1v1 Kyrie Irving vs prime A.I.

[hidalgo]

As good as Iverson was, check his FG%. He was a huge ballhogger and wasn't efficient until the latter of his career. As good as Irving is, I'm still giving the nod to Iverson. He's probably the best scoring PG ever.

AI was a SG

[bagwell368]

Irving isn't a cancer and doesn't make his team worse to elevate his PPG's.

If Irving would start to play some D, he would crush AI easily already. He hasn't. We'll see.

[bagwell368]

If you were AI, would you be giving the ball up so the likes of Eric Snow can take some shots?

AI played with a number of effective players (many and in some years most of his teammates had higher FG% than he did). It only goes to show that if AI distributed the ball say 20% more that other players would feel and see the need to get down floor, and AI might actually shoot better because he might not be covered so tightly, or be so exhausted because he was using less energy - and that would result in a better FG% as well. In this scenario the team would score more net points. Too bad that wasn't a particular goal for AI.

[LordJohn]

I know people don't like AI, but he could beat anybody 1x1 in his prime. Irving's not anywhere near his level yet in general.

[CarmeloAnthony]

Ai

[bagwell368]

I know people don't like AI, but he could beat anybody 1x1 in his prime. Irving's not anywhere near his level yet in general.

Too bad the game is 5 x 5.

[thevcballer]

LOL, when Kyrie brings Keith Van Horn and Eric Snow to the NBA Finals we can start comparing him to AI.

? Snow was hurt and van horn wasnt even on the team.. LOL.. more like Deke and Lynch

[thevcballer]

AI played with a number of effective players (many and in some years most of his teammates had higher FG% than he did). It only goes to show that if AI distributed the ball say 20% more that other players would feel and see the need to get down floor, and AI might actually shoot better because he might not be covered so tightly, or be so exhausted because he was using less energy - and that would result in a better FG% as well. In this scenario the team would score more net points. Too bad that wasn't a particular goal for AI.

Your really basing your arugement on FG%.. thats simply Laughable AI never had sufficient help to lead a true title contender to say otherwise proves you have no idea what you are talking about most of Iverson's Prime years where wasted with Aron Mkcie as a 2nd scoring option and the Rest of them with Larry Hughes Those are not the types of players that should be the 2nd scoring options on contending teams. Not even Michael Jordan himself could have won with those teams.

[thevcballer]

Your really basing your arugement on FG%.. thats simply Laughable AI never had sufficient help to lead a true title contender to say otherwise proves you have no idea what you are talking about most of Iverson's Prime years where wasted with Aron Mkcie as a 2nd scoring option and the Rest of them with Larry Hughes Those are not the types of players that should be the 2nd scoring options on contending teams. Not even Michael Jordan himself could have won with those teams.

Okay in 100% fairness he might have had a shot in the 2001 finals assuming we are talking about prime MJ but even then the sixers would still be outmatched at every position besides SG so nothing would have changed Lakers win in 7 If Jordan replaced Iverson that year and yes i do mean that.

[thevcballer]

As far as comparing Irving to Iverson in 1 on 1 Iverson wins hands down i think people forget how good he was in his prime Irving may eventually get there though remake this thread in 5 years and then we can talk.

[LordJohn]

Too bad the game is 5 x 5.

The thread is asking who would win in a 1x1 match

[todu82]

Prime Iverson

[bagwell368]

Your really basing your arugement on FG%.. thats simply Laughable AI never had sufficient help to lead a true title contender to say otherwise proves you have no idea what you are talking about most of Iverson's Prime years where wasted with Aron Mkcie as a 2nd scoring option and the Rest of them with Larry Hughes Those are not the types of players that should be the 2nd scoring options on contending teams. Not even Michael Jordan himself could have won with those teams.

This was a casual thread, so I used the easiest to understand of the vast array of weaknesses in AI's game and personality. Because I didn't lay down the whole array of arguments, doesn't mean they are not there.

The argument that he had weak teammates is crap. Most years AI's FG% was in the bottom half of his team. As the Celts are showing w/o Rondo, moving the ball around results in better team offense. AI has the ball, nobody cuts, why bother? AI the oinker won't throw them the ball. AI brought the defensive pressure on himself by the way he played, and he retarded the offensive growth of his team.

[bagwell368]

The thread is asking who would win in a 1x1 match

Who says? There is no 1 x 1 in the NBA, just 5 x5.

[thevcballer]

This was a casual thread, so I used the easiest to understand of the vast array of weaknesses in AI's game and personality. Because I didn't lay down the whole array of arguments, doesn't mean they are not there.

The argument that he had weak teammates is crap. Most years AI's FG% was in the bottom half of his team. As the Celts are showing w/o Rondo, moving the ball around results in better team offense. AI has the ball, nobody cuts, why bother? AI the oinker won't throw them the ball. AI brought the defensive pressure on himself by the way he played, and he retarded the offensive growth of his team.

Your outright wrong you keep calming AI made his team worse but if you take him off any of his teams from 2000 to say 2007 they dont make the playoffs his teammates having higher FG proves NOTHING ofc they will have higher FG if there barely shooting at all
and you still haven't come up with a rebutle for Aron Mkcie being a 2nd scoring option THAT IS HIDEOUS
And the rondo comparison you made makes no sense you argument is that AI not passing the ball enough (he actually passed it more than enough because his assist numbers are quite good for a SG)
All you manged to imply by claiming the Celtics are better without rondo is that Individual assist numbers prove nothing and have no direct relation to winning basketball games. Wicth would honestly serve to prove my point Rondo is selfishly unselfish AI was simply Unselfish. He did what it took to win basketball games even though it hurt his stats.