Kings Edge Clippers in Second Highest Scoring NBA Game Ever
When the smoke cleared from one of the wildest shootouts in NBA history, the Sacramento Kings defeated the L.A. Clippers 176-175 in double overtime. Kings Coach Mike Brown, long known for the excellent defensive teams that he has mentored, said after the game, "From a fan’s standpoint, I can see how this game would have been a lot
of fun to watch. There was unbelievable shot making and
great defense. There was high-level talent that was on display. Kudos to
the players." No one would argue that this was a defensive struggle, but--unlike the NBA All-Star Game--this was not an embarrassing exhibition of uncontested shots: the teams combined to commit 55 fouls and attempt 71 free throws, so the players provided more than a little defensive resistance.
The only game in NBA history featuring more points was Detroit's 186-184 triple overtime win over Denver in 1983.
Malik Monk led the Kings with 45 points plus six assists off of the bench, while De'Aaron Fox added 42 points and 12 assists. The Kings lead the NBA in scoring this season, averaging 120.6 ppg prior to last night's game, and they have the third best record in the Western Conference.
Kawhi Leonard paced the Clippers with 44 points on 16-22 field goal shooting, his highest scoring game since he tore his right ACL in 2021. Paul George had 34 points on 9-18 field goal shooting, plus 10 rebounds and five assists. That tied for George's sixth highest scoring output in 46 games played this season. The efficient, high scoring games by Leonard and George with Russell Westbrook as the starting point guard are not surprising: many great players have had their best games--and best seasons--playing alongside Westbrook, who is one of the best point guards ever at pushing the pace to find open teammates. Westbrook finished with 17 points, 14 assists, and five rebounds in 39 minutes in his Clippers debut. His plus/minus number was +3, and he tied the franchise record for most assists by a player in his first game with the team. He committed a game-high seven turnovers, and he fouled out in the second overtime, the only two blemishes on an otherwise excellent performance; look for those two numbers to be headline material for some commentators, the same commentators who will neglect to mention that the Clippers enjoyed a 175-169 lead with 1:49 remaining when Westbrook received his sixth foul. That late collapse with Westbrook on the bench hints at his value, and at how much the Clippers desperately need his point guard skills to organize their attack.
After the game, the Clippers did not make excuses or search for scapegoats, a marked contrast from the behavior of the town's other NBA team. George praised the team's recent acquisition of Westbrook: "We needed a point guard. We needed somebody that you saw tonight, somebody to get us in offense, somebody to get us easy baskets and a floor general. That was just a necessity that we needed."
This is not about spinning a one point loss in a high scoring game to assert that the Clippers are now poised to win the NBA title; this is about noting that (1) Westbrook is far from washed up (contrary to the propaganda being spewed against him), (2) Westbrook's skills--when properly utilized--match up very well with what the Clippers need, and (3) there is good reason to believe that Leonard and George will become more prolific and efficient than ever with Westbrook running the show. The Clippers have to prove that they can stay healthy, and they have to demonstrate consistent physicality/commitment to defense, but anyone who is reflexively anointing the Phoenix Suns as the most difficult team to guard after the acquisition of Kevin Durant may want to keep an eye on the Clippers.
Labels: De'Aaron Fox, Kawhi Leonard, L.A. Clippers, Malik Monk, Paul George, Russell Westbrook, Sacramento Kings
posted by David Friedman @ 11:11 AM
Bucks Rout Heat Despite Losing Giannis Antetokounmpo to a Knee Injury
The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Miami Heat 128-99, which is Milwaukee's largest margin of victory this season and Miami's worst margin of defeat. The Bucks are now riding a 13 game winning streak, the NBA's longest this season and the franchise's longest in the past 37 years. Jrue Holiday led six Milwaukee double figure scorers with 24 points, and he also posted a game-high seven assists. Jimmy Butler paced the Heat with 23 points on 8-10 field goal shooting. The Bucks won the rebounding battle 57-45 while holding the Heat to 36-92 field goal shooting (.391).
Giannis Antetokounmpo had four points, four rebounds, and four assists in just six minutes before leaving the game after suffering a right knee injury. The Bucks almost immediately announced that he would miss at least the rest of this game, which raises concerns about how serious the injury is and how long he will be out of action. Antetokounmpo has already missed 11 of Milwaukee's 59 games this season after missing 15 out of 82 games last season. A sprained right wrist forced him to leave early in Milwaukee's last game before the All-Star break and limited him to playing just the first possession in the All-Star Game. The Bucks are a good team even without Antetokounmpo, but they are not a championship contender unless they have their full roster, as we saw during last year's playoffs when they fell to Boston in seven games with Khris Middleton out of the lineup.
The Heat pride themselves on being a tough-minded and physical team, but they displayed neither of those traits against the Bucks even with Antetokounmpo sidelined and the Heat desperately needing to stack up wins to avoid having to participate in the Play-In Tournament.
Hubie Brown,
the best color commentator in pro basketball history, only does games
occasionally now--I think that his most recent game prior to tonight was
nearly a month ago when the 76ers overcame a 15 point deficit to beat the Nuggets--so
it was a special treat to watch and listen to him do this telecast.
Asked about the new look Lakers, Brown cautioned that it is important to
"see the consistency" and to see how the team performs on the road
before drawing any conclusions about how good the team is.
This game included the return of Meyers Leonard, who recently signed a 10 day contract with the Bucks. Leonard finished with five points and six rebounds. Leonard last played for the Heat before being fined and suspended by the NBA in 2021 after uttering an antisemitic slur during a live stream. He had not played in the NBA since that time, but he used that period productively by educating himself about the Jewish community and demonstrating genuine remorse for what he said.
In contrast to Leonard's repentant and positive behavior, Kyrie Irving was defiantly unrepentant about promoting a film filled with antisemitic tropes until the Brooklyn Nets suspended him, and Irving subsequently deleted his social media post apologizing for promoting antisemitism to his adoring group of followers who outnumber the Jewish population of the world (I mention that fact to note the outsize influence that Irving has and to emphasize how damaging it is when a person of his status promotes antisemitism). It is unfortunate that the NBA has been so quick to welcome Irving back into the fold despite his unrepentant antisemitism, but it is not surprising: Irving is a star player who generates a lot of revenue, it is obvious that antisemitism is not something that costs the NBA much revenue (if any), and if there is one thing that the NBA cares about it is profits.
