Tag Archives: decade of dominance

H2H 73: Dennis Rodman vs. Ben Wallace – Who was Better?

Note: Updated for Ben Wallace’s 2021 Hall of Fame selection.

While the most glamorous part of playing basketball is scoring points, every championship team also needs players who can rebound, play defense, and do the dirty work necessary to win.  In the history of the NBA, perhaps no players better epitomize the role of an offensively-challenged, yet ferocious rebounder and defender better than Dennis Rodman and Ben Wallace. Both were relatively undersized, yet more than made up for it with their hustle and determination, transforming from unheralded prospects to All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year anchors for championship teams – as two of the greatest rebounding and defense specialists ever, the natural question is:

Who was better – Dennis Rodman or Ben Wallace?

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H2H 72: Scott Niedermayer vs. Chris Pronger – Who was Better?

Between the 1999-2000 and 2007-2008 NHL seasons, the legendary Nicklas Lidstrom of the Detroit Red Wings won six Norris Trophies as the league’s best defenseman; during this stretch, the only other blueliners to take home the honors were Chris Pronger of the St. Louis Blues in 1999-2000 and Scott Niedermayer of the New Jersey Devils in 2003-2004.  Both were outstanding players in their own right, Hall of Fame defensemen who dominated for well over a decade apiece, actually played together in Anaheim, and even won a Stanley Cup together. As among the best defensemen of their generation NOT named Nicklas Lidstrom and one-time teammates, this begs the question:

Who was better – Scott Niedermayer or Chris Pronger?

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H2H 71: Luke Kuechly vs. Patrick Willis – Who was Better?

In January 2020, linebacker Luke Kuechly of the Carolina Panthers surprisingly announced his retirement from the NFL at the relatively young age of 28; in just eight NFL seasons, he established himself as one of the league’s premier defensive players, earning Pro Bowl, All-Pro, and Defensive Player of the Year honors.  In many ways, his short, but accomplished career mirrors that of another Pro Bowl and All-Pro linebacker, Patrick Willis of the San Francisco 49ers, who likewise retired after just eight seasons – given the similarities between their careers, both in duration and impact, it is only natural to ask:

Who was better – Luke Kuechly or Patrick Willis?

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H2H 70: Mike Mussina vs. Curt Schilling – Who was Better?

In 2019, Mike Mussina was selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his sixth year of eligibility with 76.7% of the vote, just barely clearing the 75% threshold needed for induction.  In contrast, Curt Schilling, in his seventh year of eligibility, finished on the outside looking in with 60.9% of votes; in 2020, he continued to inch closer to induction, but missed out once again with 70.0% of votes.  While there has been much speculation about Schilling’s personality, political affiliations, and other post-career activities hurting his Hall of Fame chances, interestingly, when you look at the careers and accomplishments of Mussina and Schilling side-by-side, they are actually very comparable – thus, this leads to the question:

Who was better – Mike Mussina or Curt Schilling?

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H2H 69: Charles Barkley vs. Elgin Baylor – Who was Better?

Basketball has historically been a game dominated by taller players; in particular, when it comes to the paint area near the hoop, towering forwards and centers measuring close to seven feet tall battle each other to score and rebound.  However, despite these archetypes, every so often an undersized player comes around and outplays the competition in spite of his height – during the NBA’s history, two undersized players fitting this description were 6’6” Charles Barkley and 6’5” Elgin Baylor.  Though each player often gave up a few inches to the competition, both were 20-and-10 machines who played well above their height en route to Hall of Fame careers, thus prompting the question:

Who was better – Charles Barkley or Elgin Baylor?

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H2H 68: Brett Favre vs. Dan Marino – Who was Better?

In a September 2007 regular season game vs. the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre completed a 16-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Greg Jennings in the first quarter; with that touchdown pass, Favre broke Dan Marino’s then-record of 420 career passing touchdowns to sit atop the NFL record books.  Though they have both since been surpassed by Drew Brees, Tom Brady, and Peyton Manning, Favre and Marino remain near the top of most career passing records, including yardage and touchdowns.  As two of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, with numerous passing records and MVP awards between them, let us pose the question:

Who was better – Brett Favre or Dan Marino?

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H2H 67: Hank Aaron vs. Stan Musial – Who was Better?

After Pete Rose (4,256) and Ty Cobb (4,191), no players in MLB history have more career hits than Hank Aaron at #3 (3,771) and Stan Musial at #4 (3,630).  With careers spanning well over 20 seasons apiece, Aaron and Musial accomplished it all during their playing days – 20+ All-Star selections each, MVP awards, batting titles, World Series championships, and a plethora of career hitting records.  Interestingly, the younger Aaron viewed Musial as one of his baseball idols and the two later became lifelong friends; given their similar career statistics and accomplishments (with the exception of Aaron’s clear superiority in hitting home runs), it is a natural comparison to ask:

Who was better – Hank Aaron or Stan Musial?

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H2H 66: Jaromir Jagr vs. Mark Messier – Who was Better?

Everyone knows that Wayne Gretzky is the NHL’s all-time leading scorer with 2,857 career points; almost 1,000 career points behind him at #2 and #3 overall are Jaromir Jagr (1,921) and Mark Messier (1,887), respectively.  Both played alongside transcendent players during the first halves of their careers and were arguably Robin rather than Batman (Jagr with Mario Lemieux in Pittsburgh, Messier with Gretzky in Edmonton), but are nevertheless all-time legends in their own right – between the 1,800+ career points each, Ross Trophies, Hart Trophies, Pearson Awards, captaincies, and Stanley Cup titles, etc., the question is:

Who was better – Jaromir Jagr or Mark Messier?

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H2H 65: Kevin McHale vs. Robert Parish – Who was Better?

During the 1980s, the NBA was dominated by the fierce rivalry between cornerstone franchises the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, who combined for eight titles during the decade.  Each team was loaded with stars and Hall of Famers – on the Lakers side, there was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Michael Cooper, etc. Meanwhile, for the Celtics, Larry Bird was the clear alpha, but also formed one of the original “Big Threes” and a dominant frontcourt alongside Kevin McHale and Robert Parish.  Between the tough-nosed and versatile McHale and the durable and consistent Parish, each player was an All-Star and Hall of Famer in his own right, thus bringing up the question:

Who was better – Kevin McHale or Robert Parish?

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H2H 64: Jim Brown vs. Walter Payton – Who was Better?

Any discussion of the greatest running backs in NFL history usually centers around a couple of names, in particular Jim Brown of the Cleveland Browns and Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears.  Though Emmitt Smith has held the league’s career rushing yards record since 2002, that distinction had previously belonged to Payton since 1984, who in turn had broken Brown’s record. With both legendary running backs recently being selected to the NFL 100 All-Time Team, it naturally begs the question:

Who was better – Jim Brown or Walter Payton?

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