20 Second Timeout

Evaluating The Athletic's The Basketball 100, Focusing on the Top 15

David Aldridge and John Hollinger plus The Athletic staff are listed as co-authors of The Basketball 100, a book that ranks in order the top 100 players in pro basketball history. David Aldridge is one of the few modern NBA journalists who I respect: he writes well, and his takes are reasonable, even if I don't always agree with him, although I would say that I agree with him most of the time. In his Introduction to The Basketball 100, he declares, "If you truly love the game, you appreciate its history, and the stars of the early era, from George Mikan and Bob Cousy to Bob Pettit and Dolph Schayes. They were not plumbers and firemen; they were the best athletes of their generation, men to be respected." That last comment is a direct--and deserved--shot fired at J.J. Redick, who demeaned Bob Cousy because, in Redick's shameful words, Cousy played against "plumbers and firemen."

Although Aldridge's statement provides hope that the book will speak truth to power, there are reasons to be skeptical about the book as well. Aldridge talked about the book on a podcast with Bomani Jones, and Aldridge mentioned that while doing research he was surprised to learn that Dave Bing suffered an eye injury as a child that left him with blurred vision. I wrote about Bing's childhood eye injury in my 2007 Basketball Times profile of Bing, and I was not breaking news when I mentioned that fact, so it is surprising that a veteran NBA journalist did not know this--which is not to say that Aldridge is required to read my articles or to know every fact about every player, but rather that it is becoming increasingly evident that even among the best journalists there are very few (if any) who have truly immersed themselves in basketball history the way that I have done for more than 40 years. I often disagree with what others say about basketball players past and present simply because I am working with a much deeper set of facts and context than they are. That may sound arrogant, but anyone who takes the time to read even a fraction of the several million words that I have written about basketball can independently evaluate my knowledge of basketball history.

In his chapter about Bing, Aldridge asserts (p. 16) that Bing's single season scoring record at Syracuse stood for 23 years until Sherman Douglas broke it--but anyone who is familiar with basketball history does not have to consult Syracuse's record book to know that (1) Bing still holds that record, and (2) Douglas does not even rank in Syracuse's single season scoring top 10, never mind ranking first. It is disappointing to find such a glaring mistake in a book that touts itself as a definitive source for player rankings; if the writers, editors, and proofreaders employed by The Athletic do not know basic facts then why should readers place value on the book's player rankings?

Hollinger is one of many "stat gurus" who talked his way into various media jobs and even an NBA front office position by asserting this his proprietary statistic--Hollinger calls his PER, and other "stat gurus" have other proprietary statistics that they tout--is the best way to evaluate and rank basketball players and basketball teams. The concept of intelligently using statistics to objectively evaluate and rank basketball players sounds great, but in practice the use of "advanced basketball statistics" far too often results in ludicrous conclusions such as James Harden is a better scorer than Michael Jordan, and tanking is the best way to build an NBA team (never mind the fact that the data shows that tanking does not work). Utilize "advanced basketball statistics" in theory and you will build the best basketball team ever; utilize "advanced basketball statistics" in the real world and you will build the Philadelphia 76ers, who have not advanced past the second round of the playoffs despite hiring two of the most famous "stat gurus"--first Sam Hinkie and then more recently Daryl Morey--to run their basketball operations. The most incredible thing about Morey is that he has managed to stay employed as the main person running basketball operations for first the Houston Rockets and now the Philadelphia 76ers despite his pedestrian resume.

Not content with making money from hawking PER, Hollinger created a new "advanced basketball statistic" for The Basketball 100: GOAT points. I will spare you the details of how GOAT points work, because it can be summarized the same way that most such systems can be summarized: the system's creator arbitrarily selected the numbers that matter most to him, arbitrarily assigned weights to those numbers, and then declared that this is the best way to objectively rank basketball players. Everyone should want to find just one person who loves him or her as much as "stat gurus" love James Harden. The Basketball 100 ranked Harden 34th all-time--which is absurdly high--but Hollinger's GOAT points place Harden 13th, just ahead of Oscar Robertson, six spots ahead of Hakeem Olajuwon, seven spots ahead of Jerry West, eight spots ahead of Nikola Jokic, nine spots ahead of Giannis Antetokounmpo, 14 spots ahead of Stephen Curry, and 15 spots ahead of Julius Erving. Harden has had more "concert tours" than those all-time greats and he perfected the "Harden"--signifying a game during which a player has more turnovers than field goals made--but those are the only categories in which Harden should be ranked ahead of Robertson, Olajuwon, West, Jokic, Antetokoumpo, Curry, Erving, or anyone else who legitimately belongs on such a list.

Aldridge, Hollinger, and various staff writers divided the task of writing the book's chapters, with each chapter focusing on one player. In the first chapter by Hollinger--a discussion of Dave DeBusschere, who is ranked 97th on the list--he refers to the 1969 New York Knicks appearing in the Eastern Conference Finals (p. 20), but the NBA did not begin conference play until 1970 (the 1969 Knicks played in the Eastern Division Finals). Perhaps that may seem like a minor typographical error, but a major project featuring numerous editors, writers, and proofreaders should have a very small number of errors, particularly regarding facts that are easy to verify. 

Those are not the book's only easy to verify errors. Kelsey Russo writes that Jerry Lucas "was the first player in American basketball history to win a title at every level--high school, college, an Olympic gold medal, and the NBA" (p.144). Bill Russell accomplished that feat prior to Lucas. Zach Harper's disjointed and rambling account of Robert Parish's career asserts that Parish is one of six players who played in at least 1300 games and "averaged at least 16 points in each of their 17 seasons" (p. 174). Parish averaged less than 16 ppg in 11 of his 21 seasons. Harper also credits Parish with a career field goal percentage of .542 (.537 is the correct number), groups Parish with players who averaged at least 10 rpg during their careers (Parish averaged 9.1 rpg), and states that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's career field goal percentage is .562 (.559 is the correct number). It is not clear why giggling while Amin Elhassan bashes Bob Cousy and Russell Westbrook qualifies Harper to analyze Parish's accomplishments specifically or basketball history in general.

I am not going to do a page by page analysis/refutation of this 737 page book, so I will limit my primary focus to comparing the book's top 15 players with the 14 players in my basketball Pantheon while along the way discussing the merits of adding a 15th player to my 2008 list.

Here is my Pantheon, with players listed in chronological order:

• Bill Russell
• Elgin Baylor
• Wilt Chamberlain
• Oscar Robertson
• Jerry West
• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
• Julius Erving
• Larry Bird
• Magic Johnson
• Michael Jordan
• Shaquille O'Neal
• Kobe Bryant
• Tim Duncan
• LeBron James

Here are the top 15 players in The Basketball 100, listed according to the book's rankings:

1. Michael Jordan
2. LeBron James
3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
4. Bill Russell
5. Magic Johnson
6. Wilt Chamberlain
7. Shaquille O'Neal
8. Tim Duncan
9. Larry Bird
10. Kobe Bryant
11. Hakeem Olajuwon
12. Stephen Curry
13. Oscar Robertson
14. Kevin Durant
15. Julius Erving

The lists have 12 players in common. The differences are that The Basketball 100 omitted Elgin Baylor and Jerry West while including Hakeem Olajuwon, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant. Curry and Durant had not yet entered the NBA when I selected my Pantheon, and Olajuwon just missed the cut for my Pantheon, so I will examine Olajuwon's career first before discussing if Curry and Durant should replace Baylor and West or if the Pantheon should be expanded much like the NBA's Greatest Players List expanded from 50 players in 1996 to 76 players in 2021. 

In my first Pantheon article, I explained the criteria for inclusion in the Pantheon: "The players in basketball's pantheon display both durability and a high peak value, which I would define in the following fashion: durability means sustaining a long career (at least 10 years) at or near the top of the game and peak value refers to the top level that the player reached, even if he stayed there only briefly in the midst of a longer career during which he performed at a lower but still exceptional level."

The unfortunate aspect of explaining why a particular player is not in the Pantheon is that such a discussion can seem disrespectful toward the player in question. It should be noted that I have already examined in detail why Olajuwon deserved to be a first ballot Hall of Famer, so suggesting that he ranks in the top 25 all-time instead of the top 14 or 15 should not be seen as a negative.