Labels: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Hubie Brown, Kyrie Irving, Meyers Leonard, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks
posted by David Friedman @ 11:06 PM
A Way Too Early Assessment of the New Look Lakers
The L.A. Lakers have played five games since trading Russell Westbrook to the Utah Jazz. The Jazz bought out Westbrook, who was just signed by the L.A. Clippers. Westbrook is scheduled to make his Clippers debut tonight versus the Sacramento Kings. It is way to early too make a meaningful and objective evaluation of the new look Lakers, and there is no data yet about how the new look Clippers will perform--but that does not stop media members from making bold proclamations about how great the Lakers will be and how Westbrook will "ruin" the Clippers, so let's dive in and join the fun!
Below are two paragraphs. Every stated fact/statistic in both paragraphs is accurate, but one paragraph uses facts/statistics out of context while the other paragraph places facts/statistics in context. You can think about this as the difference between writing for the "Galaxy's Leader in Sports" versus writing for an independent website that is not beholden to a particular agenda or particular interests.
Paragraph #1:
"Since trading Russell Westbrook, the L.A. Lakers--who have languished below the .500 mark all season--have gone 3-2, including two wins versus the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors. The Lakers' winning percentage sans Westbrook and projected over 82 games indicates that the Lakers are now a 50 win caliber team. Last night, the Lakers routed the Warriors 124-111 while shooting 16-30 from three point range despite LeBron James scoring just 13 points on 5-20 field goal shooting. Malik Beasley, one of the players acquired in the Westbrook trade, led the Lakers with 25 points. Beasley shot 9-16 from the field, including 7-11 from three point range. The Lakers have made at least 10 three point field goals in each of their past three games."
Paragraph #2:
"Since trading Russell Westbrook, the L.A. Lakers have gone 3-2. In the Lakers' first game without Westbrook, LeBron James did not play, nor did the players acquired for Westbrook, and the Lakers lost to Milwaukee, 115-106. James also missed each of the Lakers' next two games, a win versus the Golden State Warriors (sans Stephen Curry) and a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. James returned to action as the Lakers beat the New Orleans Pelicans (sans Zion Williamson) and the Golden State Warriors (sans both Curry and Andrew Wiggins). Overall, in the past five games the Lakers are scoring 114.8 ppg while giving up 111.6 ppg; their season averages are 117.1 ppg scored and 118.1 ppg allowed, but this five game sample size is not only small but it includes two games against a Warriors team that is now 29-30 plus a game versus a Pelicans team that is 30-30 but just 13-18 this season without Williamson. The Lakers have shot 53-147 (.361) from three point range since trading Westbrook, a slight increase from their season three point shooting percentage (.340)--but that five game sample includes three games without James, who leads the team in three point field goal attempts per game (6.9) despite shooting just .310 from beyond the arc this season. The Lakers now go on the road to face Dallas, Memphis, and Oklahoma City, three games that will provide a better measuring stick of how good the new look Lakers are than games against struggling teams who are missing their best player."
Read both paragraphs again to consider how it is possible to state facts yet not tell the truth (a tactic frequently used by propagandists in a variety of fields, not just sports media).
The stretch run will be very interesting. If the Lakers demonstrate sustained improvement, it will be mostly because of better defense, and the most significant factor for the Lakers' defense is not the newly acquired players but rather the health and productivity of Anthony Davis, who anchors the defense in the paint and who finishes defensive possessions by grabbing rebounds. The Clippers have been a solid team this season despite Kawhi Leonard and Paul George each missing a significant number of games. Westbrook can provide paint scoring, rebounding, and playmaking while enabling the Clippers to push the pace and get easy transition baskets. If Leonard and George can stay healthy, the Leonard-George-Westbrook trio could be very formidable.
Labels: Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard, L.A. Clippers, L.A. Lakers, LeBron James, Malik Beasley, Paul George, Russell Westbrook
posted by David Friedman @ 7:08 PM
The Lakers Banished Russell Westbrook, but the Clippers Brought Westbrook Back to L.A.
Russell Westbrook was traded by the L.A. Lakers to the Utah Jazz, but after agreeing to a buyout with the Jazz he will finish the season back in L.A. with the L.A. Clippers. Not content to use Westbrook as a scapegoat for the Lakers' failures this season, many media members are displaying unseemly--but not surprising--joy in predicting that Westbrook will ruin the Clippers. It has been noted that the oddsmakers have decreased the Clippers' odds of winning the NBA title since the announcement of the Westbrook signing, with the implication that the Las Vegas experts have inside knowledge of how terrible a player Westbrook is. Of course, such a narrative betrays a misunderstanding of how odds function: odds are not predictions of individual or team performance, but rather are calibrated to result in the bets being split as evenly as possible. The gambling pleasure palaces built in Las Vegas and elsewhere are paid for by the vigorish--the cut of the action that the oddsmakers receive. The oddsmakers do not care who wins and are not trying to predict who will win; if the wagered money is split evenly between both sides, the oddsmakers win every time.
The propaganda campaign waged against Westbrook for the last year and a half is going to lose a lot of momentum now that Westbrook is playing for a legitimate NBA franchise that is more likely to utilize him correctly. The Lakers' 2022-23 season has been about two things: (1) making sure that LeBron James breaks Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's career regular season scoring record, and (2) making sure that LeBron James is in no way blamed for his team sinking so far in the standings that you might get the bends searching to find them.
If you read half of what is written about Westbrook, you might think that he is the basketball version of Damien from "The Omen" sent from the depths of Hell to destroy the saintly LeBron James and the angelic L.A. Lakers.
It interesting that Paul George, who had the best season of his career while teaming up with Westbrook in Oklahoma City, openly lobbied for the Clippers to sign Westbrook. If Westbrook is such a horrible teammate and washed up player, why would George--who is the second best player on a potential championship contender--be so eager to play with him?
It is also interesting that Brian Windhorst is so publicly insistent that the Clippers should not make Westbrook their starting point guard. With all of the player movement going on in the NBA recently, why is that particular roster move so important to him? Is Windhorst afraid of how many triple doubles Westbrook might have down the stretch on a team that is trying to win as opposed to a team that is catering to LeBron James' whims? Windhorst understands that each Westbrook triple double--particularly in a Clippers win--refutes the false narrative that he, Dave McMenamin, and others have been spouting about Westbrook.
