Top 10 Greatest Players in NBA History

Factors considered who I think the greatest players are:

Longevity, consistency, and how they rank next to their contemporaries, i.e where they ever considered the best in the game at any point in their career?

10. Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs 1998-present)

Not flashy, not fancy, the only thing the Big Fundamental knows how to do is win. With his great post-up offensive abilities and his dominating defense, Duncan has led the Spurs to four NBA championships.

9. Bill Russell (Boston Celtics 1957-69)

The biggest winner in NBA history, Russell led the Celtics to eleven NBA titles in his thirteen year career. While not a scorer (he didn't need to be with the talent surrounding him), Russell is arguably the greatest defender and rebounder in NBA history.

8. Larry Bird (Boston Celtics 1979-92)

Known for his uncanny ability to know what was happening on the court at all times, the all-purpose forward from Indiana State was a sharpshooter and a guy who played big in the big games. Red Auerbach, former Celtics coach, calls Larry Bird the greatest NBA player ever.

7. Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers 1996-present)

Only one of two players in NBA history to score more than eighty points in a game and only Michael Jordan has had more thirty-point games in playoff history. Frankly, I may not have him high enough on this list: according to Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant is the best Laker ever.

6. Magic Johnson (Los Angeles Lakers 1979-91, 1996)

He played point guard. And he's 6'9". Magic, along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, led the Lakers to five NBA championships in eight seasons. Magic has the highest career assist average-per-game ever and, because of his size, tended to dominate smaller guards. Versatile, Magic could play all five positions as well.

5. Oscar Robertson (Cincinnati Royals 1960-70; Milwaukee Bucks 1970-74)

A guard who could do just about everything, Oscar averaged a triple-double one season. That's at least ten points, ten rebounds, and ten assists average per game. Impressive.

4. Shaquille O'Neal (Orlando Magic 1992-96; Los Angeles Lakers 1996-2004; Miami Heat 2004-08; Phoenix Suns 2008-09; Cleveland Cavaliers 2009-present)

Few players have ever dominated the game the way Shaquille O'Neal did during his eight seasons with the Lakers (especially during their championship years of 2000, 2001, and 2002). Shaq was unstoppable (his only weakness was poor free-throw shooting). Over his career he has led three franchises to a total of six appearances in the NBA finals. And he's only one of five players in NBA history to score more than 28,000 career points. Think he's too high on the list? Please. You forget how dominant he was.

3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Milwaukee Bucks 1969-75; Los Angeles lakers 1975-89)

Kareem played twenty seasons in the NBA and for most of those seasons he was dominant. In only his second year in the league he helped guide the Milwaukee Bucks to their first (and only) NBA title in 1971. After joining the Lakers in '75, Kareem won five more NBA titles. No player in NBA history has won more regular season MVPs (six) and no player scored more points: Kareem is the NBA's all-time leading scorer with 38,387 points.

2. Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors 1959-65; Philadelphia 76ers 1965-68; Los Angeles Lakers 1968-73)

I'm not trying to be trite or flippant but the seven-one hall-of-fame center averaged fifty points a game one season. Do I really need to add more?

1. Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls 1984-93, 1995-98; Washington Wizards 2001-03)

While most of the other greats on this top 10 list are big men, Michael Jordan is a guard. He is the only non-big man in NBA history to dominate like a big man in his prime whether he was scoring at will or shutting down another team's two-guard. Only Wilt Chamberlain--who was over seven feet tall compared to Jordan's six feet six inches--had a higher career scoring average. And only Bill Russell led his team to more NBA championships (eleven compared to Jordan's six).

6 More Awesome Metal Songs That You've Never Heard Before.

1. "Never Enough" by Epica

Epica is a Dutch symphonic metal outfit that uses both female vocals and death metal vocals as part of their repertoire. I know death metal vocals are a turn off for most folks but the song "Never Enough" employs them hardly at all.

2. "Ice Queen" by Within Temptation

More female-fronted symphonic metal from another Dutch band. My eight-year old son loves this song and if that's not a grand endorsement, what is?

3. "Wishmaster" by Nightwish

Nightwish is a symphonic metal band from Finland. Tarja Turunen, the lead singer played here, has since departed the band. Nightwish replaced her with a more traditional female singer.

4. "A Day in Verse" by Eternity X

Eternity X is a progressive metal band from New Jersey. Their use of piano/keyboards beauty juxtaposed over/under heavy guitar is just one reason I became instantly attracted to this band. "A Day in Verse" showcases their amazing songwriting. If you don't like this song, well, I really don't know what to say.

5. "Out of the Shadows" by Stratovarius.