Olajuwon won two NBA Finals MVPs, two Defensive Player of the Year awards (1993-94), and one regular season MVP (1994). He earned six All-NBA First Team selections (1987-89, 1993-94, 1997), made the All-Star team 12 times, led the league in rebounding twice (1989-90), and led the league in blocked shots three times (1990-91, 1993). Olajuwon's Houston Rockets reached the Western Conference Finals four times (1986, 1994-95, 1997) and advanced to the NBA Finals three times (1986, 1994-95), winning back to back NBA titles in 1994-95. Olajuwon had at least 100 steals and 100 blocked shots in 12 seasons, tying a record set by Julius Erving; in 11 of those seasons, Olajuwon had at least 200 blocked shots, easily making him the career leader in "100/200" seasons. 

Much of Olajuwon's reputation is based on leading the Rockets to back to back championships, and dominating 1995 regular season MVP David Robinson in the 1995 Western Conference Finals. Those are superb accomplishments, but it is worth noting that overall in head to head competition Olajuwon and Robinson posted comparable statistics while Robinson's teams won 32 out of 48 games.

I am not a big fan of playing the "What if?" game, but when evaluating Olajuwon's career it is fair to ask if he would have won a championship had Michael Jordan not retired from the NBA for nearly two full seasons during Jordan's prime. Jordan's decision should not be held against Olajuwon--who can only outplay the players and teams in front of him--but it is pertinent to wonder about Olajuwon's two titles in light of the fact that in his other 18 seasons he managed just two appearances in the Western Conference Finals and only one appearance in the NBA Finals. With the exception of Oscar Robertson, Pantheon members routinely made deep playoff runs--and Robertson's Cincinnati Royals often had to contend with either Bill Russell or Wilt Chamberlain in a small league with highly concentrated elite-level talent. 

Selections to the All-League (ABA or NBA) First Team and top five MVP finishes are two quick ways to assess the combination of high peak value with durability; this does not mean that I selected my Pantheon based on those awards, but it means that the players who I selected often received those honors in recognition of their greatness. With the exception of Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell, every member of my basketball Pantheon earned at least eight All-NBA/All-ABA First Team selections. Chamberlain and Russell fought each other for that honor throughout the 1960s, with Chamberlain making the All-NBA First Team seven times and Russell earning three selections (including one before Chamberlain entered the NBA)--but Chamberlain finished in the top five in MVP voting 10 times (winning the award four times) and Russell finished in the top five in MVP voting 11 times (winning the award five times). Elgin Baylor finished in the top five in MVP voting seven times, Jerry West and Shaquille O'Neal each did so eight times, and every other Pantheon member did so at least nine times. Without exception, each Pantheon member was a legitimate MVP candidate for the better part of a decade, and some Pantheon members were legitimate MVP candidates for longer than a decade.

Olajuwon made the All-NBA First Team six times, and he finished in the top five in MVP voting six times. Olajuwon was a great player, but he was not quite a Pantheon-level player; the Pantheon players had longer runs of MVP/All-NBA First Team level dominance, and in general their teams had more playoff success (with the exception of Baylor, Robertson, and West, but those three players were the best at their positions for a solid decade). Instead of ranking Olajuwon 11th all-time, I would place him somewhere in the top 25.

Recency bias works in favor of Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant; younger fans may barely remember Kobe Bryant, let alone Michael Jordan and the great players who preceded Jordan. It has become increasingly popular to assert that Curry is one of the 10 greatest players ever, and Durant is often mentioned as one of the 10-15 greatest players ever--but, for the reasons listed below, I would not rank Curry or Durant ahead of any of the players in my Pantheon, nor am I inclined to expand my Pantheon to include either of them. As is the case with Olajuwon, ranking Curry and Durant in the top 25 all-time should not be considered disrespectful; using the same standards that I have consistently used, Curry and Durant just don't quite make the Pantheon cut.

Labels: Elgin Baylor, Hakeem Olajuwon, Jerry West, Julius Erving, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Pantheon series, Stephen Curry

posted by David Friedman @ 1:41 AM

10 comments

Stephen Curry is the 30th Member of Pro Basketball's 25,000 Point Club

On Saturday March 8, Stephen Curry joined pro basketball's 25,000 point club while scoring a game-high 32 points as his Golden State Warriors won at home versus the much improved Detroit Pistons, 115-110. The NBA and its media partners count Curry as the 25,000 point club's 26th member because they stubbornly refuse to acknowledge ABA statistics, thereby wrongly excluding Julius Erving (who scored 30,026 career points), Dan Issel (27,482), George Gervin (26,595), and Rick Barry (25,279).

Curry joins Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki, Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Tim Duncan, John Havlicek, Reggie Miller, and Jerry West on the list of players who scored at least 25,000 points while playing for one franchise. 

Curry ranks fifth among active players on the career scoring list, trailing only LeBron James (the NBA's career scoring leader who is also the sole member of the 40,000 point club), Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook. DeMar DeRozan needs to score 123 points to be the next member of the 25,000 point club. Chris Paul is 2158 points short, but the soon to be 40 year old has not scored 1000 points in a season since 2020-21 so it seems unlikely that he will join the 25,000 point club.

Curry, West, and Russell Westbrook are the only 25,000 point club members who are shorter than 6-4, which is yet another reminder of how much size matters in pro basketball. As I discussed in my article about Westbrook joining the 25,000 point club, Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, West, and Havlicek were the "charter" members of the 25,000 point club, and then the club added six members in the 1980s: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Julius Erving, Dan Issel, Elvin Hayes, George Gervin, Moses Malone and Rick Barry.

Even though the 25,000 point club is not as exclusive as it used to be, joining the club is still meaningful: a player who averages 25 ppg and plays in 80 games per season for 12 years would fall short, highlighting the combination of durability and high level productivity that it takes to surpass 25,000 points.

Labels: Dan Issel, George Gervin, Golden State Warriors, Jerry West, Julius Erving, Rick Barry, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry

posted by David Friedman @ 2:28 PM

10 comments

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Inducts 13 Member 2024 Class, Including Vince Carter and Jerry West

The 2024 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame ceremony was originally scheduled for the weekend of August 16-17, but was shifted to the weekend of October 12-13 on a one-time basis after a basketball-packed summer that included Team USA winning the gold medal at the 2024 Olympics. 

The Class of 2024 includes 13 inductees, eight of whom have strong NBA ties: players Dick Barnett, Chauncey Billups, Vince Carter, Michael Cooper, and Walter Davis, plus contributors Doug Collins, Herb Simon, and Jerry West. This year's other five inductees are Seimone Augustus, Harley Redin, Bo Ryan, Charles Smith (a Louisiana high school coach, not the former NBA player) and Michele Timms. 

As usual, this report will focus on the inductees who have NBA connections.

Billups led off the proceedings, and he was presented by Tina Thompson and his Detroit teammate Ben Wallace. His Detroit Coach Larry Brown was also supposed to present him, but Brown was unable to attend the ceremony. Billups noted that his grandmother had dreamed of someone in the family doing something that would establish the family name in a positive light. He said that his father Ray was his first coach/role model. 

It is obvious that playing for five different teams in his first six NBA seasons both stung and inspired Billups, who was the third overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft. Billups played 51 games for the Boston Celtics as a rookie before they traded him to Toronto, and he lasted just 29 games in Toronto before landing in Denver. He played 58 games for Denver in parts of two seasons before being shipped to Minnesota. Billups credited Minnesota Coach Flip Saunders with being the first NBA coach who believed in him. Billups said that during his time in Minnesota he received point guard mentoring from Terrell Brandon and general mentoring from Sam Mitchell, who later became the 2007 NBA Coach of the Year and is currently a commentator on NBA TV and SiriusXM NBA Radio.

Billups enjoyed two solid seasons in Minnesota before signing with the Detroit Pistons as a free agent. That decision put Billups' career on a Hall of Fame arc, as he led the Pistons to six straight Eastern Conference Finals appearances (2003-08), two NBA Finals appearances (2004-05) and one NBA title (2004). Billups earned the 2004 NBA Finals MVP as his Pistons beat the favored but injury-riddled L.A. Lakers 4-1. Billups recalled that in those days the Pistons called themselves "The Best Five Alive" and they did not believe that any team could beat them. 

Billups said that his parents inspired him while laying a solid foundation in life for him and his siblings. Speaking directly to his three daughters--who all attended the event--Billups said, "Legacy is not something you leave for someone. It is something you leave in someone."

Ty Lue--who coached the Cleveland Cavaliers to the 2016 NBA title--encouraged Billups to become an NBA coach, telling Billups that the job is stressful but that he will love it even though he will gain weight and have bags under his eyes from watching so much game film/video. Billups acknowledged that everything Lue told him about coaching turned out to be true. Billups has a career 81-165 record in three seasons as Portland's coach, but he declared that he will be a winner as a coach just like he was a winner as a player. Billups thanked the coaches who helped him become a great player, and he mentioned that no coach pushed him harder than Larry Brown, who helmed Detroit's 2004 championship team. Billups concluded by thanking his grandmother for her prayers, and he said that her prayers came true in terms of him putting respect on the Billups name.

