Second best player since 1998. Steph might eventually push him down to 3rd best.

You

It's been a couple years since I hooped so I can't comfortably put myself that high on the list.

Greatest players since 98:

LBJ
Shaq/TD
Kobe
KG/Dirk/KD/T-Mac
AI

Probably missing a few

Considering you have T Mac on the list and Kawhi and Paul Pierce off the list, yes you are missing a few things.

The list is:

1. Tim Duncan (this cannot be argued but you idiots will anyway)
2. Kobe
3. LeBron
4. Dirk
5. steph

Fuck Steph T-Mac woulda ate him for breakfast. He's a tier above pierce and KL, if not more. He was Kobe's one rival. And at times he was better than Kobe.

You can't leave Shaq off. For five years that dude did whatever the fuck he wanted on the court.

Are we talking team accomplishments or individual play? Individually, T Mac was Kobe's equal. He's way better than Pierce. Man could cross you over, dunk on you, and play the mid range game.

Pierce could do all those things and not lose the game at the end. That's the difference.

In a sport so dominated by individuals due to the small roster size, two way play of every player, and inherent influence one man can have on the court, it's ridiculous to not take into account team success when evaluating different players after their career is over. It's a fucking joke to pretend T Mac was ever Kobe's rival or a superior player to Paul Pierce.

Yes I will call Kobe a joke for that. It's a ridiculous thing to say but props to him for being magnanimous.

I never realized someone my age who grew up watching and liking both players would ultimately come to the conclusion that T Mac was better than Pierce. It's like we were watching the same sport but had different ideas of what the end goal was for each team. I expected better of you veganfan. You. Play. To. Win. The. Game. You don't play it for any other reason. It doesn't matter who has the most And1 highlights or most dunks. It matters who makes winning plays more and even pre-Big 3 Pierce was clearly the superior player to T Mac.

Plus Pierce didn't look like he just smoked 5 blunts with Snoop Dogg before every game so he gets bonus points for that.

First of all, McGrady looking high was part of his appeal. Second of all, what winning did pierce ever do before KG and Ray Allen arrived and saved his career from irrelevancy?

Before KG and Allen arrived he could say it feels good to be in the second round without becoming a national punchline that lives on 15 years later.

Can your boy say the same?