As we move away from the darkness of anonymous sources bashing Westbrook and toward the light of people who will put their names on their comments, we reach Lonnie Walker IV, who played with Westbrook this season and has nothing but praise for his former teammate:
He keeps things professional. I've never seen him look deterred or upset. And especially for me being with San Antonio and being from the outside in and being like, "Yeah, like Russ what’s going on?" He trippin', he doing this, he doing that. But to be with him…man, he's one of the hardest-working dudes I've been around. And he's probably one of the best teammates I've ever had. That's something that I didn't even expect because of how much the media has influenced and kinda showed what he was.
Every single day, he's asking how everyone is. Whether it's after games and he sees my family and he's talking to my family. Inviting them to get some clothes or whatnot and hang out. He's just a great guy and the thing I learned his intensity…there's nothing like it. He's on it and it’s not something that he switches on and off.
Today, the Clippers have a 33-26 record and are in fourth place in the Western Conference. The 27-32 Lakers are in 13th place in the 15 team Western Conference. Clip and file those numbers. It will be fascinating to see how these teams fare down the stretch. I am not predicting a championship for the Clippers, and with only 23 games remaining it is too easy to just pick the Clippers to finish ahead of the Lakers: if the Clippers go just 12-11 then the Lakers would have to go 18-5 to tie them in the standings. However, I expect that the Clippers will post a better record down the stretch than the highly touted "new and improved" Lakers, and I expect that Westbrook will play well for the Clippers.
Labels: L.A. Clippers, L.A. Lakers, Lonnie Walker IV, Paul George, Russell Westbrook
posted by David Friedman @ 8:47 AM
Celebrating Julius Erving's 73rd Birthday by Remembering an Era When Pro Basketball Teams Used to Try Hard Even in the Preseason
It is disappointing and sad that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is struggling to figure out how to coerce NBA owners, coaches, and players to at least pretend to care about the regular season (he might as well give up trying to figure out how to coerce the league's biggest stars to care about the All-Star Game, because that ship appears to have sailed quite some time ago). Silver has suggested that eligibility for individual regular season awards may be linked to participating in a minimum number of regular season games. A more radical proposal at the team level is to switch the seven game playoff format from 2-2-1-1-1 to 2-2-3, meaning that the team with home court advantage would potentially have five out of seven games at home, including the last three games; I believe that this was first mentioned by former NBA coach/current TNT commentator Stan Van Gundy, but I am not sure if he originated the idea or if he borrowed it from someone else. The point is to reward the best regular season teams with such a massive playoff advantage that load management would become much less attractive.
A review of the historical archives demonstrates that pro basketball teams, coaches, and players used to not only take the regular season seriously but they often took the preseason seriously. Today is Julius Erving's 73rd birthday, so in honor of that occasion we will take a trip in the time machine back to 1973, when Erving was a 23 year old who had just won his first scoring title after averaging a career-high 31.9 ppg for the ABA's Virginia Squires. The Squires traded Erving to the New York Nets in the summer of 1973. Erving spent the summer of 1973 playing in a variety of leagues and charity games while also appearing at several basketball camps. Erving's summer exploits included scoring 34 points in the Rubicon All-Star Benefit game, playing in the L.A. Pro Summer League, scoring 31 points in the second annual benefit game for the Ralph Bunche Memorial Scholarship Fund, scoring 14 points in the 15th annual Maurice Stokes Memorial basketball game, scoring 33 points (including the game-winning dunk) in the Harambee Festival ABA-NBA game, and playing in the Hempstead High School benefit game. Erving and all of the other pro players who participated in the Hempstead game not only donated their time but they paid their own travel expenses to participate so that all funds raised would support the school's athletic teams. Erving capped off his busy summer by leading the Westsiders--coached by Pete Vecsey, who would later achieve fame as a sportswriter--to the Rucker League title.
Imagine arguably the biggest star in pro basketball spending his summer traveling the country playing the game and teaching at basketball camps for the love of the game!
Surely Erving must have rested or load managed during the 1973 preseason, right?
Not exactly.
The Nets posted a 6-3 record in their nine preseason games. Erving played in all nine games, scoring 235 points (26.1 ppg). Only twice did he score less than 20 points, and in one of those performances he dropped 19 first quarter points before not playing in the rest of the game (Coach Kevin Loughery wanted to look at other players to decide who his final cuts would be).
In the first of two matchups versus the defending NBA champion New York Knicks, Erving scored a game-high 27 points in front of a Madison Square Garden crowd of 17,226 as his young, upstart Nets won, 97-87. After the game, Erving said, "We've won six out of seven games so far, including the Knicks and the Bullets. I think we've got as good a team as there is in basketball." Erving provided this explanation for his seemingly endless repertoire of acrobatic shots: "Ninety nine percent of what I do in a game, I've worked on in practice or on the playground...but, there's always that one percent when I even surprise myself."
Knicks forward Dave DeBusschere, the premier defensive forward in pro basketball for most of his career--he made the All-Defensive First Team from 1969-74, each of the first six seasons that the NBA bestowed that honor--said of Erving, "It was a great opportunity to prepare for the regular season. He's got more ways to beat you than anyone in pro basketball. If you can stop 'J' you can stop anyone. Not that you can really stop him...it's more a case of forcing him to take a more difficult shot and hoping it misses."
DeBusschere did not play in the second half of the game after injuring his hip, but he was very impressed with Erving after playing against him for the first time: "He's everything I heard about him. Also, he's stronger than I thought he would be, but I would just as soon talk about their whole team. But you can't get around him can you? And let me say there's no comparing him with anyone in the NBA...he's just himself. He's fast and quick and can really pass the ball. Wow, he really gave one off to (Brian) Taylor and I still don't know how he got the ball through three guys." Erving finished with a game-high six assists while playing a team-high 39 minutes (and I trust DeBusschere's assessment of Erving's passing skills more than I trust assessments made by people who demonstrably lack knowledge of pro basketball history).
Walt Frazier played all 48 minutes for the Knicks! Nowadays, it is rare to see a player play 48 minutes in a regular season game.
Loughery declared, "We were very serious about it. After all, we're
fighting for the same metropolitan audience." He concluded, "This game
was not just an exhibition. We wanted to win it, just like a regular
season game. We wanted to prove that we had a good club." Imagine
that--a team, a coach, and a star player wanting to win a preseason game.