Herb Simon, who purchased the Indiana Pacers with his brother Melvin in 1983, is the longest serving NBA team owner. He was presented by Larry Bird, Tamika Catchings, and Reggie Miller. Simon, who looks, moves, and acts significantly younger than his age, declared that he is "excited as ever" for the start of the NBA season on October 23, which will be his 90th birthday. Simon's favorite part of owning the Pacers is how the team brings his family together, and he proudly noted that all eight of his children attended this ceremony.

Simon said that his three presenters represent almost the entire time span that he has owned the Pacers (and the WNBA's Indiana Fever). He said of Miller, "You epitomize everything it is to be a Pacer." Miller spent his entire 18 season NBA career with the Pacers. Simon noted that Catchings brought him his only championship when she led the Fever to the 2012 WNBA title. Simon declared to Bird, "You are a winner at everything you do."  During his tenure with the Pacers, Bird won the Coach of the Year award (1998) and the Executive of the Year award (2012). Bird also selected Kevin Pritchard as his successor to run the team, and Simon indicated that Pritchard's moves are a major reason that he is so excited about the upcoming NBA season. 

Returning to the family theme as he finished his speech, Simon pointed to his niece Cynthia A. Simon Skjodt in the crowd and said, "If ever an award deserved two names this one deserves it, so in closing I want to dedicate this recognition to the memory of my brother Mel." 

I had never heard of Charles Smith, a Louisiana high school coach, before he received this honor. What struck me most about his story and his speech is that he has lived a life dedicated to service. He had opportunities to pursue fame and glory by coaching college basketball, but he stayed grounded in his roots and taught his students not only the game of basketball but the game of life. To this day, he is still a math teacher and a school bus driver at Peabody High School.

Jerry West is the first three-time inductee, going in this time as a contributor after previously being honored as a player (1980) and as a member of Team USA's 1960 Olympics team (2010). West, who passed away on June 12, 2024 at the age of 86, was presented by Rick Welts, Bob McAdoo, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Pat Riley, Jamaal Wilkes, Vlade Divac, Del Harris, and Michael Cooper. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Pau Gasol, and Shaquille O'Neal were listed as presenters for West in the Hall of Fame's official press release, but they did not attend the ceremony.

Jerry West's son Jonnie spoke on his behalf. Jonnie noted that his father was obsessed with winning, and "The truth is, my dad would have struggled to accept all this recognition. He had a habit of tuning out all of the praise and hearing only criticism. But I'm here today to talk about how good he was at his job, whether he likes it or not, because Jerry Alan West was an overlooked kid from little Chelyan, West Virginia who is now a Hall of Famer for a historic third time."

Jonnie described a man who was so competitive that if he made a hole in one he would be upset about how the ball rolled into the hole. Everyone who is successful in life is competitive to some extent, but there is a difference between being competitive and being obsessed with competition, and there are a select few who are obsessed with competition. It is clear from Jonnie's descriptions and from all that is publicly known about his father that Jerry West--like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant--had an obsession with competition that few other people have.

Jerry had a tremendous eye for talent, and he had the courage of his convictions. He drafted Vlade Divac at a time when it had not yet become popular to draft European players--and Divac rewarded this faith by having a Hall of Fame career. Yet, when the opportunity arose to draft a promising 17 year old Kobe Bryant, West traded Divac to Charlotte for the necessary draft pick. Jonnie asserted, with pride but also justification, that Jerry West's nearly simultaneous acquisitions of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant may have been the most impactful back to back moves of any executive in sports history. 

Jonnie did not mention the contentious nature of his father's departure from a Lakers organization to which he contributed so much, but it must be said that the rift between Jerry West and the Lakers is not only sad but it reflects poorly on the Lakers--and it is likely not a coincidence that the Lakers were a lot more successful with Jerry West in the fold than with Jerry West in exile. Jonnie pointed out that after his father left the Lakers he helped build the Memphis Grizzlies into a 50 win squad after the team had previously never won more than 23 games in a season. Jerry West also made meaningful contributions to Golden State and to the L.A. Clippers, for whom he was working as a consultant at the time of his death. The Clippers issued a statement describing West as the "personification of basketball excellence."

Jonnie noted that despite his father's obsession with competition, he also maintained compassion and connection in his interactions with his co-workers. 

Just five years ago, Dick Barnett spoke powerfully at the Hall of Fame Induction ceremony about his Tennessee A&I squad that was the first team to win three straight collegiate championships, so it was poignant to see the wheelchair-bound Barnett unable to speak at his own induction. Barnett's teammate Bill Bradley described him as a two-way player who was an essential member of the Knicks' championship teams in 1970 and 1973. Barnett's signature move was his "Fall back, baby" jump shot, with that trademark phrase signifying that his team can fall back on defense because he was sure that he would make the shot.

Doug Collins earned four NBA All-Star selections, but he joins the Hall of Fame not as a player but as a contributor. Like West, Collins distinguished himself in multiple roles during a long basketball career, excelling as a player, coach, and broadcaster. His Philadelphia 76ers teammate Julius Erving said of Collins, "I never played with a guy whose feet and hands were so quick. That quickness was also a part of his mind, and his heart and his energy. He was one of the greatest players I ever had as a teammate." Grant Hill said, "Doug was the best coach I had in the NBA." Grant Hill, Billy Cunningham, and Jerry Reinsdorf served as presenters for Collins.

Collins brought a basketball on stage with him, and declared that everyone assembled should think about that basketball: "Eight pounds of air, and what it has done for all of our lives." During his speech, Collins described himself as a storyteller, and he told many stories in a speech that lasted for nearly 30 minutes. In theory, there is a time limit for each speech, but in practice it is rare for anyone to be given the hook, because these speeches are a chance for these inductees to frame how history will remember them. Collins was a member of the 1972 Team USA squad that was robbed of Olympic gold by what Collins rightly term "political" reasons, and he never won an NBA championship as a player or as a coach, so his time on stage clearly had great meaning for him as an opportunity to talk about what he learned and what he felt during his basketball journey. 

Collins, like West, is the ultimate basketball junkie/basketball purist, as anyone who followed his career knows very well. Collins declared, "I've never been afraid to fail," and he emphasized that young people should understand that failure is a way to grow. His passion for the game is obvious and contagious, from his description of playing for Coach Will Robinson at Illinois State through his recounting of the 1972 Olympics to his statement that the premature end of his NBA career due to injury "broke my heart." 

Collins transitioned from playing to broadcasting, and then Jerry Reinsdorf hired Collins to coach the Chicago Bulls after being struck by how well Collins analyzed the game on TV. Collins noted, "You're always being evaluated." Collins posted a 442-407 regular season record with the Bulls, the Detroit Pistons, the Washington Wizards, and the Philadelphia 76ers.

I enjoyed Collins' recollections of the players he played with and against, and the challenges he faced during his injury-riddled NBA career. Collins described seeing Erving for the first time, at the Maurice Stokes Benefit that used to be held annually at Kutsher's Country Club. Collins said that while he was warming up he heard a buzz in the crowd, and then he saw Erving walk on the court holding a basketball in each of his huge hands. Erving jumped up, dunked one basketball and then dunked the other basketball. Collins recalled thinking that he was playing the wrong sport!

There were some murmurs from the crowd as Collins' speech approached the 30 minute mark, and Collins hearkened back to Jimmy Valvano's legendary ESPYs speech when Valvano dismissed the blinking light that indicated that his time to speak was up. Collins closed by thanking his family members individually--including his grandchildren, children, and wife--and he stated that he had followed Coach Robinson's advice to never leave home without a basketball. That advice served him well, and carried Collins all the way to the Hall of Fame!

Bo Ryan spent his entire college coaching career in the state of Wisconsin. He was presented by Roy Williams. Jim Calhoun, who was supposed to be his other presenter, took ill and was not able to attend. Ryan spoke the line of the night: "The purpose of life is to discover your gift. The meaning of life is to give it away." He praised Williams and Calhoun for embodying that ideal.

Seimone Augustus is one of the greatest female basketball players ever. Her speech was noteworthy because she recited most of it in poetic form, and because she stated that she plans to be successful enough in her post-playing career to be inducted a second time. Harley Redin was inducted posthumously for his significant contributions to the women's game. Michele Timms is still one of my favorite female basketball players of all-time because of her high basketball IQ, her deft passing, and her grit; she is a pioneer of the modern women's professional game who did not post gaudy WNBA statistics but who had a major impact on team success both as a professional and as a member of the Australian national team.

