The following rankings had skill, talent, and were all legends in their one right. Some players I am going to include are magic johnson, larry bird, wilt chamberlain, bill russell, etc.

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Well even Wikipedia has a page on the Chamberlain vs. Russell rivalry.

Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell, the two best centers to ever play the game. 

No matter who you compare the two, or who you choose, both centers have done enough in careers to make either one of them, the best center to ever play the game. 

Whether is was Wilt, the scoring machine who could score 60 or more points with ease.

Or, there was Russell, the rebounding magnet, and the perfect teammate. Oh yeah, he also won 11 NBA Championships in his 13-year career.

There have been many articles on this website comparing the two, but I am hoping this article can give you a different perception on the debate between who was the better player.

Here is a quick, no statistical bio, comparing the two different types of players we are talking about, before we compare.

Wilt was the more talented of the two, and no one can or will deny that has played with or against the two. Russell always gave his Celtics the best chance to win a title.

Wilt was the better player in the regular season, whereas Russell flourished in the playoffs.

Wilt was non-existent in clutch or key situations, whereas Russell thrived in the intense situations.

Wilt averaged 50 points a game in the 1961-62 season, that same season Russell was named the league's Most Valuable Player.

Wilt was all about the stats, and many points or rebounds he got. Russell was simply obsessed with winning and winning titles.

Chamberlain only cared what critics thought of him. Russell only cared what his teammates though of him.

Wilt won two NBA titles. Russell won 11.

As for how the list works, I will splitting it into six slides. The six slides with be the most unique and different perspectives on the two players.

Some of these ideas have been compiled throughout the different articles and stories I have read comparing these two plays.

Before anyone comments, "I am a Russell homer", I am not. I am the biggest Wilt Chamberlain homer there is. He is my favorite player ever since I was a young kid.

I have memorized important dates of his accomplishments and even spent most of my money on a Wilt-autographed, game-used jersey. So I am the furthest thing from a Russell fan.

I just am telling it how it is.

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LeBron wasn't unanimously voted in as the MVP, but he was rather close (something like 116 of 123 votes in favor of James). 

As every fan knows, James decided that winning a championship in Cleveland was impossible, so he jumped ship for Miami, where he will join forces with Chris Bosh and hometown favorite Dwayne Wade. Everyone knows that this is D-Wade's team, especially after Flash brought a championship to Miami in 2006.

How will LeBron take a back seat to Wade when he's been "the man" for seven years now?

That isn't even the most problematic question facing the Heat next season. How will LeBron and Wade share the ball, as both are most effective dominating the ball? Who will take the last shot at the end of the game? How will Miami take criticism after having all their losses scrutinized by fans and analyst alike? These are some questions that LeBron and the Heat will face all season. 

Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers will not be facing these type of questions, as they have already proven to be championship worthy.

The Lakers have won the last two championships and hope to three-peat, as this is most likely Phil Jackson's final year of coaching. Mitch Kupchak, Lakers general manager, has done a splendid job in acquiring veteran talent that should help L.A. in their quest for third straight title.

This Lakers team is ready for any challenge ahead, and that includes the very shiny Miami Heat. 

A lot of analysts believe that with Lebron's departure from Cleveland, the MVP race will now be wide open. While that is somewhat true, I only believe the race comes down to either Kobe Bryant or Kevin Durant.

Durant had individual and team success last season, as the OKC Thunder surprised many ball clubs who still believed them to be doormats in the tough Western conference. Kevin Durant and the OKC Thunder should have continued success but they haven't improved enough to be considered a legit threat to the Lakers.

Yes, they could give the Lakers a real scare, but I highly doubt they'll be a top-two seed in the West. 

Kevin Durant and the OKC Thunder will need to be a top-two seed in the West for experts to consider Durant as the MVP over Bryant. If Bryant and the Lakers stay relatively healthy, they will walk away with the top seed in the West, therefore making Bryant the likely MVP next season. 

Even if LeBron and the Heat have the best record in the NBA, not one player on that team will be considered a serious MVP candidate (meaning a top-two candidate). Unless LeBron averages a triple-double, which won't happen, then the MVP award will either go to Bryant or Durant.

As of now, I say Kobe Bryant will be the 2010-11 MVP, and here are the reasons why. 

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Kobe Bryant has been the best player in the NBA consistently through the past 10 years. 

Buzzer beaters.

Jam dropping dunks.

Championships.

Superb athleticism.

He's got it.

