The biggest questions from our top-76 countdown

play

The ranking of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team has been revealed. What did we get right and what did we get wrong about the league's 76 greatest legends?

The top five are Michael Jordan,Lebron James,Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Magic Johnson. The top 10 includes Bill Russell, Larry Bird, Tim Duncan, Oscar Robertson, and Kobe Bryant.

Which all-time greats were not appreciated? Which active player has the best chance of being named No. 77?

Our expert panel is breaking down the rankings, including insight on their biggest factors when comparing players of different eras, the evolution of the all-time top three and what the future could hold for an NBA 100th Anniversary Team.

The voting process did not consider the accomplishments of players in the NBL, ABA, college or international basketball. There was a tie during the NBA's voting for its 75th anniversary team.

The NBA power rankings are at the All-Star break.

1. Which player was most overrated in the rankings?

Kevin Arnovitz is Kevin McHale. The stuff of the Bolshoi Ballet was what McHale did in the post. It is difficult to see him 19 spots ahead of Elvin Hayes, even accounting for the multiple championships. The ironman was a bit more prolific than the durable McHale. I would probably place him a dozen spots lower than he is, alongside a few of the prolific guards below him.

• 
• 
• 

Reggie Miller is named Reggie Miller. Miller has a few famous moments and one elite skill, but he doesn't have the same level of fame as other players. I would lower him.

Tim MacMahon spoke with Bob Pettit. I don't think he would have been a dominant force as the game advanced, but he was one of the greats of his generation. You can't convince me that a guy who shot 43.6% from the floor when color TV was considered state of the art is a top-35 player of all time.

Kevin Pelton is Pete Maravich. Maravich didn't belong ahead of three of the most successful players in the playoffs, all of whom enjoyed more success in the NBA. Billy Cunningham, Earl Monroe, Dennis Rodman and Bill Walton are the only modern-era players on the list.

Kevin Durant is the number 12. He's one of the most effortless scorers in NBA history, and his skill set as a 7-footer is ridiculous. The results of various impact studies show that the data ball era was a good one for Durant. In three seasons in Real Plus Minus (RPM), Kevin Durant has finished in the top five five times, with his best finish being third. Compare that with other players who are lower on the list, such as Stephen Curry or Chris Paul, who are higher on the list. There are several other players who have had larger impacts on winning, including several of his peers.

2. Which player was most underrated in the rankings?

James Harden is the No. 50. It feels like he got demoted because he was in the middle of creating, yet another melodrama. He should be higher based on the statistics. If we are holding the lack of a title against him, that is fine, but there are a lot of players above him who don't own a ring.

Pelton said "hardening." It feels like many contemporary players weregraded based on their current level of play. Harden was the most notable example of a group that also included Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook. It will be easier to remember how great these players were once they retire.

The aforementioned Elvin Hayes was mentioned by Arnovitz. He won a title with the Bullets in 1978 after playing 80 or more games for 16 consecutive seasons, with career averages of 21 points, 12.5 rebound and a couple of blocks per game. He was able to take an outlet pass from Wes Unseld and glide down the court. It is possible that his standing in the club of legends diminished due to his prickly nature. His game was smooth.

Chris Paul's number is 29 A group of players with accomplished careers who lack a championship are checked in by Paul. The way Paul's presence on the floor transforms a franchise cannot be overstated, and he is near the top of that group.

Kevin Garnett has a number 21. His team situation throughout his career obscured the fact that he had arguably the largest impact on winning of any player in the past 25 years. One of the most dominant defensive big men in NBA history was Kevin Garnett, and he was also an excellent team offense creator/floor spacer from the big man position. Across the full body of impact studies of the data ball era, from 1997 to 1997, the only peer in overall positive effect on team scoring margins is James.

3. Which active player has the best case to be named No. 77?

If there was a player who had an NBA Most Valuable Player who had already compiled a cumulative value over replacement player rating better than Kawhi Leonard and Giannis Antetokounmpo, what would it be? Jokic is that player. He is only 27 years old, which may be the best reason to exclude him from the big list. It will be hard to keep him off if he logs another couple of seasons. Denver will be a lock if it gets healthy.

Friday, Feb. 25

Heat at Knicks, 7:45 p.m.

Clippers at Lakers, 10:05 p.m.

All times Eastern.

Jokic. He and Rose are not currently on the list. While Rose has dealt with injuries for much of his career, Jokic has been healthy and elite for several seasons already and is turning in another campaign worthy of a second consecutiveMVP this season. He is an outlier because he is an elite offense-creating big man. He has led the NBA in touches since the start of the season by a margin of almost 7,000 over second place, Russell Westbrook, and Jokic's personal RPM and his team's offensive ratings are consistently elite.

If the list was increased by one, the first player to be included would be Dwight Howard. Draymond Green, who has been a key member of a dynasty, and whose ability to play small-ball center forced teams to rethink their lineups and ushered in the era of positionless basketball, was an honorable mention.

Howard is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year who is ranked 57th on the all-time scoring list. Howard has a lot of messiness in the middle of his career, but he is on this list because of his eight seasons with the Magic.

