LONG RAMBLING POST ABOUT HOW THESE NBA PLAYOFFS WILL AFFECT EVERYONE INVOLVED IN THE TOP 100 NBA PLAYERS OF ALL TIME DISCUSSION 

This is obviously premature, but what’s the point of speculating after the fact?  That’s no fun.  This is pretty self-explanatory; how does the legacy every player currently still playing in the 2012 NBA Playoffs change based on the outcome?  For the record, here are the players “definitely already in” or “probably on their way in” to the Top 100 Players in NBA History:

Spurs: Tim Duncan (def.), Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker (on their way)

Clippers: Chris Paul (def.)

Thunder: Kevin Durant (on his way)

Lakers: Kobe (def.), Pao Gasol (on his way)

Celtics: Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen (def.), Rajon Rondo (on his way)

Heat: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade (def.)

(The Pacers have no one who sniffs this discussion right now but ironically are probably the favorites in the East with a 3-seed, home court, a 2-1 lead and Bosh out.  Ironic)

Tim Duncan: If the Spurs win it all this year, and they look like the overwhelming favorites, we have to have the uncomfortable “Is Tim Duncan one of the 5 best players of all time?” conversation, which is also the uncomfortable “He is better than at least 2 of these 3: Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson” consequence.  Look at what his resume would be:

• Best player on 5 championship teams (nobody besides Michael Jordan and Bill Russell can unequivocally boast that) 
• Best player on championship teams 13 years apart (nobody besides Russell or Kareem has that longevity)
• An incredible stretch of durability that saw him miss more than 10 games only twice and more than 20 NEVER.  WHAT????
• Offensive and defensive statistical dominance coupled with stable leadership that made him the best player of the NBA’s fourth dynasty (dynasty: team that won 5 titles within 15 years with the same nucleus; the other three?  Russell’s Celtics, Magic/Kareem’s Lakers and Jordan’s Bulls.  Wow.)

I think given these stats, it’s very hard to argue against Duncan as the #4 player of all time behind MJ (untouchable #1), Russell (greatest winner, leader and defensive player of all time) and Kareem (6 titles + MVPs, second best scorer of all time after MJ). 

Manu Ginobili: With the way he’s playing and his career, a Spurs title would solidify him as the Kevin McHale of this generation, except a guard. 

Tony Parker: Likewise, he’s not the leader of the Spurs but there’s a GIANT drop off in talent after him on the roster.  I’d argue he’s more important to the Spurs than Parish was to the C’s or Worthy to the Showtime Lakers. He and Manu definitely make it into Top 100 all time with a title this year. 

Chris Paul: I don’t think this season really helps or hurts CP3’s legacy much if the Clips keep getting smacked around by a superior Spurs team.  However, he needs to play much better in Games 3 and 4 (and any others) to make people forget about the absolute shit sandwich he put up in San Antonio. His legacy will be defined by how far he and Blake can take the Clips with a decent coach and a more experienced team in the coming years.  

Kevin Durant: If this dude wins a title this year, his career is already better than DWade’s right?  IDK how you argue against that.  He’s a better scorer, accomplished more at a younger age, was ALWAYS the best player on his team (unlike Wade, who never was except for those years between Shaq and LeBron when Miami SUCKED) and is much more durable.  I’d bet good money that if he puts up similar regular season numbers next year after winning a title, he’s a lock for MVP.  Even a Finals loss or a WCF defeat to the Spurs would solidify his place in the Top 100 already, and I’d argue ahead of CP3, especially with his evisceration of Kobe’s Lakers (speaking of which…) 

Kobe Bryant: Shaq loves this.  Kobe blew Game 2.  Not the Lakers.  Kobe.  If they get swept out 2 years in a row (or even just 2 straight second round losses), Kobe looks shitty.  Yeah he won back-to-back titles without Shaq, but you know who’s to thank for that?  Kevin Garnett for getting injured in 2009 (before he went down, those Celtics were playing significantly better than the team that throttled Kobe the year before) and Kendrick Perkins for missing Game 7 of a game that saw the Lakers get about 20 offensive boards off Kobe’s misses alone (I exaggerate… slightly).  Injuries are obviously a part of the game, but with new Western powers emerging and stomping a repeat-champs Lakers squad that was healthier than its two title seasons (Bynum anyone?), we have to reevaluate Kobe’s last 2 rings (and they will be his last 2 rings) more as a product of the best team in the NBA being hurt than Kobe being a great winner/champ/leader.  Also, he’s not clutch.  We have proof.  By which I mean MORE proof.

Pao Gasol: Pao Gasol just played his way out of the Top 100 with a second-straight “OMG how do they pay him to play basketball?  He looks TERRIFIED!” postseason unless this shit gets turned around pronto. 