This Finnish power metal outfit has been around since the '80s. They have a knack for writing catchy vocal melodies.

6. "Sign" by Ayreon.

I had to include another song by Ayreon. In my previous post, 9 Awesome Metal Songs That You've Never Heard Before, I showed the heavier bombastic side of Ayreon. This song shows the softer side of the progressive metal/rock project of one Arjen Lucassen.

9 Awesome Metal Songs You've Never Heard Before

I'm a metalhead at, um, heart (metalhead at heart?). But I'm not into most mainstream metal bands preferring instead lesser known bands in the power metal, symphonic metal, and progressive metal sub-genres. So I'm gonna give you a taste of my tastes. Whether you like it or not.

1. "Kingdom for a Heart" by Sonata Arctica
One of my favorite rock bands, Sonata Arctica is a power metal band hailing from Finland. "Kingdom for a Heart" is from the first album, Ecliptica (1999). The band plays a style marked by speedy guitars, soaring vocals, and ubiquitous keyboards.

2. "I Died for You" by Iced Earth

Iced Earth was founded in Tampa, Florida in 1984. Like Sonata Arctica, they are often classified as power metal. However, Iced Earth's brand of power metal (American power metal) is more influenced by thrash metal and therefore less "melodic" than their European counterparts. Interestingly, "I Died for You" is from an album (1996's The Dark Saga) based on the comic book character Spawn.

3. "April Rain" by Delain

A symphonic metal band fronted by a female vocalist, the Dutch band Delain balances heavy guitars, beautiful vocal melodies (almost pop-like), and symphonic flourishes via the band's keyboardist. Delain has a highly engaging style that is addictive. "April Rain" is from the 2009 album of the same name. And they actually have a music video for the song!

4. "Chance" by Savatage

Founded way back in 1978, Savatage started off as a fairly conventional heavy metal act. But as the years went by they began incorporating progressive, symphonic, and operatic influences into their music. "Chance", one of their most popular songs, is from their 1994 album "Handful of Rain". Oh, Savatage's better known alter ego is Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

5. "Forever" by Kamelot

Though three-fifths of the band members are American, Kamelot's brand of power metal is definitely more European in style (though perhaps it is most accurate to call them a symphonic metal band). Another act originally from Tampa, Florida, Kamelot really didn't "make it" until Norwegian vocalist Roy Khan joined the band for their third studio album. Khan, just about the best singer around, took Kamelot to the next level and they haven't looked behind since.

6. "On the Wane" by Sirenia

At the risk of alienating the five remaining readers of the Big Blog of Lists, I've included a song that employs death metal vocals. The song doesn't only employ death metal vocals as they also include pretty female vocals, choir vocals, and normal male vocals in the mix, too. But I want to warn you. Sirenia is a symphonic/goth metal band. I think they're awesome. Your mileage may vary.

7. "Dawn of a Million Souls" by Ayreon

Ayreon is a tricky band to describe. Not really a band, Ayreon is the musical project of Dutch musician Arjen Lucassen. Every Ayreon album features guest singers and musicians in multitude (some albums have featured over a dozen lead vocalists and twice that many guest musicians). Another aspect of Ayreon's music is the variety. You'll get one song that sounds like something a bard from the Middle Ages would play while the next song sounds like the Beatles and still the next one is a power metal rocker. Good stuff all the way around.

8. "Soldiers of the Wasteland" by DragonForce

British act DragonForce does straight-up European power metal better than anyone. Yeah, it's over-the-top and it sounds like these guys play a lot of Dungeons & Dragons while watching Krull, drinking mead, and sharpening their battle-axes. But so what? Their music is fun and they make no pretensions about who they are or what they play: it's fantasy-tinged power metal. Nothing more, nothing less.

9. "Used" by Pain of Salvation

Sweden's progressive metal outfit Pain of Salvation plays a highly complex yet engaging style that incorporates many forms of music. Dark, depressing, and envelope-pushing, POS is one of the most unique bands I've ever heard. Not for the feint-hearted.

That's it for now. If you like this list, maybe I'll write it's sequel soon.

Top 10 Rejected Top 10 Lists

Coming up with top 10 lists is hard and not just because I'm lazy. As I sit around bouncing top 10 ideas off my buddies, the seeds of good top 10 lists are found. But more often bad ideas are uncovered and dismissed. Here are the top 10 rejected ideas for top 10 lists:



10. Top 10 Pizza Toppings and What They Say About You.


Quickly rejected after it was proposed, this is just a terrible idea on many levels: First, it's way too metaphysical. Second, does anyone believe that pizza toppings say that much about you? Sure, if you like anchovies on your pizza you may be an adventurous soul but it may mean you're retarded as well.


