'95 Orlando Magic vs '13 Heat

[Liquid]

I don't know about all that, but I'd take Penny before the injuries over D Wade.

It's a toss up, really.


Overall, D wade is more of a volume scorer.His first instinct is to score.

Penny's game was more balanced.


Looking over their career stats, the most fga's taking per game in a single season for Penny was 15.9......12.4 per game for his career.

Wade has averaged 18.5 fga's a game every year since his rookie year, maxing out at 22 fga's per game in '09



Penny didn't really have a scorers mentality.I know it's cliche, but he "let the game come to him".Basketball wise, he was a bit of an eccentric.From a fundamental/technical standpoint, I think he was a better scorer than Wade.Wade is a better penetrator, but post up, J, 3pt wise...Penny was better.I think Penny could've easily put up 30 a game if he was on a "middle of the pack" team (Like Miami from the time Shaq left to the time Bron got there) and just focused on "being the man".

Whenever Shaq was out, Penny would put up monster numbers.He'd have 2 week stretches where he'd average 29 points...7 boards...8 assist.

But by the time Shaq left Orlando, penny got hit with the injury bug.The only time we really got to see him really do his thing without Shaq was in the '97 playoffs.He suffered through injuries that year, but he came back healthy during the playoffs, and lit the Heat up.I believe the Heat were the #1 ranked defense in the league that year.Penny got them for 40 in back to back games.Small sample size, but them injuries did him in


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Anfernee Penny Hardaway 42pts vs. Miami Heat 1997 Playoffs First Round Game 3 (04.29.97) - YouTube

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Anfernee Penny Hardaway 41pts vs. Miami Heat 1997 Playoffs First Round Game 4 (05.01.97) - YouTube

The way he set dude up for the jumper at the 1:21 mark

But like I said, it's a toss up.Healthy Wade is a beast.His ball handling and change of direction skills are phenomenal.I guess it depends on your preference.They're two players that I have a hard time making comparisons for.


I wanna say Wade is Michael Jordan lite and Penny is Magic Johnson lite, but not really.Kobe is more MJ lite than Wade is.Penny is about 80% Magic, but 20% something else...I don't know, man....they're just two really unique players.



The basketball purist in me picks Penny.

The streetballer side of me picks Wade.


I wouldn't call you crazy if you chose one over the other.

Penny had great potential that was never realized because he was injured.

Wade has career averages of 25, 6, 5, 2...this is straight up disrespect to me as a basketball fan.

 

[Reggie]

I don't know about all that, but I'd take Penny before the injuries over D Wade.

It's a toss up, really.


Overall, D wade is more of a volume scorer.His first instinct is to score.

Penny's game was more balanced.


Looking over their career stats, the most fga's taking per game in a single season for Penny was 15.9......12.4 per game for his career.

Wade has averaged 18.5 fga's a game every year since his rookie year, maxing out at 22 fga's per game in '09



Penny didn't really have a scorers mentality.I know it's cliche, but he "let the game come to him".Basketball wise, he was a bit of an eccentric.From a fundamental/technical standpoint, I think he was a better scorer than Wade.Wade is a better penetrator, but post up, J, 3pt wise...Penny was better.I think Penny could've easily put up 30 a game if he was on a "middle of the pack" team (Like Miami from the time Shaq left to the time Bron got there) and just focused on "being the man".

Whenever Shaq was out, Penny would put up monster numbers.He'd have 2 week stretches where he'd average 29 points...7 boards...8 assist.

But by the time Shaq left Orlando, penny got hit with the injury bug.The only time we really got to see him really do his thing without Shaq was in the '97 playoffs.He suffered through injuries that year, but he came back healthy during the playoffs, and lit the Heat up.I believe the Heat were the #1 ranked defense in the league that year.Penny got them for 40 in back to back games.Small sample size, but them injuries did him in


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Anfernee Penny Hardaway 42pts vs. Miami Heat 1997 Playoffs First Round Game 3 (04.29.97) - YouTube

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Anfernee Penny Hardaway 41pts vs. Miami Heat 1997 Playoffs First Round Game 4 (05.01.97) - YouTube

The way he set dude up for the jumper at the 1:21 mark

But like I said, it's a toss up.Healthy Wade is a beast.His ball handling and change of direction skills are phenomenal.I guess it depends on your preference.They're two players that I have a hard time making comparisons for.


I wanna say Wade is Michael Jordan lite and Penny is Magic Johnson lite, but not really.Kobe is more MJ lite than Wade is.Penny is about 80% Magic, but 20% something else...I don't know, man....they're just two really unique players.



The basketball purist in me picks Penny.

The streetballer side of me picks Wade.


I wouldn't call you crazy if you chose one over the other.

Penny was that dude and I probably would take him too but Wade is/was much more than a scorer. Wade is damn good in the post especially at his height. He's good on the boards for a guard and he's an above average passer and averages 6 a game for his career. I think he has averaged more assists in a season than Penny ever had even before the injuries. But there would be no wrong pick if you went either way.

 

[MooseMouthMthafuga]

Penny had great potential that was never realized because he was injured.

Wade has career averages of 25, 6, 5, 2...this is straight up disrespect to me as a basketball fan.

I'm not even basing my opinion on Penny's potential.


I'm basing it on the abilities that he displayed as a player from '93-'97....more specifically, '95

Even in the budding stage of of his career, he was already a elite player.He had a very mature game for his age.During the time MJ was retired, a lot of NBA heads were calling him the best player in the game.


I'm just talking about that Penny.Like I said, if somebody told me they'd take that Penny over D Wade, I wouldn't look at them like they were crazy.


That Penny could get you 22, 7, 4, 2 without even having a "score first" mentality.


The whole premise of the thread is the '95 Orlando Magic vs '13 Miami Heat.

