Back to your Pippen thing. You are not going to like foxsports dig at the top small forwards of all time. My avatar may start to get some respect? LOL
This category is the toughest to rate simply because small forwards are arguably the NBA's best all-around athletes. They must be able to handle and rebound, drive and spot-shoot, play inside and outside, run and bang—and also guard each other.
No. 1 - LARRY BIRD
Compared to the other top-flight small forwards, Larry Bird certainly wasn't much of an athlete. He was an inconsistent perimeter shooter, except when a ballgame was racing toward the final buzzer. And if he wasn't an exceptional man-to-man defender, Bird compensated by playing smart team defense. Although he was rather slow afoot, he seemed to always be in the right place at the right time. Bird was also an incredibly alert passer, a sure-handed rebounder, and a resourceful scorer.
His competitive edge was unparalleled, as was his toughness. But Bird's biggest plus was his ability to anticipate the unfolding of every critical play a heartbeat ahead of everybody else.
No. 2 - JOHN HAVLICEK
Hondo could run for days at a time. He never showed a sign of weariness, not even when the Celtics were routinely scheduled for back-to-back playoff games — usually Saturday night in New York, and the following afternoon at home. During the latter years of the Celtics' Russellian dynasty (and continuing into the Cowens era), it was Havlicek who personified Boston's game plan: Run, run, and keep on running, until the bad guys lost their will to win — then run them off the court.
Larry Bird was an inconsistent perimeter shooter, except when a ballgame was racing toward the final buzzer. (Jon Soohoo/NBAE / Getty Images)
Always dangerous in the clutch, Havlicek was a threat to score off the dribble or off a stop-and-pop. He was lightning in a bottle without the ball, but his first step with the rock in hand was too fast to defend. An unofficial poll of his contemporaries revealed that Havlicek was the one small forward nobody wanted to guard.
His perpetual hustle was just as effective on the uphill end of the court. He was an All-NBA First Teamer from 1971-74, and voted to the All-Defensive Team from 1972-76. Nobody was quicker into the passing lanes, and nobody could get over screens more consistently than Havlicek. Throughout his 16-year Hall of Fame career, Havlicek was also the NBA's perennial leader in floor burns.
No. 3 - SCOTTIE PIPPEN
Pippen was a dynamic scorer in half-court situations and also an accomplished finisher on the run. He could play big and he could play small; there was no aspect of the game he didn't master. He was as comfortable in the triangle offense as Brer Rabbit was in the briar patch. But what sets Pippen above the rest is his ability to play suffocating defense at any of the skill positions (point guard, shooting guard, and small forward). Indeed, the only flaw in his game was a tendency to shoot impulsive 3-pointers when the shot-clock was still in the high-teens.
While Pippen was usually aloof with civilians, he was the player that the other Bulls turned to for advice and solace. (They were all much too afraid of MJ's caustic and insulting remedies for their comparatively inferior talent.) Moreover, it was Pippen who orchestrated the Bulls' stingy defense — making on-the-spot adjustments, and instructing his teammates (including MJ) when to double, when to rotate, when to sag, when to go over and when to go under screens.
On the defensive end of Chicago's six championships, Pippen was Phil Jackson's surrogate coach-on-the-court.
No. 4 - JULIUS ERVING
Not only was Erving the best finisher of all time, fans, coaches and players all held their breath when he approached the rim with a full head of steam. What would Doc do next? Eyewitnesses were seldom disappointed, because at least once a game Erving did something nobody had ever seen. An acrobatic layup in a crowd. A soaring dunk over a clutch of high-jumping big men. A swirling flip shot from another dimension of time and space.
Beyond his ability to stun and entertain, Julius Erving was a winner. (Walter Looss Jr./NBAE / Getty Images)
But beyond his ability to stun and entertain, Erving was a winner. He was a high-flying rebounder (especially on offense), a creative shot-maker and passer, as well as an inspirational and supportive teammate.
What couldn't he do?
Shoot from long range. (His 3-point accuracy in the ABA& #151; 32.2 percent — was mostly due to the lightweight ABA ball. In the NBA, he shot only 26.1 percent from downtown.) Play solid position defense. (He tried to compensate by ambushing the passing lanes.) And shoot with his left hand.
Even though Doc played 11 stellar seasons in the NBA (1976-87), his knees were worn down by carrying the entire league during his previous five-year stint in the red-white-and-blue ABA. I was fortunate enough to see him play several times with the Virginia Squires-as well as the New York Nets — and he did things back then he couldn't do once his wheels started wobbling. Like cut sharply without the ball; play energetic deny-defense in the post and on the wings; jump five times after the same rebound; dunk from a flat-footed takeoff against guys like Artis Gilmore.
But even when his knees were sore and aching, the Doctor was always IN.
i might be a little bias but pippen was a more complete player he had great offensive skills, great defensive skills and the the ability to make others around him better, horry is a good player no doubt, good in the clutch but isnt as well rounded as pippen
