The 10 Best NBA peaks since 1977

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  • čas přidán 22. 05. 2024
  • Support at Patreon: / thinkingbasketball
    Who had the best peak in NBA history? Who was the best at his best? This video compares the greatest multi-season peaks in NBA history, and includes voting from Thinking Basketball subscribers. Since we can't quite compare the legends from '50s and '60s on similar ground to players from the 3-point era, the cutoff here is the 1977 ABA-NBA merger.
    This is the 16th and final episode in a series on the greatest peaks in NBA history (focusing on 1977-2020), featuring detailed scouting reports and film breakdown on the best players in NBA history at their best, along with analysis of their impact using historical data & stats to size up the highest peaking players ever.
    -----
    RELEVANT PODCASTS:
    Great Debates on Hakeem vs. Robinson: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
    Redefining first options (including Defensive No. 1s): podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
    How could can a defense be without a great defensive big man? podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
    CURRENT PLAYER VIDEOS:
    James Harden:
    2019 scoring: • Is James Harden having...
    2019 playoff "choke:" • Yet another choke from...
    2020 post defense: • Harden's post defense,...
    Giannis Antetokounmpo:
    2019 profile: • Giannis Antetokounmpo ...
    Defending Giannis: • The Giannis Rules | Ho...
    2020 defense: • How Giannis makes the ...
    Kawhi Leonard:
    2019 profile: • Kawhi Leonard analysis...
    2020 passing jump: • Kawhi's passing, super...
    Anthony Davis:
    2020 profile: • Anthony Davis | The pe...
    2020 Finals defense: • Anthony Davis's game-c...
    Book: www.amazon.com/Thinking-Baske...
    Podcast: player.fm/series/thinking-bas... or at www.stitcher.com/podcast/ben-...
    Website: www.backpicks.com
    Twitter: @elgee35
    Ben Taylor is the author of Thinking Basketball, a Nylon Calculus contributor, creator of the Backpicks Top 40 series & host of the Thinking Basketball podcast.
    Stats courtesy:
    www.pbpstats.com @bballport
    www.basketball-reference.com
    stats.nba.com
    For more, see the Thinking Basketball stats series: • NBA Stats 101 Series
    -----
    Footage in this video is owned by the NBA and its partners. It is intended for critique and education.
    *SERIES MUSIC*
    Bames Jond by Mikey Geiger
    csus (instrumental)
    Hair (fairlight)
    Our Imperfect Place by Strength to Last
    Lost by Alter Ego
    Restless Knight by Greg Collins
    Empire Season by Dan Henig
    Confronting the Void by Cody Martin
    Bloom by Bryant Lowry
    Nemesis
    #ThinkingBasketball #GreatestPeaks #NBAGoat
  • Sport

Komentáře • 4,3K

  • @ThinkingBasketball
    @ThinkingBasketball  Před 3 lety +1441

    Thank you for all the amazing comments throughout this series!! Reading your reactions, feedback and (undefeated) jokes was one of the highlights of my week over the last few months. So...how do you feel about differentiating between these all-time greats? What would your top-10 look like?

    • @cdmacd
      @cdmacd Před 3 lety +63

      Well done. This series is a CZcams masterpiece

    • @dask5687
      @dask5687 Před 3 lety +4

      Do you edit all your videos? Including the hilarious but incredible drawings?

    • @perryquijano6749
      @perryquijano6749 Před 3 lety +1

      Just a masterpiece

    • @TheOnlyRizzy
      @TheOnlyRizzy Před 3 lety +8

      No Kobe in top 10 😢

    • @AX5Terminator
      @AX5Terminator Před 3 lety +34

      Jordan is freaken Thanos with all 6 infinity stones:
      1) Mind - Killer Mentality
      2) Power - Explosive First Step
      3) Reality - Control and Mastery of the Ball
      4) Soul - Unmatched Artistry
      5) Space - Created with his Amazing footwork
      6) Time - Hang Time!
      All held by his gauntlet size hands!

  • @savethetrees1214
    @savethetrees1214 Před 3 lety +3554

    Thinking basketball is at the greatest peak for basketball CZcamsrs

    • @acpliego
      @acpliego Před 3 lety +50

      The GOAT without a doubt

    • @luketanner5419
      @luketanner5419 Před 3 lety +6

      Thanks Thanos

    • @ahmedadem2227
      @ahmedadem2227 Před 3 lety +30

      clayton crowley and thinking basketball must be going through the worst backpain, the way they're carrying basketball on youtube lmao

    • @0401412740
      @0401412740 Před 3 lety +4

      Coach Daniel was good too until he was recruited by Dallas Mavericks

    • @conorskurk-dawgg2947
      @conorskurk-dawgg2947 Před 3 lety +8

      For real. Makes you recognize just how horrible the "analysts" on ESPN are.

  • @EDAOM27
    @EDAOM27 Před 3 lety +1646

    Jordan’s weakness being a “gambler” was smooth as fuck

    • @Max-kv8uw
      @Max-kv8uw Před 3 lety +72

      Yeah, it fits perfectly on and off the court.

    • @t4d0W
      @t4d0W Před 3 lety +17

      I mean when you a gawd at basketball, you find other things to try dabble as a mortal human being like baseball, golf or gambling. Well golf is a popular crossover hobby that many athletes partake in.

    • @ireplytostupidpeople4750
      @ireplytostupidpeople4750 Před 3 lety +106

      @@t4d0W I know it's a joke but it's cringe to refer a person as "above mortal" 🤢

    • @epictubegamer
      @epictubegamer Před 3 lety +33

      @@t4d0W “jOrDan Is A gOd”

    • @dusk6159
      @dusk6159 Před 3 lety +5

      @@t4d0W No need to insert a cult of personality defense when there wasn't any criticism to Jordan to begin with.