Now, fans have to beg teams, coaches, and star players to care about
winning regular season games! To cite just the most recent and most
egregious example, after LeBron James broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's regular season scoring record while scoring 38 points versus the Oklahoma City Thunder,
he let his friends in the media know that he has a foot injury that may
limit him for the rest of the season. It is fascinating that James
showed no signs of having an injured foot during his scoring barrage to
set the record, but as soon as the record was within his grasp he
checked out of the game and watched his Lakers lose to the Thunder in a
game that could have major playoff seeding implications.
Back to 1973. Two nights after the Nets beat the Knicks, the teams played the rematch at Nassau Coliseum in front of a standing room only crowd of 15,802 fans. This time, the Knicks prevailed, 105-87. Erving scored a game-high 28 points, while Bill Bradley paced the Knicks with 27 points.
In the ensuing 1973-74 regular season, the Nets posted a 55-29 record en route to winning the first of their two ABA titles, while the Knicks reached the Eastern Conference Finals before bowing to the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics. Erving did not do any load management during the 1973-74 regular season, either: he played in all 84 regular season games while averaging 40.5 mpg (third in the league), 27.4 ppg (first), 10.7 rpg (seventh), 5.2 apg (sixth), 2.3 spg (third), and 2.4 bpg (third). He ranked ninth in field goal percentage (.512). Erving then played in all 14 of the Nets' playoff games as the team stormed to a 12-2 postseason record. Erving was the easy choice for Playoff MVP after leading the league in
playoff scoring (27.9 ppg) while ranking 12th in rebounding (9.6 rpg),
fifth in assists (4.8 apg), ninth in steals (1.6 spg), and third in
blocked shots (1.4 bpg). He also ranked fifth in playoff field goal
percentage (.528).
The Nets' playoff winning percentage (.857) tied the pro basketball record set by the 1971 Milwaukee Bucks, and that mark was not broken until the Moses Malone-Julius Erving 76ers went 12-1 in the 1983 playoffs. Thanks in part to an expanded playoff format, the 2001 L.A. Lakers broke that record by going 15-1, and then after further expansion to the playoff format the 2017 Golden State Warriors are the current record holders (16-1).
By the way, in the 1974 ABA All-Star Game the teams combined to attempt 11 three pointers and 30 free throws as the East beat the West, 128-112. From a season in which the average ABA team scored 106.4 ppg, those numbers suggest a style of play different--and more serious--than anything we have seen in the NBA All-Star Game for at least the past 15 years.
The 2022-23 NBA regular season resumes action tomorrow night. How many teams will take those games as seriously as Erving and his Nets took the 1973 preseason?
Labels: ABA, Julius Erving, load management, NBA, New York Knicks, New York Nets
posted by David Friedman @ 11:09 PM
The 2023 NBA All-Star Game May Have Been the Worst Basketball Game Ever
The 2023 NBA All-Star Game was not only the worst NBA All-Star Game ever, but it may have been the worst basketball game ever "contested"--and I use that word with hesitation--by high level players. Denver Nuggets Coach Michael Malone, who coached Team LeBron, made this statement after Team Giannis prevailed 184-175: "It's an honor to be here, and it's an honor to be a part of a great
weekend with great players, but it's the worst basketball game ever
played." Malone also admitted that he has no idea how to fix the game.
The NBA All-Star Game began its horrific slide to irrelevance several years ago (see game recaps appended to this article for more details), but yesterday the league's showcase midseason event descended to a nadir from which there may be no recovery.
At its best, NBA basketball is about the world's greatest athletes competing at a high level at both ends of the court while working together to help their team win. At its worst--and its worst was on full display last night--NBA basketball is about players flaunting their individual skills without any connection to team success while their "opponents" step aside and watch instead of competing on defense. The 2023 NBA All-Star Game was such an abomination that it is difficult to decide which moment was the worst.
Maybe it was when eight players stood off to the side for multiple possessions so that Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown could play one on one. To be clear, this was not Magic Johnson near the end of his final All-Star Game with the outcome decided facing off against Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan for brief one on one skirmishes that were loaded with meaning at a time when we were not sure how long Magic Johnson would live, let alone if he would ever play pro basketball again; this was two players stealing the show in the middle of the game with the outcome not decided, and with the amount of money that various charities would receive yet to be determined based on which team won.
Maybe it was the times too numerous to count when one player drove down the lane and dunked with no defensive resistance.
Maybe it was the times too numerous to count when players jacked up half court shots--including several possessions at the end of the game when Team Giannis did not even need a three pointer to reach the target score. Why would a player shoot from half court when his team only needs two points, and when nobody has guarded the paint all night long? One time, 2023 All-Star Game MVP Jayson Tatum stepped out of bounds while stepping back to attempt a three pointer when his team only needed two points to win.
Kids are watching this trash and thinking that this is how basketball is supposed to be played: uncontested dunks followed up by half court shots.
Anyone who wants to put "advanced basketball statistics"--with their emphasis on dunks and three pointers, and their abhorrence of the mid-range game--on trial for destroying the game that many of us know and love should just submit the 2023 All-Star Game telecast as Exhibit #1 and then move for summary judgment. "Advanced basketball statistics" have played a major role in destroying competition--think "load management," the ostracism of post play and the midrange game, and the overemphasis on dunks and three pointers to the exclusion of other shot types--while also taking the fun out of the game. Competition is fun. Running up and down the court without playing defense is not competition, and it is not fun to watch. There is a place and value for using various basketball statistics in an intelligent way, but the "stat gurus" have been given way too much power and way too much influence. Watch a tape of any All-Star Game from the 1980s or any NBA Finals from the 1980s, and judge for yourself if the game was better and more fun to watch then or now.
The league should be embarrassed as a whole, and each player should be embarrassed. Sport is about competition, not exhibition. If the NBA is unwilling or unable to restore the All-Star Game to what it can and should be, at a minimum the NBA's official records should distinguish between statistics posted when the All-Star Game mattered and statistics posted when the All-Star Game became a farce, a sham, and a travesty.
Usually in a game recap, I cite individual statistics but yesterday's game was such a travesty that I refuse to give any publicity to the individual statistics other than to insist that the "All-Star Game record" 55 points that Jayson Tatum scored are only slightly more meaningful than 55 points that any of us could score while shooting uncontested shots in our driveways or at our local recreation center.
