"One, it underlined how weirdly obsessed and overserious NBA fans are about the league's all-time pecking order—witness the recent howling when Dallas's coach dared suggest that Dirk Nowitzki belonged in the greatest-ever Top 10, as if there was the possibility the Martian All-Stars might arrive and our planet would get hammered in the low post because it opted for Nowitzki over Hakeem Olajuwon."