9. Top 10 Sacred Cows.

You know what a sacred cow is, right? It's a subject/hobby/interest that is very important to someone and any negative criticism about it will provoke bad feelings from that person (heaven forbid). This was specifically aimed at co-workers' sacred cows but, as my staff and I analyzed this idea, we decided not to do it since co-workers do read this blog (believe it or not) and we may hurt their feelings. Good grief.

8. Top 10 Hottest Sci-Fi Gals of TV & Movies.

This was rejected because some of you out there don't think women should be admired for their beauty. A stupid notion but, hey, I aim to please.

7. Top 10 Ways to Alienate Your Readers.

Why beat a dead horse?

6. Top 10 Boring Movies.

Honestly, why on Earth would I write such a stupid list? One, it'd bore me to think and write about really boring movies and two, it'd bore you.

5. Top 10 Computer Viruses.

Don't know much 'bout computer viruses. My staff would have been fine with this list but I'm the boss.

4. Top 10 Best Examples of Modern Art.

There are no best examples of modern art. Bite me, Picasso!

3. Top 10 Symphonies.

This is one I'd love to do but, frankly, I don't think any of you would read it. Most of you are not as sophisticated as I am.

2. Top 10 Sports Cars.

Snooze. Seriously, it's difficult for me to imagine a more boring subject. I'm just not a car guy.

1. Top 10 Rejected Top 10 Lists.

I know what you are thinking, "Wait a sec, what the hell am I reading?" Ah, but what you folks don't know is that this list was rejected several times before finally being posted.

7 Words Raped of Their Meaning

I love words. As a writer, I love choosing my words with thoughtfulness. The words you use--especially when writing--gives readers a glimpse of your soul. Reading what you have written is a sort of mirror where you, the writer, can see how you think. If what you write is easily understood, you likely think clearly. If it is confusing, well, maybe you need to organize your thoughts better. Maybe you need to think better.

Words we use--both in speech and writing--say much more about us sometimes than the subject our words are aimed at. Because words tell us about the writer or speaker, we should pick every word carefully and with much thought. Unfortunately not everyone uses words thoughtfully and certain words in English have been raped--yes, raped--of their meaning. Here are some words that have been misused to the point where they no longer carry the weight they should:

7. Sexist - If you think that women and men are different, guess what? According to academia and many folks on the Left side of the spectrum, you're a sexist. It's a pretty dishonest attack since anyone who thinks clearly knows that women and men are different.

6. Xenophobe - Think that the U.S. should crack down on illegal immigrants? According to the Left, you're an xenophobe. But it backfires and true xemophobes are lumped in with people who just want laws obeyed and enforced. And believe me, there are true xenophobes out there.

5. Rape - There are women who perpetuate the idea that if sex is uncomfortable or you regret it afterwards, it's rape. When women who claim rape under those conditions are revealed as frauds to the public, rape loses it's meaning: It isn't taken as seriously as it should be.

4. Holocaust - When someone uses the word holocaust, it should only be used when describing the Holocaust (the murder of six million Jews by Nazi Germany) or a similar event like the genocide in Sudan. When U.S. Congressman Alan Grayson, a Florida Democrat, compares what he sees as a health care crisis to a holocaust, he devalues the word holocaust. If the word holocaust can be thrown around when posturing for political reasons, it will not carry the weight it once had. Grayson, a Jew, should know better but he isn't the only perpetrator. The radical animal rights organization known as PETA had an ad campaign a couple years back called "Holocaust On Your Plate" comparing the killing of chickens for food to the murder of six million Jews. The ad even showed concentration camp prisoners side by side with fried chicken. Some folks just aren't going to take the word holocaust as seriously after that.

3. Homophobe - Like racist, homophobe is a mainstay of leftist vocabulary used to shut down opponents of left-wing policies. Hey, once they call you a homophobe, who's going to take you seriously? However, the opposite is happening. Homophobe carries virtually no weight among conservatives and moderates anymore because the Left throws it at everyone they disagree with. It is unfortunate what the Left has done because homophobes exist and the word should only be reserved for them.

2. Bigot - Everyone's a bigot when you're on the Left. The word has been devalued. I'm a bigot, you're a bigot, don'tcha wanna be a bigot, too?

1. Racist - The word has been misused for decades and hardly carries the weight it should have. And blame those who misuse it most: The left-wingers of American politics. Disagree with a welfare bill? You're a racist. Oppose affirmative action? You're a racist? Vote Republican? You're a racist! It has become worse since President Obama took the oath of office. Now Obama's defenders and advocates calls anyone who opposes the president's policies a racist. It's sick. The word doesn't mean anything anymore. Racism exists but when the Left accuses everyone who disagrees with them as racists, what does the word mean anymore?

