So I decided to settle the endless barbershop debates about the top shooting guards in NBA history. Grabbed my laptop and fired up League Pass archives first thing in the morning.
Starting With the Obvious
Knew I had to begin with MJ’s footage – watched his ’93 Finals highlights against Phoenix. Man straight up dropped 55 in Game 4 with floaters nobody could touch. Then pulled up Kobe’s 81-point game against Toronto. Notebook filled with scribbles: “Black Mamba footwork – spin baseline impossible to guard” and “Jordan hangtime = unfair advantage”.
- Re-watched D-Wade’s 2006 Finals Game 3 where he scored 42 with 13 rebounds
- Checked Ray Allen’s shooting percentages in Milwaukee days
- Jerry West footage nearly crashed my browser – grainy but you see the handles
The Messy Middle Ground
James Harden’s stats punched me in the face. 36 ppg season? Crazy. But I remembered his 2-for-11 playoff disaster against Spurs. Flip-flopped for hours.
Tried creating categories:
- Pure scorers: T-Mac and AI (but is Iverson technically PG?)
- Winners: Klay Thompson’s four rings vs Reggie Miller’s clutch shots
- All-rounders: Clyde Drexler’s rebounds or Manu’s assists
Phone buzzed non-stop. My hoops group chat exploded when I floated Ray Allen over Harden.
The Final List Pain
Printed player cards and physically shuffled them on my coffee table. Stuck Jordan at #1 instantly. Kobe’s five rings locked him at #2.
Real headaches started at #3:
- D-Wade’s FMVP trophy stared at me
- Jerry West’s nickname screamed LOGO MAN
- Harden’s numbers physically weighed more
Eventually split them by eras. Pre-2000: MJ, West, Miller. Post-2000: Kobe, Wade, Harden. Had to physically hide Klay Thompson’s card when I caught myself overrating rings.
Why This Ripped My Brain
Remembered arguing this live once. 2019 at Dave & Buster’s during Warriors-Rockets. Bet Sam $20 Wade > Harden. When Harden airballed that three, Sam paid up fast. But yesterday rewatching Wade’s early knee injuries? Almost changed my mind.
The final order’s scribbled on pizza-stained notebook paper:
1. MJ (duh)
2. Kobe (Mamba mentality too real)
3. Wade (prime Flash was cheat code)
4. West (dude invented stepbacks)
5. Harden (stats too huge to ignore)
Already know my buddy Carlos will text “WHERE’S TRACY MCGRADY” by lunchtime. Some debates never die.