Younger fans may not know about Walter Davis, but if you followed college and pro basketball in the 1970s and 1980s then you will never forget the smooth, graceful style of "The Greyhound." Julius Erving, who could be termed the poet laureate of the NBA because of his ability to succinctly and vividly describe the essence of a player's greatness, said of Davis, "A player who was not only skilled, but made other players better. He was poetry in motion." Davis was presented by David Thompson, Bob McAdoo, Jerry Colangelo, Roy Williams, Charlie Scott, and Bobby Jones. Davis' daughters attended the ceremony and provided brief recorded remarks but did not give a live speech.

Michael Cooper's career does not fit the traditional statistical profile for a Hall of Famer because he was not a high scorer nor was he a perennial All-Star; in fact, he never made the All-Star team, though he did earn the 1987 Defensive Player of the Year award plus eight straight selections to the All-Defensive Team (1981-88). However, Cooper was a very important player on five championship teams (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987-88) as a member of the L.A. Lakers before coaching the L.A. Sparks to two WNBA titles (2001-02). He was a versatile player who could play three positions--point guard, shooting guard, small forward--at both ends of the court.

Cooper's presenters were Magic Johnson, Pat Riley, and Lisa Leslie. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was not able to attend. During his speech, Cooper mentioned that he was raised by his grandmother and extended family members. His high school coach cut him twice, but taught him a lifelong lesson that passion for sports goes hand in hand with devotion to God. Cooper gave tribute to Jerry West, who drafted him for the Lakers: "He was a friend and a mentor. I owe him more than he could ever understand, and I miss him more than I can ever express." Cooper said that winning the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship award in 1986 meant a lot to him, and he pledged to use his platform to give back to the game and the world that has given so much to him.

Vince Carter is probably the 2024 inductee who is most familiar to younger fans, as Carter retired from the NBA in 2020 after playing for a record 22 seasons. He initially achieved fame for his spectacular dunks--and the signature moments of his career include winning the 2000 NBA Slam Dunk Contest and posterizing Frederic Weis during the 2000 Olympics--but Carter also won the 1999 Rookie of the Year award before earning eight straight All-Star selections (2000-07). After being traded to Orlando, Carter began the transition from star player to role player, a subject that I discussed with him after an Orlando-Indiana game in 2010.

Julius Erving and Carter's cousin Tracy McGrady presented Carter. Befitting a player who had the longest career in NBA history, Carter spoke for nearly 30 minutes, longer than any other inductee other than Collins. Carter began by paying tribute to his connection with McGrady, a bond formed when they found out that they were related not long before they became teammates in Toronto. Then, Carter talked about Erving: "We all have heroes, and I am thankful to have my hero up here." Carter lived out the dream held by most basketball fans in the 1970s and 1980s to not only meet Erving but to have a meaningful connection with him; interviewing Erving on the phone, meeting/interviewing him at the 2005 ABA Reunion, and speaking with him at other All-Star Weekends are highlights that will never be topped during my basketball journey.

Carter thanked various family members, friends, and teammates who helped and supported him. Carter talked about the enduring influence that his University of North Carolina experience had not just on his career but on his life, because he always considered himself a student-athlete as opposed to an athlete-student. He reviewed his NBA career in reverse chronological order, beginning at the end with the Atlanta Hawks and then concluding at the beginning with the Toronto Raptors. Although the Basketball Hall of Fame differs from some Halls of Fame that primarily identify each inductee with a specific team, Carter stated emphatically his preference to enter the Hall of Fame as a Raptor.

Erving appeared as a presenter for the first time since 2021. The official records for Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame presenters only go back to 2001 (which is an odd limitation for an organization that is supposed to be dedicated to preserving and honoring basketball history), but there is good reason to believe that no one has been a Hall of Fame presenter more often than Julius Erving. A person must be a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee to be a presenter. Erving was inducted in 1993.

Here is the list of each of the 18 times that I can confirm that Erving has been a Hall of Fame presenter:

Julius Erving as Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Presenter

1994: None
1995: Presented Cheryl Miller
1996: None
1997: Presented Alex English
1998-2000: None
2001: Presented Moses Malone
2002-2003: None
2004: Presented Clyde Drexler
2005: None
2006: Presented Dominique Wilkins
2007-2010: None
2011: Presented Artis Gilmore
2012: Presented Katrina McClain, Ralph Sampson and the All-American Red Heads
2013-2014: None
2015: Presented John Calipari
2016: Presented Allen Iverson and Shaquille O'Neal
2017: None
2018: Presented Maurice Cheeks and Charlie Scott
2019: Presented Chuck Cooper and Bobby Jones
2020: None
2021: Bill Russell
2022: None
2023: None
2024: Vince Carter

Articles About Recent Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies:

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's 2023 Class Includes Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade, and Gregg Popovich (Class of 2023)

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's 2022 Class Includes NBA Players Lou Hudson, Tim Hardaway, and Manu Ginobili (Class of 2022)  

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Welcomes 15 New Members and Honors Bill Russell a Second Time (Class of 2021)

Kobe Bryant Headlines the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony (Class of 2020) 

The Basketball Hall of Fame Welcomes A Diverse Class of 12 Inductees (Class of 2019)

Thoughts and Observations About the 2018 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony (Class of 2018)

Labels: Basketball Hall of Fame, Bo Ryan, Chauncey Billups, Dick Barnett, Doug Collins, Harley Redin, Herb Simon, Jerry West, Julius Erving, Michael Cooper, Seimone Augustus, Vince Carter, Walter Davis

posted by David Friedman @ 2:03 PM

0 comments

Jerry West: The Logo Left Behind a Lasting Legacy

Jerry West passed away Wednesday morning at the age of 86. Younger fans may not understand why West's silhouette has been embedded in the NBA's official logo for over 50 years, but even a brief review of West's accomplishments makes it clear that West is not only one of the greatest basketball players ever but one of the most important people in basketball history. 

West earned induction in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in three separate roles: as a player (1980), as a member of the Team USA squad that won the gold medal in the 1960 Olympics (2010), and as a contributor (2024, in what will now be a posthumous honor). He was one of 11 players selected to the NBA's 35th Anniversary Team (1980). West was also selected to the NBA's 50 Greatest Players List (1996), and the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team (2021).

West made the All-Star team in each of his 14 seasons, he earned 10 All-NBA First Team selections (tied for fourth all-time behind only LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Karl Malone), he won the 1970 scoring title, he won the 1972 assist title, and he made the All-Defensive Team in each of the first five seasons that honor was presented at the end of his career (1969-73). West was the third player to surpass the 25,000 point plateau, and he retired with the third highest regular season scoring average (27.0 ppg), trailing only Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor. West finished second in regular season MVP voting four times in an era when only one non-center (Oscar Robertson, 1964) won an MVP between 1957 and 1981. 

West finished his playing career with a 1-8 NBA Finals record, but he earned the nickname "Mr. Clutch" because of his tremendous performances in the biggest games. West declared, "If it comes down to one shot, I like to shoot the ball. I don't worry about it. If it doesn't go in, it doesn't go in." West holds the career NBA Finals scoring record (1679 points), ahead of LeBron James (1562), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1317), and Michael Jordan (1176). West has the third highest career NBA Finals scoring average (30.5 ppg), trailing only Rick Barry (36.3 ppg) and Michael Jordan (33.6 ppg). West won the inaugural NBA Finals MVP award in 1969, and he remains the only player to earn that honor as a member of the losing team. 

Robertson and West ranked 1-2 (in whatever order you prefer) all-time among guards until well into the 1980s when Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan made their marks.

Baylor and West were known as "Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside," and they are still one of the greatest duos in NBA history. West was a big-time scorer while playing alongside Baylor, but when Baylor missed all but five minutes of the 1965 playoffs West took his game to a record-setting level, averaging 46.3 ppg on .453 field goal shooting as the Lakers won 4-2 versus the Baltimore Bullets in the Western Division Finals. West then scored 33.8 ppg versus the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, but Bill Russell and a lineup filled with other Hall of Famers crew beat the Lakers, 4-1. Russell's Celtics were West's greatest nemesis, defeating West's Lakers six times in the NBA Finals. 

