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Volume CXXXII, Number 16 |
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Paul Pierce belongs in top five
ERIK SPRAGUE
STAFF WRITER
One of the ongoing debates in the NBA centers around exactly who the league's best players are. Many NBA analysts continue to weigh in on this fascinating subject, and the same list of usual suspects tends to comprise the top five. These players are Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, and Tracy McGrady.
First off, I believe that there are several other players-some of whom are vastly underrated-that deserve consideration for this list. Some of these names include Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Francis, Jason Kidd, and Allen Iverson-just to name a few. However, there is one player in particular who I believe is the most underrated superstar in the National Basketball Association, a player who should seriously be considered for any top-five list. And this player is one Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics.
In all honesty, I don't feel you could eliminate Shaq, Kobe, or Duncan from any top five list without detracting from the list's credibility. So for argument's sake, the merits of these players making the list will not be questioned here. This, of course, leaves Garnett and McGrady.
And, to tell you the truth, I believe both of these players belong as well. So I am not advocating the removal of one of these five players from the list per sé, for I believe they are all well-deserving. What I am advocating, though, is a tie-a tie for fifth place between McGrady and Pierce.
Now, at first glance, many, if not most, would deem such an assertion ludicrous. But I believe that if one were to sit down and compare the statistics of these two fantastic players, one would discover that not only does Pierce hold his own, but he beats McGrady in several key categories.
Let's take a look at several statistical categories-two offensive categories and two defensive categories. The first statistic, and the one that I believe helps McGrady to garner more respect then Pierce, is points-per-game.
McGrady currently leads the NBA in scoring, with 30.8 ppg., while Pierce's scoring average is at 26.4 ppg., which earns him a not so distant fourth place in the league. So, this category admittedly goes to McGrady.
Next, let's look at rebounds per game, which many argue is the most important statistic for any defensive player. This category goes to Pierce, who is impressively the highest-rebounding guard in the NBA. Pierce pulls down 7.5 rebounds a game compared to McGrady's 6.8.
Next, shooting percentage. McGrady shoots an impressive 45.4 percent from the floor, while Pierce shoots 41.2 percent. It should be noted that Pierce's shooting percentage has increased steadily with each passing month, as he was shooting in the mid-to-high 30s for the first few months of the season. Nevertheless, this category undoubtedly goes to McGrady.
Lastly, let's look at steals per game, where Pierce ranks as high as seventh in the NBA with 1.89 stpg., while McGrady ranks twenty-second with 1.62 stpg. In the statistical comparison, Pierce evens it up.
Now, this is obviously only several of the many categories that could be compared. In the following categories, I will simply list which player is more highly ranked among NBA players: McGrady leads Pierce in assists-per-game, minutes-per-game, assist-to-turnover ratio, and 3-point shooting percentage. Pierce leads McGrady in free-throw shooting percentage, blocks, double-doubles, triple-doubles, and games played.
After thoroughly examining most of the major statistical categories, Pierce leads McGrady nine categories to eight, which most would say by itself means absolutely nothing. But if one were to look closer, one would notice that a pattern has emerged. While McGrady beats Pierce in the offensive categories listed by a score of 5 to 3, including sizeable leads in both points per game and shooting percentage, Pierce beats McGrady in all of the three major defensive categories: rebounds, steals, and blocks.
Although the number of points and high shooting percentage that McGrady is averaging this year are impressive, one can not ignore the fact that, based on the statistics, as well as reputation, Pierce is clearly the better defender. And when one is compiling a list of the NBA's best players-not best offensive players-defense should, and must be taken into account.
Moreover, while statistics may occasionally lie, it is hard to ignore the sheer effort and competitiveness that Pierce brings to the table-a competitiveness which, unlike McGrady, he brings every night for 48 minutes on offense and on defense. In other words, he is the more complete player.
Even McGrady's former teammate, Horace Grant, told the press that McGrady takes plays off, which was reported by Charley Rosen on espn.com Page 2 back in December: "If Tracy doesn't learn to play all out all the time within the next two years, then it'll be too late. Nothing gets unfixable as quickly as bad habits."
And another anonymous teammate had the following to say in terms of McGrady's defense specifically, as reported once again by Charley Rosen: "Instead of busting his butt on defense, Tracy likes to take short cuts. He gambles and cheats so much that he puts the rest of us in jeopardy."
Another important aspect of their respective repertoires that needs to be accounted for is injuries. The fact is, McGrady is prone to injury, especially with his chronic back problem, which already caused him to miss five games this season by the All-Star break (roughly 20 percent of his team's games). No matter how good of an offensive player he is, what good does he do his team on nights when he is sidelined due to back spasms?
Pierce, on the other hand, has not missed a single game, and moreover, he played in two games last week with a different injury on each night-a strained groin and a sprained right wrist.
No one can deny that McGrady is one of the best players in the NBA. In fact, I agree with most analysts who consider him to be one of the league's five best. However, how about some love for Paulie P., the more complete player. At the very least, he deserves reconsideration as one of the league's top five players.
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