Top 20 NBA players of last 20 years

[CaribouJim]

In conjunction with Tim Duncan's 40th b-day today, SI has a list of their Top 20 players in the last 20 years:

http://www.si.com/nba/2016/02/09/tim-duncan-lebron-james-kobe-bryant-kevin-garnett-nba-greatest

DWade comes in @ 5, but I would put him in front of Garnett making him #4.

Here is DWade's bio for the article:

Wade has enjoyed more than his share of good fortune over the years, teaming with Shaquille O’Neal to earn his first title (in a disputed 2006 Finals series) before later pulling together the famed “Big 3” that led to two more rings and four straight Finals appearances. That track record of winning combined with his nine straight seasons of 20+ PPG scoring solidifies his lofty standing among his contemporaries and places him in the conversation behind Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant on the list of greatest shooting guards of all time. Recurring knee injuries and a lack of three-point range might have held him back, but Wade’s hyper-athletic off-the-dribble game and endlessly creative finishing ability earned him the nickname “Flash” and made him an All-Star every year since 2005.

Does anyone know what they are referring to with the "disputed 2006 Finals"?

In any event, I have #'s 1 & 2 on my all-time starting 5 with Magic @ the 1, MJ @ the 2, LBJ @ the 3, Timmy @ the 4 and as for the 5 I constantly fluctuate between these guys in no particular order: Russell, Wilt, Kareem and Hakeem.

[mufan2003]

I would put Wade at #4 ahead of Garnett as well. Wade had less help leading the Heat to the championship in 2006 than Garnett had in Boston in 2008. Shaq was not the Shaq of 2000 to 2002 when Kobe was Robin to Shaq's Batman winning 3 straight titles.

The "disputed 2006 Finals" is a poor choice of words. Basically, Miami got to the free throw line a lot during the series, Dallas fans complained that many were phantom calls. Far from a "disputed 2006 Finals," makes it sound like Deflategate or something illegal occurred. Fans of opposing teams have always complained about stars getting the calls. Jordan, Shaq, Kobe, etc.

Hard to argue with your all-time list either. Bird might have an argument at the #3 spot with his shooting. It is LeBron's strength and power against Bird's shooting prowess for that spot. C is the toughest position to have a clear cut favorite. I did not have the pleasure of seeing Russell or Wilt, and was pretty young during Kareem's prime. Hakeem was so skilled offensively and still was a great shot blocker. Shaq was so dominant given his size and IQ as to getting post position where it was nearly impossible to stop him without fouling.