Chamberlain joined Baylor and West for the 1968-69 season, but by that stage of their careers those three players were rarely fully healthy at the same time. The otherwise incredibly durable Chamberlain missed 70 games during the 1969-70 season because of a knee injury, and during the trio's four seasons together with the Lakers, Baylor played in 76, 54, two, and nine games before retiring early in that fourth season. Without Baylor, but alongside Chamberlain and Gail Goodrich, West finally won an NBA title in 1972 as a key member of one of the NBA's greatest single season teams; the Lakers won a still-record 33 straight regular season games before storming through the postseason with a 12-3 mark, including a 4-1 rout of a New York Knicks team that won NBA titles in 1970 and 1973.

West is a member of my basketball Pantheon, and is without question one of the top five guards of all-time, along with fellow Pantheon members (listed chronologically) Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant. West, Johnson, and Hakeem Olajuwon are the only players to win an NBA Finals MVP, an NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player award, and an Olympic gold medal. 

How great was West? Picture Stephen Curry with an excellent vertical leap and elite defensive skills--or, as West put it, "A wolf who ate dogs":

I described West's 2011 book West by West as "a unique contribution to sports literature: it is not an autobiography or even an 'as told to' story; West writes (p. XII), 'the approach that I have taken, in collaboration with Jonathan Coleman, is one that is built on deep reportage...nothing less than a full-scale attempt to bring forth the truth, to rely not just on my recollection of things, but to do something more ambitious: investigate myself, speak with others, and come to grips with what I find.'" I encourage anyone who is not familiar with West's life and career to read my review--and then to read West's book.

West was an important basketball figure from the late 1950s when he was a collegiate star at West Virginia through 2024 when he served as an executive with the L.A. Clippers until his death. After his playing career ended, he posted a 145-101 record in three seasons as the Lakers coach, including the best record in the league (53-29) in the 1976-77 season. West then moved to the Lakers front office and played a major role in building two of the greatest dynasties of the past 40 years: the Showtime Lakers won five NBA titles in the 1980s, and the Shaq/Kobe Lakers of the early 2000s won three straight championships. West felt disrespected by Lakers Coach Phil Jackson, and West moved on to Memphis, where he built the Grizzlies into a 50 win team in 2004 after the franchise had never won more than 28 games in each of its first eight years of existence. He then worked in the Golden State Warriors front office during that team's 2015 and 2017 championship seasons. West only won the Executive of the Year award twice (1995 with the Lakers, 2004 with the Grizzlies), and I agree with former Utah executive Scott Layden, who declared that the award should be named after West; a strong case could be made that West is the greatest executive in NBA history, if not North American team sports history.

It is a cliche to call a person "unique": few people have qualities that are unusual or rare, and even fewer people fit the literal definition of "unique" by being truly "one of a kind."

Jerry West's combined record as a player, coach, and executive is unique: no one else has ever played at an elite level in the NBA, then coached a team to the best record in the NBA, and then built multiple NBA championship teams as an executive. 

Jerry West will be deeply missed, but never forgotten.

Labels: Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, Wilt Chamberlain

posted by David Friedman @ 12:58 AM

4 comments

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's 2024 Class Includes Dick Barnett, Chauncey Billups, Vince Carter, Doug Collins, Michael Cooper, Walter Davis, Herb Simon, and Jerry West

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's 2024 class includes 13 inductees, eight of whom have strong NBA ties: players Dick Barnett, Chauncey Billups, Vince Carter, Michael Cooper, and Walter Davis, plus contributors Doug Collins, Herb Simon, and Jerry West. West joins Lenny Wilkens as the only three-time inductees, as West was previously inducted as a player and as a member of the 1960 Team USA Olympic team. This year's other five inductees are Seimone Augustus, Harley Redin, Bo Ryan, Charles Smith (a Louisiana high school coach, not the former NBA player) and Michele Timms. At 20 Second Timeout I focus on the NBA game, but I will note that Timms is one of my favorite female basketball players of all-time (along with Cynthia Cooper, who I interviewed during the 2006 NBA All-Star Weekend). Timms was a heady, scrappy player whose impact on winning was greater than her individual numbers might suggest.

The eight inductees who are connected with the NBA have impacted basketball from the 1950s through today.

During the 2019 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Barnett narrated a powerful tribute to his school--Tennessee A&I--and his college coach, John McClendon. Barnett led Teneessee A&I to three straight NAIA championships (1957-59) before enjoying a successful 14 season NBA career that included winning two NBA titles with the New York Knicks (1970, 1973) and earning one NBA All-Star selection (1968). Barnett averaged a career-high 23.1 ppg in the 1965-66 season, and he finished his career with 15,358 points (15.8 ppg).

Billups won the 2004 NBA Finals MVP as his Detroit Pistons defeated the L.A. Lakers, who had won three straight championships (2000-02) with the powerful Shaquille O'Neal-Kobe Bryant duo leading the way. He earned the nickname "Mr. Big Shot" because of how often he rose to the occasion in clutch situations. Billups ranks sixth in ABA/NBA history in free throw percentage (.897). Billups was not a dominant player or a perennial MVP candidate, but he earned five All-Star selections, three All-NBA selections, and two All-Defensive Team selections. Also, every NBA Finals MVP who is eligible for Hall of Fame induction has been inducted except for Cedric Maxwell.

Carter holds the record for most ABA/NBA seasons played (22), breaking the mark of 21 previously held by Moses Malone (19 NBA seasons, two ABA seasons), Robert Parish, Kevin Willis, and Dirk Nowitzki. After Carter retired, I analyzed his Hall of Fame candidacy:

Should Carter be selected as a Hall of Famer? The answer to that question depends on how you think about the Hall of Fame. If you think that the Hall of Fame should only welcome the absolute best of the best, then you would likely think that Carter is not worthy. Carter is not one of the 50 greatest players of all-time, and may in fact not be one of the top 100 greatest players of all-time. However, if you think that the Hall of Fame should welcome players who played at a high level for an extended period even if they never reached MVP level then Carter easily meets that standard. Carter was no worse than a top 20-25 player for an eight to 10 year period, which is excellent peak value. He then spent an even longer period as a solid rotation player; those final seasons lowered his career per game averages, but should Carter's Hall of Fame resume be downgraded because he had great longevity compared to his peers whose bodies failed them at a younger age, or who were not able to adjust to a lesser role in order to stay in the league? Carter proved that he was a coachable player who was willing to help younger players, and he proved that there was more to his game than just eye-popping leaping ability. Carter's role in elevating (pun intended) pro basketball in Toronto, and his iconic dunks (both in games and in the Slam Dunk Contest) are intangibles that bolster his Hall of Fame candidacy.

Cooper won the 1987 Defensive Player of the Year award, and he made the All-Defensive Team for eight straight seasons (1981-88), including five First Team selections (1982, 1984-85, 1987-88). He was a key member of all five Showtime Lakers championships teams (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987-88). Cooper was a prototype for what is now called a "3 and D" player; in addition to his defensive prowess he ranked in the top 10 in three point field goal percentage three times (1984, 1986-87), and he twice ranked second in the league in three point field goals made, albeit with numbers that do not look impressive in today's NBA (38 in 1984, 89 in 1987).

However, while Billups fits the Hall of Fame profile as a Finals MVP and multiple-time All-Star and Carter was a top 20-25 player for an extended time, Cooper's resume lacks such credentials. Thus, Cooper's induction raises more questions about what it means to be a Hall of Famer: it is one thing to determine that players such as Billups and Carter deserve Hall of Fame induction, but if Cooper--who never made the All-Star team, and never averaged more than 12 ppg, 6 apg or 4.5 rpg in a season--is a Hall of Famer then where is the line drawn? Should Robert Horry and Bruce Bowen be inducted as well? This is not meant to diminish the value that Cooper, Horry, and Bowen provided to multiple championship teams; the point is that at no time during their playing careers did any credible analyst seriously consider them to be Hall of Famers. With very few exceptions, Hall of Fame status meant, at a minimum, playing at an All-Star level for a sustained period. Cooper, Horry, and Bowen were tremendous role players who played alongside multiple players whose Hall of Fame credentials are beyond reproach, and those first ballot Hall of Famers likely could have won championships with other supporting casts, but one cannot picture Cooper, Horry, or Bowen being the first, second, or third best player on a championship contender.

I am not saying that Cooper should not be a Hall of Famer, and I am not trying to rain on his parade, but I am saying that the criteria for Hall of Fame induction should be clarified; the criteria seem to have evolved or shifted.