  • @FootyInsights_
    @FootyInsights_ Před 9 měsíci +106

    Jokic sliding in during the Shaq segment hits even more after this 2021-23 stretch he produced

    • @amazintr3266
      @amazintr3266 Před 5 měsíci +1

      I was thinking this after I saw it 😭😭

  • @MindfulAttraction
    @MindfulAttraction Před 3 lety +2315

    This was the greatest series of basketball videos ever on youtube. The greatest peak

    • @dusk6159
      @dusk6159 Před 3 lety +17

      And it's not even close

    • @TheSands83
      @TheSands83 Před 3 lety

      😂no it’s not

    • @dusk6159
      @dusk6159 Před 3 lety +21

      @@TheSands83 Yes it is casual, and you're saying it's not literally just because Ben addressed both the flaws and positives of Jordan.
      Which is especially embarassing considering that Ben still has MJ in the literal top echelon.

    • @SilentSneakman
      @SilentSneakman Před 3 lety +11

      Making The Case by Crayton Crowley is 100x better than this.

    • @TheSands83
      @TheSands83 Před 3 lety +1

      @@SilentSneakman yeah this is awful

  • @samuelyuan291
    @samuelyuan291 Před 3 lety +2256

    Jokic just sliding in during the Shaq segment is so funny

    • @minecraftowypolak
      @minecraftowypolak Před 3 lety +51

      skinny/sneaky jokic

    • @toteispoe4
      @toteispoe4 Před 3 lety +245

      Got to think he's going to have a very high spot on this list when it's all said and done.
      Most offensively skilled center ever with sneaky decent defense.
      Doncic for sure will be on here, too.
      Playmaking is a powerful thing.

    • @vauneoso3292
      @vauneoso3292 Před 3 lety +10

      MVP!!!

    • @clevisbernier8973
      @clevisbernier8973 Před 3 lety +15

      @@toteispoe4 I think he's already a top 20 Center probably.

    • @toteispoe4
      @toteispoe4 Před 3 lety +77

      @@clevisbernier8973 Definitely, not probably :)

  • @Noin007
    @Noin007 Před 3 lety +774

    "Typical All-NBA players" said almost as an insult. Really puts in perspective how over the top insanely good these guys are.

    • @Noin007
      @Noin007 Před 3 lety +39

      @Todd Lerfahndler That, on top of the fact that the small team size means that 1 player can have a much larger impact. As well as the fact that NBA players all play both ends of the court, immediately making 1 great player so wildly important.
      NBA: 15
      MLB: 26
      NFL: 55

    • @legoboyfan123456789
      @legoboyfan123456789 Před 2 lety

      @@Noin007 forgot NHL which is 18 + 2 tendies and NLL which is 19 + 2

    • @josesalazar7556
      @josesalazar7556 Před 2 lety +1

      @Trade Bum Simmons nowadays it's thrown around too loosely, you've got like 20 guys being called Superstars lol

    • @joweebird1993
      @joweebird1993 Před 2 lety +1

      @@josesalazar7556 because unlike what biased media analytics like barkley, shaq, reggie and etc... say, there are more better players today than before. Just look at the east 9th seed and 10th seed has all star calibre players(taytum and trae young). Same as in the west(lbj and lillard). Mind you those are 9th and 10th seed respectively of each conferenced and already have 4 all stars between them.

    • @the757general2
      @the757general2 Před rokem

      @@Noin007 NFL is 53 not counting practice squad players

  • @freaking7459
    @freaking7459 Před 2 lety +497

    The fact that Kareem was good enough to have the 6th greatest peak ever between the age of 30-33 as a Center is insane.

    • @kingofallmen1
      @kingofallmen1 Před 2 lety +2

      Yeah. Nobody is close to him in total scoring.

    • @peterpan3022
      @peterpan3022 Před 2 lety +70

      @@kingofallmen1 wdym? lebron will pass him next year in total points scored and has already passed him if you include playoff points. and mj has the bigger ppg by quite a bit. so in what world does noone come close to him in scoring?

    • @jayanthan4882
      @jayanthan4882 Před 2 lety

      Maybe he was in his prime in the aba when he was in physical peak.

    • @alessandropozzi2214
      @alessandropozzi2214 Před rokem +28

      lebron at 31-34 with cleveland even better, but we take lebron so much for granted that we don't even notice

    • @reimixo
      @reimixo Před rokem

      That wasnt his peak tho

  • @mrr1491
    @mrr1491 Před 3 lety +666

    As a graduate student in Psychology who LOVES basketball, I feel this is the *only* channel that does justice to the GOAT and Mount Rushmore debates and that provides critical analyses of basketball that isn't couched in sensationalism and uni-dimensionalism.

    • @conflictedpersonnage6276
      @conflictedpersonnage6276 Před 3 lety +3

      Just for the culture, what type of work do you do?

    • @mrr1491
      @mrr1491 Před 3 lety +46

      @@conflictedpersonnage6276 Primarily work with Psychosis and Substance Use. Mainly from a liberation perspective, which views society and its constraints and labels as the primary issues driving illness and distress rather than biology. How bout you?!

    • @conflictedpersonnage6276
      @conflictedpersonnage6276 Před 3 lety +39

      @@mrr1491 That’s actually really interesting. Well I’m still in middle school so I don’t have job yet.

    • @mrr1491
      @mrr1491 Před 3 lety +37

      @@conflictedpersonnage6276 Ahh I see! go get it in school! Then go out there and make a difference in this world.

    • @mattdotts
      @mattdotts Před 2 lety +7

      Basketball is a fascinating game of superhuman athletes and I'm glad you appreciate it!

  • @akshaychekuri9504
    @akshaychekuri9504 Před 3 lety +667

    I think we all knew what the top 2 would be when everyone else on the list had a ceiling of 3rd place.

    • @user-bw6pt9dy6f
      @user-bw6pt9dy6f Před 3 lety +15

      i also knew Shaq would definitely be either 3rd or 4rd

    • @TheCloud175
      @TheCloud175 Před 3 lety +54

      I don't think it was ever in question, cutting it at 1977 hurt Kareem's chances of top 2, and there's no one else who has a good argument other than LeBron or MJ.

