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Malone is the best PF ever. Duncan gets called that alot but I consider Duncan more of a Center than a PF considering he is 7'0. I blame the massive devaluation of the center position in the last 5 years. When you look at the league now, the only three real contenders have three of the best center cores. Lakers with Buyum and Gasol. Celtics with O'Neal and Perkins. Magic with Howard and Gortat. I say the Magic have the best duo since they are the healthiest.
This really is an apples to oranges comparison. They're so fundamentally different as players, in addition to playing two separate positions. And having said that, Karl Malone is one of the top 20 players to play the game. Incredibly durable, efficient, the only real black mark on his career was that he was below par in his finals matchups against the Bulls. But this really isn't much of a question. Malone, easily....
This really is an apples to oranges comparison. They're so fundamentally different as players, in addition to playing two separate positions. And having said that, Karl Malone is one of the top 20 players to play the game. Incredibly durable, efficient, the only real black mark on his career was that he was below par in his finals matchups against the Bulls. But this really isn't much of a question. Malone, easily....
I wouldn't say the mailman was below par vs. the Bulls. This was back when I lived in Chicago and would watch almost every one of their games each year.
He not only had Rodman guarding him, he had Jordan and Pippen hound him and the mailmans great defense was less useful that series because Rodman didn't score much.
The problem with that series (and it was a dogfight) was that Jeff Hornacek had old bad knees and the Bulls had Pippen-Jordan-Harper. While Harper wasn't in his prime anymore he use to be a good primary scorer so essentially the Bulls took it right at Hornacek as much as possible with whomever.
That may have been the best Bulls team they fielded and the mailman carried Utah past a brutal western conference to the finals. They just happened to run into one of the top nba teams of all-time.
Fun Finals to watch, you arguably had 4 guys on the court that would be on most peoples all-time NBA 1st-2nd team. Stockton-Jordan-Pippen-Malone....wow...give me Olajuwon on that squad and you have a squad that would beat just about anyone.
I wouldn't say the mailman was below par vs. the Bulls. This was back when I lived in Chicago and would watch almost every one of their games each year.
Well, whatever the reasons, he wasn't quite up to his normal standard. I'm not saying he outright sucked.
Malone put up 23.5pts and almost 12 rebs a game vs. Houston in the prior series and then 24/10 vs. the Bulls but those numbers are pulled up by a single 37pt. game.
vs. the Bulls he did struggle more than I remembered but then again, Dennis Rodman was able to rest offensively and put 100% in on the defensive end of the court on malone.
Rodmans number for that series were WAYYYY below his season averages and his performance in the ECF as Malone basically dominated him but Rodman managed to take just enough off Malones game to keep him in check while Jordan ran amok.
One thing I recall from that series( maybe it was the second series in 98), but Malone was missing alot of gimme jumpers that he normally makes too. By that time he was primarily a jumpshooter, while Rodman was playing good defense, part of it was Malone missing shots he normally made, even when Rodman wasn't on him. I actually have the 98 series on tape, will have to pull it out at some point and check out a few games...
Karl Malone is the best power forward to play the game, period.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dub D
Malone is the best PF ever. Duncan gets called that alot but I consider Duncan more of a Center than a PF considering he is 7'0.
Now this is a far more interesting thread than the OP's question. Is Malone the best ever?
First off I'll dismiss the notion that Duncan isn't a power forward because of his height, unless we want to dismiss guys like Garnett and Nowitzki too. Duncan is a F/C he's proven he can play both positions well so I'm comfortable bringing him into consideration as the best PF ever.
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