The NBA and Its Media Partners Continue to Ignore the ABA's History and Statistics
Can you imagine the NFL or its media partners discussing the league's history, statistics, and great players without mentioning legendary AFL players and teams? Joe Namath's guarantee prior to the New York Jets' Super Bowl III upset win over the Baltimore Colts is one of the most iconic moments in pro football history.
In sad and inexcusable contrast, the NBA ignores the ABA's history and statistics. This leads to absurd conversations like the one that took place on ESPN's pregame show prior to game six of the Eastern Conference Finals when the panel debated where Stephen Curry should rank all-time. The consensus was that Curry probably does not belong in the top 10, and the debate focused on whether or not Curry has surpassed Julius Erving and Moses Malone, two players who ESPN has determined rank in the top 20 but not the top 10. ESPN graphics listing the players' career accomplishments and honors asserted that Erving won one regular season MVP, one championship, and no Finals MVPs. This is equivalent to asserting that Joe Namath's AFL statistics and honors should not be counted. Not counting ABA records does not harm Malone as much as Erving because Malone's ABA career was shorter and less distinguished than Erving's, but one also gets the sense that Malone is somehow "tainted" because he did not spend his entire career in the NBA. Is there any three-time regular season MVP whose career is as ignored as Malone's? How many fans realize that Malone won the same number of MVPs as Larry Bird and Magic Johnson?
Regarding Erving, no matter how often the NBA and its media partners deny history, these are the facts: Erving won four regular season MVPs, three championships, and two Finals MVPs. Further, in the 1976 ABA Finals, Erving played at a level that Curry cannot even dream of reaching: Erving led both teams in scoring (37.7 ppg), rebounding (14.2 rpg), assists (6.0 apg), steals (3.0 spg) and blocked shots (2.2 bpg). Who was Erving competing against in that series? Just a Denver Nuggets team coached by Hall of Fame Coach Larry Brown, and led by Hall of Fame players David Thompson, Dan Issel, and Bobby Jones.
Erving still belongs in the greatest player of all-time conversation; pretending that he is fighting for a spot in the top 20 and that he has been surpassed by a 6-3 guard is ridiculous. The only player shorter than 6-5 whose impact can be compared with Erving's is Jerry West.
Before Curry is compared to players like Erving and Malone, he needs to surpass a few more of his contemporaries. There is no question that Curry was the second best player behind Kevin Durant on Golden State's 2017 and 2018 championship teams. If the Warriors win the 2022 championship that will not retroactively change what happened in 2017 and 2018. Durant may be a borderline Pantheon player, but Curry is definitely behind Durant (and not next in line, either).
Curry is a great player, and this article is not meant to bash him. I enjoy watching Curry play, and I think that he represents a lot of what is great about basketball, including his skill set development, his superior conditioning, and his unselfishness. The issue is not Curry or anything that he has accomplished; the issue is that the NBA is doing the sport of basketball a great disservice by ignoring vast swaths of history.
Labels: Julius Erving, Kevin Durant, Moses Malone, Stephen Curry
posted by David Friedman @ 12:51 AM
6 Comments:
Julius Erving and Moses Malone remain two of the most underrated players ever, the media acts like they are fringe top 20 when that's not really the case particularly for Erving who is at worst top 15 and who really should be mentioned in top 5-10 talks more often. There is no doubt in my mind he was a superior player to Curry
The ABA was a lot closer to the NBA today as far as the freedom perimeter players had back then, it's amusing they discredit his achievements and production so much there while propping up the achievements and especially the production of perimeter players who play in today's NBA
Could there be a bias towards the David & Goliath myth at play here? Perhaps media tend to overrate players 6'3" or under precisely because their generally superior handles invoke David and his slingshot. I think it was Wilt Chamberlain who said that nobody roots for Goliath. For example, of course Shaq deserved more than one MVP. He deserved, by my count, at least as many as Bird, Magic, and Moses (three). But why give the award to Goliath when you can give it to Davids like Iverson and Nash? Neither one ever defeated Goliath by the way.
Moses Malone was something of a Goliath too. Probably why his three MVPs are less well known. Not that Magic and Bird were Davids exactly. But at 6'9" they were just small enough that the general public could feel like it could relate to them.
Certainly media and the public relate more to Curry (David) than they do to Durant (a skinny Goliath with wondrous handles).
Cyber:
Erving would be unguardable under today's rules. He would catch the ball at the three point line, defenders would not be allowed to touch him, and he would be at the hoop dunking in two dribbles. Or, he would be trapped, and then get 10 assists per game passing to three point shooters. He was not a bad three point shooter, either; when he shot them semi-regularly in the ABA he had a good percentage, and his NBA numbers are dragged down by end of clock heaves because his attempt numbers were low. With all due respect to Brook Lopez and other non-shooters who became three point shooters, if Erving played today he would shoot at least .350 from three point range while attempting four to five per game--just enough to keep the defense honest. With few true big men roaming the court, prime Erving would easily average 10-plus rpg. He was not a physical defender, but he got steals and blocked shots while playing for elite defensive teams, so I think that his defense would be more appreciated in today's style than it was when he played.
I can't picture Malone shooting many three pointers, but he would wreak havoc in the paint, and he was quicker than people might think, so he would not have problems defensively against smaller players.
Anonymous:
Without question, there is a David/Goliath effect here working both ways: for the "undersized" players (who are still bigger than average humans but are not giants), and against the players who are giants. That is why Iverson, Nash, Rose, and Curry won MVPs over bigger and more impactful players. I loved watching Iverson, Nash, Rose, and Curry, but those guys were not better than Shaq, Kobe, Duncan, LeBron, etc.
Not only does the NBA ignore the statistics and legacy of the ABA. The NBA ignores the ABA's human dimension too: https://www.yahoo.com/news/another-aba-player-dies-waiting-103901417.html
Anonymous:
The NBA's conduct vis a vis the ABA is despicable and inexcusable. As you note, the issue is not just historical accuracy but also life and death matters in terms of pensions and healthcare. I have written about this for over 15 years, but it is obvious that the NBA is just waiting for the ABA players to die so that the pension and healthcare issues disappear.
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