The All-Star Game scoring record should still be the 42 points Wilt Chamberlain scored in the 1962 All-Star Game. The inflated scoring totals posted by various players in the past several All-Star Games--during which the league abandoned the traditional East-West format and tampered with various rules in a futile attempt to persuade the players to actually at least pretend to compete for a few moments--belong in the fiction section of a library or bookstore, not in the NBA record book. Tatum, who I respect greatly for his regular season and playoff performances, did not score his 2023 All-Star points under the same conditions or rules that existed for Chamberlain and the other great players from the past several decades.
The decline and fall of the NBA All-Star Game has transpired for several years, and there may be no way to rescue one of the league's marquee events. Julius Erving eloquently described the problem as far back as 2006, at a time when the All-Star Game still had some semblance of competitiveness but was already heading in the wrong direction:
Today's game, some of these All-Star Games, players have figured out a
way to allow guys to dunk the ball and not have it perceived as the guy
dunking on somebody. When I was coming up, you rarely could dunk on
people and people did not want to get dunked on, it was almost like
being 'posterized' if somebody dunked on you. Guys tried their best not
to let anybody dunk on them. Sometimes they would just grab you rather
than let you dunk. That seems to be lost somewhere in what I see with a
lot of the high wire act performances. It is almost like, 'I'm going to
let the guy dunk. And I'm going to get far enough out of the picture so
nobody is perceiving this as me being dunked on or being posterized.' I
don't understand the mentality of just letting a guy go in there and
throw it down and applauding it, if he's wearing a different colored
uniform. It's just playing to the crowd but I think that the crowd would
respect and appreciate a play being made when somebody is trying to
contest it. I think it makes for a great photo-op and a great poster if
somebody is there. I remember being in Madison Square Garden and going
up for a dunk and Lonnie Shelton was there and my knees were up on his
shoulders. He was trying to draw a charge, I guess. Looking at that
shot, when somebody is there, it is poetry in motion. Just throwing the
ball up and going through the motions, I guess guys don't want to get
hurt. I like watching the dunk contests--but I don't like a game to turn
into a dunk contest with no defense. That does nothing for me.
In the 2023 NBA All-Star Game, the teams combined to jack up 126 three pointers while attempting just four free throws. The league should just get rid of the All-Star Game, and replace it with a one hour show during which each player selected as an All-Star is provided with 90 seconds or two minutes to go on the court and do whatever uncontested dunks, three point shots, and fancy dribbling he would like to show off so that fans will buy his new signature sneakers. That is what the All-Star Game is about now, so the NBA should just be honest about that and stop pretending that this is actually any semblance of a competitive game between two teams trying to win.
Recent NBA All-Star Game Recaps:
NBA Formally Honors the 75th Anniversary Team, Stephen Curry Wins the All-Star Game MVP (2022)
"How much has the All-Star Game devolved from an actual competition
featuring the league's best players to an exhibition of players
demonstrating individual skills devoid of competition or team play? Free
throws are a quick way to gauge physicality/defense. The 2022 All-Star
Game included eight fouls, four of which were called in the fourth
quarter, and Team LeBron shot 2-2 from the free throw line while Team
Durant shot 7-7 from the free throw line. This season, NBA teams average
a little over 21 free throw attempts per game, so it is obvious that
the All-Star Game featured few fouls, few free throws, very little
physicality, and token defense compared to a normal NBA game.
All-Star
Games used to be played much differently. In the first NBA All-Star
Game, the East beat the West 98-93 in overtime in 1954 with the East
shooting 36 of 44 from the free throw line and the West shooting 17-26
from the free throw line. In 1962, Wilt Chamberlain set an All-Star
single game scoring record (42 points) that stood for 55 years.
Chamberlain shot 8-16 from the free throw line, and his East squad shot
24-43 from the free throw line. The West, which won 150-130, shot 36-51
from the free throw line. Chamberlain's scoring record took place during
a competitive game, and the record stood until long after NBA All-Star
Games ceased to be competitive; his record is so exceptional that even
in an era during which it is much easier to score in All-Star Games only
two players have surpassed the standard that he set--and Curry did so
by making a bunch of uncontested three pointers.
For most of
All-Star Game history, players from both sides played hard, played
defense, and committed a normal amount of fouls. Things began to change
in 2007, when the victorious West only attempted nine free throws and
the East only attempted 13 free throws, a big decline from 24 and 28
respectively in the 2006 All-Star Game. The 2008 All-Star Game was more
of the same. Matters improved a bit during the next several All-Star
Games, but in 2014 the East attempted nine free throws and the West
attempted 12 free throws. Since 2014, single digit free throw attempts
per team have been the norm rather than the exception--and on the rare
occasion that a team has attempted more than 10 free throws most of
those free throw attempts have happened in the fourth quarter, when the
new scoring rules inspire (or shame) the All-Stars into playing some
defense."
Giannis Antetokounmpo Wins All-Star MVP With Perfect Shooting, Leads Team LeBron to 170-150 Win Over Team Durant (2021)
"Giannis Antetokounmpo did not have the first perfect shooting
performance in NBA All-Star Game history--Hal Greer shot 8-8 from the
field en route to scoring 21 points and winning the 1968 NBA All-Star
Game MVP--but he set the NBA All-Star Game record for most field goals
without a miss (16), and he captured his first All-Star Game MVP by
scoring a game-high 35 points as his Team LeBron routed Team Durant,
170-150. Antetokounmpo played just 19 minutes, so he scored nearly two
points per minute. Most of Antetokounmpo's shots were lightly
contested--if not uncontested--dunks, but he also shot 3-3 from three
point range. Each team shot 3-5 from the free throw line as both teams
spent most of the game not even pretending to care about defense.
Perhaps the league and/or the players think that the fans want to see
uncontested dunks and wide open three pointers, but I think/hope that
true basketball fans want to see competition. A contested dunk is a
great play; an uncontested dunk is just performance art."
Kawhi
Leonard Leads Team LeBron to 157-155 Win over Team Giannis as New
Format Results in Exciting Fourth Quarter Competition (2020)
"After
three quarters, it seemed that the new NBA All-Star Game format had not
inspired many players from either team to even pretend to play at a
fraction of their full capabilities. Fortunately, the fourth quarter--a
race to 157 points based on adding 24 points (in honor of Kobe Bryant)
to the 133-124 lead enjoyed by Team Giannis over Team LeBron at the end
of the third quarter--featured high level play as both teams looked
fully engaged: Team Giannis' Kyle Lowry seemed to try to take a charge
on every defensive possession, players from both teams contested almost
every shot, and the level of physicality ramped up to top notch regular
season levels, if not even first round playoff levels.
