20 Second Timeout

Gus Williams Played a Key Role for Seattle's 1979 Championship Team

Gus Williams, who passed away on January 15 at the age of 71, was an explosive 6-2 guard who won at the highest level during an era when the NBA was dominated by big men. He was known as "The Wizard" because of the magical way that he used his athletic ability and speed. Williams averaged 17.1 ppg and 5.6 apg in 825 regular season games during his 11 year NBA career, and he averaged 19.5 ppg and 4.7 apg in 99 playoff games. He ranked third in ABA/NBA regular season career steals (1638) when he retired. Those numbers are very good, but they don't tell the full story of Williams' greatness and impact.

Williams averaged 18.4 ppg and 5.4 apg (first in the PAC-8) in his senior season at USC, earning consensus All-America Second Team honors in 1975. The Golden State Warriors selected him with the 20th overall pick in the 1975 NBA Draft, and he finished second in 1976 Rookie of the Year balloting to Alvan Adams after averaging 11.7 ppg, 3.1 apg, and 1.8 spg. The defending NBA champion Warriors posted the NBA's best regular season record (59-23) before losing 4-3 to the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Finals.

After averaging 9.3 ppg in his second season, Williams signed as a free agent with the Seattle SuperSonics, and the Warriors received cash compensation under the free agency rules of that time. Young fans may not remember or know about the Seattle SuperSonics, because the franchise moved to Oklahoma City prior to the 2008-09 season. The Sonics started the 1977-78 season 5-17, but they took off after Lenny Wilkens replaced Bob Hopkins as the coach, finishing with a 47-35 record. Wilkens inserted Williams in the starting lineup, and Williams led the team in scoring (18.1 ppg) and steals (2.3 spg, second in the league behind Ron Lee). During the 1978 playoffs, Williams averaged 18.3 ppg to lead a balanced scoring attack (six players averaged double figures) as the Sonics defeated the L.A. Lakers, the defending NBA champion Portland Trail Blazers, and the Denver Nuggets to reach the NBA Finals for the first time since the franchise was founded in 1967. The Sonics had homecourt advantage versus the Washington Bullets, but lost game seven at home 105-99 as Hall of Famer Dennis Johnson shot 0-14 from the field. Williams averaged 16.3 ppg in the NBA Finals (third on the team behind Fred Brown and Dennis Johnson).

Williams led the Sonics in scoring (19.2 ppg) and steals (2.1 spg, eighth in the league) as they posted the best record in the Western Conference (52-30) in the 1978-79 season. The Sonics earned a first round bye, and then defeated the Lakers and Suns to set up an NBA Finals rematch with the league-leading 54-28 Bullets. Williams led the Sonics in playoff scoring (26.7 ppg, third in the league) and steals (2.0 spg, tied for fifth in the league), netting at least 30 points in seven of the team's 17 postseason games. He scored a series-high 29.0 ppg on .500 field goal shooting as the Sonics defeated the Bullets, 4-1. Williams scored at least 30 points in three of the five Finals games, including a series-high 36 in Seattle's 114-112 game four win. Dennis Johnson won Finals MVP honors. Hall of Famer Jack Sikma also had a strong series for the Sonics (15.8 ppg, 14.8 rpg, 3.2 bpg).

Williams' Seattle teammate Wally Walker recalled that Williams had a way with words: "He had a lot of sayings that were just funny. One of his was, 'There were only two kinds of people, the quick and the dead.' And of course, he was the quick. He was lightning quick and fast, both, and he was a one-man fast break. He got the ball and he weaved through traffic. He was just so fast. No one ever caught him."

In 1979-80, the Sonics set a franchise record by going 56-26 (a mark they did not surpass until the 1993-94 season), but that was only good enough for second place in the West behind the L.A. Lakers led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and rookie sensation Magic Johnson. Larry Bird's Boston Celtics (61-20) and Julius Erving's Philadelphia 76ers (59-23) also had better records than the Sonics. Williams led the Sonics in scoring (22.1 ppg, 11th in the league) and steals (2.4 spg, fourth in the league) while earning an All-NBA Second Team selection. He finished eighth in MVP voting, but--oddly--was not selected as an All-Star. The Sonics defeated the Trail Blazers and the Milwaukee Bucks in the playoffs before losing 4-1 to the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. Williams led the Sonics in playoff scoring (23.7 ppg, fifth in the league) and steals (2.3 spg, third in the league) while shooting a team-high .514 from the field. In the Western Conference Finals, Williams led the team in scoring (23.6 ppg), assists (6.6 apg), and steals (2.6 spg) while shooting .495 from the field.

