[Project:Primes of the top 10 ever] List the top 12 seasons between Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs. Wilt Chamberlain

Odinn21 · Post #1 » by **Odinn21** » Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:00 pm

Hello.

Link to the project idea thread.

The project will contain 1v1 comparisons between the top 10 ever in the latest 3 top 100 project on RealGM which are LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Tim Duncan, Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon and Larry Bird.
There are 45 possibilities of 2 in 10, the project will have 90 days period to be concluded.

Things to follow;
- Reg. season and postseason play, both are included in evaluations.
- A simple 12/11/.../2/1 point system will be used for the project.
Evaluations will be based on the seasons, not the players direclty as an outcome of a single vote.
- Explanations are needed, even in short forms. (Though for a project like this, I'd appreciate long posts personally. Saying this as a voter, not the commissioner.)
- The time frame for each franchise is 2 days (from/to 11:00 EST).

Results on Google Sheets

The comparison order we'll be following;

Spoiler:

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Spoiler:

Djoker · Post #2 » by **Djoker** » Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:07 pm

Two super juicy comparisons in a row!

Gregoire · Post #3 » by **Gregoire** » Wed Oct 20, 2021 4:43 pm

My list of top 12 seasons between the two;
1. 67 Wilt
2. 77 Kareem
3. 64 Wilt
4. 74 Kareem
5. 72 Kareem
6. 68 Wilt
7. 71 Kareem
8. 62 Wilt
9. 80 Kareem
10. 66 Wilt
11. 76 Kareem
12. 72 Wilt

70sFan · Post #4 » by **70sFan** » Wed Oct 20, 2021 9:26 pm

Kareem top seasons:

1977
1974
1971
1972
1976
1980
1979
1973
1970

Wilt's best seasons:

1967
1964
1968
1962
1965
1966
1963
1960

My list:

1. 1977 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - yeah, he's my GOAT pick. It's very close, but Kareem didn't have any notable weakness in his game (Wilt's FT efficiency is an issue) and he proved to be impossible to contain at his best. Jabbar's scoring resiliency is unmatched by anyone and combined that with his strong all-around game gives him a slight edge over Wilt's advantage on the glass and defensively.
2. 1967 Wilt Chamberlain - clear 2nd choice to me, it was nearly a perfect season.

3. 1974 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - again, I like Kareem's offense a bit more than 1964 Wilt's. He did play with better team, but his postseason run was just as impressive, if not more.
4. 1964 Wilt Chamberlain - another dominant season from Wilt, such a two-way monster he was.

5. 1971 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - one of the best combinations of RS+PS performances ever. The most complete season left at this point.
6. 1972 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - another monstrous season from Kareem and despite shooting problems in postseason, he was still dominant against GOAT-level team and GOAT-level individual defender.
7. 1968 Wilt Chamberlain - close fight between 1968 and 1976. Wilt's injury in playoffs doesn't help, but I think that his RS performance is good enough to put him ahead of Jabbar.
8. 1976 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - he was close to his peak and it's possible that I'd have it higher with postseason run.

9. 1962 Wilt Chamberlain - extremely dominant season from Wilt, highly underrated due to overly harsh analysis created in recent years. I think that Wilt's motor and defensive pressence is enough to pick him ahead of 1980 Kareem.
10. 1980 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - one of the best offensive postseason runs ever and crazy efficient scoring season. His defense got worse, but it was still good and his offense stayed on GOAT level.
11. 1979 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - basically identical season to 1979, only with shorter and slightly less impressive postseason run.

12. 1965 Wilt Chamberlain - yes, I'd take 1965 Wilt over 1973 Kareem. Chamberlain's performance against peak Russell puts him on another level vs Jabbar's struggles against Nate.

HM: 1973 Kareem, 1966 Wilt - comparable seasons with dominant RS performances but underperformances in the playoffs.

70sFan · Post #5 » by **70sFan** » Wed Oct 20, 2021 9:27 pm

Gregoire wrote:My list of top 12 seasons between the two;
1. 67 Wilt
2. 77 Kareem
3. 64 Wilt
4. 74 Kareem
5. 72 Kareem
6. 68 Wilt
7. 71 Kareem
8. 62 Wilt
9. 80 Kareem
10. 66 Wilt
11. 76 Kareem
12. 72 Wilt

Don't see any case for 1972 Wilt over 1979 Kareem or 1965 Wilt.