Davis was known as "The Greyhound" because of his graceful and smooth playing style. He won the 1978 Rookie of the Year award over Hall of Famer Bernard King, and Davis finished fifth in MVP voting that season as well. He earned two All-NBA Second Team selections (1978-79), and he was a six-time All-Star (1978-81, 1984, 1987). Prior to his NBA career, he was an excellent college player at North Carolina and an Olympic gold medalist in 1976.

Collins earned four All-Star selections in his injury-plagued eight season NBA career with the Philadelphia 76ers before compiling a 442-407 record as an NBA head coach with Chicago, Detroit, Washington, and Philadelphia. He also established himself as one of the premier color commentators on NBA and FIBA telecasts. 

Herb Simon has owned the Indiana Pacers longer than any other owner has owned a team in NBA history. He co-owned the team with his brother Melvin from 1983 until Melvin died of cancer in 2009. Under Simon's ownership, the Pacers have reached the Eastern Conference Finals eight times (1994-95, 1998-2000, 2004, 2013-14) and the NBA Finals once (2000).

West is a Pantheon-level player who also coached the L.A. Lakers for three seasons (1977-79) before enjoying one of the most accomplished front office careers in NBA history, building Lakers teams that won eight NBA titles (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987-88, 2000-02); although West left the Lakers after the 2000 season, it is fair to say that the Lakers would not have won their 2001 and 2002 championships had West not brought Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant to L.A. West won the Executive of the Year award twice (1995 with the Lakers, 2004 with the Memphis Grizzlies). The dust jacket to Roland Lazenby's Jerry West biography asserts that West is "a man who has done more to shape basketball than anyone on the planet."

Labels: Basketball Hall of Fame, Chauncey Billups, Dick Barnett, Doug Collins, Herb Simon, Jerry West, Michael Cooper, Vince Carter, Walter Davis

posted by David Friedman @ 8:44 PM

9 comments

Is Stephen Curry the Greatest Point Guard of All-Time?

Stephen Curry's recent declaration that he is the greatest point guard of all-time provides an excellent opportunity to combine a history lesson with a discussion about how to evaluate and rank basketball players. When ranking athletes and teams, there has always been a lamentable tendency to live in the moment and forget about the past, and this tendency seems to have become more pronounced with the proliferation of social media; social media users often drive many public conversations/debates, and social media users tend to be young people who may not know or care about things that happened before they were born. Also, social media platforms encourage brevity at the cost of depth and complexity, which leads to overly simplistic, binary debates such as "Is Michael Jordan or LeBron James the GOAT?" That question ignores even the possibility that the greatest player of all-time might be neither of those players.

Before determining whether or not Curry is the greatest point guard of all-time, it is worth examining if he even is a point guard! Historically, a point guard is a team's primary ballhandler and playmaker. There have been pass-first point guards and there have been scoring point guards, but it is rare that a point guard is neither the primary ballhandler nor the primary playmaker; an obvious exception would be the nominal point guards for the Chicago Bulls when the team won six championships during an eight year span in the 1990s: B.J. Armstrong, John Paxson, Steve Kerr, and Ron Harper may have been listed in the boxscore as the point guards playing alongside shooting guard Michael Jordan at various times, but Scottie Pippen--a point forward--ran the offense while Jordan served as the secondary playmaker. Armstrong, Paxson, and Kerr were spot up shooters, while Harper was a slasher and (at that stage of his career) a defensive specialist.

Curry has not led the Warriors in assists since the 2015 season; Draymond Green has been the Warriors' primary playmaker since that time, while Curry has been most lethal off of the ball. Curry is the team's secondary playmaker, and many of his assists happen after he catches the ball, is trapped, and then passes to an open teammate. In contrast, point guards typically bring the ball up the court, run the offense, and create assist opportunities from their initial action, not after the initial action has already been run.

Curry plays like a shooting guard who has excellent passing skills, and in that regard he is more similar to Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant than he is to Magic Johnson. However, comparing Curry to Jordan or Bryant is not a conversation that would generate much traction on social media, because almost all fans would reflexively take Jordan over Curry, and I suspect that most fans--the sensible ones who understand the importance of size and the value of playing at a high level at both ends of the court--would take Bryant over Curry. 

However, Curry is the size of a typical point guard (6-3), he scores more than most of the greatest point guards of all-time, and he has won more championships than most of the greatest point guards of all-time, so framing the conversation as a Curry versus Magic Johnson question--which is what Curry did, and how the conversation has then continued on social media--deftly avoids pitting Curry versus Jordan or Bryant.

For the sake of this discussion, we will accept the premise that Curry is a point guard instead of focusing on the reality that Green is the Warriors' point forward. How should a relatively small sharpshooter who spends a lot of time playing off of the ball be compared with a 6-9 player who was always his team's primary ballhandler and playmaker? 

In Part I of my Pantheon series, I mentioned the importance of both high peak value and durability. The greatest players perform at a very high level for a sustained period of time. When evaluating players, their skill set strengths and weaknesses should be assessed as well. A comprehensive, objective evaluation encompasses much more than "ring counting" or sound bites or subjective impressions.

Magic Johnson led the NBA in assists four times (1983-84, 1986-87), he retired as the all-time regular season assists leader (he now ranks seventh with 10,141), and he is still the all-time regular season leader in assists per game (11.2 apg). He tops playoff career leaders in both total assists (2346) and assists per game (12.3 apg). Johnson led the NBA in free throw percentage in 1989 (.911), and he shot at least .843 from the free throw line in each of his final seven full seasons. Johnson is not known for his defense, but he led the league in steals in 1981 and 1982 and he was an excellent defensive rebounder, a skill that fueled the L.A. Lakers' fast break attack because he could just get the ball off of the boards and barrel down court. 

Despite playing with several potent scorers--including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who held the regular season career scoring record from 1984-2023--Johnson averaged 19.5 ppg during his career while shooting .520 from the field. Johnson won three regular season MVPs (1987, 1989-90), and three Finals MVPs (1980, 1982, 1987) while playing on five championship teams (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987-88). Johnson's Lakers were the first NBA team to win back to back titles since the 1969 Boston Celtics. Johnson finished in the top three in regular season MVP voting for nine straight seasons (1983-91), and he made the All-NBA First Team in each of those nine seasons as well.

His numbers and accomplishments speak volumes, but it is important to dig into specifics to understand the context. During the 1980s and early 1990s, Johnson competed for MVPs with his teammate/six-time MVP Abdul-Jabbar, three-time MVP Moses Malone, three-time MVP Larry Bird, four-time MVP Julius Erving, and five-time MVP Michael Jordan; to win championships, Johnson's Lakers beat Erving's 76ers, Bird's Celtics, and Isiah Thomas' great Detroit teams that later won back to back titles. 

Johnson was great from day one, and--as indicated above regarding MVP voting and All-NBA First Team selections--he remained dominant for a decade. Abdul-Jabbar only won one of his six NBA titles prior to playing with Johnson. In the 1980 NBA Finals, Abdul-Jabbar averaged 33.4 ppg, 13.6 rpg, and 4.6 bpg as the Lakers took a 3-2 series lead over Erving's 76ers, but Abdul-Jabbar severely sprained his ankle near the end of game five and was unable to play in game six. With Abdul-Jabbar out of the lineup, rookie Johnson produced 42 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists, three steals, and a blocked shot while shooting 14-23 from the field and 14-14 from the free throw line in a 123-107 Lakers win. After that monumental performance, Johnson explained what position he played: "C-F-G Rover." As John Papanek put it in Sports Illustrated, a "rookie three years out of high school played one of the greatest games in NBA playoff history at all five positions—center, point guard, shooting guard, small forward and power forward." 

Few players in pro basketball history could legitimately play all five positions. During his 16 year pro career, Julius Erving made the All-Star team at both forward and guard, and when he was a young player he utilized his jumping ability and superior rebounding skills to play spot minutes at center, but Erving did not have the necessary height or weight to play extended minutes at center. LeBron James can play all five positions. Johnson is the only player who not only played extended minutes at all five positions when the stakes were highest, but he did so in the same NBA Finals game! 

After veteran journalist Fred Kerber selected his 12 member all-time NBA team in 2016, I wrote an article with comments about each player who he selected. Here are my observations about Johnson (this was before LeBron James won his fourth championship):

I think that Johnson, more than any player in pro basketball history, could be teamed up with any four decent players and turn that quintet into a very competitive team. That does not necessarily mean that Johnson was the greatest player ever--he was not as good defensively as Jordan or Russell or several other Pantheon members--but it puts him in a special, hard to define category. Young fans may believe that LeBron James has that quality but what I see from James is a mixed bag: he has won three championships but he has also left several championships on the table because of inexplicably passive play. Johnson never left any championships on the table; he lost to all-time great players/teams in their primes (the Malone/Erving Sixers, Bird's Celtics, the Bad Boys Pistons, the Jordan/Pippen Bulls). There is no footage of the 1980s equivalent of Jason Terry outdueling Johnson in the fourth quarter of key NBA Finals games.

