What kind of player was the most perfect?
Everyone had a different answer in mind.
Some believed that a player like Magic Johnson—someone who could play from the one to the five, race up and down the entire court to score and assist, grab rebounds inside, and finish with hook shots—was perfect.
Some believed Michael Jordan was perfect: a player who could score against anyone, no matter how many defenders were thrown at him, who could also lock down the opponent's core player and descend like a god in the clutch.
Some chose Wilt Chamberlain, while others chose Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
But without a doubt, there were only two truly perfect players in this era: Kobe and McGrady.
"Terrifying hang time!!! McGrady soared into the air!!! He stretched out his body and caught the ball after tossing it off the backboard himself! Then he swung it around in a huge windmill and slammed it home!"
"Did you see that, Kobe?! I made that move look smoother than you did!" Ever since Kobe had completed that self alley-oop dunk at the All-Star Game, McGrady had never forgotten it!
Kobe had stolen his move!
McGrady had always wanted to pull off that move in front of Kobe!
Today, he did it!
The FleetCenter crowd erupted!
Their leader, McGrady, could casually pull off in an actual game the kind of play that usually only appeared in the Slam Dunk Contest!
Who was the last player to make Boston this frenzied?
Larry Bird!
The greatest small forward in history!
That unrivaled, unstoppable king of swagger!
And after moving to small forward this season, McGrady had put up performances even more stunning than Larry Bird's!
One day, God met four children. He knew they would become the greatest basketball players of the future.
So God asked,