[jman23]

does a player deserve to be called great if he's never been to the finals?

[magohaydz]

examples of players who you think might fit this catergory?

[SkywalkerAC]

sure, tmac and yao are great players. chris paul is a great player. kevin garnett is a great player. etc

[DaRizzle]

"Great"? yes, it takes 5 players. Its what your personal def of "great" is and "great" isnt the right word for the top top players in the league IMO.
For example (IMO)

Tmac(this year) is great
Kobe is a superstar

[rocketeer]

it takes a team to make the finals, not just one player.

[Dee-Zy]

Originally Posted by rocketeer

it takes a team to make the finals, not just one player.

/thread

[jokeaward]

A great player, yes. Great at playing basketball.

Now for great career, which includes team wins to me, then maybe not. But how good a player is does not depend on his team's wins.

Was Glen Rice better with the Hornets and Heat or with the Lakers? Is Robert Horry as good as Dr. J? More rings.