Back to the point about Johnson's incredible versatility as a teammate. Russell needed a point guard and someone to be a scoring threat. Jordan needed Pippen (and never advanced past the first round of the playoffs without him). You can go down the line and most of the great players needed a certain kind of accompanying star and/or supporting cast to maximize their greatness--but Johnson legitimately could play all five positions and he exuded a team-first ethos that smoothed over any potential ego conflicts (Abdul-Jabbar was hardly a barrel of laughs to play with for most of his career and it was amazing to see the joy that radiated from him after he had played with Johnson for a little while). Johnson won a championship while paired with point guard Norm Nixon in the backcourt and then he won championships paired with shooting guard Byron Scott. Johnson won championships with Abdul-Jabbar as the main post up scoring threat and then he won championships as a post up scoring threat when Abdul-Jabbar had to accept a lesser role due to his age/declining skills. Johnson made it to the Finals with an aging James Worthy, a young Vlade Divac, journeyman Sam Perkins and not much else in 1991--and it took the combined efforts of Jordan/Pippen in their primes to prevent Johnson from winning a sixth title.

I think that the sudden, shocking end to Johnson's career combined with Jordan's immediate meteoric rise has actually resulted in Johnson being somewhat underrated by today's commentators.

Johnson was never a defensive stopper, but for some reason his defense has gotten worse as time passes--at least in the popular imagination. It is important to remember that Johnson was not only an excellent defensive rebounder, but--particularly as a young player--he played the passing lanes very well. His rebounds and steals often became fast break points for the Lakers. Also, he did not shy away from tough defensive assignments, and Coach Pat Riley did not hesitate to give Johnson such assignments. To cite just one example, Riley had Johnson guard Erving at times during the 1982 Finals. Riley explained, "Magic on Doc seemed like an ideal matchup to me. Dr. J is a great offensive rebounder. He'd hurt us real bad. Defensive rebounding is Magic's strength. So we put him in the position we wanted him to be in." 

Curry is a 6-3 player who opposing teams "hunt" on defense; Johnson was a 6-9 all-around talent who could effectively guard even Pantheon level players, at least for stretches. That contrast brings us to the crux of why Johnson is a greater point guard (and greater player) than Curry: Johnson's size enabled him to do things--including rebound, defend, and be a post up scoring threat--that Curry just cannot do, and Johnson was better than Curry in every skill set area except for shooting. Johnson passed better, rebounded better, defended better, and handled the ball better. 

Curry's accolades include two regular season MVPs (2015-16), one Finals MVP (2022), two scoring titles (2016, 2021), and four free throw percentage titles (2011, 2014-15, 2018). Curry is the career leader in regular season free throw percentage (.909). He has led the league in three point field goals made seven times (2013-17, 2021-22) and his career regular season three point field goal percentage (.428) ranks 12th all-time, but he has never led the league in three point field goal percentage. Curry led the NBA in steals in 2016.

Because Curry won back to back regular season MVPs, it is easy to forget that he has not consistently played at an MVP level throughout his career: he finished in the top five in MVP voting just two other times, and he won one Finals MVP during the Warriors' four championship seasons. Curry has earned just three All-NBA First Team selections. Abdul-Jabbar, Bird, Erving, Jordan, and Moses Malone all performed at a high level in the 1980s, but Johnson was the best player of that decade; Curry has not even been demonstrably the best player in a given five year stretch, let alone the best player for a decade.

One unfortunate aspect of comparisons is that it inevitably sounds like one player is being bashed or diminished. That is why I did not rank the players in my Pantheon and instead chose to highlight why each one could be ranked as the greatest player of all-time. However, sometimes player comparisons are unavoidable and important, particularly when a retired great player is given short shrift by people who are too young to have seen him play and unwilling to do the research to discover the truth.

A strong case can be made that Magic Johnson is the greatest point guard of all-time, but the evidence just does not support ranking Curry as the greatest point guard of all-time. I respect Curry's greatness, and after his 50 point game seven performance versus Sacramento in last year's playoffs I acknowledged that in the past I may have underrated him, but I do not consider him to be a point guard, and even if I considered him to be a point guard I would not rank him ahead of Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson, or Jerry West. Robertson and West were big-time scorers like Curry, but they also served as the primary ballhandler and playmaker on their respective teams, and they were better than Curry as rebounders and defenders.

Labels: Jerry West, Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson, Pantheon series, Stephen Curry

posted by David Friedman @ 10:00 PM

18 comments

Golden State's Struggles Provide Insight into Why The Team Has Won Championships

Remember the old MLB ad declaring "Chicks dig the long ball"?

Fans and "stat gurus" alike dig the long ball in the NBA, declaring that you cannot be successful in today's game without shooting well from three point range. That assertion is demonstrably false. In The Evolution of the Usage of the Three Point Shot, Part IV, I wrote, "Winning teams play consistent defense, they control the paint at both ends of the court, and they outrebound their opponents. A team that does not do those things well is not going to have much success; if a team excels tremendously in one or two categories then it may survive a slight weakness in another category, but just jacking up three pointers with little regard for defense, paint presence, and rebounding is not a championship recipe, as repeatedly demonstrated by the Houston Rockets during the Daryl Morey/James Harden era."

The defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors are 3-6 this season. Stephen Curry is playing at an MVP level (31.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 6.8 apg, shooting splits of .487/.414/.944) and his numbers are better across the board than they were last season. The Warriors rank first in scoring, ninth in field goal percentage, and 16th in three point field goal percentage; last season, the Warriors ranked 15th in scoring, ninth in field goal percentage, and eighth in three point field goal percentage. The difference is defense. This season, the Warriors rank 30th (last) in points allowed, and 22nd in defensive field goal percentage; last season, the Warriors ranked third in points allowed and second in defensive field goal percentage. Also, the Warriors rank 26th in rebounding this season after ranking seventh in rebounding last season. Stephen Curry leads the Warriors in rebounding this season, and he is the only Warrior averaging more than 6.5 rpg; last season he ranked fourth on the team in rebounding (5.2 rpg) behind Draymond Green (7.3 rpg), Kevon Looney (7.3 rpg), and Otto Porter Jr. (5.7 rpg).

After the Warriors won the 2022 NBA championship, I stated that I do not rank Curry among the top 10 players of all-time. Curry does not have the necessary combination of size and all-around skill set to be ranked among the best of the best; I rank him in the top 25-30 of all-time. A combination of recency bias, placing too much weight on "ring counting," and obsession with three point shooting explains why some people rank Curry higher than I do. It is important to not be a prisoner of the moment, to not rank players based solely on championships won, and to not overvalue three point shooting.

The only player under 6-5 in my Pantheon is Jerry West, who was at least as good as Curry offensively and much better defensively. West "only" won one championship, but he played at an elite level throughout his NBA Finals career and he is still the only player from the losing team to win the Finals MVP (in 1969, the first year that the award was given). Ironically, his worst Finals performance was in 1972, the only time that he won a title. The West-Curry comparison is not adequately made by focusing on Curry's 4-1 edge in championships won, because championships won is impacted by who West and Curry played with, who they played against, and the way that playing conditions and rules have evolved. I rank West ahead of Curry because West could do more things well. In other words, all things being equal, I could see West winning four championships with the modern Warriors while putting up numbers at least as good as Curry's and while playing elite defense; I am not convinced that if Curry played with West's teams he would have won more or accomplished more than West did, and I believe that Curry would have not fared as well in a more physical league that did not have the three point shot. 

As indicated above, the Warriors' success is grounded in defense and rebounding. More than 30 years ago, Pat Riley declared "No rebounds, no rings," and that is as true today as it was in the 1980s. Curry is a wonderful player, but he is not the primary driver of the Warriors' defensive and rebounding excellence, and it is evident this season that without that defensive and rebounding excellence the Warriors are not even a .500 team despite Curry putting up MVP-level numbers. 

It remains to be seen if the Warriors will improve their defense and rebounding, or if a combination of age, complacency, and internal strife has permanently compromised their ability and/or willingness to excel in those areas--but it is evident that even though Curry gets the headlines it is not his three point shooting that drives the Warriors' success. 

