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Looking at NBA Stars’ Legacies

With the first round complete, here’s a look at what is on the line in terms of the remaining NBA stars’ legacies.

With the NBA playoff field narrowed to eight teams with the conclusion of the first round this past weekend, here’s a look at what is on the line in terms of the remaining NBA stars’ legacies. Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs were eliminated by the Los Angeles Clippers in what was the best series of the NBA playoffs’ first round. Some of the Spurs’ players like Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili already have established great historical legacies and will be in the Hall of Fame someday. That said, their elimination means that Duncan missed out on his sixth championship and the Spurs were unable to win back-to-back championships yet again. Another title for Duncan and the Spurs would have vaulted The Big Fundamental into a group of the elite basketball players of all time, among the ranks of Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Bill Russell to name a few. Although he is still clearly a top ten all-time player, a sixth ring would have given strength to the argument that Duncan should be placed above players like Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird. With the Spurs being sent home, the door has opened for both the up and coming stars in the league and veterans who have previously come up short in the playoffs to experience what it is like the hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy. What would a championship mean to the stars still remaining in this year’s playoffs? Here’s a look at how a title could impact their respective legacies.

Looking at NBA Stars’ Legacies

Eastern Conference:

LeBron James: The best player in the game still has just two championships to his credit, despite five trips to the Finals in his career. If LeBron can bring just one title to Cleveland, it will be more significant than if he were to win multiple titles in Miami. Winning a championship this season will be tough after losing Kevin Love to shoulder injury, but if he is able to pull it off, no one will be able to say he couldn’t get it done without Dwyane Wade or all-stars alongside him. In terms of his overall resume, a third title would tie him with Larry Bird and would further cement his spot as the greatest small forward ever as well as probably one of the top five or ten players of all time.

Kyrie Irving: While it feels premature to discuss the legacy of an early twenties point guard with one playoff appearance, a Cleveland title would also silence a lot of Kyrie Irving doubters. He is one of the best point guards in the league and a deep playoff run with strong performances might convince some people that he belongs in the discussion with Steph Curry, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook and the big boys.

Derrick Rose: It has been a tough year for Rose, but he is back and looks to be as healthy as anyone could have hoped for the playoffs this season. After winning the MVP in 2011, Rose hasn’t been the player we thought he’d be. Mostly due to injury, but Rose has underachieved with a roster in Chicago that is built to win now. A title run for the Bulls would silence everyone who says that Rose is finished and not the same elite player he once was. It would also make him a legend in a sports crazy city. He has championship pieces and a hall of fame running mate who has won titles before in Pau Gasol. This might be Rose’s best chance.

John Wall: Similar to Kyrie Irving, Wall has had his issues, but the Wizards seem to have figured out how to play effective playoff basketball. Wall is a star and he will have opportunities to win championships in the future, but a title this season would be a shock. Wall has another decade to build his legacy as one of the great point guards of his era.

Paul Pierce: Pierce has backed up his talk this postseason with some clutch play and is a key piece for the Wizards. His experience is invaluable to a young Wizards team. If he were to win another title in this role, it would place Pierce into a group of other great players who were stars and then went on to success as a key contributor to championship teams like Clyde Drexler and even his former teammate Ray Allen.

The Atlanta Hawks: The Hawks were an anomaly this season, finishing first in their conference without having a single player get an MVP vote. This speaks to their style of play, which is much more about “team” than individuals. However, the Hawks do have great individual players who work well together. But if Atlanta were to win a championship, everyone would remember it as a collective effort from all-star players like Al Horford, Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver, and Paul Millsap, not a defining moment for one of their megastar players.

Western Conference:

Steph Curry: The newly minted league MVP has a chance to do something that has rarely been done sin the Days of Michael Jordan if the Warriors are able to win the title this season. Only Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan, and LeBron James have been able to win the NBA MVP and the NBA championship in the same season since MJ. This would put him into rare company. After six seasons, the star point guard has already built a reputation as the league’s best outside shooter and perhaps the greatest outside shooter in NBA history. He would be the only one of a group of elite point guards in the NBA to have won a title, and would likely put him at the top of that list in many people’s eyes. A title this season could be the start of a long run of success with the talent they have in Golden State.

Marc Gasol: The Grizzlies are built much like the Hawks and play a style of basketball that relies on the team more than individuals. Their great defense of Tony Allen and inside presence of Gasol and Zach Randolph combined with great point guard play from Mike Conley make Memphis a tough team to play. A Grizzlies title would go a long way for the free agent to be Gasol, and it would help solidify his case for the League’s top center. Despite a Defensive Player of the Year award two all-star selections, Marc has always been in the shadow of brother Pau, who won two titles with the Lakers. Marc would be the leader of his own title team and we would have a real debate about which Gasol is better.

James Harden: The Beard missed out on the MVP award this season, but could still get the last laugh if his Rockets are able to best Golden State on their way to a championship season. Harden has established himself as a top five player in the league since being traded from Oklahoma City. He is no longer in the shadows of former teammates Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. If the Rockets win a title this year, it will be because of Harden. Harden is at the level now where the only thing he will be judged on is the number of rings he can win. He needs to start winning titles now if he wants to be talked about in the same vein as Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade.

Dwight Howard
: Howard has made a lot of enemies the last couple of seasons and has turned off a lot of people. If he wants to be recognized as the best big man in the NBA like he was a few seasons ago, he needs to play well in the playoffs. Before his back injury, Howard was on the way to becoming one of the dominant big men in NBA history, not just on the defensive end. Since leaving Orlando he has not been the same player, but winning a title alongside Harden could help restore some of the reputation Howard has thrown away recently. He needs to win a championship to avoid being remembered as just another really good big man who couldn’t get it done when he needed to.

Blake Griffin: With Kevin Love out for the playoffs, the best power forward remaining is clearly Griffin, and him and Chris Paul may be the best one-two combo in playoffs. Griffin had a couple of sloppy finishes to games in the San Antonio series, but put up historic numbers. He is the most athletic player on the court and needs to prove that he can help lead his team to playoff success. A title would establish Griffin as the standard for power forwards in the NBA and give him an edge over his contemporaries in Love and LaMarcus Aldridge.

Chris Paul
: Its quite possible that the most interesting story in terms of one player’s legacy in these playoffs could be Paul’s. He missed a game winner early in the Spurs series, but hit the game winning shot in game seven of a classic series. He has had relatively little playoffs success despite good individual numbers. Plenty of talk surrounds Paul and his inability to win the big game or series, and unfortunately for him a lot of that falls on the team’s best player. Long been considered the best point guard in the NBA, Paul has been compared to other greats like Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas despite not ever getting to the conference finals. This year may be Paul’s best chance at a ring and vindication. He was able to get it done against the Spurs, but still has a tough road ahead to silence the critics who say he cannot get it done when it matters.

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