DQuinn1575 · Post #6 » by **DQuinn1575** » Wed Oct 20, 2021 11:38 pm

70sFan wrote:
Gregoire wrote:My list of top 12 seasons between the two;
1. 67 Wilt
2. 77 Kareem
3. 64 Wilt
4. 74 Kareem
5. 72 Kareem
6. 68 Wilt
7. 71 Kareem
8. 62 Wilt
9. 80 Kareem
10. 66 Wilt
11. 76 Kareem
12. 72 Wilt

Don't see any case for 1972 Wilt over 1979 Kareem or 1965 Wilt.

In true shooting add Wilt is close to Kareem 79. He is better rebounder and defender, and play making is fairly close- Wilt anchored an incredible team & played well in playoffs. 79 is a year where Kareem did have a good roster with Nixon Wilkes & AD and the team did underperform in playoffs. I give Kareem a bad teammates card thru 78, but I think this team had the talent to win-
Generally I think you are underrating Wilt in 72; it might be Jabbar’s best year, but Wilt was probably 2nd best player overall that season.

Djoker · Post #7 » by **Djoker** » Thu Oct 21, 2021 1:20 am

I gave my rationale for my top Kareem and Wilt seasons in the previous threads. Funny enough my top Kareem seasons are exactly identical to 70sFan. I ended up putting the 1962 season ahead of 1965 for Wilt. While I value Wilt's playoff run in 1965 (his best series ever against Russell along with 1967) his regular season was just terrible. It feels like the right move.

Anyways I consider Kareem's peak circa 1977 the best big man peak as I've said many times before. He scored at an absurd rate (28+ points/75) on more than +10 rTS. His skyhook is the most deadly weapon ever unleashed on the basketball court. The man posts up 10-12 feet from the basket, receives an entry pass, turns and releases an accurate and basically un-blockable shot. At this time he was also stronger and couldn't be bothered by physicality, still had the motor to grab a ton of rebounds, knew how to pass well, and could hit free throws at 70%+ whereas Wilt was a total liability at the line... Offensively all in all, I rate mid to late 70's Kareem significantly higher than Wilt, in fact a whole tier ahead. Defensively Wilt was definitely better but I don't think it was by a tier and Wilt was also somewhat inconsistent in his defensive effort. To me offensive edge beats defensive edge. Outside of 1967, 1964 and 1968 which are truly elite all around seasons by Chamberlain, the rest of his prime doesn't compare well with Kareem in my eyes. Early 60's Wilt just didn't pass the ball enough and as such I don't think his overall game was as potent as Kareem's was. In 1968 he passed a little too much and got hurt in the postseason and after that he wasn't in his prime any more. I emphasize playoffs but 1965 Wilt just had a bad enough regular season that I can't justify putting him over any of Kareem's top 7 and it brings up the rear and 1966 Wilt just misses out for a bad postseason. 1972 Wilt was a quality season but I don't think it can make a list against a great defensive center (albeit worse than Wilt) who was a GOAT-level offensive big man at the same time. 1977 Kareem is the perfect big for me. 1967 Wilt was amazingly great but very imperfect.

Top 7 Wilt Seasons:

1967
1964
1968
1962
1965
1966
1972

Top 7 Kareem Seasons:

1977
1974
1971
1972
1976
1980
1979

Top 12 Combined Seasons:

1. 1977 Kareem
2. 1967 Wilt
3. 1974 Kareem
4. 1964 Wilt
5. 1971 Kareem
6. 1972 Kareem
7. 1968 Wilt
8. 1976 Kareem
9. 1980 Kareem
10. 1979 Kareem
11. 1962 Wilt
12. 1965 Wilt

70sFan · Post #8 » by **70sFan** » Thu Oct 21, 2021 6:15 am

DQuinn1575 wrote:
70sFan wrote:
Gregoire wrote:My list of top 12 seasons between the two;
1. 67 Wilt
2. 77 Kareem
3. 64 Wilt
4. 74 Kareem
5. 72 Kareem
6. 68 Wilt
7. 71 Kareem
8. 62 Wilt
9. 80 Kareem
10. 66 Wilt
11. 76 Kareem
12. 72 Wilt

Don't see any case for 1972 Wilt over 1979 Kareem or 1965 Wilt.

