Doc Rivers has been around the NBA his entire adult life, either as a player, broadcaster, coach or executive, so he clearly knows a thing or two about not only the NBA today but the players who have come before. Which means Doc speaks from a place of vast experience when he told The Dan Patrick Show that LeBron James is one of the top five players in the history of the NBA. As The Score recaps…
"LeBron has a different game," Rivers told "The Dan Patrick Show." "We're so used to seeing skill looking graceful. We're not used to skill looking so powerful. I think that rubs people wrong. But LeBron, statistically, championships-wise, he is one of the top five players to have ever played the game."
James' case is ironclad. He already has three Finals MVPs, four MVPs (only three players have more), and three championships, and the 31-year-old clearly has plenty more in the tank.
When it's all said and done, it wouldn't be a surprise for him to finish as the NBA's all-time leading scorer, with quite a few more championships to his name.
And yet there remains plenty of push-back, especially from the older talking heads, who insist James would never crack the pantheon. Charles Barkley, for example, insists that he would never add James to his top five.
Rivers attributes that phenomenon to the permanency that comes with the passage of time. They're missing out on what James is doing in the present.
"Players of the past are bigger than life to us and it's almost impossible for us to ever move a current player in front of them. Just statistically speaking, and visually since I was the coach of the Celtics ... we had a 3-2 lead then watched him score 45 (in 2012), he is in the top five. There is no doubt."
Source:Shootaround (Oct. 30): Noah, Rose Happy To Get Home Opener 'Out Of The Way' - NBA.com
Lebron IMO became GOAT when he beat Golden State last year. At the very least he is the 2nd greatest player of all time.
But it is pretty much unaminous among EVERYONE in the NBA and past legends that Lebron is Top 5 all time.
Even Andre Iguodala said Lebron is Top 5 after the finals last year.
"LeBron has a different game," Rivers told "The Dan Patrick Show." "We're so used to seeing skill looking graceful. We're not used to skill looking so powerful. I think that rubs people wrong. But LeBron, statistically, championships-wise, he is one of the top five players to have ever played the game."
James' case is ironclad. He already has three Finals MVPs, four MVPs (only three players have more), and three championships, and the 31-year-old clearly has plenty more in the tank.
When it's all said and done, it wouldn't be a surprise for him to finish as the NBA's all-time leading scorer, with quite a few more championships to his name.
And yet there remains plenty of push-back, especially from the older talking heads, who insist James would never crack the pantheon. Charles Barkley, for example, insists that he would never add James to his top five.
Rivers attributes that phenomenon to the permanency that comes with the passage of time. They're missing out on what James is doing in the present.
"Players of the past are bigger than life to us and it's almost impossible for us to ever move a current player in front of them. Just statistically speaking, and visually since I was the coach of the Celtics ... we had a 3-2 lead then watched him score 45 (in 2012), he is in the top five. There is no doubt."
Source:Shootaround (Oct. 30): Noah, Rose Happy To Get Home Opener 'Out Of The Way' - NBA.com
Lebron IMO became GOAT when he beat Golden State last year. At the very least he is the 2nd greatest player of all time.
But it is pretty much unaminous among EVERYONE in the NBA and past legends that Lebron is Top 5 all time.
Even Andre Iguodala said Lebron is Top 5 after the finals last year.
and haters are in denial now
at kobe being a top 5 player all time.
