The Evolving Standard of Greatness: Ranking NBA Legends 60-51 and the Debate on Championships

 

The debate over who belongs on the pantheon of the NBA’s 100 greatest players is an endless, passionate, and often contentious one. It’s a conversation fueled by statistics, unforgettable moments, and a fundamental disagreement on how to weigh a player’s career. As we delve into the 60-51 range of this all-time list, we encounter a fascinating group of athletes who perfectly embody this complexity: Paul Pierce, Pau Gasol, Patrick Ewing, Ray Allen, and Tracy McGrady. Each player had a unique journey to greatness, marked by distinct peaks and legacies that defy simple categorization.

The ranking methodology, as outlined, emphasizes a nuanced approach to championships. It correctly identifies that not all rings are created equal. Winning a championship in the 1950s, when the league might have had as few as eight teams, is a different challenge than winning one today, in a 30-team league with a global talent pool. This critical distinction forces us to confront a fundamental question: Is a championship a championship, or does the context of the era in which it was won matter?

The answer, as demonstrated by the players in this group, is that context is everything. Winning in the modern NBA, with its unprecedented depth of talent, rigorous playoff format, and worldwide scouting, is arguably a more difficult feat than it was in the league’s formative years. The talent pool has never been deeper. Players from every corner of the globe now grace NBA rosters, from Luka Dončić and Nikola Jokić to Giannis Antetokounmpo. This global pipeline, coupled with advancements in training, analytics, and strategy, has elevated the overall level of competition to a peak never before seen.

Consider the five players in this tier. Their stories are a testament to the evolving nature of NBA greatness.

Paul Pierce, the quintessential Boston Celtic, is a Hall of Famer and an NBA champion. His career was a masterclass in scoring and clutch performance. He was the heart and soul of the Celtics for over a decade, a lone star on a struggling team for years before being joined by Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to form a “Big Three” that delivered a championship in 2008. That championship, won in the heart of the modern era against a formidable Lakers team, holds significant weight. Pierce’s Finals MVP performance in 2008 cemented his legacy, proving he could be the primary option on a title-winning team. His longevity, coupled with his scoring prowess and one-on-one ability, makes him a lock for any all-time list.

Pau Gasol‘s career is a fascinating case study in the value of a high-level co-star. Gasol was a dominant force with the Memphis Grizzlies, a highly skilled big man who won Rookie of the Year and was the franchise’s centerpiece. But his legacy was truly solidified when he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Alongside Kobe Bryant, Gasol became the perfect complement, a versatile player who could score, pass, and rebound, and who was instrumental in the Lakers’ back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010. While he was never the team’s best player, his role as a key contributor on two championship teams against a stacked Eastern Conference, and his impressive international career, place him firmly in this tier.

Patrick Ewing is a great, and often tragic, figure in NBA history. He was the undisputed face of the New York Knicks for a generation, a physically dominant center with an impeccable jump shot and a fierce defensive presence. Ewing was a perennial All-Star and the leader of Knicks teams that were constant contenders in the 1990s. Yet, for all his individual greatness, he never won an NBA championship. He ran into the buzzsaw of Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls and a championship-caliber Houston Rockets team in the Finals. His legacy is one of a great player who simply couldn’t get over the hump. His inclusion in this tier, despite the lack of a ring, speaks to the immense value of his individual statistics, his unwavering consistency, and his role as the anchor of a perennial playoff team in one of the toughest eras of basketball.

Ray Allen, a fellow Hall of Famer and Paul Pierce’s championship teammate, presents a different type of all-time player. Allen began his career as a high-flying, all-around scorer with the Milwaukee Bucks and Seattle SuperSonics. He was a perennial All-Star who could score in a variety of ways. But his legacy was truly cemented in the later stages of his career as the greatest three-point shooter the league had ever seen. His championships with the Celtics in 2008 and, famously, with the Miami Heat in 2013, were a testament to his adaptability and his invaluable skill set. His clutch shot in Game 6 of the 2013 Finals is one of the most iconic moments in NBA history. Allen’s career arc—from a star to a hyper-specialized role player on championship teams—highlights the importance of skill and a willingness to adapt.

And then there’s Tracy McGrady. T-Mac is the ultimate “what if” story. For a five-year stretch in the early 2000s, he was arguably the most gifted scorer in the entire league. His two scoring titles, coupled with his versatile offensive game, made him a nightmare for defenses. He could score from anywhere on the floor, and his athleticism was breathtaking. However, his career was ultimately derailed by injuries and a lack of playoff success. McGrady never advanced beyond the first round as the primary option on a team. His peak was one of the highest in NBA history, but the rest of his career was marred by a series of disappointments. His presence in this tier speaks to the power of a player’s absolute peak, even if it wasn’t sustained for a long period or capped with a championship.

The inclusion of these five players in this tier highlights the complexity of a truly comprehensive all-time list. It forces us to ask tough questions about what we value. Is it longevity and consistency (Pierce)? The ability to be a high-level co-star on a championship team (Gasol)? Dominant individual performance, even without a ring (Ewing)? Clutch performance and a willingness to evolve (Allen)? Or the sheer brilliance of an otherworldly peak (McGrady)?

And finally, we return to the central question: Is a championship today “greater” than one won in the early days? The numbers don’t lie. In the 1950s, the NBA was a small, regional league. The talent pool was limited, and the playoff format was much shorter. A team could win a championship with a roster that, by today’s standards, would struggle to make the playoffs. The sheer number of teams (30 today) and the global nature of talent acquisition have made winning a title a brutal, season-long war of attrition against teams with talent from around the globe. The financial incentives, the scouting, and the sheer number of highly skilled athletes make the competition tougher at every level.

While we should always honor the pioneers of the game, a 2025 championship is, from a purely competitive standpoint, a more difficult achievement than a championship won in the 1950s. That does not diminish the greatness of the legends from that era, but it does mean their championships, while still a monumental achievement, must be weighted differently in a ranking system that seeks to be as objective as possible. The inclusion of players like Ewing and McGrady, who never won a ring, is a testament to this philosophy. It recognizes that greatness isn’t solely defined by the ring count but by the impact, dominance, and skill a player brought to the court in their own era, and how their legacy stacks up against the ever-evolving standards of the game.