It is worth extending this analysis to another team that is often discussed, the L.A. Lakers. It has been repeatedly asserted that the Lakers are struggling because they do not have good outside shooters. It should be remembered that the Lakers' 2020 championship team ranked fourth in points allowed, eighth in defensive field goal percentage--and 21st in three point field goal percentage! The 2020 Lakers did not have the "lasers" that LeBron James has lamented that the current Lakers lack; the 2020 Lakers had LeBron James and Anthony Davis committed to attacking the paint on offense and protecting the paint on defense. 

Last season, the Lakers ranked 28th in points allowed, 21st in defensive field goal percentage, and 22nd in three point field goal percentage. This season's Lakers have improved defensively while their three point shooting has regressed, but even if the Lakers shot better from three point range than they are now they would not be an elite team unless/until they consistently play high level team defense while also attacking the paint on offense. Improvement in any area would obviously help a losing team, but the foundations of championship level play are defense and rebounding, not three point shooting.

Another important ingredient in the championship recipe is the willingness to pay top dollar for top talent. "Stat gurus" used to assert that they are so much better at talent evaluation than everyone else that they could build a great team with a relatively low budget, but the evidence does not support that belief. "Stat gurus" often point out how many teams have high payrolls but do not win championships as if this proves that traditional-minded talent evaluators are incompetent, but that is a flawed and incomplete viewpoint because each year only one out of 30 teams will win the championship. Put another way, even if the champion's payroll ranks in the top 10, nine of the top 10 payrolls will not win a title, so by definition it will always be true that most of the teams that spent a lot of money did not win a championship. 

What "stat gurus" neglect to mention is that the championship team will almost always be one of the top spending teams. Therefore, the most honest way of looking at this is to see how often championship teams rank among the top spenders. Since the 2010-11 season (when LeBron James formed a super team in Miami), the NBA champion has had the top payroll twice, ranked in the top five six out of 12 years, and has ranked lower than 10th just four times, with an average ranking of seventh. Disregard the 2014 Spurs (who ranked 19th while paying Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard less than $2 million), and the average ranking is sixth.

The Golden State Warriors had the highest payroll in the NBA last season, and they have the highest payroll this season. In their three championship seasons prior to 2022, they ranked 14th (2015), 14th (2017) and second (2018) in payroll. They exploited a boost in the salary cap in 2017 to sign Kevin Durant, who was the best player on their 2017 and 2018 championship teams. There is no question that big spending played a significant role for their 2018 and 2022 championship teams, and there is also no question that the good fortune of having Stephen Curry and others on below market value contracts (due to those players not having signed their big money contract extensions yet) helped the Warriors win their first two championships. 

The larger point is that the league's economic structure is much different than it used to be, which impacts competitive balance, and that is yet another reason that comparing players mainly based on "rings" is not the best method. 

Stephen Curry is a great player, and I think that he would have excelled in any era--but this era is tailor-made to his skill set strengths, and he has been blessed with teammates who have enabled the Warriors to be an elite defensive team. Although West played with prime Elgin Baylor, in general he did not have teams as well-balanced as Curry has had, and by the time West played with Baylor and Chamberlain, all three players were past their primes, though West and Chamberlain were still quite good.

Labels: Anthony Davis, Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors, Jerry West, Klay Thompson, L.A. Lakers, LeBron James, Stephen Curry

posted by David Friedman @ 10:01 PM

0 comments

NBA Formally Honors the 75th Anniversary Team, Stephen Curry Wins the All-Star Game MVP

Team LeBron's Stephen Curry scored 50 points and he made an All-Star Game record 16 three pointers en route to claiming the beautifully redesigned Kobe Bryant All-Star Game MVP trophy. LeBron James delivered the game-winning basket, hitting a turnaround jumper as Team LeBron defeated Team Durant, 163-160. Team Durant led 139-138 entering the fourth quarter, so by rule the winner would be the first team to score 163 points (139 plus 24, with the 24 serving as a tribute to one of Bryant's jersey numbers). James' team is now 5-0 in the All-Star Game format that scrapped the traditional East versus West battle in favor of the two All-Stars who receive the most votes conducting a draft among the remaining All-Stars to select each roster. James finished with 24 points, eight assists, and six rebounds. Giannis Antetokounmpo, one of the few All-Stars who played any defense, led Team LeBron with 12 rebounds in addition to scoring 30 points and dishing for six assists. Joel Embiid led Team Durant in both scoring (36 points) and rebounds (10).

After Curry reached the 50 point mark he kept firing away in an attempt to break Anthony Davis' All-Star Game scoring record (52 points in 2017), but Curry admitted after the game that his legs grew weary once Team Durant began playing defense. It is interesting that Curry mentioned his record-chasing being cut short by defense, because--other than Antetokounmpo--very little defense was played until the fourth quarter, which diminishes the value and meaning of the individual statistics compiled by Curry and the other players. 

Curry put on an incredible display by making so many open three point shots--but that kind of display is supposed to take place in the Three Point Shootout, not the All-Star Game. Similarly, many players converted a host of uncontested dunks--but that kind of display is supposed to take place in the Slam Dunk Contest, not the All-Star Game.

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.

Around the time that the All-Star Games began to degenerate into defense-optional showcases of individual skills, Julius Erving told me that he is disappointed with the way that All-Star Games are played in the current era: "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."

The crowd reaction--or, lack of crowd reaction--during most of the 2022 All-Star Game proves Erving's point about what fans want to see. In general, the crowd was not loud and not into the game, except for a few plays made by Cavalier All-Stars Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland and a couple of Curry's three pointers from far behind the arc. Fans want to see competition, not empty displays of skill. It was also a mistake to get rid of the East-West rivalry; instead of rooting for a team, fans are being encouraged to just root for--or, as was the case during the 2022 All-Star Game, passively consume--displays of individual skill.

During a weekend dedicated to honoring the NBA's greatest players, the current All-Stars disrespected the spirit of competition that is an essential component of greatness. All-Stars who want to shoot open three point shots and convert open dunks should participate in All-Star Saturday Night. All-Stars who want to play in a competitive game should participate in the All-Star Game.

No one is suggesting that the All-Star Game should feature full-court pressing or the intensity of game seven of the NBA Finals--but there is no reason that the All-Star Game cannot at least passably resemble a regular season NBA game. For fans who are too young to remember and/or not informed enough to know, check out the 1987 NBA All-Star Game and compare it to the 2022 NBA All-Star Game. The 1987 NBA All-Star Game featured Julius Erving in his final season, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson in their primes, Michael Jordan in his third season, and a host of All-Stars who younger fans may not have heard of but who had better fundamentals than many current All-Stars--and, more importantly, who played harder than the current All-Stars:

The highlight of the 2022 NBA All-Star Game was the halftime ceremony honoring the members of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team. It was poignant to see 89 year old Bob Pettit, one of the greatest power forwards in pro basketball history, attending in person and walking with a cane. It was great to see several legends from the 1960s, including 83 year old Oscar Robertson, 83 year old Jerry West, and 81 year old Jerry Lucas. Throughout the All-Star Weekend, Robertson and West were often next to each other, laughing and talking; they share a bond forged over more than 60 years of basketball history. I am always happy to see the elite players from the 1970s, because that is the earliest era that I remember watching live; Julius Erving is my favorite player of all-time, but it was also a treat to watch Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, George Gervin, and several other legends during their primes, and it was great to see Erving, Abdul-Jabbar, Gervin, and many other 1970s greats appear in person at the ceremony. The 1980s were well-represented by, among others, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Isiah Thomas, Kevin McHale, and James Worthy. Most of the honorees from the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s showed up in person, and the interactions among the stars from the various eras evinced mutual respect and love.

Kevin Durant was unable to attend the ceremony because of his grandmother's death. I can understand why 93 year old Bob Cousy and 88 year old Bill Russell were not able to attend. However, the absences of several other honorees are puzzling. During the post-game show, Isiah Thomas chastised several absentees by mentioning that they had missed out on a unique experience and opportunity. It hurts my heart that the late, great Kobe Bryant was not there, and it baffles me that anyone who is alive and healthy enough to attend would choose to not be there.

Kenny Smith often speaks of All-Star Weekend being a time when trading cards come to life, and that is a very apt description of what it was like to see so many of the NBA's greatest players gathered together in the same place at the same time. I look forward to seeing the 100th Anniversary Team in 25 years; I just hope that it does not take 25 years for the All-Star Game to return to its former glory.

Recent NBA All-Star Game Recaps:

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: 2022 NBA All-Star Game, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jerry West, Julius Erving, LeBron James, Oscar Robertson, Stephen Curry, Wilt Chamberlain

posted by David Friedman @ 2:57 AM

4 comments