Williams sat out the 1980-81 season due to a contract dispute, and Seattle's record plummeted to 34-48; prior to that season, the Sonics traded Dennis Johnson to the Suns for Hall of Famer Paul Westphal, but Westphal played just 36 games due to injury.

Williams returned to the Sonics in style in 1981-82, averaging a career-high 23.4 ppg, winning the NBA's Comeback Player of the Year award, earning his only All-NBA First Team selection, and finishing fifth in regular season MVP voting. The Sonics went 52-30 and then defeated the Houston Rockets in the first round before falling 4-1 to the San Antonio Spurs. Williams led the Sonics in playoff scoring (26.3 ppg, second in the league) and steals (1.6 spg, 11th in the league).

The Sonics started the 1982-83 season 12-0, but they went 36-34 the rest of the way before being bounced in the first round by the Trail Blazers. Williams led the team in regular season scoring (20.0 ppg), assists (8.1 apg, sixth in the league), and steals (2.3 spg, seventh in the league).

In 1983-84, the Sonics slipped to 42-40, and Williams ranked second on the team in scoring (18.7 ppg) behind Sikma. Williams led the team in assists (8.4 apg, seventh in the league), and steals (2.4 spg, third in the league). After the season, the Sonics traded Williams to the Washington Bullets for Tim McCormick and Ricky Sobers.

Williams led the Bullets in scoring (20.0 ppg), assists (7.7 apg, 10th in the league), and steals (2.3 spg, seventh in the NBA) in 1984-85, but the team went 40-42 and lost to the 76ers in the first round. Williams averaged 13.5 ppg for the 39-43 Bullets in 1986-87, and then he signed with Atlanta as a veteran free agent in January 1987, finishing his career by averaging 4.2 ppg in 33 games with the 1987-88 Hawks.

Williams was durable and consistent; he played in at least 77 games in nine of his 11 NBA seasons, and he averaged at least 18.1 ppg in seven seasons. He was even better in the playoffs, scoring more points (19.5 ppg) on a higher field goal percentage (.476) than he did during the regular season (17.1, .461). Williams' teams went 11-9 in playoff series, including 1-1 in the NBA Finals. It is interesting to compare Williams' playoff record to the playoff records of several of the guards who were selected to the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team and are either already inducted in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame or are locks to be inducted as soon as they become eligible:

Nate Archibald: 6-4 playoff series record; 1-0 in NBA Finals

Dave Bing: 1-5 playoff series record; 0-0 in NBA Finals

George Gervin: 3-13 ABA/NBA playoff series record; 0-0 in ABA/NBA Finals

Hal Greer: 7-12 playoff series record; 1-0 in NBA Finals

James Harden: 15-15 playoff series record; 0-1 in NBA Finals

Allen Iverson: 6-8 playoff series record; 0-1 in NBA Finals

Jason Kidd: 16-16 playoff series record; 1-2 in NBA Finals

Damian Lillard: 4-9 playoff series record; 0-0 in NBA Finals

Reggie Miller: 14-15 playoff series record; 0-1 in NBA Finals

Chris Paul: 12-15 playoff series record; 0-1 in NBA Finals

Oscar Robertson: 8-9 playoff series record; 1-1 in NBA Finals

John Stockton: 17-19 playoff series record; 0-2 in NBA Finals 

Isiah Thomas: 16-7 playoff series record; 2-1 in NBA Finals

Jerry West: 16-12 playoff series record; 1-8 in NBA Finals

Russell Westbrook: 11-12 playoff series record; 0-1 in NBA Finals

Lenny Wilkens: 5-7 playoff series record; 0-1 in NBA Finals

From that distinguished group, only Isiah Thomas won more championships than Gus Williams, and only Nate Archibald, Isiah Thomas, and Jerry West posted a higher playoff series winning percentage. The point of comparing these numbers is not to say that Williams was as good or better than these players, but rather to highlight that Williams' impact on winning seems to be forgotten or overlooked. Williams is not in the Hall of Fame, and his name is not brought during discussions of all-time great guards. Williams' peak did not last as long as the peaks of some of the all-time great guards and his absolute peak was not quite as high as the absolute peaks of some of the guards listed above, but Williams was a key player on teams that consistently performed well in the playoffs.

Labels: Atlanta Hawks, Dennis Johnson, Golden State Warriors, Gus Williams, Jack Sikma, Lenny Wilkens, Seattle Supersonics, Washington Bullets

posted by David Friedman @ 10:27 PM

0 comments