Poll: Is IT better than Iverson

[celtics2030]

When basketball was a balanced game

Man I miss this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTH65786An4

[greece66]

Iverson was a better player than Thomas.

You can't make these historical comparisons based on numbers alone.

[Alleyoopster]

A more realistic comparison might be, was Scal better than Hank Finkel. I'd give the edge to Hank...but not by much. 

[clevelandceltic]

Lets take these things into consideration here:

1996: You couldnt play zone, the hand check was still allowed, and you could bump the cutters. Flagrant 1s were no where close to as soft as they are now. All of these things have an impact on a players ability to score. Look at the shooting %s of Wade and LeBron from their 1st to 2nd years as evidence.

2016: You can play zone D, no hand check, cant bump cutters. The idea of teams is to spread the floor and shoot 3s. There is so much more space for IT to work with less physical beating.

Also in 96 they would have posted up IT a ton so I dont know if he would have been able to stay on the floor long enough to get his numbers

[KG Living Legend]

ESPN Stats & Info ‏@ESPNStatsInfo 1h1 hour ago

Highest PER in 4th Qtr/OT - Last 20 Seasons
2016-17 Isaiah Thomas    41.9
2008-09 LeBron James     40.0     
2009-10 LeBron James     39.8

[Csfan1984]

Basketball terms no but for his height yes lol IT best short guy ever!

[wdleehi]

AI is more talented.



But I would much rather have IT on the team. 


AI could never play with other top offensive players.  Even when he was with Melo, it was take turns having the ball. 


He was on the perfect team for him on the perfect year to make the NBA finals.  East was weak without any top big men. 


IT is a better team player. 

AI was an NBA freak level talent. 

[showtime]

I don't know if he's better then AI, but he's better then John Wall!!

[Chris22]

ESPN Stats & Info ‏@ESPNStatsInfo 1h1 hour ago

Highest PER in 4th Qtr/OT - Last 20 Seasons
2016-17 Isaiah Thomas    41.9
2008-09 LeBron James     40.0     
2009-10 LeBron James     39.8

Nice.

[Chris22]

I don't know if he's better then AI, but he's better then John Wall!!

I thought Wall and Beale were going to start crying when IT took it all away from them in the fourth quarter.

[LGC88]

I'll never understand why people need to compare players individually.
Not only the concept is wrong (each player is unique), but it is basketball, a team sport.

It will never end. The Lebron vs Jordan, etc....

I'm enjoying and witnessing Celtics history right now. Thanks IT !

[slamtheking]

um, no. 

hated Iverson's me-first game and still find him to be one of the primary culprits of killing the team-first concept and glorifying selfish behavior BUT he was a top scorer (definitely not an efficient one) and a defender.  IT can't hold Iverson's jock strap on D.  Iverson was also a better passer (not that he had much in the way of scoring teammates to pass to most years).

agree with other posters that the fact Iverson carried a one of the weakest teams ever to a finals essentially single-handedly can't be ignored.  granted the NBA was pretty weak on talent at the time but he did what a lot of other top players couldn't do in terms of getting his team to the finals.

[mgent]

Can IT play on the hand-check era?

This was the first thing that came to mind for me.

Also, it made me think of a reverse question.  If Smart could hand-check other guards all the time would he be a better defender than guys like Jordan, DJ?

[Ilikesports17]

Can IT play on the hand-check era?

This was the first thing that came to mind for me.

Also, it made me think of a reverse question.  If Smart could hand-check other guards all the time would he be a better defender than guys like Jordan, DJ?

Marcus would be unbelievable in the hand-check era.

[moiso]

No, he isn't. Iverson was a heck of a defender, and he carried his team to the Finals with one of the least impressive supporting casts in history.

To my eyes he was the worst defender I've ever seen, other than steals.  He wouldn't even try to get around a pick, he'd just stop and give up.  Or run into the pick and flop to the floor so he wouldn't have to keep playing defense.  Not sure if they have defensive metrics for that era but to my eyes he was pathetic.