So one of my latest YouTube rabbit holes has been the channel Thinking Basketball, which puts together fantastic pieces on advanced stats, hoops history, and various other collections that are catnip to a hardcore basketball fan. One of their series is titled “Greatest Peaks,” and compares the greatest players in NBA history using just their peak, most impactful run of play. The series starts with the NBA-ABA merger, and features in-depth examinations of the offensive and defensive games of a dozen or so all-time greats, from Bill Walton to Stephen Curry, with plenty of clips that highlight each aspect they’re talking about.
I haven’t seen them all (yet), but my favorite so far is the Magic Johnson episode. The video breaks down exactly how and why Magic was able to dominate games on the offensive end, from how he executed whip passes to the lane or used a proto-Eurostep to sidle past defenders. For a Magic fan like me, the clips of his flashy play would be enough, but the narrator does a great job really delving into the minutia of his game in really interesting ways. Yes, they even get into his, um, less than always effective defense, showing some clips of Mag that would make a matador blush. But they take pains to evaluate how Magic’s overall game worked, and why he became the gold standard for point guards.
Every video that I’ve seen from the series is practically a must-see for hoop-heads, but don’t take my word for it. Check out “Greatest Peaks: Magic Johnson” on Thinking Basketball.
Good video, though he spends a little too much time detailing Magic’s defensive shortcomings. The guy was 6′ 9”: Of course he didn’t have the lateral movement to stay with point guards, but he made up for that by guarding power forwards … he was also an effective team defender who once led the league in steals.
I also wonder if any of the data included the postseason, because that’s where Magic did his real work, as evidenced by the fact that in his 12 full seasons, the Lakers made the NBA Finals nine times.
I laugh when I hear announcers or fans call some current NBA superstar like Jokic or LeBron “possible the greatest passer ever.” Have they not seen the tape on Magic? He was the greatest passer in basketball history — period.
Stop ejaulating all over this site Jesus man, you little dog licker