It is mystifying that most NBA players seem to need external motivation
to play their best in the All-Star Game, but with a substantial portion
of the weekend's festivities dedicated to the memory of
Bryant--including naming the All-Star MVP award for him--it would have
been a travesty for the players to just sleepwalk through the entire
proceedings. Kawhi Leonard is a pioneer of the less than commendable
load management scourge, but at least he always plays hard when he is on
the court. Leonard scored a game-high 30 points on 11-18 field goal
shooting (including 8-14 from three point range), grabbed seven
rebounds, dished for four assists, and received the first Kobe Bryant
All-Star Game MVP Award as his Team LeBron won, 157-155."
Kevin Durant Wins his Second All-Star MVP as Team LeBron Overcomes 20 Point Deficit to Defeat Team Giannis, 178-164 (2019)
"The All-Star Game sunk to such depths a few years ago that there were
even whispers that it might be discontinued. Instead, the league changed
the format from East versus West to a format in which the top two
vote-getters conduct a draft consisting of a pool of other All-Stars
selected by fans, coaches and media members. LeBron James faced off
against Giannis Antetokounmpo in this year's All-Star draft. Popular
consensus was that James, whose draft strategy seemed to be focused on
acquiring every major player who will be a free agent soon, got the
better of Antetokounmpo--but it did not look like that initially, as
Team Giannis led 53-37 after the first quarter and 95-82 at halftime.
Antetokounmpo scored a game-high 38 points on 17-23 field
goal shooting, including 10 dunks. He also had 11 rebounds and five
assists. He set the tone in the first quarter with 16 points.
Antetokounmpo's
Milwaukee teammate/All-Star teammate Khris Middleton added 20 points on
7-13 field goal
shooting, including 6-10 from three point range. Middleton scored 12
first quarter points.
To coin--or repeat--a phrase, it seemed like Team LeBron was in 'chill
mode' during the first half, but in the second half they exerted at
least some defensive effort and they rained down a barrage of three
pointers. Team LeBron outscored Team Giannis 96-69 in the second half
while shooting 22-49 from three point range. The teams combined to
attempt 167 three pointers during the game, compared to 108 two pointers
attempted.
Kevin Durant earned MVP honors by scoring 31 points on 10-15 field goal
shooting (including 6-9 from three point range) while also contributing
seven rebounds. He had 11 points on 4-4 field goal shooting in the
fourth quarter. Durant's Golden State teammate Klay Thompson finished
second on Team LeBron with 20 points on 7-16 field goal shooting (6-12
from three point range) and he had eight rebounds and four assists as
well."
LeBron James Earns Third All-Star Game MVP as Team LeBron Outlasts Team Stephen, 148-145 (2018):
"LeBron James scored a game-high 29 points on 12-17 field goal shooting,
grabbed a game-high tying 10 rebounds and dished eight assists as Team
LeBron defeated Team Stephen 148-145 in the first year of the NBA's new All-Star selection format;
instead of the traditional matchup featuring the Eastern Conference
facing the Western Conference, a team of All-Stars picked by LeBron
James faced a team of All-Stars picked by Stephen Curry. The NBA tweaked
the All-Star Game in the wake of several subpar All-Star Games,
culminating in last year's farce.
Before the 2018 All-Star Game, James already held the NBA All-Star Game
career scoring record (314 points) and yesterday he surpassed Julius
Erving (321 points) to set the record for most points scored in ABA and
NBA All-Star Games combined. Bob Pettit (1956, 58, 59, 62) and Kobe
Bryant (2002, 2007, 2009, 2011) share the record with four All-Star Game
MVPs each, while James joined Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan and
Shaquille O'Neal as three-time winners; James previously earned the
All-Star Game MVP in 2006 and 2008."
The NBA All-Star Game Has Become a Farce (2017):
"The Western Conference's 192-182 victory over the Eastern Conference is
without question the worst NBA All-Star Game that I have ever watched.
Other than the MLB All-Star Game that ended in a tie (and many NFL Pro
Bowls of recent vintage) it may be the worst major professional league
All-Star Game ever. When the reigning two-time regular season MVP
literally lies down on the court instead of attempting to play defense,
you know that the event has jumped the shark."
Labels: 2023 NBA All-Star Game, Team Giannis, Team LeBron
posted by David Friedman @ 11:00 AM
NBA Legends Brunch Honors Bill Russell, Karl Malone, John Stockton, and Pau Gasol
The NBA Legends Brunch has always been my favorite side event of NBA All-Star Weekend. It is often both more entertaining and more meaningful than the All-Star Game--and that was definitely the case this year, as I will discuss in greater detail in my 2023 NBA All-Star Game recap.
I had the privilege of attending the NBA Legends Brunch as a credentialed journalist six times (2005-2010); when I have not been able to attend in person it is appointment TV viewing for me, and I often write an article about it (links to several of my NBA Legends Brunch articles are appended to this article).
This year's NBA Legends Brunch marked the debut of a new honor: the Bob Lanier Community Impact Award. I interviewed Lanier in person during the 2005 NBA All-Star Weekend, and I later did a phone interview with him that provided much of the background material for a 2006 profile that I wrote about Lanier.
Lanier was a wonderful person and a great interview subject. One quote in particular stood out from the time that I spent speaking with him. I asked him to describe his greatest moment, and he provided this reply:
Greatest moment? To me--and I know that this might sound a little
trite--the greatest moment is that basketball has enabled me to touch
other people's lives. I've always been able to do that. Since day one,
being an NBA player and visiting a hospital or going to a senior
citizens' home and listening to an elderly person who has much more
wisdom than I'll ever have and brightening their day and giving my
energy. It's something that is very, very special that the NBA has been
able to do. It's terrific for me. (NBA Senior Vice President) Kathy (Behrens) talked about seeing our players
making words come to life. That is very special because I see them in
gyms and community centers with these kids, bright eyed kids draped all
around them. They've got their hands on these books that they almost
cover up because their hands are so big. Then, the energy that they have
by making the words come to life and then going over to a tech center
where they get on these computers. It's funny sometimes, because really
the kids know more about how to do online stuff than our players, so
they end up teaching our players. It's really, really nice.
