This argument is one of my biggest pet peeves. This argument is more annoying to me than some sort of crazy banshee screaming it's lungs out. It's worse than every single girl on Facebook posing with a "duckface". The act in question is done while arguing about whether or not one basketball player is better than another (Which is already annoying enough). The most annoying argument in the world that people try to use is the good-old-fashioned "COUNT DA RINGZZZ" argument (Translation: "Player X has been on more championship teams than player Y"). It goes something like this (We'll use the LeBron James/Kobe Bryant argument to keep things relevant to what is happening currently):
Logical Debater #1: This season, LeBron had a PER of 30.8, a FG% of 53%, and is averaging a line of 27.1 PPG, 6.2 APG, and 7.9 RPG (Not to mention winning that first coveted title). Kobe, had a PER of 21.9, a FG% of 43%, and is averaging a line of 27.9 PPG, 4.6 APG, and 5.4 RPG. So, while Kobe has a slightly better PPG average, LeBron is scoring at a much more effective rate, and LeBron is also having a better all around game this year. Due to this evidence, it can be said that LeBron has surpassed Kobe as the best player in the NBA on a nightly basis.
Kobe Fanboy: KOBE GOT FIVE MORE RINGZ THAN BRON BRON. COUNT DA RINGZZZ BOIIII!!!!!!!!!!!
And this argument proceeds to annoy the living shit out of me.
After hearing this argument a few too many times, I feel like I am qualified enough to identify who uses this argument, and also why they use it. Most times, someone is arguing in favor of an aging star who has lost some of his thunder, and they are usually arguing against someone who is, both by the box score and by using advanced stats, better than the aging star. They know that their argument doesn't hold any water, so they proceed to take the "RINGZZZ" argument until you either:
A) Blow up in their faces and tell them to stop being a dumb person and think of a logical basketball argument.
B) Walk away to avoid blowing up in their faces and telling them to stop being a dumb person and think of a logical basketball argument.
My point is, if you use the "RINGZZZ" argument then you are a dumb person and are incapable of thinking of a logical basketball argument. There are so many wrong things about the "RINGZZZ", but I will try to keep this short and relatively sweet.
Those who use the argument are usually speaking of Kobe Bryant whenever they are valiantly defending his place at the top of the NBA. Other debaters will come up with arguments using stats and reasoning, but those will unfortunately be blindly rejected, as the Kobe fanboy will yell at the top of his lungs: "COUNT DA RINGZZZ!!!! KOBE IZ DA BEST EVER!!!!". But, what the fanboy doesn't realize is that by his math, there are several players better than Kobe. Some of those include the names of greats like Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, and Robert Horry.
Now, I know what you're thinking. "Wait a minute...Robert Horry? He was a good role player and made a lot of tough shots, but there is no way he is a better player than Kobe."
And that line of thinking is exactly correct. Because of this, the "RINGZZZ" argument should be thrown out. Furthermore, using the "RINGZZZ reasoning would also lead you to believe that Derek Fisher is on the same level of greatness as Kobe Bryant, and is a better player than Tim Duncan. In related news, it was incredibly hard for me to complete that last sentence without doubling over in laughter.
Another thing that is interesting is that fans do not seem to realize that just because you have been on more championship teams doesn't necessarily mean that you are a better individual player than anyone else. It just means that over the course of your career, you have had a better combination of teammates, coaches, and luck than the other person in question. No single player wins any game by himself, as much as some people may want to believe it. It's like the old cliche goes: There is no "I" in the word "TEAM".
And I know that to some of you reading, this whole post may seem idiotic and obvious, but trust me, they are a lot of people who use the "RINGZZZ" point a lot, and they all have one common factor about them. They are all dumb people who are incapable of thinking of a logical basketball argument.
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