Mr. Bryant may not be Michael Jordan, but he is the closest thing available in this generation.

With that, I present to you the Best plays in Kobe Bryant's career.

Please Enjoy.

This Article Courtesy Of Rip City Report

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Even considering that the Green had not won a championship since 1986, their closest competitors, the Los Angeles Lakers, had only 11 titles to Boston's 16. That, along with the Celtics' rich history, made them an easy pick as the NBA's greatest franchise.

And then the tide began to turn...

Over the next 10 years, Los Angeles won five championships to Boston's one. We also witnessed the rise of two new Laker greats, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. These developments did more than just "tip the scales."

Before I get ahead of myself here, let me assure you that there is much more that goes into the NBA's greatest franchise debate than just championships. And if you're a Laker fan, that's something to be excited about.

Now we will weigh accomplishments, crunch the numbers, look into the future a little, and figure out if the Boston Celtics are still the NBA's greatest franchise.

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For sports fans, October is a fun month, as it’s the only time that all four major North American professional sports leagues are in action (MLB, the NFL, the NHL, and the NBA).

With Major League Baseball, the playoffs get underway and soon the current year’s champs will be determined in the World Series. In the NFL, teams are approaching mid-season form and football fans can start to clearly see the contenders for the Super Bowl.

With the NHL and NBA, October marks the beginning of the season where fans can dream early about winning the Stanley Cup or Larry O’Brien Trophy.

With October coming up and thinking about all 4 leagues, some may think about the great sports franchises that have come to represent their respective sports. But how does one compare the top teams in North American professional sports history?

For starters, I’ll admit my own analysis is somewhat subjective. When you think about each league, certain teams pop out. 

For objectivity purposes, I considered a variety of factors such as championships won, overall record, overall playoff appearances, franchise value (according to Forbes), and legendary players (please note that the MLB records are through the 2009 season).

A list like this would favor teams that have been around since the earlier days of their respective leagues, although a few younger clubs that have become great winners in their sports could easily be considered among the greatest. 

That being said, I do realize that winning percentages of the top teams tend to be higher in the NFL and NBA versus the NHL and MLB. I was sure to take that into consideration.

Let me know in your comments what you think.  Did I get these rankings right? Are there teams I left out that should have made the list? Is my logic off or is it coherent? 

Without further ado, I announce the greatest sports franchises in North American pro sports.

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Help defense is easier to gauge because most defensive statistics such as steals and blocks occur as a result of help defense, while great individual defense is more difficult to explain with numbers.

Recognizing great individual defense demands more of an a person's attention, because it involves observing the more fundamental aspects of defense.

Footwork, posture, instincts, and court awareness are a few traits of a superior defender, and in a league based on man-to-man defensive principles, there are few players who actually stand out in that category.

Last season's NBA All-Defensive first team consisted of Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Rajon Rondo, and Gerald Wallace.

All five players are competent individual defenders, but Bryant and Rondo are really the only ones that have a reputation as great man-to-man defenders.

Howard was the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year, and he earned the award due to his dominance in the paint, which mainly consisted of vicious blocks and strong defensive rebounding.

Howard's size, strength, and athleticism make him an ideal help defender in the paint, and he is one of the better players in the NBA when it comes to guarding the rim.

But as far as man-to-man defense goes, Howard is still learning the nuances of playing solid post defense, and he has a habit of crossing his feet instead of sliding when he is forced to guard a player on the perimeter.

One of the reasons Howard is whistled for so many fouls is because he consistently gets beaten off the dribble, and he often finds himself trying to block the opposition's shot from behind.

That's not to take anything away from Howard though, because his impact on the defensive end can be game-altering for the Orlando Magic, and his accolades are well deserved.

However, once Howard is able to gain a grasp on defensive fundamentals and the principles of individual defense, he could very well be one of the greatest post defenders to ever roam the paint.

James is simply the best help defender in the game today, and although his signature defensive image may be his acrobatic blocks, he is just as good at recognizing the opposition's strategy and adjusting accordingly.

James was usually the last line of defense during his time in Cleveland, and his superior physical attributes made him a defensive nightmare all over the court.

Although James is an above average man-to-man defender, he has not yet reached the elite level, but it would be silly to think that plateau is not in his immediate future.

In Miami, James will not be forced to play such a prominent role on the help end because he has another elite defender playing alongside him in Dwyane Wade. This should allow James to focus his attention on individual defense.

