Yesterday, the field of 68 was selected, and what we know as March Madness is now set. This is the favorite time of year for all basketball lovers, but especially those who are partial to college basketball.
In my lifetime, I have seen some very dominant players in five different decades. There is always the argument over who is the best pound for pound player. I have never actually weighed in on this publicly because none of the mentioned superstar players ever played for any of my teams (I am and will always be a proud Detroit sports fan)!
My opinion is based on the law of firsts. What I mean is there is something to say about being first. In the 50s and 60s, no one had more wealth than Jean Paul Getty. He was an oil tycoon and was able to sustain his wealth by making a deal with Saudi Arabia to be able to drill in the “neutral zone” between the country and Kuwait in 1949. This paid huge dividends for him, and he was the first to do it. There is definitely a benefit for being the first.
In basketball, we talk a lot about the mystique of the Celtic dynasty in the 60s and how great Bill Russell was. However, much less is said about the innovation of coach Red Auerbach, who was a genius. So many aspects of today’s game came from him. Before Red was coaching, teams tried to build by having the best players and allow for natural talent to win games.
Red understood that basketball was a team sport, and individual accolades could not trump great team play. Auerbach would be the first to utilize the sixth man and use bench players to maintain momentum.
He emphasized defense and passing, and he revolutionized the fast break. When he started implementing these ideas while everyone else was basically competing in playground basketball, the Celtics thrived, winning a record 11 championships, which is the most of any franchise because of Auerbach.
Wilt Chamberlain was the best big man of all time because he could do things no other big man could do. For a 7-footer, he was faster, stronger, more athletic, overly coordinated, and, of course, taller than everybody.
They changed the rules to make it fair for the other players, and Chamberlain still dominated. Is it his fault that he was born with more talent than anyone else of his time?
During Michael Jordan’s career, he had a similar scenario. As a 6-foot-6 guard, he was by far the fastest player, could jump the highest, and was quicker. The overall game of basketball sped up because of Jordan. No one could come close to guarding him, and his stats prove his dominance over the league. Jordan had a 48-inch vertical leap, and no one could come close to that. This fact alone made him the most explosive player in history. Again, the first.
There is no other player like LeBron James. He is also the first of his kind, and his stats show his dominance. The reason James has played so long is that he is the perfect athlete. His speed, strength, coordination, and mental toughness make him the perfect athlete. He could have played any sport and dominated. So, to compare these players to each other makes no sense. They came from different times, and they all have one thing in common: Their greatness has everything to do with them being the first of their kind and having the particular skill and talent that each player had.
This is great news for the fan because all we have to do is enjoy the talent and be thankful that we are around to admire it! Enjoy March madness!
ClydeStyle 