Lanier devoted much of his life to having a positive impact on the community, and he particularly focused on helping children, so it is fitting that this new award is named for him. The first recipient of the honor is Pau Gasol. Gasol gave a wonderful Legends Brunch speech focusing on his understanding of the need and value of NBA players giving back to the community. He said of NBA players, "We are role models whether we like it or not." That point is worth emphasizing. Charles Barkley once did a famous TV commercial in which he declared that the ability to dribble a basketball well does not make someone a role model--but in that commercial Barkley missed the larger point: whether or not the ability to dribble a basketball well should make someone a role model in an ideal world where parents and teachers would be a child's main role models is less important than the reality that children look up to NBA players (and other sports stars) as role models, and that reality creates a responsibility that NBA players should embrace. NBA players are role models, and they should use their fame, money, and prominent platform to do as much good as possible for as many people as possible.
It should also be noted that Gasol is a native Spanish speaker from Spain who gave his Legends Brunch speech in flawless English. Imagine growing up in the United States speaking English, becoming a major star in a Spanish professional sports league, and then giving a speech in Spanish to a Spanish-speaking audience in Spain. That is the equivalent of what Gasol did, and I wonder how many Americans would be able to do that? Gasol is one of many NBA stars from countries other than the United States who did not grow up speaking English but who now speak English fluently.
John Stockton received the Hometown Hero award. He described his journey from Gonzaga--which was not a college basketball powerhouse when he played there--to being a Hall of Famer, and he thanked the many people who helped him along the way, including teammates Rickey Green, Adrian Dantley, Thurl Bailey, and--of course--Karl Malone, who teamed with Stockton to form the most famous pick and roll duo in basketball history. Stockton teared up when he spoke about Coach Jerry Sloan, who he credited with providing the spirit and soul that kept their team together. Stockton also praised the family atmosphere that has always been a part of the Jazz franchise, and he said that he could not picture himself having the same amount of success and happiness playing for any other NBA team.
Bill Russell, the greatest champion in the history of North American team sports, passed away last summer. The Legends Brunch provided a heartfelt tribute to Russell. Julius Erving, for whom the NBA recently named its Slam Dunk Contest trophy, gave the keynote speech for the Bill Russell tribute. Erving was the perfect choice for this honor, both because of the reverence that the basketball community has for him--it is likely that no one has been a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame presenter more often than he has--and because of his deep, longstanding personal connection with Russell. Erving is also one of the NBA community's most eloquent speakers.
Erving began by noting that few people have the privilege of being the greatest champion in their sport. Erving added, "Fewer still take that spirit to be champions in their communities...More than anyone else before or after him, he was a champion on and off the court." Erving declared, "Bill Russell succeeded athletically at every level," and he listed a set of accomplishments that deserve emphasis: high school champion, two-time NCAA champion at the University of San Francisco, leader of America's 1956 Olympic gold medal-winning squad, winner of 11 NBA titles with the Boston Celtics, and five-time NBA regular season MVP (and if the NBA Finals MVP had existed before Russell's last season, he likely would have accumulated a trophy case full of those trophies as well).
After Erving rattled off the important facts about Russell's life and career, he put away his note cards and spoke from the heart about his personal connection with Russell that lasted over 50 years. Erving remembered first meeting Russell as a college player at the University of Massachusetts, and he spoke about how he cherished Russell as a mentor and as a friend. Erving is too modest to mention this, but he mentored many other future legends the same way that Russell mentored him (the list of players mentored by Erving includes George Gervin and Magic Johnson, who stayed at Erving's home during the summer that he was deciding whether to go back to college or jump into the NBA Draft as an underclassman, something far less common in 1979 than it is now).
Erving talked about the many wonderful hours that he spent in Russell's home with Russell and his family, and the many wonderful hours that Russell spent in his home with him and his family. Erving cherished the time that they spent together on the golf course, while noting that he is not a great golfer and saying with a smile that golf "is not for everyone." Erving recalled that he and Russell talked about serious topics and humorous topics, and that when someone said something funny Russell would unleash his famous cackle. Erving enjoyed spending time with Russell during All-Star Weekend, and he remembered that Russell talked about how it felt to be the oldest guy in the room. "You are going to feel that one day," Russell told Erving. Erving noted with a smile that as long as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and a few others are around he will not be the oldest guy in the room at the Legends Brunch.
Circling back to a statement that Legends Brunch host Ernie Johnson made, Erving pointed out that there is one vacant seat at the Bill Russell family table, and Erving said that no one will ever be able to fill that seat.
A video tribute to Russell's career concluded with this quote from Russell: "I tried to live my life doing what I think is right and for the right reasons."
Three other speakers also honored Russell. Current Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown talked about how much he respects Russell's legacy on and off of the basketball court.
Hall of Famer Grant Hill recalled not only Russell's championships and off-court accomplishments but his humor. Hill added, "My understanding of leadership comes from Bill Russell," and he concluded, "Justice is power and joy is power."
Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said that he first met Bill Russell as a 14 year old high school player who stood two inches taller than Russell, who was already a multi-time NBA champion. Abdul-Jabbar said that the Boston Celtics practiced at his high school before playing the New York Knicks because Power Memorial High School was located close to Madison Square Garden. Abdul-Jabbar described how Russell was not much interested in meeting him at first, and how their connection grew with each subsequent encounter. Abdul-Jabbar said that he admired Russell as a player for playing defense like a chess master who saw many moves ahead, and who customized his defensive tactics for each individual opponent. Abdul-Jabbar recalled with admiration Russell's leadership at the legendary Ali Summit in Cleveland in 1967. Abdul-Jabbar said that Russell encouraged all of those who gathered to listen to Ali, as opposed to trying to persuade them to agree with Ali. Abdul-Jabbar drew strength from Russell's example of leadership.
Abdul-Jabbar said that Russell always called him "kid," even long after Abdul-Jabbar had retired as a player. Abdul-Jabbar thought that was Russell's gentle way of reminding him, "I was here first." Abdul-Jabbar spoke about filming a commercial with Russell, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird. After filming that commercial, Abdul-Jabbar asked Russell for a favor for the first time in their decades-long friendship: he asked Russell to autograph a jersey.
One of the most poignant moments in every NBA Legends Brunch is the video tribute to players, coaches, referees, and other members of the basketball community who passed away in the last year. This time, Thurl Bailey sang "Lean on Me" while the video tribute played.