    • @davidolinger3948
      @davidolinger3948 Před 3 lety +44

      @@TheCloud175 yeah, I'm actually a huge believer in how incredible young kareem was, but mj and lebron are no doubt the best 2 in this time frame

    • @Alphadestrious
      @Alphadestrious Před 3 lety +3

      No kobe?!

    • @StefveoX
      @StefveoX Před 3 lety

      You mean a roof?

  • @nicolocadamuro9988
    @nicolocadamuro9988 Před 3 lety +1143

    You were really killing me with that Jordan&LeBron switching

    • @geordiejones5618
      @geordiejones5618 Před 3 lety +433

      They really are closer than most fans are willing to admit. Very different players but truly the only two who should be considered the greatest of all time.

    • @snazzrazzmazzlejazz8974
      @snazzrazzmazzlejazz8974 Před 3 lety +94

      @@geordiejones5618 reject Bron and Jordan, embrace Tim Duncan.

    • @brrr3301
      @brrr3301 Před 3 lety +150

      @@snazzrazzmazzlejazz8974 why not embrace all of them?

    • @nicolocadamuro9988
      @nicolocadamuro9988 Před 3 lety +29

      They are on a tier on their own

    • @ImbetterthanDWade
      @ImbetterthanDWade Před 3 lety +71

      Lebron couldn’t even guard me. Of course, he isn’t better than Jordan lol

  • @AKSBSU
    @AKSBSU Před 2 lety +184

    Olajuwon was the first name I thought about when I saw the title would be focusing on best at peak. That guy was always good but off the charts on both ends of the court in the mid-90s. I've never seen center play at a higher level than he did at his peak, and it was against absurdly strong competition in an era of tough, physical defense and top tier centers.

    • @HiNRGboy
      @HiNRGboy Před rokem

      Wilt had the most insane Center play ever, you just never saw it lol

    • @Blank9458
      @Blank9458 Před rokem +5

      @@HiNRGboy yea that’s what he said

    • @planetpoog
      @planetpoog Před 9 měsíci

      best defender ever😤

    • @ME-yo4op
      @ME-yo4op Před 8 měsíci +5

      @@HiNRGboyactually I did and dream was better, Wilt was amazingly talented and great but he had lesser talent that he competed against. The 60s only fielded 9 teams for the most past and the average starting center was 6’10 and change. There was one real challenge to Wilt and he was 6’9, dream was smaller than most centers and these were all good to plus athletes and dream was still head and shoulders above. Sorry but it’s not Wilt.

    • @HiNRGboy
      @HiNRGboy Před 8 měsíci +2

      @@ME-yo4op Wilt is my GOAT..Just my opinion buddy, love me some Dream regardless. You can't go wrong picking any of them. I would've chosen Hakeem over Jordan just like the Rockets did.

  • @Akaya7777
    @Akaya7777 Před 3 lety +62

    Seeing those on/off splits for Green (Im
    Assuming Draymond) and Ginobili makes me want a breakdown video for each player. Those stretches are absolutely insane. You could argue that those splits showcase their claim as two of the greatest supporting stars of all time.

  • @radithya6594
    @radithya6594 Před 3 lety +916

    Ben, we need a Joker video asap and how his season stacks up against other bigs. Can't wait till the season ends

    • @Katsos44
      @Katsos44 Před 3 lety +43

      I’ve watched his playoff Jokic video about a thousand times, the 3-1 comeback nuggets will live in my heart forever right next to the we believe warriors super jam Seattle teams

    • @RLSmith-jt8qj
      @RLSmith-jt8qj Před 3 lety

      Like for real

    • @othmanhawasly
      @othmanhawasly Před 3 lety +3

      Yeah Seriously, one about Joker and another about Luka, ASAP PLEASE ❤

    • @mskomu
      @mskomu Před 3 lety +18

      But we don't even know if Jokic has even played any of his top 3 seasons. It's not like he's showing any symptoms of not continuing to improve and he's 26.

    • @doyouseestroberries
      @doyouseestroberries Před 3 lety +11

      @@mskomu He's seemingly getting more athletic with age, as his body improves. Add in the improvement of getting to the line more as he gets more respect/smarter with drawing shooting fouls, and Jokic could very well force his way into top 5 peak territory.

  • @ciaranboland439
    @ciaranboland439 Před 3 lety +1029

    this man doesn’t miss. best youtube basketball channel peak of all time without a doubt.

    • @zamitlegoatis10-0inmybooks5
      @zamitlegoatis10-0inmybooks5 Před 3 lety +6

      LEGOAT SHOULD BE NUMBER 1 AND BUMJ AND CURFRAUD SHOULDNT BE IN THE TOP 10

    • @ciaranboland439
      @ciaranboland439 Před 3 lety +53

      @@zamitlegoatis10-0inmybooks5 get hit with this fat ass ratio my guy

    • @koolkai4299
      @koolkai4299 Před 3 lety +3

      Thinking basketball is not GOSPEL

    • @K_low_7
      @K_low_7 Před 3 lety +1

      @@zamitlegoatis10-0inmybooks5 lol

    • @_kubahhh
      @_kubahhh Před 3 lety +14

      @@zamitlegoatis10-0inmybooks5 your on the wrong app bud, take that shit back to Twitter😂

  • @dhruvkasthuri6401
    @dhruvkasthuri6401 Před rokem +425

    25:00 The fact that Jordan and LeBron are so far ahead of all other all time great players in their peaks shows how special they really are

    • @Akashic85
      @Akashic85 Před rokem +4

      Wait how are their top 3 voted more than their vote share

    • @Herv3
      @Herv3 Před rokem +33

      Just remember that Lew Alcindor - AKA Kareem Abdul Jabbar - of his Milwaukee Years would probably have a peak as high as those two.