Pelton: Howard. The journeyman back half of Howard's career has overshadowed what an incredible player he was with the Magic. Half of the players on the 75th anniversary team were selected to the All-NBA First Team. He will make the top 100 in 25 years when his memories are no longer fresh.

4. What is your biggest factor when comparing players of different generations?

Being the No. 1 option on a championship team is what Collier says. I take into account how players competed against each other in order to compare players. Being the best player on a team that wins it all or lifting teams into contention year after year is a huge deciding factor.

The most important factor in comparing players of different generations is how much impact they had on the team. There are many ways to measure and correlate a player's presence with his team's scoring margins, and while those tools are more accurate in the current era, there are ways to quantify impact back to the dawn of the shot clock. We can show that the Celtics had a below-average defense the year before Bill Russell arrived, the top defense in the NBA by a cartoonish margin during his career and a below-average defense the year after he retired. Oscar Robertson, Jerry West and Bill Walton were some of the biggest impact players in NBA history.

The single biggest factor is how dominant a player was relative to his peers in a given era. The era was competitive in terms of number of teams, rival leagues and the pool of available players.

It is important to be aware of the trends that defined the period. Penalizing players prior to the 3-point era for less efficient production or shooting percentages doesn't seem right Do you think Bob McAdoo or Dominique Wilkins would have learned to shoot the 3-point shot if they were told during the 1980s?

When in doubt, go with the younger guy. It is a better game now than it was in the past. The players are stronger and more skilled.

5. Pick one player who is a lock for the NBA's 100th Anniversary Team (top 100 all time) in 2046.

Pelton said that he was Jokic. Jokic is likely to pass Howard by the end of his career, as Howard has the strongest case of any active player now to make the list. Jokic might pass Howard by the end of the year if he wins a second consecutive award.

The full 30 for 30 library, premium articles from our NBA insiders, and more are available. You will be able to get everything on the Disney+ network if you sign up now.

MacMahon thinks that the best bet is a threat to repeat asMVP at 27. He is the first of his kind, not just the best passing big man ever but also a point center, a 7-footer who often brings the ball up the floor, and ranks among the top scorers. I would be comfortable placing a wager on Doncic, who continues to put up numbers unprecedented for a player his age, in some cases.

Luka Doncic. There is no reason to believe that Doncic will be in the top 50 by the league reaching its century mark. Dionysian summers can keep Luka from those heights.

Tracy McGrady is from the area. McGrady had a case for being the best offensive player in the league for seven years, but his career was cut short by injuries. Had he kept his career going, McGrady would be a no-brainer for this list, but with seven All-NBA teams and two scoring titles, he has as strong a case as, say, Damian Lillard.

I was tempted to pickBronny James in hopes that he and his son will become a basketball version of the Griffeys. Ja Morant is one of the most fun players to watch in the NBA because he is only 22 years old. He has a competitive spirit that seems destined to take his team to the mountaintop sooner rather than later, as he combines breathtaking physical ability, elite skills and a come-at-your- neck competitive spirit. He should be in the top 100 if he keeps it up.

Bonus! Fact or fiction: The current top three will be the same top three in 2046.

There is a fiction by Arnovitz. The game has produced a top-three player every 15 years or so. There is good reason to believe that the game will produce another in the next 25 years.

There is fiction. Twenty-five years is a long time, and the players are getting more versatile. I am excited to see who the next player is going to do something that I never thought was possible on a basketball court.

Pelton is a fiction. By 2046, the voting panel will mostly consist of people too young to remember Abdul-Jabbar's career. I think there will be a three-person race for the top spot between now and then.

There is fiction. Bill Russell dominated the 1960s, Abdul-Jabbar the 1970s, Magic Johnson/Larry Bird the 1980s, Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon the 1980s/90s, and the 2000s. I don't think we will have another player or two come through to carry the game for the 2020s, 2030s and early 2040s. I think there will be at least one new player in the consensus top three by 2046.

MacMahon is a fact. A minimum of four titles and 30,000 points is required. There are a few active players who might be able to reach those heights, but the odds are against them.

The California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) permits California residents, or their authorized agents, to opt out of the “sale” of their personal information to third parties. The CCPA defines the term “sale” broadly, and it may include sharing certain information for particular advertising purposes. We never sell personal information to third parties for money. Please visit Your California Privacy Rights for more information about California residents’ rights and our privacy practices.

These cookies are needed for our services to function. They are usually set in response to actions you take which are related to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in, accessing, searching, or discovering content. Some parts of the site will not work if you set your browser to block these cookies.

There is a sale of personal data.

When you visit this website, we and our partners may collect certain information about you, your devices, and your behavior, and this information to third parties to provide you with certain advertising on this site and across the web tailored to you. You can opt out of certain advertising on this site by using the opt out button above. Your choice will not apply to any other property if you opt out on this website. Each website of the Walt Disney Family of Companies has an opt out button. You can change your opt out selection at any time by clicking the link on this site. You must use this link to exercise your opt out on third parties engaging in their own sales as defined by the CCPA. If you opt out of personal information being used for advertising, you can still see ads that are tailored to you and your interests. Certain data collection activities can be controlled by you or your authorized agent. Do Not Sell My Personal Information Rights is a website where you can learn more.