Stephen’s A-list GREATEST NBA MATCHUPS: Bird vs. Magic + Jordan vs. Isiah 🙌🏀 | First Take

Stephen’s A-list GREATEST NBA MATCHUPS: Bird vs. Magic + Jordan vs. Isiah 🙌🏀 | First Take

Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah what’s up everybody I was on vacation laughing I saw imitators you understand what said but nothing is better than the original your boy Stephen A is back with another aist just especially for you as this NCAA tournament is going on and the NBA

Playoffs is approaching keep in mind the list is fluid the list is fluid okay we going to go top five box office NBA matchups of all time individually not team Tim legler not team sha Shay individually let’s go to number five on the list please give it to me right now

Bam Larry Bird versus Julius Dr J Irving remember the Cradle Ducks against La remember bird and and Dr J going up against one another from 1980 to 1985 played against each other four times in the Eastern Conference Finals split it 22 playoff record 12 and 12 against each regular season playoffs combined Larry

Bird held a slight Advantage 3533 but before even with magic and bird fting growing in the Mind’s Eye of the American public Dr J Julius Irvin with a championship having escaped him warning that yes it took Moses Malone 454 to deliver the good Andrew Tony Mo Cheeks

And the crew but the 76ers against bird in the Celtics Dr J versus Larry Bird that was big time right there they ain’t top four though give it to me right now please bam LeBron versus Steph now four straight times in the NBA Finals they went against one another the first go round

Golden State wins but Kyrie Irving got hurt Kevin Love Goes Down And obviously all Lebron had was Matthew delova I ain’t forget that sh sh okay so I’m giving LeBron love right but then they come back okay they ultimately win the deal overcoming the 3-1 deficit

Even though Adam Silva in the NBA gave LeBron that stimulous package when Draymond Green got thrown to the floor and it’s a spender you understand for say game five and then Bogan and eagle dollar got hurt game five they lose that game lose game six and then come back

And lose game seven with the block by LeBron and the three from Kyrie to deliver the goods okay we understand what that was about then they go out and they get KD and they need KD to win backto back titles so we understand it but that’s still an epic r they ain’t

Top three don’t give it to me old one can’t leave it off Bill Russell versus Will Chamberlain Now history demands that we have to do that only because Russell and Wilt are two of the iconic figures in the sport but Russell did have 11 chips wi only had two which is

Something I religiously held against wil Chamberlain but nevertheless he was the most dominant big man of the era up until in in the history of the game and some would argue the only thing that rivaled him was Shaquille O’Neal so because of his dominance his greatness

His once averaging 50 in a season for crying out loud you can’t talk about rivalries in the sport of basketball without mentioning Russell and Wilt I had to throw it in there so I put it in the middle the top two though give it to me right now ready for this bam Michael

Jordan versus Isaiah Thomas now we know Jordan about the six titles we know about the two three pets we know all of that long before that he couldn’t get over the hump the Detroit Pistons kept standing in their way it was Zeke but it was Dumas it was lamb it was Sally it

Was James Edwards it was Dennis Robin it was the microwave Vinnie Johnson coming off the bench let’s not forget okay Mark aguire okay Adrien dley before that the Detroit Pistons the bad boys there was a reason Jo rules became something that was so well known because they implemented it they were formidable we

Understood the greatness of the Detroit Pistons the bad boys don’t get enough love and recognition for how formidable and tough they truly were got to give them love and remember Isaiah in at game seven against game six I’m sorry against against La when it dropped over 40 on 25

In a quter on a bad ankle you understand and they couldn’t really go in game seven and they lost to the Lakers before coming back and winning back to back that’s number two they ain’t number one though the greatest of all right here okay Larry Bird versus Irvin Magic

Johnson it didn’t start in the NBA y’all it started in college when magic was at Michigan State with keler and the brys okay and Larry Bird the hick from French Lick was at Indiana State after Genova 30 again and doing great things that he was doing all right and then they come

To the pr and they come to the pro and they rekindled that rivalry not immediately because the Philadelphia 76ers was in the way that’s why I got burden Dr J at number five in the early 80s even Ralph Samson and AE alijan in Houston got in the way one year knocking

La out in the first round but in the end the 80s was dominated by this and the stage was set coming into the 80s I got Bird magic I got Jordan Isaiah I got Russell wils I got LeBron Steph I got bird and Dr J J just Irving Box Office