    • @Herv3
      @Herv3 Před rokem +1

      @@JMV0711 that's a lie

    • @Herv3
      @Herv3 Před rokem

      @@JMV0711 dude, you ain't fooling anyone.

    • @loydkline
      @loydkline Před rokem +4

      Michael Jordan own nba basketball 🏀 1980s & 1990s

  • @BrianJones-wk8cx
    @BrianJones-wk8cx Před 3 lety +27

    It is irrefutable-you are the GOAT of analysis! While allowing for personal perspectives that may differ, you quantify a solid case for each ranking through thorough consideration. This is a model for how these kinds of discussions ought to be carried out, thank you and the team for all your work on this!

  • @jacktata5284
    @jacktata5284 Před 3 lety +574

    My life is complete. I can die now

  • @dulogmaz
    @dulogmaz Před 3 lety +201

    The fact that you can separate 3 different stretches that would end up on the list for Jordan and LeBron each just shows how dominant they really are/were. GOATs no doubt

    • @kaimarquez8046
      @kaimarquez8046 Před 2 lety

      When is this shown in the video?

    • @charlesfowler4308
      @charlesfowler4308 Před 2 lety +13

      @@kaimarquez8046 at 21:27 they show 8 Jordan playoffs, using the 3 year peak system that's 3 peaks (2.66 for the pedants). While at 22:07 They show 3 sets of LeBron peaks and 2 Jordan sets.

    • @mbok29915
      @mbok29915 Před rokem +15

      half of the greatest peaks in history belonging to two players, they indeed are in a different stratosphere

    • @Xanninja
      @Xanninja Před rokem +2

      @@mbok29915 Been saying this. 💯💯 even if you don't prefer either player, no debating their spots.

    • @Mercurial.
      @Mercurial. Před rokem +1

      So how does Lebron has 3 peaks when he STILL has a LOSING RECORD and lost the most of all time for an MVP again 🤔

  • @thelegendofBigRay
    @thelegendofBigRay Před rokem +3

    Just discovered this channel 1st week April 2023. I respect the research and insight. It has been fun watching !

  • @Dozalable
    @Dozalable Před 3 lety +5

    This is the first time I've ever commented on a CZcams video, but this series was just so astoundingly brilliant and thought provoking that I had to let you know. Thank you, Ben.

  • @richardmaska1818
    @richardmaska1818 Před 3 lety +225

    "Impact relative to era" pretty much guarantees Jordan's place at number one.

  • @samuelyuan291
    @samuelyuan291 Před 3 lety +797

    I'm just happy that Steph Curry gets his respect

  • @En_Gho
    @En_Gho Před 3 lety +8

    This is one of the greatest series in all CZcams history. So much thorough work and dedication, and I just want you to know that we appreciate it very much. Thank you @
    Thinking Basketball

  • @nb_nic
    @nb_nic Před rokem +6

    recently had this series pop up in my CZcams feed, never seen your channel before. I watched about 1/3 of them and this one, this is amazing content. as someone who only really watches playoff basketball and some hawks games it's been really interesting to hear what made all these players so great from someone who knows way more about basketball than me or my friends lol

  • @cgmp326
    @cgmp326 Před 3 lety +324

    Olajuwon top 5 is all I needed to see. Good job on the ratings

    • @bolt7047
      @bolt7047 Před 2 lety +25

      He's really underrated, but am glad hardcore fans like us can appreciate how good he was

    • @mixedpleasure4324
      @mixedpleasure4324 Před 2 lety +1

      you have to remember Wilt and other from before 77 was not in this video and Wilt was better then Olajuwon

    • @siya2195
      @siya2195 Před 2 lety +11

      Mixed pleasure no bro Wilt under played underplayed the playoff and people don't know .hakeem would never have
      Hakeem>Wilt

    • @mixedpleasure4324
      @mixedpleasure4324 Před 2 lety +1

      @@siya2195 Wilt was a two time champion just like Hakeem so what are you talking about and Wilt average way more point twice as many rebounds and almost twice as many assist with a better FG% and Wilt has 4 mvps and average over 50 pint and over 44 point and 38 and 36 and 37 with a 48 vertical like Mj.. Wilt was arguable the best player ever only Mj is surely better imo but Wilt could easily go as high as number 2. Hakeem doesnt do anything better then Wilt so just cut it out

    • @siya2195
      @siya2195 Před 2 lety +8

      @@mixedpleasure4324 Bra the the chainpainships he won were when he wasn't averaging record breaking numbers in the first one he was a 21 ppg scorer and the 2nd he was a 14 ppg in the playoffs and as I said there were many times in the play-offs were Wilt had a chance to beat the Celtics and Russel but he didn't have his record breaking averages (he underplayed) and got beaten many ,many times and only won when he wasn't avenging those numbers.
      Lastly Wilt is still an alltime great but people get lost in stats and records but we have to realize that you can avenge 50 if your taking 39.5 shots a game
      Hakeem > Wilt

  • @legamingchair6632
    @legamingchair6632 Před 3 lety +169

    This was so good. I think we all appreciate this series so much🙏🏼
    Thank you Ben!

  • @TheSeekerNFT
    @TheSeekerNFT Před 3 lety +4

    I would like to take the time and comment on the level of production this series carried through the weeks. I was eager to watch every single one of these as they rolled out making sure I had enough time to digest all the amazing stats and facts from each peak. Simply amazing work from the perspective of the stat gathering and the thesis of who had the best peak. Simply Brilliant and worthy of an award for sports broadcasting. ESPN or NBA TV would be pushing this series so hard if they made this level of quality work! Thank you for making this and I am looking forward to more videos and books in the future!

  • @nickpowell2524
    @nickpowell2524 Před 3 lety +1

    Thank you so much for making this. This series has been the greatest sports analysis content I've ever seen.