In true shooting add Wilt is close to Kareem 79. He is better rebounder and defender, and play making is fairly close- Wilt anchored an incredible team & played well in playoffs. 79 is a year where Kareem did have a good roster with Nixon Wilkes & AD and the team did underperform in playoffs. I give Kareem a bad teammates card thru 78, but I think this team had the talent to win-
Generally I think you are underrating Wilt in 72; it might be Jabbar’s best year, but Wilt was probably 2nd best player overall that season.

How can you compare their efficiency and playmaking without adjusting for roles? Wilt wasn't offensive superstar anymore, he was like bigger, more efficient Wes Unseld on that end. He was still a terror on the glass and big, strong post up pressence but he wasn't Lakers offensive anchor anymore.

1979 Lakers underperformed in the playoffs, but Kareem didn't. He was marvelous against Seattle, LA simply had poorly constructed team.

Let's put this another way - would you pick 1972 Wilt over 1980 Kareem? If not, then you shouldn't put it ahead of 1979 either.

Djoker · Post #9 » by **Djoker** » Thu Oct 21, 2021 4:25 pm

Kareem in 1979 against Seattle actually rebounded the ball a bit better than he did in 1980. Still the Lakers got destroyed on the glass in 1979 and handily outrebounded Seattle in 1980.

70sFan · Post #10 » by **70sFan** » Thu Oct 21, 2021 6:39 pm

Such an interesting comparison and next to no interest... but yeah - we can always start another Jordan vs James thread.

falcolombardi · Post #11 » by **falcolombardi** » Thu Oct 21, 2021 7:12 pm

70sFan wrote:Such an interesting comparison and next to no interest... but yeah - we can always start another Jordan vs James thread.

is what it is, cannot force people to have more interest in thinghs

DQuinn1575 · Post #12 » by **DQuinn1575** » Thu Oct 21, 2021 7:50 pm

Djoker wrote:Kareem in 1979 against Seattle actually rebounded the ball a bit better than he did in 1980. Still the Lakers got destroyed on the glass in 1979 and handily outrebounded Seattle in 1980.

He rebounded better in 79 vs 80 because there was a guard who showed up who grabbed rebounds to start the break.

DQuinn1575 · Post #13 » by **DQuinn1575** » Thu Oct 21, 2021 8:33 pm

70sFan wrote:
DQuinn1575 wrote:
70sFan wrote:Don't see any case for 1972 Wilt over 1979 Kareem or 1965 Wilt.

In true shooting add Wilt is close to Kareem 79. He is better rebounder and defender, and play making is fairly close- Wilt anchored an incredible team & played well in playoffs. 79 is a year where Kareem did have a good roster with Nixon Wilkes & AD and the team did underperform in playoffs. I give Kareem a bad teammates card thru 78, but I think this team had the talent to win-
Generally I think you are underrating Wilt in 72; it might be Jabbar’s best year, but Wilt was probably 2nd best player overall that season.

How can you compare their efficiency and playmaking without adjusting for roles? Wilt wasn't offensive superstar anymore, he was like bigger, more efficient Wes Unseld on that end. He was still a terror on the glass and big, strong post up pressence but he wasn't Lakers offensive anchor anymore.

1979 Lakers underperformed in the playoffs, but Kareem didn't. He was marvelous against Seattle, LA simply had poorly constructed team.

Let's put this another way - would you pick 1972 Wilt over 1980 Kareem? If not, then you shouldn't put it ahead of 1979 either.

idk, Wilt was much better offensive player than Wes. He showed in 71 playoffs, that he was capable of scoring 20 a game and scored 19 a game in the Finals; I don't think Wes ever was. Wes played 22 playoff series, and only once scored more than 15 ppg.Wilt's TS+ number was about 100 points better , and he was still at times the focal point of the offense as they cut around him; the Bullets didn't do that. He was a luxury that few teams had; they needed him to score but he was more than capable. Most guys shooting so well just can't pick up the usage.

I think Wilt was just as capable scoring in 72 as he was in 71. And I think 71 Jabbar was better than 79-80 Jabbar,
Wilt went 22/19/49% fg in 71 playoffs vs Jabbar 26/17/48% fg - 72 Wilt played well - 71 and 72 Jabbar were better than Wilt, but
I think that is the best two seasons he ever had.
79 Jabbar scored 8 ppg less than 71, rebounded less, passed better and defense, well the 71 team was best in league, 79 was 10th so I wind up favoring 71 slightly.
I think I'm just a little lower than you on Kareem in 79, but a lot higher than Wilt in 72 than you.