The 10 Coolest Spaceships in Science Fiction

Do you like science fiction? I do. And I love what the creative folks behind the scenes come up with whether it's the cool sets or neat costumes or awesome aliens. But most of all, I love the ships! Here are my 10 favorites taken from science fiction TV and movies:

10. A-Wing Fighter

Introduced in 1983's Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, according to some sources the A-Wing is supposed to be a small starfighter that relies more on speed than armament. Whatever. I just think the thing looks cool.
9. Romulan Warbird

This ship first appeared in the final episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation's first season way back in 1988. Aptly named, it does indeed conjure up images of some sinister bird-of-prey about ready to snatch up some poor, helpless creature.

8. U.S.S. Sulaco

The Sulaco from Aliens looks like something that the military would use several decades from now. When I first saw that sucker on the silver screen for the first time way back in 1986, the hairs on the back of my neck stood straight up. That mother is one bad-ass ship!

7. Klingon Vor'cha-class heavy cruiser

Designed for Star Trek: The Next Generation and supposed to look like the Federation and Klingon Empire have been exchanging technology (note the warp nacelles), the Vor'cha-class is the best of both worlds as it combines some of the most eye-pleasing aspects of both Federation starships and Klingon ships. Rick Sternbach, who designed the Vor'cha-class, hit it just right.

6. Cylon Raider (new BSG)

The new Battlestar Galactica improved many of the things from the old BSG: Better actors, better writers, better sets, better babes. And better ships. While the old Cylon Raider is one cool ship, the new one with it's curved blade-wings blows it away. The fact that the new Cylon Raiders are Cylons just makes the Raiders even more uber-cool.

5. Imperial Star Destroyer

The Star Destroyers from the first Star Wars film captured my imagination as a kid even more than the Millennium Falcon originally did. I was five when Star Wars was released in 1977 and I would listen to the soundtrack by John Williams as I sat with pencil and paper drawing Star Destroyers over and over again.

4. U.S.S. Reliant

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is a pretty good movie and had some awesome battle scenes between the beloved U.S.S Enterprise commanded by Captain Kirk and a hijacked U.S.S. Reliant helmed by Khan Noonian Soong. And that ship--the Reliant--stole the show for me. Often lovingly referred to as a "horseshoe crab" by fans, the Miranda-class starship is one of my all-time favorite spaceship designs.

3. Colonial Viper Mark II (original BSG version)

Yeah, classic Battlestar Galactica was a pretty sucky show. But whomever designed them Vipers sure knew their stuff. Inspired by fighter jets from the real world like the x-15 and the F-104 Starfighter, the Colonial Viper is still an awesome design thirty years later.

2. Colonial Viper Mark II (new BSG version)

I didn't think it was possible to improve on the sleek Viper from the original Battlestar Galactica. I was wrong. From the beginning of prodduction on the new BSG, the Colonial Viper was about the only thing the producers wanted to keep (mostly) untouched from the original BSG. Good call.

1. Millennium Falcon

Ah, the Millennium Falcon. The coolest space ship ever. Who knew that a cone stuck on a flying saucer would be so awesome? Allegedly the inspiration for the Falcon came from a half-eaten hamburger that George Lucas was chomping on. And the cockpit (which was supposedly the olive stuck to the burger) was inspired by the real-life B-29 Superfortress. Burgers and bombers. Hey, you take inspiration where you can get it.

9 Common Animal Myths

Animals are amazing. While they don't need exaggerations and embellishments to make them interesting, inevitably it happens and soon myth becomes fact to many people. Here are nine myths I hear often about animals and the facts that dispel those myths.

9. Birds

Myth: Touching a baby bird will cause it's parents to abandon it.
Truth: Birds don't have a very well-developed sense of smell and therefore will be unaware of your stank.

The story: Not sure where this myth comes from but I was told this as a child and believed it for much of my life. Turns out most species of birds will not abandon their young easily so your damn dirty hands aren't likely to cause a ruckus.

8. Pit bulls

Myth: Pit bulls have jaws that lock.
Fact: Pit bulls' jaws have the same musculature and structure of any other breed of dog.

The story: When pit bulls bite something or someone they are reluctant to release. Add to that the terrifying reputation pit bulls have (it is somewhat deserved, I might add) and you can see how this myth started. But when it comes down to it, the basic structure of a pit bull's jaw is the same as a poodle's.

7. Camels

Myth: Camels store water in their humps.
Fact: Camels store water in their stomach.

