[alby]

the players themselves even make the claim that without ever winning a championship, they can not compare themselves to those who have. being the greatest is someone who is capable of making their entire team better willing them over the top. barkley said it, malone sold out on the jazz because of this fact.. without 6 championships, mj would just be known as an unbelievable offensive force and an incredible talent who never won the big one. why do you think MVP awards mainly go out to players whose teams have winning records and are in contention for a title. barkley put up the same numbers while he was a 76er but didnt get recognized until he put up those same numbers on a 62-20 squad in 1992-93.

previous mvp:
1992-93 - Barkley - 60-22 lost in finals
1993-94 - Hakeem - 58-24 won in finals *
1994-95 - Robinson - 62-20 lost in wcf
1995-96 - Jordan - 70-12 won in finals *
1996-97 - Malone - 64-18 lost in finals
1997-98 - Jordan - 62-20 won in finals *
1998-99 - Malone - 37-13 lost in wcsf
1999-00 - Shaq - 56-26 won in finals *
2000-01 - Iverson - 56-26 lost in finals
2001-02 - Duncan - 58-24 lost in wcsf
2002-03 - Duncan - 60-22 won in finals *
2003-04 - Garnett - 58-24 lost in wcf

all these players can be classified as "all-time greats"
but.. awarding great players in the game go out to those who win.
awarding GREATEST players in the game go out to those who win championships.

all-time, top tier players fall into two categories: great and greatest

great: malone, stockton, barkley, ewing, nique, payton,
greatest: jordan, magic, bird, kareem, wilt, russell, hakeem, dr