  • @enzogialdi8647
    @enzogialdi8647 Před 3 lety +111

    It was just me that got nervous in the top 2??
    man fenomenal series
    thanks man you are amazing

    • @ThinkingBasketball
      @ThinkingBasketball  Před 3 lety +66

      No, I too got nervous in the top 2. 😂

    • @nandylast1314
      @nandylast1314 Před 3 lety +19

      @@ThinkingBasketball I saw every player's peak maxing out to 3 and not 2, and that's when the hype started building for the Jordan and LeBron debate for me

    • @nandylast1314
      @nandylast1314 Před 3 lety +8

      Everyone got nervous in the top 2, especially Jordan and LeBron fans.

    • @sexyshadowcat7
      @sexyshadowcat7 Před 3 lety +8

      @@ThinkingBasketball You would have been roasted if you hadn't put Jordan #1 and then he would have challenged you and dunked on you.

    • @MatteoRuberto
      @MatteoRuberto Před 3 lety +8

      @@ThinkingBasketball I mean, it could have become personal..

  • @milesvincent6953
    @milesvincent6953 Před 3 lety +322

    I already knew D-Wade and Dirk were goated. Can’t wait for a future series on them

  • @Chaching632
    @Chaching632 Před 3 lety +3

    These videos are incredibly details. Wow thank you!

  • @ianrhodes8786
    @ianrhodes8786 Před 3 lety +1

    this series was absolutely incredible, thank you !!

  • @shockboomjj7070
    @shockboomjj7070 Před 3 lety +206

    1:16 there is a graphical area when you say what years the criteria fall into (graphic says 1997-2020)

    • @TheBest-gf8qo
      @TheBest-gf8qo Před 3 lety +12

      He meant 1977 I think

    • @ThinkingBasketball
      @ThinkingBasketball  Před 3 lety +159

      Nice catch! That's my subconscious wishing the ABA existed until 1997.

    • @TheBest-gf8qo
      @TheBest-gf8qo Před 3 lety +16

      @@ThinkingBasketball While we're on the topic, could you make a series about the forgotten stars of the ABA and their placement amongst the basketball greats?
      Love this series btw

    • @davidolinger3948
      @davidolinger3948 Před 3 lety +3

      @@TheBest-gf8qo man I miss ABA dr j, he was rediculous

    • @hmmBEEFY
      @hmmBEEFY Před 3 lety

      Glad someone else caught that

  • @Scottdick6
    @Scottdick6 Před 3 lety +498

    Damn LeBron James and Mike so damn close too. Basically coming down to team construction.

    • @supremegoesviral9922
      @supremegoesviral9922 Před 3 lety +15

      It’s as close as u think, his analysis is just straight up wrong.

    • @jamesbullock4316
      @jamesbullock4316 Před 3 lety +280

      @@supremegoesviral9922 oh cool where is ur youtube channel where people care ab ur opinion

    • @aaronantwi9164
      @aaronantwi9164 Před 3 lety +148

      @@supremegoesviral9922 why don’t you tell us how genius?

    • @marquisdaniels8371
      @marquisdaniels8371 Před 3 lety +184

      Of course Michael Jordan is the 2nd greatest player of all time behind me

    • @josephhanicak7922
      @josephhanicak7922 Před 3 lety +56

      @@marquisdaniels8371 What about Lavar Ball?

  • @ja8ames
    @ja8ames Před 2 lety +20

    Great series, fantastic work Ben! However you might work it in, I'd be really interested to see something on Charles Barkley. He was such a unique, unconventionally dominant player in his own way, it would be cool to see your perspective on him.

  • @toxictoast6599
    @toxictoast6599 Před 3 lety +5

    Great series! I would love it if you went back and did some Stat dives on those earlier players you mentioned. Oscar R, West, Havlicek, and revisiting Russel and Wilt with their own videos. 👍

  • @MrAntwan301
    @MrAntwan301 Před 3 lety +137

    That Jokic cameo is perfect hahaha

  • @ImBarryScottCSS
    @ImBarryScottCSS Před 3 lety +21

    Without doubt this series challenged my own preconceptions and furthered my ability to analyse players on what is/is not valuable. That's what this is all about, it's not about who's number one and who's number 6, that's your choice, it's about the process of making the choice and you explained that process perfectly.
    Thanks for such wonderful content and I really hope this channel keeps moving forward and the content keeps flowing 👍

  • @shamgar86
    @shamgar86 Před 3 lety

    I have loved most of your work (I say most, 'cause I haven't watched ALL of your videos), but this was my favorite series yet. I truly hope for another 3 or 4 volumes of this series. Thanks a bunch. Good stuff.

  • @MinLee2
    @MinLee2 Před 3 lety +3

    Amazing series! Thanks for putting this together.
    I wish sports shows were this deep. Their level of analysis is, "if you score more points than the other team, you'll probably win."

  • @diegocarvajalcastro
    @diegocarvajalcastro Před 3 lety +60

    That final race for the first place was way dramatic, well done Ben

  • @GeorgeElEmery
    @GeorgeElEmery Před 3 lety +266

    Why the f*** am I crying like this is the end of Friends or something?! Fantastic series 😭

    • @yungluluu
      @yungluluu Před 3 lety +7

      I swear bro 😂😂😂😂😂

    • @YoungPhenix
      @YoungPhenix Před 3 lety +3

      Same bub

    • @bobbyjankins3796
      @bobbyjankins3796 Před 3 lety +4

      i feel you man when the outro came on i felt like i just finished a long journey

    • @dusk6159
      @dusk6159 Před 3 lety +1

      It seems like yesterday that I was watching the YT announcement video and started waiting lol
      Or the Wilt vs Bill precursor video. Wow!

    • @jonathanoka7866
      @jonathanoka7866 Před 3 lety +3

      Probably bc u watch friends lol

  • @NickTriant23
    @NickTriant23 Před 3 lety +4

    The Greatest basketball series on CZcams came to an end. Sad to see it go but thank you very much for these videos. I'm going to refer to them for the rest of my life probably, when contemplating about some of these players. Would love to see something similar in the future with the guys that just missed out on this list, such as Chuck and DWade!