Wallace and Rondo, like James, are also superior help defenders and either player is capable of dominating a defensive stat sheet when it comes to steals, rebounds, and in Wallace's case, blocks.

But Wallace and Rondo are also excellent man-to-man defenders, and Wallace is the rare talent who is just as effective on the perimeter as he is in the post.

Rondo is arguably the top defensive point in the NBA, and it's scary to think that he still has room to improve as an individual defender.

Rondo has excellent defensive fundamentals, but he does have a tendency to get a little lazy, and instead of staying in front of his man, Rondo has a habit of reaching from behind in order to create turnovers.

Sometimes Rondo is successful, but his technique also results in petty fouls which could be avoided by simply sticking to solid defensive principles.

Bryant is the standard by which most great perimeter defenders are measured, as illustrated by his eighth career selection for the NBA's defensive first team.

Bryant may be the most fundamentally sound man-to-man defender in the NBA, but age and injuries have diminished some of the physical gifts that made him consistenly great on the defensive end.

Bryant is still a superb individual defender mostly because of his court intellect and instincts, and the presence of Laker teammate Ron Artest has helped Bryant transition to a more efficient help defender.

Which brings me to a very interesting point about Artest.

The four finalists for the league's Defensive Player of the Year award were Howard, Wallace, Atlanta's Josh Smith, and Artest. And of the four only, Artest failed to make either of the NBA's All-Defense teams.

Most Lakers' fans would admit that Artest's impact on the defensive end played a major role in the team's championship last season, and some would even say his impact on that end was far greater than Bryant's.

That point may be debatable, but Artest was unquestionably the most consistent individual defender for the Lakers last season.

Artest's career has been defined by his defensive prowess, and for the majority of his time in the league Artest has been a shining example of what a complete defender really is.

Artest has been an All-League defender a total of four times, and he was named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year during the 2003-2004 season.

Artest has also led the NBA in steals twice, finished second in that category on three other occassins, and managed to carry a 2.0 steals per game average throughout his career.

What's more impressive about Artest's theft totals are the fact that many of them occur because of solid man defense as opposed to help defense.

Artest is blessed with quick, strong hands, excellent footwork, and a fierce, aggressive style that is based on allowing as little room as possible for the opposition to operate.

Artest's strength also allows him to defend larger players in the post, and he is exceptional at using his body to dictate an opponent's movement in the paint.

Time has robbed Artest of some of his quickness on the perimeter, but he is still regarded as one of the elite man-to-man defenders in the NBA, if not the very best.

Which makes it a puzzling coincidence that Artest failed to make either NBA defensive team.

The NBA's defensive teams are decided by the votes of the league's 30 coaches, and Artest missed out on joining the second team by a total of three votes.

Artest garnered 11 votes overall and finished behind Thabo Sefolosha of the Oklahoma City Thunder who garnered 14 total votes.

Not to take anything away from Sefolosha, but few observers would consider him to be in the same class of defenders as Artest, and the same can be said for Cleveland's Anderson Varejao who also made the second team.

Some people say Artest deserved to make the first team over Bryant, and even though that is only opinion, its' hard to justify the logic of him failing to make either team.

Artest's defense against Kevin Durant and Paul Pierce during the 2010 postseason proves he still resides among the league's top individual defenders, and he has a very strong case for the NBA's best.

Of course, that is a subjective matter, and although I tend to sway more towards the coaches when it comes to judging a player's effectiveness, I believe the people who picked Artest as a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year got it right.

Read more Los Angeles Lakers news on BleacherReport.com

While Artest was in the Lakers' locker room he reportedly told Kobe Bryant that he would love the opportunity to help Bryant and the Lakers attempt to win a championship the following season.

Artest had just witnessed the Lakers completely taken out of their element by the Celtics, who forced Los Angeles to abandon the safe confines of their precision-based game.

The Lakers were a very good team in 2007-08, but they had several weaknesses and none was more glaring than the lack of a strong, physical presence.

The acquisition of Pau Gasol earlier in the season had made the Lakers prime contenders to win the NBA championship, but the Celtics sniffed out their biggest flaw and ruthlessly exposed it.

In 2008 Los Angeles was battered, bruised, and beaten on the way to an embarrassing 40 point loss in the last game of the Finals, and their main focus in the offseason was to get mentally and physically tougher.

The paths of Bryant and Artest would cross again in the 2009 playoffs when Artest's Houston Rockets pushed the Lakers to the brink of elimination, losing in seven games to the eventual champion Lakers.

