[MENTION=63]Jiggyfly[/MENTION]
I will say this, I would now vault him over Kobe Bryant and that is something I never thought I'd say.
He may not be this killer, and he still has his moments where he remains too passive at the wrong moments, but he's also come a long way and has shown he can take over a big time game in a big time moment. It doesn't get bigger than game 7 of the NBA Finals and the guy dominated all aspects of the game last night. I can't say enough of for how impressed I am by what he did over the last 3 games.
Still, he's not MJ's equal. He just isn't. In fact, I'd still take Magic Johnson and MAYBE Kareem over him on an all time list. But before this series, I had him outside the top 5 because his NBA Finals record wasn't very good, he had moments where he froze that cost his teams games and even championships, and of course the way he had to build teams in order to win. But I was so impressed with what he did in these Finals that I think it washes away ALMOST all that.
So in my list, MJ is still #1, and I'd take Magic over him too, but that's not exactly an insult to be the 3rd greatest player ever. For me, he vaulted a handful of legendary guys last night and I'm sure lots of other people feel the same.