  • @sussvarman
    @sussvarman Před rokem +7

    a weird detail to point out but: i love these thumbnails SO much. its so hard to find a balance between what works for the algorithm while making something that looks genuinely pretty.
    the graphic designer behind them deserves so much credit, as they are what drew most of us into these videos!

  • @alessioceccotti9652
    @alessioceccotti9652 Před 3 lety +4

    Ben, your attention at minimizing biases is charming. Love your work, this series was a bliss.

  • @harrincourt95
    @harrincourt95 Před 3 lety +202

    I wish most NBA fans knew that there are no time machines :(

    • @scordatura9259
      @scordatura9259 Před 3 lety +33

      Fr man it's so annoying. Like jordan fans say lebron would die in the 90s with that soft flopping. While lebron fans would say that mj wouldn't be able to face the modern nba with the three point shot and his inefficient latter years. While the truth is it's impossible to know what the players will be at each era since well they're humans and can adapt and change according to the style of basketball being played

    • @tchalla7828
      @tchalla7828 Před 3 lety +7

      @@scordatura9259 that’s why you should only judge them by how well they dominated their respective eras.

    • @iLawfGaming
      @iLawfGaming Před 3 lety +4

      @@tchalla7828 except lebron didn't dominate his era. He only dominated his conference. So even with those standards MJ is still more dominant and the better player.

    • @MrReverseOreo
      @MrReverseOreo Před 3 lety +1

      @@iLawfGaming Are you just going to different comments to place MJ over Lebron?

    • @lik7953
      @lik7953 Před 3 lety +19

      @@iLawfGaming He did dominate his era. Look at the stats. This series isn’t about championships or rings or MVP’s. It’s about impact metrics. And Jordan and Lebron are neck and neck in them

  • @bigpapajake
    @bigpapajake Před 3 lety +2

    A terrific series of videos. I loved every minute of these videos. Thank you, and I'm looking forward to what you do next.

  • @jiuc9314
    @jiuc9314 Před 3 lety

    I'm so happy that I found this channel, thank you so much for all the insight and research you've done.

  • @LommeMann1
    @LommeMann1 Před 3 lety +5

    This is seriously my favourite CZcams series ever. You deserve way more subscribers. Props to the whole team, keep up the excellent work!

  • @gamemeister27
    @gamemeister27 Před 3 lety +174

    Oh man is he making the KG argument!? OH MY GOD HE'S DOING IT! YES! YES! I LOVE YOU! THE STATE OF MINNESOTA LOVES YOU! YOU ARE WELCOME IN EVERY HOUSEHOLD, YOU GET FREE HOTDISH FOR LIFE, AAAAAAAA!!!!

    • @bcyost1908
      @bcyost1908 Před 3 lety +15

      As a minnesotan, I liked this because of your use of hotdish.

    • @gamemeister27
      @gamemeister27 Před 3 lety +4

      @@bcyost1908 I'm a native after all

    • @moaden9553
      @moaden9553 Před 3 lety

      No cap lol 😂 😂😂😂

  • @niki8280
    @niki8280 Před 3 lety +1

    This is perhaps my favorite youtube series ever! Extremely well done, dude!

  • @YevgenyBazarov1862
    @YevgenyBazarov1862 Před 3 lety +34

    This series contains some of the most impressive content I’ve ever seen. As a teacher, it has an amazing balance of content and explanation that makes sure viewers don’t get lost. It would be hard to make one of these videos, let alone sixteen. Thank you, Thinking Basketball Team!

  • @andythedeane
    @andythedeane Před 3 lety +6

    Loved this series! Can’t wait to see what’s next!!! I think I’m going to rewatch them because it just was so much fun.

  • @Chairsium
    @Chairsium Před 3 lety +13

    This was one hell of a series, best basketball content on CZcams for sure.

  • @nickbeaver3601
    @nickbeaver3601 Před 3 lety

    Dude, very in depth analysis. THANK YOU

  • @markyd02
    @markyd02 Před 8 měsíci

    Really fantastic series. This channel stands out in a strong and competitive NBA CZcams landscape. A cut above!

  • @noparkingbp7355
    @noparkingbp7355 Před 3 lety +28

    You legitimately deserve a job at ESPN or some major sports network with this intensive and accurate basketball analysis. It’s just so good

    • @daltongiddings2771
      @daltongiddings2771 Před 3 lety +1

      We just lost Coach Daniel, please let me get through that before we lose Ben too 😂

    • @mskomu
      @mskomu Před 3 lety +15

      Masses are not interested in truth. They are interested in stories instead. Read the news or follow pro sport "analysts". It's about stories and narratives, because those sell.
      I hate to day it, but Thinking Basketball is a niche thing. It will never attract the majority, but it's so great that all the niche followers root for it.

    • @kingz5493
      @kingz5493 Před 3 lety +1

      @@mskomu Yeah Idk about that it could be easily marketable I mean he gets hella views anyway the problem is the live cable tv format he’d actually be great having a tv show like series.

    • @bcyost1908
      @bcyost1908 Před 3 lety +3

      Ben is way too good for ESPN.

    • @adamjohnson1966
      @adamjohnson1966 Před 3 lety +1

      @@mskomu well said and unfortunately true

  • @AsadKhan-tz6vr
    @AsadKhan-tz6vr Před 3 lety +72

    I loved this series. You really make the game more fun to watch for me. I hope you can do a series on single year peaks i.e. 94 Pippen, 03 T-mac, 09 Wade etc.

    • @aaanawaleh
      @aaanawaleh Před 11 měsíci +1

      Its interesting how those single year peaks weren't in their championship winning seasons.

    • @zotanica
      @zotanica Před 11 měsíci +3

      ​@@aaanawalehpeaks usually occur when they take a lot of the offensive load(=less help, less championship aspirations)

  • @macnolds4145
    @macnolds4145 Před 3 lety +1

    I love this channel so much. Just fair, detailed, analysis with good graphics and even better stats (and with context!)