70sFan · Post #14 » by **70sFan** » Thu Oct 21, 2021 8:50 pm

DQuinn1575 wrote:idk, Wilt was much better offensive player than Wes.

Of course he was, but that's not the point. The point is that Wilt wasn't capable of leading the offense anymore.

He showed in 71 playoffs, that he was capable of scoring 20 a game

Wilt averaged 18 ppg on 48 TS% in 1971 playoffs - if anything, it proves my point.

and scored 19 a game in the Finals; I don't think Wes ever was.

Yeah, against center-less Knicks...

Wes played 22 playoff series, and only once scored more than 15 ppg.Wilt's TS+ number was about 100 points better ,

Again - of course Wilt was better offensive player than Unseld, but he played similar way and he wasn't capable of being the focal point of the offense anymore.

and he was still at times the focal point of the offense as they cut around him; the Bullets didn't do that.

Of course Bullets did that - it was one of their main strategy on offense - to run and cut around Unseld.

I think Wilt was just as capable scoring in 72 as he was in 71.

Yeah and he wasn't capable of being the first option in 1971 either, which was proven after West's injury - in the last 10 games without West (without counting the very last one because Wilt didn't play much), Wilt averaged 19.5 ppg on 53.5 TS% and he actually shot quite well at the FT line (49.0 FG% and 62.4 FT%). Then he scored even worse in the playoffs.

And I think 71 Jabbar was better than 79-80 Jabbar,

Of course, I agree - but it has nothing to do with 1972 Wilt vs 1979 Kareem.

Wilt went 22/19/49% fg in 71 playoffs vs Jabbar 26/17/48% fg - 72 Wilt played well - 71 and 72 Jabbar were better than Wilt, but
I think that is the best two seasons he ever had.

Wilt's performances against Jabbar in 1971 and 1972 were very impressive, but they also proved that he was unable to carry the offense at this point. None of these series were good scoring-wise for him.

79 Jabbar scored 8 ppg less than 71, rebounded less, passed better and defense, well the 71 team was best in league, 79 was 10th so I wind up favoring 71 slightly.
I think I'm just a little lower than you on Kareem in 79

What's the point of comparing 1971 Kareem to 1979 Kareem? Jabbar was much better player than Wilt in 1971 and 1972, there is no question about it. You're low on Kareem mostly because he didn't win a ring, while Wilt did.

The best comparison here is 1971 Wilt vs 1979 Kareem and 1972 Wilt vs 1980 Kareem - what's your choice? If you take Kareem in both cases, then I see no reason to pick 1972 Wilt over 1979 Kareem.

but a lot higher than Wilt in 72 than you.

I don't think you are a lot higher on 1972 Wilt, I think that you simply overstate his offensive impact. Wilt was great in 1972, but his role was fairly limited. He was still a strong MVP-level player because of his defense, but he wasn't better than prime Jabbar - or prime Wilt. Again, there is no case for 1972 Wilt over 1960 or 1966 Wilt and yet some people pick that version ahead because of ring.

homecourtloss · Post #15 » by **homecourtloss** » Fri Oct 22, 2021 12:56 am

1. 1967 Wilt - Also in contention for GOAT season. Played differently, changed shot selection, played more of a power game, scored or was fouled, FT% wasn’t good unfortunately, dominated defensively and was a very good playmaker.

2. 1977 Kareem —peak offensive Kareem who was still impactful defensively. The efficacy of his scoring offense with such little variance from game to game probably makes it the most reliable scoring offense of any peak. I like Wilt’s defense a bit better so going with Wilt at #1.

3. 1974 Kareem—Better on defense than in 1977 though maybe less polished on offense. But I go back to the little variance in scoring from game to game. You knew how he was going to score but you couldn’t do anything about it, which engendered GOATish longevity. I like this version better than any non 1967 Wilt season.
4. 1964 Wilt
5. 1972 Kareem —great regular season, a better player than in 1971, ran into a GOATish team
6. ‪ ‬1971 Kareem
7. 1968 Wilt—injuries brought this down a bit, efficiency dropped a bit
8. 1976 Kareem —I know there’s no post season here due to playoff forms true le but he couldn’t be far off from 1977.
9. 1962 Wilt
10. 1973 Kareem
11. 1965 Wilt —Too close to those 1962, 1964 seasons to ignore
12. 1979 Kareem
HM: 1966 Wilt, 1980 Kareem

ceoofkobefans · Post #16 » by **ceoofkobefans** » Fri Oct 22, 2021 4:41 am

1. 1977 Kareem
2. 1964 Wilt
3. 1967 Wilt
4. 1971 Kareem
5. 1974 Kareem
6. 1968 Wilt
7. 1972 Kareem
8. 1973 Kareem
9. 1978 Kareem
10. 1979 Kareem
11. 1962 Wilt
12. 1963 Wilt

