Real Deal

"Recent" isn't 2007...but if it is, I'm making perfect sense when I cite the 2005 game that the Chargers ran over the defending champs (your Pats) in. The Chargers like to beat their chest before the season? LOL, what have you been doing with your team? The Pats haven't won it all since 2004, and in between that time, they've been booted early 2-3 times, and ruined their perfect season by losing to Eli Manning and the Giants. You keep talking about how people won't leave you alone about your 49ers prediction (IIRC), but I can see why now. You've been gloating about the second or third best AFC team before, during AND after every season. Sorry, but the last game they played, the Pats barely won (by three). Your problem, which has become very evident over the last two weeks, is that all other teams are "shitty" (from the Jets to the Chargers, and anywhere in between), especially when they play your Pats. Then, it's the referees that lose all games for New England (hell, I believe you were bitching about the refs in the Week 1 Pats/Fins game, I'll see the post in a bit). When Cobb was talking about his Falcons... To Warren about his Seahawks... To AboveLegit about his Redskins and their problems... iBoldin said the beating the Jets gave the Pats proved the Pats were overrated (all he said), and three hours after the game, you make your first post in that game topic, saying... Dude, it's annoying. Thumbs up to your great regular-season team...not sure what else you want people to believe. And before you kick down the door and do what you do best, yeah, my Raiders are a mediocre team. Save it. There's a reason why most everyone on this board wants your Pats and 49ers to lose every game this season, and it's safe to say it's not always because of the teams or the players. The Niners don't mean a damn thing to me, in a different conference and irrelevant to everything I care about...but I'd love to see them go 0-16. I like Tom Brady, Wes Welker, but to see the Pats miss the playoffs, like they did three years ago (recently, right?), would be super.

My point was, I don't get the relevance. It's more baiting than anything else. I can sit here and find where the Raiders smashed the Pats back in the 80-90s, I guess, and post that when we play them, but why would I go dig that up to begin with? I can just simply say we're going to crush them. The intention was, "Hey buddy, remember this?!?!" It was clear as day, come on...lol. I was just pointing out a little ammo that a non-Pats fan can throw at you in the same manner. It was San Diego that played astounding pass defense in Week 1 (held Minny's WR's and McNabb to just seven receptions, 35-40 yards). New England let Chad Henne throw 400+ yards, and they let three Fins receivers hit 80+ yards (one at almost 140). Not that I care, really, I'm just saying...you have to do better than that if you're going to trash talk.

By the way, Jordan's 63 against Boston (1986 Playoffs) has to be his defining game. The Flu Game was amazing, nonetheless, but the 63 in Boston was basically him telling everyone, "I'm here, and I'm doing it against one of the greatest teams of all time."

Shaq dropped his career high of 61 points (and also had 23 rebounds) on the Clippers...on his birthday. I remember the game. You can just tell he was going after it. Hilarious. He basically said he would. LeBron's game would probably be his MSG triple-double...I don't know. His playoff outburst against the Pistons was crazy, too. McGrady will always be known for the 13 in 33, both because it was in less than a minute AND it won the game.

LOL, I don't get why you'd bring up a game from 2007. If you do that, you might as well bring up one from 2005, when the Chargers ran all over Brady and the Pats, 41-17...and that was when the Pats were defending champs. But, I don't like Rivers or the Chargers either, so I hope they lose by 60.

1) Gary Payton (arguably the greatest perimeter defender of all time, ask Mike...and he could score as well) 2) Shawn Kemp (did more on the court than Durant, so he has to go here) 3) Kevin Durant (may not be a well-polished all-around player yet, but his scoring and rebounding abilities get him a spot here) 4) Jack Sikma (almost put him at #3, a monster on the glass and very tough to contain) 5) Spencer Haywood (Ray or DJ can go here, but Spencer was more dominant)

This is an easy one for me. 1) Dwight Howard (I feel like Howard's defense has been more dominant than Orlando Shaq's offense, and while both led Orlando to the Finals, Dwight wasn't swept) 2) Shaquille O'Neal (you can argue him at #1, for obvious reasons...dominant offensive scorer and rebounder, and Orlando's first superstar) 3) Tracy McGrady (too much of a scoring threat to ignore, and Penny didn't do enough to earn this spot on the list) 4) Penny Hardaway (could have been a true superstar if it wasn't for the injuries, the other reason why Orlando faced Houston in the Finals) 5) Nick Anderson (while Grant Hill is the overall better player, Anderson had more productive seasons in Orlando)