The Story: What else could their humps be for, right? Fatty tissue reserves, chump. Their humps are filled with fat. Hey, it's easy to understand how this myth originated: The camels' hump is unique in the animal kingdom and they can go for long periods of time without water (three weeks) so the humps, folks concluded, must be where the water is stored. It's a reasonable conclusion, but it just isn't true.

6. Bats

Myth: Bats are blind.
Fact: Depending upon the species, bats' vision ranges from good to poor but they are definitely not blind.

The Story: There are over 1,000 bat species in the world which accounts for about 20% of all mammal species. Most bats are insectivores but many species eat fruit. The family of bats called microbats are nocturnal and rely heavily on echolocation to hunt for prey. While most microbats have poor day vision, they are not blind. In fact they have pretty good night vision which they use in tandem with their echolocation ability. Some larger species of bats don't even have echolocation and instead use night vision and an acute sense of smell to find food.

5. Sharks

Myth: The great white shark is the most dangerous of all shark species.
Fact: It is the bull shark, not the great white, that is responsible for the vast majority of shark-related injuries and deaths.

The story: The bull shark can grow to be as much as 13 feet long and weigh as much as 700 pounds. Because the bull shark can tolerate freshwater (it has been observed 1,000 miles up the Mississippi River and 2,000 miles up the Amazon) it comes into contact with humans quite regularly. This fact along with the bull sharks' unpredictable, aggressive behaviour makes it the most dangerous of all shark species. Some scientists suggest that the bull shark may be responsible for hundreds of deaths every year which dwarf deaths caused by great whites and tiger sharks combined.

4. Dolphins

Myth: Dolphins are more intelligent than humans.
Fact: Dolphins are not more intelligent than humans: they're animals.

When it comes to problem solving, dolphins are about as smart as a rhesus monkey or an elephant. Not bad, right? Monkeys and elephants are really smart. Well, turns out ferrets and mink have better problem-solving skills than even dolphins yet no one says that mink are smarter than humans. It all comes down to the fact that many folks--especially those whacky environmentalists--have perpetuated the myth that dolphins are the super-smarties of the animal kingdom so we feel more sympathy for the marine mammals and will want to save them from evil, stupid humans. But it's shallow thinking: my estimation of an animal's intelligence has nothing to do with how much I like a particular species. I like all animals--even stupid ones.

3. Lemmings

Myth: Lemmings commit mass suicide to lower their population by jumping off cliffs.
Fact: Lemmings only jump off cliffs when forced to do so by bored filmmakers.

The Story: In the 1950s Disney filmed a famous documentary about lemmings. Turns out lemmings are the most boring creatures alive. So the filmmakers, attempting to make their film more interesting, rounded up a bunch of the poor little rodents and forced them off a cliff! It worked. The documentary (White Wilderness) won awards and acclaim and lemmings became known as the suicide cult of the animal kingdom. It's true that when lemming colonies become overpopulated and there's no food left they will gather en masse and move into unfamiliar territory frantically looking for something to eat. While doing so they sometimes may unintentionally bump a cousin or two off a ledge or into a lake or whatever. But it's not suicide.

2. Daddy longlegs

Myth: The daddy long-legs is the most venomous spider in the world but can't bite humans because it's mouth is too small.
Fact: The spider-like harvestman and the cellar spider (a true spider) both share the common name daddy longlegs in North America. Neither species can kill you.

The harvestman is not an actual spider and of the estimated 10,000 species (ten thousand!) of harvestman, none are known to have poison glands. The cellar spider (a true spider), which is also called a daddy longlegs and resides in many parts of North America (though originally from the tropics) is venomous but it's venom is harmless to humans.

1. Chameleons

Myth: Chameleons can camouflage themselves to blend into the background of their environment.
Fact: While Chameleons can change color, it has nothing to do with blending into their background.

The Story: The chameleon is one of the most fascinating animals on Earth and have many unusual features not seen elsewhere in the reptile family. For instance, chameleons have five toes fused into two groups (two on the outside and three on the inside of their feet) which allows them to grip small branches. Their unique eyes allow them to look in different directions at the same time giving them 360 degree vision. They also have a prehensile tail. And their tongue--which is longer than their body length in some species--can rapidly extend and strike prey. The end of the tongue is covered in mucous which sticks to the prey making the chameleon one efficient predator. But it is their ability to change color that they are most famous for.

The chameleons ability to change color is used for social interactions and, in fact, results in the chameleon standing out from their background like when they want to attract a mate. It is true that the default color for chameleons does match their environment (i.e. green chameleons live in jungles or forests, tan chameleons live in deserts) so it may seem that they are blending in when in fact they may just be going from one color (like blue) associated with a particular social interaction to their normal color.