Prolly underrating late 70s Kareem lol

Prolly heavily underrating

DQuinn1575 · Post #17 » by **DQuinn1575** » Fri Oct 22, 2021 12:24 pm

70sFan wrote:
DQuinn1575 wrote:idk, Wilt was much better offensive player than Wes.

Of course he was, but that's not the point. The point is that Wilt wasn't capable of leading the offense anymore.

He showed in 71 playoffs, that he was capable of scoring 20 a game

Wilt averaged 18 ppg on 48 TS% in 1971 playoffs - if anything, it proves my point.

and scored 19 a game in the Finals; I don't think Wes ever was.

Yeah, against center-less Knicks...

Wes played 22 playoff series, and only once scored more than 15 ppg.Wilt's TS+ number was about 100 points better ,

Again - of course Wilt was better offensive player than Unseld, but he played similar way and he wasn't capable of being the focal point of the offense anymore.

and he was still at times the focal point of the offense as they cut around him; the Bullets didn't do that.

Of course Bullets did that - it was one of their main strategy on offense - to run and cut around Unseld.

I think Wilt was just as capable scoring in 72 as he was in 71.

Yeah and he wasn't capable of being the first option in 1971 either, which was proven after West's injury - in the last 10 games without West (without counting the very last one because Wilt didn't play much), Wilt averaged 19.5 ppg on 53.5 TS% and he actually shot quite well at the FT line (49.0 FG% and 62.4 FT%). Then he scored even worse in the playoffs.

And I think 71 Jabbar was better than 79-80 Jabbar,

Of course, I agree - but it has nothing to do with 1972 Wilt vs 1979 Kareem.

Wilt went 22/19/49% fg in 71 playoffs vs Jabbar 26/17/48% fg - 72 Wilt played well - 71 and 72 Jabbar were better than Wilt, but
I think that is the best two seasons he ever had.

Wilt's performances against Jabbar in 1971 and 1972 were very impressive, but they also proved that he was unable to carry the offense at this point. None of these series were good scoring-wise for him.

79 Jabbar scored 8 ppg less than 71, rebounded less, passed better and defense, well the 71 team was best in league, 79 was 10th so I wind up favoring 71 slightly.
I think I'm just a little lower than you on Kareem in 79

What's the point of comparing 1971 Kareem to 1979 Kareem? Jabbar was much better player than Wilt in 1971 and 1972, there is no question about it. You're low on Kareem mostly because he didn't win a ring, while Wilt did.

The best comparison here is 1971 Wilt vs 1979 Kareem and 1972 Wilt vs 1980 Kareem - what's your choice? If you take Kareem in both cases, then I see no reason to pick 1972 Wilt over 1979 Kareem.

but a lot higher than Wilt in 72 than you.

I don't think you are a lot higher on 1972 Wilt, I think that you simply overstate his offensive impact. Wilt was great in 1972, but his role was fairly limited. He was still a strong MVP-level player because of his defense, but he wasn't better than prime Jabbar - or prime Wilt. Again, there is no case for 1972 Wilt over 1960 or 1966 Wilt and yet some people pick that version ahead because of ring.

If Russell led the league in rebounding, had a TSAdd of 210, was the best defensive player in the league, and his team won 60+ games and the title it would probably be called his best season.

Scoring 210 points above league average on your attempts is pretty good for almost everyone. It is a definite positive on offense.

Jabbar's points per possession in 1979 are his lowest until 1987. He was 2.5 higher in 1980, with a TSAdd 90 better.
So he's scoring less per possession in 1979 than he did in 1986. And despite all his talents, his biggest value in 1979 was scoring.
In 1980 his scoring was better, especially in the playoffs. I see 1980 as clearly better for Kareem than 1979.

Wilt did score about 23 a game the first 6 games when West got hurt in 71, then he only played 24 minutes against Buffalo and Wilt decided not to try and score the remaining games. He also did average over 20 on 49% fg shooting vs Kareem in the playoffs. He didn't have the scoring ability he had before his injury, but he still was capable of scoring 20+ per game.