Kevin Garnett: If the Celtics make the Finals, it’s mainly because KG started playing as well as he did during his MVP season (well, almost).  He and Rondo are definitely Co-MVPs for the C’s so far in these playoffs, and for KG to prove the doubters wrong and return to the Finals means we have to put him ahead of Dirk and LeBron (at least for now) on the “Greatest NBA Players of All Time Who Are Still Active” list, at #3 behind Duncan and (gulp) Kobe.  If the C’s WIN the Finals and KG keeps up at this high level of play, he undoubtedly earns a Top 20 spot of all time, leapfrogging Charles Barkley and Karl Malone at the very least.  He also has an excellent argument for “second greatest power of all time” behind Duncan, and depending on your feelings regarding Bob Pettit, it might not even be a discussion.  (Yes I know he’s been playing center this whole time.  But so has Duncan.  So… yeah.  You still think Malone and Barkley had better careers?)

Paul Pierce: Bill Simmons (who I base most of these rankings off of) recently wrote that we will remember Pierce as the 4th greatest Celtic of all time behind Russell, Bird and Havlicek.  A 2nd title would obviously not give him as many as tons of other guys besides those 3, but he is The Captain and those 3 are the only “alpha dogs” to lead the Celtics to more titles.  Considering that Simmons ranked Bob Cousy #21 greatest player of all time back in 2010, a second title with Pierce putting up a few more Atlanta Games 2 and 4’s (and not Philly Game 2’s) means he has a very good argument for top 25 players of all time, no?  Sounds crazy, but in 2010 Simmons had Stockton #25, followed by Rick Barry, Bill Walton and (blech) Dwyane Wade.  Pierce definitely belongs in that group if not above it. 

Rajon Rondo: Rajon Rondo is playing like a fucking unbelievable animal and if they get back to the Finals, it’s the 2nd time in 3 years he’s led them there.  I cannot overstate how happy I am he didn’t get traded for Chris Paul.  IDK how high a Finals win with Rondo throwing up triple doubles at will puts him all time given that he’s only been a star since 2009, but he’s definitely in the top 100.  Don’t think so?  Simmons had Robert Horry, Arvydas Sabonis, Shawn Kemp and Chris Mullin in the 80’s.  I rest my case. 

Ray Allen: Reduced to a bench role, a good C’s run would help his legacy the way the 86 Celtics help Walton’s.  A bit, but his place in history is pretty much set.  

LeBron James: If the Heat go down to the Pacers, how is that on LeBron?  Bosh is out, leaving this Heat team slightly more or slightly less talented than the shitty Cleveland teams LeBron bolted on for South Beach depending on your opinion of those teams and how Dwyane Wade plays each night (speaking of which…)

Dwyane Wade: Fucking Dwyane Wade.  Just had one of the worst playoff games of all time against Indiana last night and LeBron is STILL getting blamed for the loss?  WTF???  This guy gets the biggest double standard treatment of all time.  Kobe’s legacy always suffered because he won those first 3 titles with Shaq.  But Wade wins one with a not-quite-as-good-but-still-beastly Shaq and HE’S a born winner?  Even though Shaq bolts and the Heat turn into a shit sandwich?  Even though that title will always have an asterisk for some of the most fishy officiating of all time, where Wade basically just ran into Mavericks for four straight games and shot as many free throws as the whole Dallas team at some points?  He’s Kobe Lite, but more fragile.  There’s been this myth floating around that you can compete for a title with Wade on your team but not another top 5 NBA player - clearly not true.  He’s killing the team.  If he’s hurt, he shouldn’t play, but it would just contribute to his legacy as a dude who can’t stay healthy.  If he isn’t, he’s sucking ass and killing his team when they need him to step up.  Unless he turns it around NOW and starts shooting the fucking lights out, I think it’s absolutely insane that we consider him to have one of the 5 best careers among active players.  Hell, wouldn’t an OKC title automatically give Kevin Durant a better stake to that claim?  

To sum up, if things continue the way they look like they’re headed (Celtics-Pacers ECF and Spurs-Thunder WCF that’ll probably both go 7, with the C’s and Spurs being the 2 hottest teams in the NBA since the All-Star break and PROBABLY the most likely title opponents, here’s who the biggest winners and losers are individually):

Biggest winners:

1. Duncan
2. Garnett
3. Rondo
4. Durant
5. Ginobili/Parker (could be switched with Pierce)

Biggest losers:

1. Kobe
2. Wade
3. Gasol
4. Dirk (more 1st round sweeps than titles??? weak)
5. People who hate LeBron more than Kobe or Wade

Deuces