I can only use that Penny

 

[MooseMouthMthafuga]

Penny was that dude and I probably would take him too but Wade is/was much more than a scorer. Wade is damn good in the post especially at his height. He's good on the boards for a guard and he's an above average passer and averages 6 a game for his career. I think he has averaged more assists in a season than Penny ever had even before the injuries. But there would be no wrong pick if you went either way.

I agree, Wade is a good post player for his size, but overall, Penny was better in the post.Rebounding is about even.

Assist....That's a tricky one.You really have to watch the games.


You have the Magic Johnson/Jason Kidd assist

and you have the Stephon Marbury/Allen Iverson assist.

Guards who have a score first mentality who only dish it out when they can't score.They don't really look to set up their teammates all that much.They get a lot of "residual" assist.



Just look at the difference between Wade and Lebron.Bron Averages 6.9 apg, about the same as Wade, but watching the game, Lebron has wayyyyyy better court vision than D Wade.He's more of a pure passer.


Penny was more Bron than Wade in that regard

 

[ManBearPig]

Penny was basically Brandon Roy before Brandon roy.

Wade >

just because Penny gave MJ fits doesn't mean we have to overrated him.

Paul Pierce in the players gave problems to Kobe and LeBron so that means we have to put him up to their level?

pretty much Penny = Paul Pierce "talent wise"

 

[Heelmatic]

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Anfernee Penny Hardaway 42pts vs. Miami Heat 1997 Playoffs First Round Game 3 (04.29.97) - YouTube

Look at what he does to Tim Hardaway at the 1:20 mark

 

[Jax]

Do the Heat even win a game?


Horace Grant and Shaq on the interior, flanked by a couple of shooters with hot hands(Dennis Scott, Nick Anderson) on the perimeter? Pre injury Penny at point?



I think the Heat would get out rebounded something serious.It would be ugly in that regard




Plus, when talking about perimeter players, pg/sg, I think Penny had one of the top 5 "back to the basket" games of all time.Wasn't to shabby with the face up, neither.


He'd really make Wade and Bron have to work on defense.



I think the Magic would take it in 5

Heat is that team that gets out-rebounded by 20 and wins by 20...we're that good

 

[Liquid]

I'm not even basing my opinion on Penny's potential.


I'm basing it on the abilities that he displayed as a player from '93-'97....more specifically, '95

Even in the budding stage of of his career, he was already a elite player.He had a very mature game for his age.During the time MJ was retired, a lot of NBA heads were calling him the best player in the game.


I'm just talking about that Penny.Like I said, if somebody told me they'd take that Penny over D Wade, I wouldn't look at them like they were crazy.


That Penny could get you 22, 7, 4, 2 without even having a "score first" mentality.


The whole premise of the thread is the '95 Orlando Magic vs '13 Miami Heat.

I can only use that Penny

Wade averages 22, 7, 4, 2 is considered a bad year in his prime. Just think about that.

 

[Jplaya2023]

Wade averages 22, 7, 4, 2 is considered a bad year in his prime. Just think about that.

Wade scores more, their rebounds, assist, and steals are virtually the same, and wade blocks more shots. We never seen a "prime" penny per say.

He was only scratching the surface in 95 and 96.

 

[street heat]

Penny is not as good as a prime d wade! Put wade on that finals team and I guarantee they wouldn't get swept. People got real short memories around here. wade was an animal and would relentlessly attack defenses, penny just never had the same impact.

 

[NYC Rebel]

That 95 Magic team represents everything about the overrated 90s.

Good for the short time they were together, but didnt stay together long enough to become the great team they would have been.

 

[Reggie]

I agree, Wade is a good post player for his size, but overall, Penny was better in the post.Rebounding is about even.

Assist....That's a tricky one.You really have to watch the games.


You have the Magic Johnson/Jason Kidd assist

and you have the Stephon Marbury/Allen Iverson assist.

Guards who have a score first mentality who only dish it out when they can't score.They don't really look to set up their teammates all that much.They get a lot of "residual" assist.



Just look at the difference between Wade and Lebron.Bron Averages 6.9 apg, about the same as Wade, but watching the game, Lebron has wayyyyyy better court vision than D Wade.He's more of a pure passer.


Penny was more Bron than Wade in that regard

Bron and Penny have better court vision (especially Bron) but they got a lot of residual assists too just from having the ball in their hands so much. Wade is and always has been a supreme playmaker and a way above average passer.

 

[Joe Sixpack]

nikkas love Penny like cooked food!

Wade was better..

 

[Jacksonville Swaguar]

Look at what he does to Tim Hardaway at the 1:20 mark

He went down like he caught a hook to the temple

 

[MooseMouthMthafuga]

Bron and Penny have better court vision (especially Bron) but they got a lot of residual assists too just from having the ball in their hands so much. Wade is and always has been a supreme playmaker and a way above average passer.

That's the perfect way to describe it.I don't look at stats when it comes to assist, I watch the games.


With Bron and Penny, it seems like their first inclination is to pass.By nature, they're a lil bit more "passive" when it comes to having a score first mentality.It's just the essence of who they are/were as players.They truly have/had genuine, unselfish traits out there on the court.

With Wade, it's not as natural.It's something he applied to his game to make him a more efficient scorer."If I pass the ball a couple of times, that'll keep the defense honest and open up my scoring lanes".His first inclination is to score and his passing is a by product of that.His appetite is to score.When he's scoring, he's eating....the assist is just the left overs from when he was on the defense.That's his primary instinct.His strategy out there on the court is all based around killing you with his scoring ability.


Bron and Penny aren't head hunters like that.They can/could go into that mode, but it's a secondary option for them.


Marbury woke me up to that.Watching him on a everyday basis made me realize there's a difference between being able to make a good pass and being a good passer.One does it consistently and one does not.