LA Bird · Post #18 » by **LA Bird** » Fri Oct 22, 2021 2:59 pm

Will add reasoning later. (I really should stop leaving these to the last minute...)

1. 1967 Wilt
2. 1977 Kareem
3. 1964 Wilt
4. 1972 Kareem
5. 1974 Kareem
6. 1971 Kareem
7. 1976 Kareem
8. 1962 Wilt
9. 1973 Kareem
10. 1968 Wilt
11. 1980 Kareem
12. 1966 Wilt

Edit: 77 Kareem was a better scorer than 67 Wilt but the superior passing and defense from Wilt gives him the overall edge. 64 Wilt and 72 Kareem were both strong two way seasons and could go either way. 62 Wilt is a step below his top 2 seasons so there is a few more prime Kareem seasons in between. 72 Wilt would likely rank well against someone like Hakeem but it's not going to make the list against any of the GOAT candidates.

70sFan · Post #19 » by **70sFan** » Fri Oct 22, 2021 3:23 pm

DQuinn1575 wrote:If Russell led the league in rebounding, had a TSAdd of 210, was the best defensive player in the league, and his team won 60+ games and the title it would probably be called his best season.

Highly unlikely, because Russell was significantly better defender than any version of Wilt, let alone 1972 Chamberlain. Besides, Russell was more active offensive player than old Wilt, so even taking efficiency into consideration I'm not sure I'd call Wilt a better offensive player. 1972 Wilt wasn't capable of performances like 1962 finals from Bill.

Scoring 210 points above league average on your attempts is pretty good for almost everyone. It is a definite positive on offense.

I never said that Wilt wasn't positive on offense in 1972, I just said he wasn't a star on that end anymore. I mean, Gobert posted even higher TS Add values and I'd never call Gobert an offensive superstar. Certainly not close to 1979 Kareem.

Jabbar's points per possession in 1979 are his lowest until 1987. He was 2.5 higher in 1980, with a TSAdd 90 better.
So he's scoring less per possession in 1979 than he did in 1986. And despite all his talents, his biggest value in 1979 was scoring.

You miss the fact that Kareem played 1.2 mpg more in 1979 compared to 1980. He didn't score as much as in 1980, but he had to share the ball with high scoring teammates that got replaced by Magic Johnson in 1980. There is absolutely no difference in Kareem's scoring skillset between these years. If you like scoring efficiency, keep in mind that Kareem was actually more efficient in playoffs in 1979.

He also had one of his finest seasons in terms of passing for what it's worth.

In 1980 his scoring was better, especially in the playoffs. I see 1980 as clearly better for Kareem than 1979.

He was a bit more efficient in 1979 on slightly lower volume. Don't see a clear edge either way.

Wilt did score about 23 a game the first 6 games when West got hurt in 71, then he only played 24 minutes against Buffalo and Wilt decided not to try and score the remaining games.

Yes, he did average 23.2 ppg in the first 5 games... on 50.8 TS%. That wasn't a good shooting streak at all and Lakers lost 4 games in that period.

He also did average over 20 on 49% fg shooting vs Kareem in the playoffs.

Wilt averaged 22 ppg on 48.9 TS% against Kareem in the playoffs - again, that's not good to say the least. You have to remember that 49 FG% for Wilt is bad, because he was a poor FT shooter. The same thing applies to Shaq - if you reduce him to <52 FG%, then you're doing a great job.

He didn't have the scoring ability he had before his injury, but he still was capable of scoring 20+ per game.

He was capable of scoring 20+ppg, but he wasn't efficient anymore when he tried that. It's clear when you watch the tape - Wilt was still impactful, but he was extremely limited offensive player at this point. He's not even close to what he was before the injury and he's certainly not close to 1970s Kareem either.

DQuinn1575 · Post #20 » by **DQuinn1575** » Fri Oct 22, 2021 4:02 pm

[quote="70sFan"][/quote]

Yes Kareem's skillset didn't change, but his results were a lot better
Kareem scored 36 per 100 possession in the 80 playoffs versus 29 in 79, thats a huge increase, while still being pretty efficient.

In 71 playoffs, The league shot 45% fg, WIlt shot 49% scoring 22 a game against the best defense and 3rd (?) best defender in the league. That's not good to say the least? 77 Walton was 50%, 19 ppg, 74 Cowens was 44%, 22.7 ppg,