  • @GianlucOne88
    @GianlucOne88 Před 3 lety

    As well curated and beautifully carried out series as you can find on youtube. Truly great

  • @piripiao245
    @piripiao245 Před 3 lety +19

    *Brb gotta rewatch this series all over again.*

  • @felipewidderson4832
    @felipewidderson4832 Před 3 lety +3

    I appreciate, the amount of work that goes into these videos. Thank you for thinking basketball, not just reacting to it.

  • @adamjohnson1966
    @adamjohnson1966 Před 3 lety

    Absolutely phenomenal work, Ben. This was simply excellent.

  • @kursadkozelo1042
    @kursadkozelo1042 Před 3 lety +1

    Truly amazing series, taking into account all those variables really makes the picture more clear

  • @secretcow4228
    @secretcow4228 Před 3 lety +356

    JordanHeads: "He had us in the first half not gonna lie"

    • @chrischen5048
      @chrischen5048 Před 3 lety +28

      @You mad Bro!? The thing about LeBron (for me) isn't so much the choking job in 2011. The thing is a lot of players choke, and that sucks, but it's really LeBron's lack of consistent winning that takes away his shine. It's one thing to be the greatest floor raiser of all time, but it doesn't matter how much you raise the floor if you're not winning championships. Moreover, I know LeBron is catching up in terms of his championships, but I do think his longevity (also important) is a factor. I don't think very many players have the opportunity to play at their peak for as long as LeBron has (not sure if that should be attributed to him or science) and that skews things (though I'd give it to Lebron though). If Jordan was Jordan, but without the titles, we wouldn't even come close to seeing him in the same light.

    • @ObnoxiousOtter8
      @ObnoxiousOtter8 Před 3 lety +37

      Chris Chen man you really saying that you’re disappointed in Brin for not winning with Matthew delly and an aged Kyle korver in a finals starting 5 against prime super team warriors? Come on now.

    • @ObnoxiousOtter8
      @ObnoxiousOtter8 Před 3 lety

      Chris Chen didn’t mean for it to come off as stupid as it reads btw, it was a good and well thought take.

    • @leultrainstinct406
      @leultrainstinct406 Před 3 lety +33

      @You mad Bro!? top two, no lower than that. As much as you hate him, you can’t deny that they’re sitting at the top of the mountain and everyone is below them. Eh, the generic reason lol. Sure you have 2011, but you also have 2016 which was the greatest finals performance of all time against the 2nd greatest team ever. That performance alone should’ve completely scrubbed away 2011.

    • @leultrainstinct406
      @leultrainstinct406 Před 3 lety +24

      @@chrischen5048 tons of players who played in this era don’t have primes nearly as long as Lebron, so it’s a lot more than just science(Kobe, wade, Vince, Carmelo, etc.) Science alone isn’t enough to make a 36 year old man in his 18th season the best player in the world. That’s just greatness at that point. To your championship point, you have to think about the context. 2007, he took a team of scrubs to the finals against the spurs dynasty. 2014 he was against the spurs dynasty again but wade and bosh were too injured to show up. 2015, he was up against a 67 win team alone with role players as support. 2017 he had a great team but KD just made things unfair. 2018 he had an even worse team then before, STILL dragged them to the finals, but was against the 73-9 warriors+KD. So only 2011 is his fault, and the fact he can carry teams like nobody else in history is a testament to his greatness, and why he’s called the best floor raiser ever.

  • @packerfanbd1995
    @packerfanbd1995 Před 3 lety +3

    Well...that was just phenomenal. Great work Ben, we all appreciate the insane amount of work that's clearly gone into this series. I'm looking forward to your next project.

  • @meircohen4814
    @meircohen4814 Před 3 lety

    Thank you so much! I was waiting for the videos to come out!
    I really appreciate all the hard work. It was the greatest youtube series I have ever seen probably.

  • @b_dog-kg9zq
    @b_dog-kg9zq Před 3 lety +1

    Fantastic series, one of the best I've ever seen on CZcams

  • @willc3155
    @willc3155 Před 3 lety +3

    Thank you so much for this series! Do you think you'd ever do a "greatest teams" series as well?

  • @jesusshuttleworth6301
    @jesusshuttleworth6301 Před 3 lety +52

    This is definitely the greatest basketball series of all time.

  • @narayandejesus218
    @narayandejesus218 Před 3 lety +1

    This was so entertaining and enjoyable, it was also a basketball learning experience. Thank you!

  • @yusufjibrel7465
    @yusufjibrel7465 Před rokem

    Phenomenal series, watched every episode great stuff!!!

  • @h7m156
    @h7m156 Před 3 lety +3

    This is some of the greatest basketball break down ever love the channel🖤

  • @adampohlen2133
    @adampohlen2133 Před 3 lety +160

    KG is the most underrated player of all time because he was on the Wolves

    • @kingdinodragonite3470
      @kingdinodragonite3470 Před 3 lety +14

      Facts. It’s still disgusting how Lakers fans taunt me that I said KG was better than Kobe smh.

    • @a-a-rondavis9438
      @a-a-rondavis9438 Před 3 lety +11

      @@kingdinodragonite3470 he ain't better than Kobe, but is RIGHT there in the mix of greatest PF's of all-time. Skill-wise, I think so.

    • @kingdinodragonite3470
      @kingdinodragonite3470 Před 3 lety +16

      @@a-a-rondavis9438 you would not say that if Kobe was on the hornets and the Wolves didn’t fuck up with that bullshit scandal that costed them 5 first round draft picks.

    • @allanhouston6759
      @allanhouston6759 Před 3 lety

      KG is overrated.

