[abritinthebay]

> I have issue with the claim that Taylor was just beating up on inferior competition historically.

As you should - because, even if it's true, it's silly.

Jordan arrived at post-expansion NBA and his early dominance of the game can be directly attributed to that. But we don't downplay his achievements and skill because of that - we take them what they were - incredible for the era.

Taylor has won 216 professional tournaments - 84 major titles and a record 16 World Championships. Taylor won eight consecutive World Championships from 1995 to 2002 and reached 14 consecutive finals from 1994 to 2007.

We're not dealing with the 60s here in Taylor - we're dealing with a man that is currently dominant in the game. Not as much as he was but he's still the man to beat.

Van Gerwen is good - great even - but he's no Jordan yet. He's only been good for 2 years, let me know when it's been 10.

[GFK_of_xmaspast]

I'm not sure what you mean by "post-expansion", by my reading of the wiki timeline (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expansion_team#National_Basket...) Jordan came in during the middle of what would become the longest drought between NBA expansions. (And considering the rest of the league at the time, it's hard for me to get my head around what "incredible for the era" could mean)

[abritinthebay]

Jordan's major wins - his 91-93 championship run - and thus a fair portion of his legacy, came post-expansion of the NBA by 4 teams.

It's not a knock on Jordan or the Bulls, but there was a talent drought for a few years. The Bulls took full advantage and Jordan shone.