NBA matchup in history floor y’all I’m going to give you a lot of credit a lot of credit because this one right here that that shows a certain level of awareness I didn’t think you’d go there I I did not think you would include that and I’m sitting over there saying if he

Leaves off bir and Dr J that’s a massive om Mission that’s going to greatly affect my grade at the end of this that would have greatly affected my grade overall I think you got the right five I I would have switched one okay I’m listen I would flip-flop these two I

Think I’d put I think i’ put Russell wil to yes I I think I think we all agree on this does anybody disagree with Bird magic hey I’ll take it I’ll take a step this changed my the course of my life because I was a baseball player until

These two dudes started playing in the 80s I went to high school in 1980 as a freshman had not played organized basketball wow I was a baseball player watching these two teams and these two players the waiters that changed the course of my life and what I wanted to

Do with my life so that’s number one no question will Russell to I went LeBron Steph three over Jordan Isaiah over Jordan Isaiah because remember Stephen A they met four times in the NBA Finals okay okay and then I got guess who I got number five what KD Lebron oh stop it I

Stop it that’s ridiculous that’s ridiculous you can’t do that can’t do that hold on think about twice in the finals and then think about the regular hold on they met three times in the finals you forget OKC did hey leg did you forget they were puppies they were puppies they

Puppy puppies that were pu and you should appreciate that you have enough puppies your damn self you should appreciate exactly where I’m coming from stop that nons okay there’s no way you see what y’all do y’all see what y’all do y’all do everything y can to undermine go James now y’all didn’t do

That hey don’t thr don’t L you together with him on that come on now be undermining them you know what you had to be LeBron with dwade and Bosch going up against puppies Russell Westbrook James hard those boys were great but they were young you didn’t say you you

Didn’t say that when LeBron went up against Tim Duncan we never h for losing the T dck in the first go of Shannon if KD had stayed in okay City and played against LeBron like later when he had Westbrook in the finals like multiple times they would be on his list

They be on his list but not right now hold on let me get to your list let me get to both of y’all list so first of all let me address you Shannon okay okay here’s the deal you look at LeBron versus Steph Yes it’s for NBA Finals but

The bottom line is Steph went three and one that’s number one number two KD came on board so that kind of interrupted the direct confrontation between those two why I would leave them at four Shannon in terms of you with Russell the 11 to2 discrepancy is why I have them at three

Because it did Will didn’t measure up in the end you can’t have a direct Nemesis and in and and and and and with 13 championships on the table 11 goals to one of them and two goals to other St you do hold on you do realize Russell

Had 11 Hall of Famers on his team right oh who whoaa whoa whoa whoa this is basketball you did did have Jerry West you did have some weapons of your own if you were now K Jones John hav I got it I got it I got it but this is basketball

And you did have some Hall of famous yourself will wasn’t playing by his damn self the whole roster Hall of Famers the whole I got him at three I got him at three instead of two Jordan Isaiah let me say this to y’all Jordan Isaiah is

The one person on the planet Earth who has said and justifiably so y’all don’t want to give me credit I got at Jordan and we beat him more times than we lost to them he did bring that up and he’s right he beat magic of Kareem he beat

Magic of Kareem he beat bird Mel and Parish also hey by the way by the way Isaiah is like the the one unique guy and that guess what you could sub out this name and I could throw in Magic versus Isaiah I can throw in Bird versus

Isaiah a lot of people versus Isaiah turns out and he beat them all here’s here’s the one thing real quick about this I want to just say one difference about this one than these other four okay there was very little like direct monoo because of the position like all

These guys actually would go against each other like possession by possession at times not so much there which is probably why I wouldn’t put that any higher than you did legs can you give him a quick a quick yeah look look I think this is the highest grade I’m ever

Going to give you just like it says up here a and then a minus minus you almost had it if you had Russell wi 2 I would have given you an A or an A+ I give you an a the mere fact that he got the mere

Fact that he got them up there like that I’m going give you a a Stephen A that’s a great wow that’s a really good list a big day it’s a big day I’m getting emotion right there get right she gave me a a man and you gave me

Eight Min man this is a very touching moment for the America you and I both had you and I both had a shot at that uh lorier this morning so know what I doing y might have some problems [Applause] [Applause] yay

On First Take, Stephen A. breaks down his Top 5 NBA Box Office Matchups in his newest A-List. Then, Shannon Sharpe and Tim Legler grade him and react to his list.

#espn #nba #firsttake

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