Bill Walton presented the final award--Legend of the Year--to Karl Malone. Speaking without notes, and pacing back and forth instead of standing in front of the lectern, Walton talked at length about how much he respects and admires Malone for rising from humble beginnings to becoming a great NBA player. Walton declared, "Karl was a team guy. He played hard, he played to win."
Malone was overcome with emotion as he accepted the award, and he frequently dabbed tears from his face. Malone said, "I've got more time in the rearview mirror than the windshield," and he said that it was very important to him to use this moment to honor and recognize "My hero that got me through the things I went through: Julius 'Dr. J' Erving." Malone revealed that he chose his jersey number 32 to honor Erving, who wore number 32 during his fantastic ABA career. I think that younger fans--and many of the commentators who neglect to mention Erving when discussing pro basketball's greatest and most influential players--fail to appreciate the impact that Erving had not only on the court as a dominant performer but also as an inspiration to a whole generation of great players who followed him. It is not an accident that so many Hall of Famers tap Erving to be their Hall of Fame presenter. It takes nothing away from the greatness of Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Michael Jordan to give credit to Erving as perhaps the most influential and inspirational player from the 1970s and 1980s. If you grew up in that era, you know what I mean: everyone wanted to be Dr. J, including many kids from that era (including Clyde Drexler, Karl Malone, Dominique Wilkins, and many others) who became NBA legends in their own right.
Malone also talked about how much impact his mother had on his life. His mother told him that it is important to not let your mistakes define you: "There will be a lot of noise around you. Let your success be your noise." Malone's mother told him, "He that throws rocks at every dog that is barking will never reach his destination." Malone added, "Words do two things in life…they either lift you up or tear you down."
Malone concluded by quoting the words of former Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller, who used to say "Let’s do so much good in this world that there is no more good left to do."
Selected Previous NBA Legends Recaps:
Jerry West Gives Powerful Speech After Being Honored as NBA Legend of the Year (2022)
Legends Brunch Honors Alonzo Mourning, Five Great Mavs (2010)
NBA Legends Brunch Honors Phoenix' Rich Basketball History (2009)
King James Reigns in Houston (2006 NBA All-Star Weekend)
Labels: Bill Russell, John Stockton, Julius Erving, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, NBA Legends Brunch, Pau Gasol
posted by David Friedman @ 10:16 AM
Mac McClung Wows Crowd, Wins Julius "Dr. J" Erving Slam Dunk Contest Trophy
The overall quality of the NBA's Slam Dunk Contest in recent years has been inconsistent at best, with too many missed dunks, too few stars participating, and too little imagination. The Slam Dunk Contest used to feature many of the sport's biggest stars, and the participants used to amaze fans with dunks that had never been seen before. While today's stars decline to participate, Julius Erving tested his mettle against young leapers as late as 1985, when he was 35 years old. Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins squared off in the Slam Dunk Contest in their prime years; they did not think that they were above the event, nor were their egos so sensitive that they worried that anything less than a first place finish would diminish their status.
The very concept of having an All-Star Weekend--as opposed to just having an All-Star Game--grew out of the popularity of the Slam Dunk Contest. The NBA built All-Star Weekend around the Slam Dunk Contest, augmenting that showcase event with other events such as the Three Point Contest and the Legends Game (which has since been replaced with a series of other events, as the risk of legends injuring themselves put an end to that particular event).
This year, a most improbable participant brought some luster back to the Slam Dunk Contest. Mac McClung has yet to play in an NBA game--he signed a two-way deal with the Philadelphia 76ers last week--but he has become something of an internet sensation with the array of dunks he displayed while playing in the G-League. Listed at just 6-2, McClung scored a perfect 50 on his first NBA Slam Dunk Contest dunk, and he received 49.8 on his second dunk to advance to the final round, where he faced off against Trey Murphy III of the New Orleans Pelicans. In the final round, McClung racked up two more perfect 50s, ending the night--and the contest--with a 540 degree spinning dunk while wearing his high school jersey. McClung looked into the camera and noted, "It's over," and he was right.
The NBA has been naming and renaming many of its awards and honors, including the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP, the Michael Jordan NBA regular season MVP, and the Kobe Bryant All-Star Game MVP. Now, the Slam Dunk Contest trophy has been named in Julius Erving's honor.
Julius "Dr. J" Erving proudly displaying the Julius "Dr. J" Erving Slam Dunk Contest trophy before the start of the 2023 NBA Slam Dunk Contest
The Julius "Dr. J" Erving Slam Dunk Contest trophy includes a depiction of a stethoscope in honor of Erving's "Dr. J" nickname, and it displays imagery connected with three of his iconic dunks: his 1976 ABA Slam Dunk Contest free throw line dunk, one of his dunks over Bill Walton in the 1977 NBA Finals, and his "Rock the Baby" dunk over Michael Cooper. The trophy also honors Erving's two NBA All-Star Game MVPs (1977, 1983), and his three ABA regular season MVPs (1974-76; he shared the 1975 award with George McGinnis). It is wonderful--and long overdue--that the NBA is acknowledging some of Erving's ABA accomplishments and awards. I understand why the trophy shows jersey #32 next to his three ABA MVPs--he wore #32 in the ABA--but it would have been even more fitting to correctly label Erving a four-time MVP, as he also won the 1981 NBA regular season MVP. Erving is the only player who won the regular season MVP in both leagues, and he is the only non-center to win the NBA regular season MVP between Oscar Robertson (1964) and Larry Bird (1984).
Erving presented the Julius "Dr. J" Erving Slam Dunk Contest trophy to McClung:
It was fitting to see a former 76er present the award to a current 76er, and it was inspiring to see a player who has not even played in an NBA game perform with such poise under the bright lights of NBA All-Star Weekend.
Erving is the perfect choice for the NBA Slam Dunk Contest trophy, and
it is great that the trophy clearly notes that Erving was much more than
just an exciting dunker. I would just add that if the NBA ever creates a
trophy honoring members of the 30,000 Point Club
then Erving would be a great choice for that trophy as well, because he
was the first "midsize" player to join a club that previously had been
the exclusive province of two of the sport's greatest big men: Wilt Chamberlain
and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Much like Erving paved the way for "midsize" players to win NBA regular season MVPs, he also paved the way for "midsize" players to crack the 30,000 point barrier that had previously eluded Pantheon players, including Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, and Oscar Robertson.
Labels: ABA MVP, Julius Erving, Mac McClung, Philadelphia 76ers, Slam Dunk Contest
posted by David Friedman @ 12:26 AM
