0:19:24.359 --> 0:19:27.640 Payton is a no doubt top twenty player of all time. 0:19:28.000 --> 0:19:30.119 First of all, one of the two to three best 0:19:30.119 --> 0:19:32.640 two way point guards in the game, thirty fifth all 0:19:32.680 --> 0:19:35.359 time and points tenth all time and assists that wasn't 0:19:35.359 --> 0:19:38.959 even his specialty. Nine defensive teams in a row. I mean, 0:19:39.000 --> 0:19:42.840 come on, one, seventeen year career, Hall of Famer, top 0:19:42.880 --> 0:19:46.600 seventy five player and the best NBA trash talker in 0:19:46.640 --> 0:19:49.160 the history of the game, Top twenty without a doubt. 0:19:49.440 --> 0:19:50.679 Talk to me, Nick, am I tripping? 0:19:50.840 --> 0:19:51.040 Or no? 0:19:51.200 --> 0:19:54.760 All right, Martin, you're my guy. That's Martin Weiss. Great 0:19:54.840 --> 0:19:56.960 job by him, Yeah you're tripping. 0:19:57.480 --> 0:19:59.480 There is no argument that can be made that he's 0:19:59.480 --> 0:20:01.480 one of the twenty the greatest players the last fifty years. 0:20:01.520 --> 0:20:04.720 This is not too many other point guards. So like 0:20:05.080 --> 0:20:09.720 forget Magic and step and Isaiah, But there isn't a 0:20:09.800 --> 0:20:13.119 compelling argument that Harry Payton's had a better career than 0:20:13.200 --> 0:20:15.680 Chris Paul. Just doesn't exist. Chris Paul is also the 0:20:15.680 --> 0:20:17.440 best player on a team that lost in the finals. 0:20:17.560 --> 0:20:20.000 His other accolades far out strip Gary. There's not a 0:20:20.000 --> 0:20:22.439 compelling argument that he was a better player overall than 0:20:22.480 --> 0:20:25.800 John Stockton or even Jason Kidd. Both those guys went 0:20:25.840 --> 0:20:27.600 to two finals, so stock him the second best player. 0:20:27.720 --> 0:20:30.359 Kid was the best. So now we've got what seven 0:20:30.440 --> 0:20:32.640 point guards at a minimum ahead of him, So there's 0:20:32.680 --> 0:20:34.560 seven point If there's seven guys in your own position, 0:20:34.640 --> 0:20:36.760 had to you, you can't be top twenty all time. 0:20:37.000 --> 0:20:39.840 But I do appreciate that young Martin is. 0:20:39.840 --> 0:20:42.600 Respecting his elders and respecting what a great defensive player 0:20:42.640 --> 0:20:44.359 Gary Payton was, and maybe I should give him a 0:20:44.359 --> 0:20:47.199 few more bonus points for trash talk. Number forty is 0:20:47.200 --> 0:20:49.880 a guy not known for his trash talk, instead known 0:20:49.920 --> 0:20:52.760 for his beautiful floppy hair. And that is our first 0:20:52.760 --> 0:20:55.560 Canadian on the list, maybe our only Canadian on the list. 0:20:55.880 --> 0:20:58.040 One Steve Nash. 0:20:58.840 --> 0:21:01.800 Number forty, Steve Nash. 0:21:01.880 --> 0:21:04.960 So you guys know this already, back to back MVP. 0:21:05.359 --> 0:21:08.840 What you might not know is this, after he went, 0:21:09.000 --> 0:21:10.879 he won the MVP. The next year, he wanted it 0:21:10.920 --> 0:21:13.680 again the very next year, Dirk's year, he came in second. 0:21:14.000 --> 0:21:17.680 He almost won three straight MVPs. He is a four 0:21:17.920 --> 0:21:23.280