Shining the cold light of perspective on some of the NBA's most hallowed milestones is tricky business.
You have to balance appreciation for the remarkable athletic achievements of the past with the insipid #WellActually spirit of modernity. Thanks for that second part, Twitter. You've made us all monsters.
Seriously, though, when you say a celebrated record from the past isn't actually that impressive, you have to say it carefully, with qualifiers.
Yes, it was amazing in the moment, and anyone who scored 100 points in a game or won 11 titles in 13 years did it against the only competition that was available and in the only NBA environment that existed at the time.
If, in hindsight, that competition or that environment appear suspect in a way that makes those milestones less impressive, that's not the fault of the achiever. It's just a reflection of how pretty much everything—sports included—evolves and improves over time. And hopefully it also reflects the way we get smarter about appreciating the value of context.
So a lot of what comes next is going to seem like blasphemy, but at least it'll be nuanced ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Grant Hughes
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