Of course, Pippen will be #2 on my list, no doubt about it. I don't think it's close. My top five: 1) Michael Jordan (clearly the top choice, NBA GOAT) 2) Scottie Pippen (one of the greatest perimeter defenders of all time, and a hell of a compliment on the offensive end) 3) Dennis Rodman (it only took three seasons for him to be added to this list, greatest defender in league history) 4) Jerry Sloan (tossup between him and Bob Love, Sloan was a defensive specialist that could do everything on the court) 5) Artis Gilmore (see above) I almost considered Bob Love in the five, even Derrick Rose, but Gilmore was actually a better player than Love, just didn't have the success because the team itself wasn't good enough, and Rose hasn't given me enough years to find a place into the five (Sloan was too good of a defender, rebounder and playmaker in more productive years, and Gilmore...well, some can argue he should be in the Hall).

Maybe I made a mistake adding polls, lol. I'm asking for the top five (in order). The polls were just an extra incentive to participate and an easier way to calculate the first or second player from each list.

Okay, seriously, you have to read through all of this I put together... After so many bashed him and said he would more than likely struggle (Terry Bradshaw being too harsh), Cam Newton throws for 422 yards and sets the rookie debut record. Those 422 yards, in his first NFL game, are more than Terry Bradshaw has ever thrown in a single game in his career. To no one's surprise, Tom Brady has a big night...but probably far bigger than we thought he would have. Brady threw for 517 yards, both a MNF record and a franchise record (and fifth highest of all time), and one of his throws was a 99.5 yard TD pass to Wes Welker, tying an NFL record. If that wasn't enough, Brady and Chad Henne threw for a combined 916 net yards (Henne at 416, Brady at 517) to set an NFL single-game record for combined passing. No other game in NFL history has ever featured a 500-yard AND a 400-yard passer. There were four 400+ yard passers in Week 1, the most in any week in league history. How about 300+ yards, 3+ TD's, and zero interceptions for two quarterbacks in a season opener? Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees are the first opposing QB's to do it. Five games had both QB's throwing for 300+ yards, an NFL single week record. Hell of a lot of passing. The 7,842 net yards passing, for all teams in Week 1, is an NFL record. How many QB's threw for 300+ yards this last week? There were 14 of them, and that's also a record. Monday night wasn't just about Brady, though. In the Oakland/Denver game, Sebastian Janikowski kicked a 63-yard field goal, tying the record set by Tom Dempsey and later matched by Jason Elam. Funny enough, the Raiders broke their eight consecutive season-opening losses streak by snapping Denver's 11 consecutive season-opening wins. The 752 combined points this last week was the second most in NFL Week 1 history, ninth in single week history. The 89 touchdowns tied a Week 1 record, and stands as the sixth-highest in single week history. Cam did get his on his rookie stage, but so did Randall Cobb, the Packers' rookie WR, who returned a kickoff for a record-tying 108 yards. Speaking of kick/punt returns, the eight kicks returned for TD's in Week 1 is the most in any week in league history. The three 100+ yard kickoff returns in one weekend (by Harvin, Ginn Jr. and Cobb) has only taken place just one other time in NFL history, in 1958. Not done yet. Ted Ginn Jr. is only the 12th player in league history (first in a Week 1) to return both a kickoff and a punt for a TD in the same game, and the 59 seconds it took him to accomplish the feat is the fastest among the 12 players. It seems like everyone saw the events, also. Saints/Packers, Giants/Redskins, and Cowboys/Jets were the three most-watched sporting events since last February's Super Bowl, and on top of that, the Cowboys/Jets game was the most-watched Sunday Night Football game ever, with 25.8 million viewers. Crazy, huh? Yeah, I'm bored...and amazed.

List the top five, in order, 1-5. If you need a little help: http://www.otrbasketball.com/wizards/roster.php Keep in mind that the top ROSTER of all time is not the same as the top five best players of the franchise, so obviously, those rosters will be leaving out players that could very well be in the top five, but were slotted behind a better player at that position. Just for kicks, explain your selections.

List the top five, in order, 1-5. If you need a little help: http://www.otrbasketball.com/jazz/roster.php Keep in mind that the top ROSTER of all time is not the same as the top five best players of the franchise, so obviously, those rosters will be leaving out players that could very well be in the top five, but were slotted behind a better player at that position. Just for kicks, explain your selections.