During that series Bryant and Artest had a memorable confrontation which began with Bryant swinging a wild elbow in Artest's direction, and ended with Artest the beneficiary of a technical foul.

From both players' body language during the exchange it would seem that a little bad blood existed between them, but actually the incident may have just been a sign of mutual respect.

When Artest joined the Lakers in the 2009 offseason the move was lauded by Bryant, and considering the importance Artest played in the Lakers' subsequent championship, Bryant's enthusiasm was well-merited.

Even though the Lakers were able to win the title in 2009 they could still not escape the label of being a soft team, and Artest immediately began to change that perception.

Artest brought a dose of toughness and a rough edge to the Lakers' finesse-based game, and he assumed the role of the defensive enforcer that was previously missing from the team.

Artest's presence meant Bryant would no longer be forced to defend bigger players such as Denver's Carmelo Anthony, and he could divert more of his energy to the offensive end.

A broken finger and problems with his knee slowed Bryant during the season and the playoffs, but in a 2010 Finals' rematch of the Lakers' 2008 nightmare with the Celtics, Artest proved his worth.

Artest virtually took 2008 Finals' MVP Paul Pierce out of the series with his intense physical style, and when Pierce and the Celtics pushed the Lakers, Artest pushed back.

The series had the same physical style and pace as the 2008 Finals, but this time the Lakers were able to hold their own when the game devolved into a battle of wills.

There were many heroes for the Lakers in last season's championship march, and none were more important than Artest. But how good can the Lakers be on both sides of the ball with an offseason of rest for Bryant?

Bryant still managed to average 27 points per game last season, but it was obvious that his shooting stroke was bothered by his finger, and it was clear that his knee issues diminished the lift in his legs.

A healthy Bryant gives the Lakers the most versatile, and arguably the most dominant scoring presence in the game, and Artest should be even better with a full season in the Lakers' system under his belt.

Bryant said recently in an interview given by teammate Derek Fisher who was standing in on ESPN's show Jim Rome Is Burning, that his batteries are re-charged and he is looking forward to next season.

Many observers felt Bryant had lost a step last season, and although age may be a factor now in his career, it's not really a fair assessment considering Bryant's multiple injuries last season.

If Bryant enters next season with an attitude that he has something to prove, then the rest of the NBA could be in for an even scarier, more focused version of Bryant than in seasons past.

Likewise, Artest should benefit from the fact he has seen his career come full circle.

After the brawl in Detroit threatened to end his career and garnered a reputation that has followed him ever since, Artest has finally found peace with the Lakers.

On BET's series Life After, Artest said as much, and he also mentioned that he had never been as comfortable in his career as he is right now.

Many people thought the marriage of Artest and the Lakers was a union destined for failure, but under the tutelage of coach Phil Jackson and the watchful eye of Bryant, it has become one of the NBA's most impressive dynamics.

The 2010-11 Lakers will be one of the deepest, talented, and most balanced teams of the Jackson era, and in the mind of Lakers' owner Jerry Buss it has the potential to be one of the greatest of all time.

Los Angeles has dominant post players in Gasol and Andrew Bynum, a deep reserves corps which is led by Odom, and a defense that rivals the offense for attention.

Reaching the NBA Finals for a fourth consecutive season will be no easy task for the Lakers, but it helps when you have the game's top scorer in Bryant, and arguably the game's best individual defender in Artest leading the way. 

Read more Los Angeles Lakers news on BleacherReport.com

The 2010-11 Miami Heat, for example, are either destined to fulfill all the promise of their talented roster and ride their big three to playoff greatness, or be relegated as one of the most over-hyped and disappointing teams ever assembled.

There really is no middle ground in Miami.

Let's face it: We've all seen teams who failed to meet expectations. The Vegas Odds picked them as the favorites, their fans had stocked up on season tickets and league passes so as not to miss a single game and every Sportscenter analyst was glowing about how far ahead of the pack they were.

But the team comes out, faces a team that doesn't believe the hype and that favorite is sent crashing back down to earth with a decisive thud, deemed by NBA historians in the year's that follow as an also-ran.

These are the clubs whose hype never quite matched their games.

Here are the most disappointing NBA teams of all time.

Miami Heat, you all may want to take notes.

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Sometimes it might use a slightly less formal language, but the point still remains.

This article will simply pay tribute to the twenty greatest trash talkers in history.

On a side note, this list will contain two people who have never played a pro game in their lives, and never coached either. However, those are the only two exceptions.

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