Russo’s All-Time NBA Greats

One of the shops that I like to visit at the SM Northwing is Powerbooks. If I have time to spare, I could stay there for two hours just browsing on their varied selection of hard-to-find titles. Of course, browsing for that long almost always depletes my already alarmingly limited resources. Really good hardbound books carry stiff prices and buying more than three would be next to anomalous. But a percieved anomaly takes a backseat if the end result benefits The Freeman readers, my loyal column-followers in particular.

I got a book authored by Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo whose title is quite a mouthfull - “The Mad Dog Hall of Fame - The Ultimate Top Ten Rankings of the Best in Sports”. A top-rated sports talk radio personality, Russo made his own top ten list of coaches, players, teams and venues. There were sporting greats that were left out and this invites debate but we all have our own “expert” opinions so arguments will be a given.

Sadly, only three major American big-time sports were tackled - baseball, football and basketball. I was expecting the book to be more general as what the title implies but otherwise, it still was a good read. Let’s go to where our interest are suited best. In descending order, here are “Mad Dog” Russo’s top ten NBA players of all time and his reasons why.

10. SHAQUILLE O’NEAL. Shaq made Russo’s list because he dominates. His greatness is all about brute force that he just runs over anybody and he’s really the only great center of his era. Until three years ago, he made three different franchises (Orlando, Los Angeles, Miami) instant title contenders. He has a colorful personality, almost a cartoon character and Shaq is a real, live sheriff. The all-time leader in free throw attempts in the playoffs, Shaq was selected as one of the NBA’s 50 greatest players in history in 1996.

9. JERRY WEST. The greatest clutch shooter of all time, representing all the pure shooters of the game. Great shooters decide big games and West made lots of huge baskets during crunch time. He was called Mr. Clutch not because he does not like automatic transmissions but because if the game is on the line, Jerry West makes the shot. Notice the red, white and blue NBA logo? Yes, that’s him. He is second all-time to Michael Jordan in career scoring average in the playoffs, and second to Kareem Abul-Jabbar in total playoff points. His 31.2 ppg in 1969-70 was the highest averages ever for a player over thirty years old.

8. OSCAR ROBERTSON. The Big O invented the triple double long before Magic Johnson and Jason Kidd learned to dribble basketballs. In 1962, Robertson actually averaged a triple double for an entire season (30.8 ppoints, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists per game). This feat has never been duplicated ever since. He ended his career with 181 triple doubles to Magic’s 138, and he had a harder time posting the feats. “Magic Johnson could look right or left and see James Worthy on one side, Byron Scott on the other side. I looked to my left and there was a guy who couldn’t hit free throws. I looked to my right and there was a guy who couldn’t go to the basket”, the Big O said.

7. BOB COUSY. The NBA’s first great point guard, Cousy led the Boston Celtics to six consecutive championships. He defined the point guard position by changing the way basketball was played. Before he came to the league, the game was not fun to watch, with guys glued to the floor doing halfcourt sets that takes forever. Cousy ran the fastbreak with his flashy passes making his teammates better. Cousy changed the game as when he left, basketball was a lot more athletic, a lot more fastbreaks, lots of showtime. His NBA record for assist in a half (19), his Celtics records for assists in a game (28) and a quarter (12) is still unsurpassed. He was selected for the 25th, 35th and 50th NBA anniversary All-Time teams.

6. LARRY BIRD. Retiring in 1992, Larry Legend held or shared 27 Celtic records. He was the first player in NBA history to shoot 50% from the field and 90% from the line in the same season and he was the only player to do it twice. He restored Boston to its former glory and the fact that he was white appealed to a lot of people. He has an incredible appetite to win leading the Celtics to five NBA Finals in the 1980s and three championships (1981,‘84,‘86). And we could not separate Larry Bird with....

5. EARVIN “MAGIC” JOHNSON. It is hard to pull these two players apart. Their rivalry started in college and their contrasting styles made watching the games more intriguing. In 1980, playing all five positions and scoring 42 points in the title-clinching game six, Magic was the first rookie to be named NBA Finals MVP. He won five championships compared to Bird’s three. Magic is an impact player and he could dominate a game without scoring a point. He holds the record for playoff assists (2,346) and steals (358). He is a 6-9 point guard who’s not a good shooter but he has the vision to find the open man and an uncanny ability to hit the big shots.

to be continued....