List the top five, in order, 1-5. If you need a little help: http://www.otrbasketball.com/raptors/roster.php Keep in mind that the top ROSTER of all time is not the same as the top five best players of the franchise, so obviously, those rosters will be leaving out players that could very well be in the top five, but were slotted behind a better player at that position. Just for kicks, explain your selections.

List the top five, in order, 1-5. If you need a little help: http://www.otrbasketball.com/spurs/roster.php Keep in mind that the top ROSTER of all time is not the same as the top five best players of the franchise, so obviously, those rosters will be leaving out players that could very well be in the top five, but were slotted behind a better player at that position. Just for kicks, explain your selections.

List the top five, in order, 1-5. If you need a little help: http://www.otrbasketball.com/kings/roster.php Keep in mind that the top ROSTER of all time is not the same as the top five best players of the franchise, so obviously, those rosters will be leaving out players that could very well be in the top five, but were slotted behind a better player at that position. Just for kicks, explain your selections.

List the top five, in order, 1-5. If you need a little help: http://www.otrbasketball.com/trailblazers/roster.php Keep in mind that the top ROSTER of all time is not the same as the top five best players of the franchise, so obviously, those rosters will be leaving out players that could very well be in the top five, but were slotted behind a better player at that position. Just for kicks, explain your selections.

List the top five, in order, 1-5. If you need a little help: http://www.otrbasketball.com/suns/roster.php Keep in mind that the top ROSTER of all time is not the same as the top five best players of the franchise, so obviously, those rosters will be leaving out players that could very well be in the top five, but were slotted behind a better player at that position. Just for kicks, explain your selections.

List the top five, in order, 1-5. If you need a little help: http://www.otrbasketball.com/sixers/roster.php Keep in mind that the top ROSTER of all time is not the same as the top five best players of the franchise, so obviously, those rosters will be leaving out players that could very well be in the top five, but were slotted behind a better player at that position. Just for kicks, explain your selections.

List the top five, in order, 1-5. If you need a little help: http://www.otrbasketball.com/magic/roster.php Keep in mind that the top ROSTER of all time is not the same as the top five best players of the franchise, so obviously, those rosters will be leaving out players that could very well be in the top five, but were slotted behind a better player at that position. Just for kicks, explain your selections.

List the top five, in order, 1-5. If you need a little help: http://www.otrbasketball.com/thunder/roster.php Keep in mind that the top ROSTER of all time is not the same as the top five best players of the franchise, so obviously, those rosters will be leaving out players that could very well be in the top five, but were slotted behind a better player at that position. Just for kicks, explain your selections.

List the top five, in order, 1-5. If you need a little help: http://www.otrbasketball.com/knicks/roster.php Keep in mind that the top ROSTER of all time is not the same as the top five best players of the franchise, so obviously, those rosters will be leaving out players that could very well be in the top five, but were slotted behind a better player at that position. Just for kicks, explain your selections.

List the top five, in order, 1-5. If you need a little help: http://www.otrbasketball.com/hornets/roster.php Keep in mind that the top ROSTER of all time is not the same as the top five best players of the franchise, so obviously, those rosters will be leaving out players that could very well be in the top five, but were slotted behind a better player at that position. Just for kicks, explain your selections.

List the top five, in order, 1-5. If you need a little help: http://www.otrbasketball.com/nets/roster.php Keep in mind that the top ROSTER of all time is not the same as the top five best players of the franchise, so obviously, those rosters will be leaving out players that could very well be in the top five, but were slotted behind a better player at that position. Just for kicks, explain your selections.

List the top five, in order, 1-5. If you need a little help: http://www.otrbasketball.com/timberwolves/roster.php Keep in mind that the top ROSTER of all time is not the same as the top five best players of the franchise, so obviously, those rosters will be leaving out players that could very well be in the top five, but were slotted behind a better player at that position. Just for kicks, explain your selections.

List the top five, in order, 1-5. If you need a little help: http://www.otrbasketball.com/bucks/roster.php Keep in mind that the top ROSTER of all time is not the same as the top five best players of the franchise, so obviously, those rosters will be leaving out players that could very well be in the top five, but were slotted behind a better player at that position. Just for kicks, explain your selections.