    • @FuShengAlex
      @FuShengAlex Před 3 lety +1

      @@allanhouston6759 wow....finally a comment from you I can agree with 😆

  • @carlflannagan9592
    @carlflannagan9592 Před 3 lety +1

    Great series so detailed and interesting and has increased my knowledge of basketball greatly and had shown my yet value of certain players i undervalued keep up the great work

  • @coimbrahero
    @coimbrahero Před 3 lety

    one of the greatest series iver ever seen. loved seeing you r insight and knowledge about basktball. keep up the grat work

  • @ReCharredSigh
    @ReCharredSigh Před 3 lety +12

    one thing i appreciate about you listing the top 10 peaks is you acknowledging that the order isn't set in stone and can vary depending on how you optimistically view them, like some players being listed around the lower 6-10 range but can be bumped up as high as 3. ie, it's not a contest; these guys are all really good, and it's tough to definitely tier them.

  • @raysmith6731
    @raysmith6731 Před 3 lety +19

    These videos are the best part of my week

    • @zamitlegoatis10-0inmybooks5
      @zamitlegoatis10-0inmybooks5 Před 3 lety

      NO THEY SUCK HE DISRESPECTS LEGOAT

    • @matthewbodony4000
      @matthewbodony4000 Před 3 lety +9

      @@zamitlegoatis10-0inmybooks5 I hope you’re joking ( doesn’t even matter if you think Lebron’s the goat, these are high effort extremely high quality videos using stats and numbers to provide information to the viewer).

    • @acpliego
      @acpliego Před 3 lety +1

      @@zamitlegoatis10-0inmybooks5 como on fanboy. LeBron is questionably tied at 1. Let’s analyze, why do you think he’s disrespected ?

  • @toobasaurus23
    @toobasaurus23 Před 2 lety

    Your analysis videos are insightful and immensely entertaining for basketball fans. Thank you. I'm subbed. Keep them coming.

  • @RohitRoy-lj8zx
    @RohitRoy-lj8zx Před 3 lety +1

    Loved this series...keep making such videos

  • @vmrabello
    @vmrabello Před 3 lety +5

    accompanying this really made me feel eager to learn more and more about basketball, and with this series completed, I even feel like I've been part of something. That is awesome content, thanks very much Ben

  • @diegosantacruz6331
    @diegosantacruz6331 Před 3 lety +4

    Awesome series! I was just wondering where you think bill russell, wilt and other greats before 1977 would stack up. Such an awesome series. And a great finale. The whole time I was nervous knowing this would determine my opinion on the Lebron vs Jordan debate lol and it was obvious those 2 spots were for them. I'm also curious if you could someday make a series or video on what you think great pairings of superstars that never happened would have been based on their playstyle. I think it would be fun.

  • @InterFectorem06
    @InterFectorem06 Před 3 lety

    This series has been so much fun. Thank you

  • @CR2live
    @CR2live Před měsícem

    Outstanding work. Thank you for doing this.

  • @bsn0730
    @bsn0730 Před 2 lety +14

    I don't know how I saw all the other videos and missed this one. This series has put into perspective a lot of the gut feelings I've had about great players and their impact. I also love that Shaq is in the top 5. He was so dominant at his peak! These are probably the players I would've landed on if I worked as hard to analyze nba history as Ben did. You're amazing Ben!

  • @kscotth
    @kscotth Před 3 lety

    This was a really awesome and unique CZcams series. Really well done. Very interesting. Thanks alot.

  • @JawaPenguin16
    @JawaPenguin16 Před 3 lety

    Fantastic series man. Gonna be rewatching this.

  • @sed1589
    @sed1589 Před 3 lety +5

    Would love to see a series or even just a couple videos on those who just missed out on this series. (Wade, Dirk, Nash, AI, etc)

  • @redbee5
    @redbee5 Před 3 lety +8

    I will miss this series. I bought the book because of the first episode! It’s obvious Ben puts everything into what he does. His analysis’s are the highest quality, not just on CZcams but anywhere period. He deserves more credit. Love the podcast too! Literally cannot get enough.

  • @carterpatterson8149
    @carterpatterson8149 Před 3 lety

    Love the content Ben, this series is one of if not the best basketball analytical series ever!! Since you didn’t do a Dirk Nowitzki video for this series could you do a video on the best title runs of all time ?

  • @doublefieldli
    @doublefieldli Před rokem

    I have to say, this is the BEST basketball analysis series!!!! and it's so much more knowledgable than those from ESPN. this is real substance! THANK YOU

  • @rhenzomarcial3262
    @rhenzomarcial3262 Před 3 lety +6

    You dropped this 👑

  • @MindfulAttraction
    @MindfulAttraction Před 3 lety +568

    I'll watch this when I can relax and watch it

  • @bobarmstrong3218
    @bobarmstrong3218 Před 8 měsíci

    Well done series, a bit over my head at times, but thoroughly entertaining.

  • @GamEleON1
    @GamEleON1 Před rokem

    I cant wait for the new Ranking in a years time or so... great video as always with awesome and insightful information

  • @lukenocera2225
    @lukenocera2225 Před 3 lety +3

    What a series, I teared up a bit at the end

  • @WhelmedButReady
    @WhelmedButReady Před 3 lety +70

    By God, i wasn't ready for that face reveal at the end. I expected a slightly nerdier image lol. Nice hair Ben 👌🏾😁

    • @crablord7934
      @crablord7934 Před 3 lety +3

      His face was already on his book lol

    • @WhelmedButReady
      @WhelmedButReady Před 3 lety +19

      @@crablord7934 I never read the book or seen anything else besides what's on this channel. He was a headless mystery LMAO

    • @crablord7934
      @crablord7934 Před 3 lety +7

      @@WhelmedButReady You can pick it up if you want to, though it's really more for hardcore analytics enthusiasts.

    • @ThinkingBasketball
      @ThinkingBasketball  Před 3 lety +27

      Hey, I can be nerdier!

    • @samhartje723
      @samhartje723 Před 3 lety

      Where is the reveal at?

  • @barryhamilton28
    @barryhamilton28 Před 3 lety

    This is by far the best channel on social media. Salute to you brother.

  • @johnnysinfonia
    @johnnysinfonia Před 3 lety

    I really loved this series. Well done.