[quote name='2fast_2fuhrer']DT778, can I hear why you think Magic is the greatest of all time (no offense meant, just curious)?[/QUOTE]
I'll take the liberty of starting DT's answer for him.
From what I posted in the other thread:
As a 20 year old rookie in the NBA Finals, Magic started game six at center in place of the injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and went on to record 42 pts, 15 rebounds, 7 assist and 3 steals, becoming the first rookie to win NBA Finals MVP. You want clutch? See the hook shot against the Celtics to win game 4 of the NBA Finals. You want defense? League leader in steals in 81 and 82 (record for most consecutive seasons leading the league in steals), and is 9th on the all time steals list. Toss in 7 rebounds, 11 assists and 19 points a game, along with 5 championships, and you've got the greatest player of all time.
Now, with all this talk about Jordan globalizing the game, I think we need to consider where Jordan got his jumping off point. That's right, Magic. Before Magic came into the league, TV ratings for the NBA were floundering. He made basketball worth watching. There would be no NBA as we knew it for Jordan to globalize had Magic not made the game popular in the 80s. His rivalry with Bird is the stuff of legend. The marketing of the NBa became prevalent because of Magic, plain and simple. Jordan picked up where Magic left off, which happened to coincide with the "shrinking of the globe" that occured with the technology boom of the 90's.