NBA 2019-20 thread.

Oh I know why, but context has nothing to do with this. Less finals would have been good for his legacy apparently.

And when LeBron made the finals his teams ran into teams that were better than them as well, except for the Mavericks series where he deserved to be criticized.

So why is he criticized for those finals losses and Jordan not for his playoff losses? And he lost one year to baseball, they lost to the Magic that second year.

 

I am old enough to have watched both Chamberlain late in his career and Jabbar.

Chamberlain started playing in a time when there were not many quality big men. In 1961 Walt Bellamy averaged 31 points and 19 rebounds. As the 60's progressed more talented big men entered the league as demonstrated by the continued decline in Bellamy's statistics. And until 1964 the NBA had twelve foot lanes which meant that centers could post closer to the baskets.

Chamberlain hurt his knee in the mid sixties so I ever saw him at his athletic prime but he never had the shooting skills Jabbar had. Jabbar had the sky hook and was a decent free throw shooter. Jabbar, while not as strong, was taller than Chamberlain. I think that Jabbar, with his size, shooting ability and grace, could have dominated in the early sixties. I think that Chamberlain, even in his athletic prime, playing in the 70's and 8o's would not have been as dominant playing against more size and with the wider lanes.

 

The reason MJ is the GOAT is the same reason Tiger is the GOAT; both not only were the greatest of their generation, and the generations directly before and after, but both men also elevated their sport from a niche one to the highest levels of fan interest.

 

I watched the Willie Reed game 7 during the pandemic.

Wilt looked like horseshit. Comically bad. There I said it.

 

Wilt missed almost the entire regular season with a ruptured patellar tendon. He came back for the playoffs but couldn't move side to side.

 

Wilt would've been a dominant player in any era. Today, put him on the Heat and see what happens to AD. Kareem today would be the same as he was back 40-50 years ago, a multiple MVP. Take AD or LeBron and put them in the '60s and they would be superstars then, too. Great is great.

 

Call me bias, but AD would have a hard time against Wilt. People forget how great of an athlete he really was.


In 1967, he went 24-24-7.8 and shot 68%. in 68 24-24-8.6. Title in 1967, lost Billy Cunningham to injury in the 1968 playoffs and lost to Boston.

You basically just said to Wilt “can you do X?” And he could.

 

Except make free throws.

 

Just unfortunate how the end of the NBA playoffs turned out. Great drama in the first two rounds and the last two rounds are this inevitable slog.

 

As always, the answer is most sportswriters were kids when Jordan was dominant and grumpy middle-aged men when James is dominant.

 

Reminder: Jordan only missed one playoff year for baseball. He got beaten cleanly by the Knicks in the other one.

 

Yeah, I think Wilt would give AD fits. Being that athletic at that size? AD would retreat to the three point line.

The all-time insane season is Wilt's 1961-2 season. Averaged 50 points, 25 rebounds and 48.5 minutes per game.