#5 Highest Peak of All Time (Hakeem '94 wins)

[bastillon]

also Reggie improved in the playoffs tremendously and Pacers offense jumped from good to elite. they were about +6 playoff offense IIRC. ElGee had a big blogpost on that.

but again, what's the argument against Hakeem ? ElGee ? realbig3 ? Doc MJ ? Ronnymac ? is anyone even considering Hakeem now ?

[C-izMe]

I just want to ask something about Bird, and I don't mean to insult him or anything because I have massive respect for his game:

Where are all of these historic offensive teams he's leading? He's been called the 2nd best offensive player ever after Magic, and many people are putting him in a very elite group of players offensively (for good reason), but much of that is based off the fact that he's extremely easy to fit next to other great players (but so are Reggie Miller/Ray Allen types, and I'm not going to say they're offensive GOATs), and because he was the centerpiece of historic offenses. But looking at the Celtics offenses since Bird joined them, and for argument's sake, assuming a historic offense is +6 or higher, this is how the Celtics look:

1980: +4.1
1981: +2.9
1982: +2.9
1983: +2.2
1984: +3.3
1985: +4.9
1986: +4.6
1987: +5.2
1988: +7.4

Excellent offensive teams, but only one of them qualifies as "historic" (the 88 team), and that was the year Bird's injuries got the best of him in the playoffs and the Celtics did not keep up that offensive potency in the playoffs. From the years generally regarded as possibly Bird's peak (84-87), none of those teams were "historic", and none of those teams were really any better offensively than LeBron's 09 Cavs. I'm not really buying the argument that increased use of the 3pt line really changed things, because everyone uses the 3pt line nowadays, so theoretically, that shouldn't matter.

Compare those Celtics teams to Magic's Lakers from 80-91:

1980: +4.2
1981: +2.1
1982: +3.3
1983: +5.8
1984: +3.3
1985: +6.2
1986: +6.1
1987: +7.3
1988: +5.1
1989: +6.0
1990: +5.9
1991: +4.2

Once Magic really hit his stride starting in 84, I'm seeing him lead four +6 offenses, and one +5.9 offense. And the +5.9 offense came after Kareem retired.

We all know about Nash, but let's still look at what he led from 05-10 in Phoenix:

2005: +8.4
2006: +5.3
2007: +7.4
2008: +5.8
2009: +5.3
2010: +7.7

Every single one of the offenses he's led, including one year without Amare (2006) and another year where he didn't even have the ball in his hands nearly as much as he should have (2009), was excellent. He's led 3 +7 offenses, including a +8 offense.

Basically, I'm not really understanding why Bird is getting lumped in with Magic/Nash/Jordan so casually as an offensive player. They actually led historically great offenses (not just +6 either, but +7 and above), which I'm not seeing from Bird's Celtics, save for one year (1988). And it's not like anybody can say that Bird didn't have great offensive support, at least as strong as theirs.

I'm kind of joking when I say this, because I know there's no legitimate comparison between the two, but if Bird's main case for being an offensive GOAT and one of the GOAT peaks is his ultra-portability and his ability to lead excellent but not historic offenses (with great supporting casts), then will Reggie Miller make an appearance on this list? He's one of the most portable players I can think of, and he's led multiple +3 offenses throughout his career, including a +6.5 offense in 99.

Bird's teams were defensive minded (no reason a team starting 2 PFs and a 7-1 C should be average when it comes to offensive boards). When they were offensive minded (88) they had one of the best offensive seasons ever. Plus (in the comparison to Nash) they didnt use three pointers that much back then so it was harder to gain a large distance over the competition.

[bastillon]

Magic played in the same era and was able to anchor better offenses and get that kind of seperation. so not sure if that makes a lot sense.

[JordansBulls]

Between these guys for me

--------- RS PER, WS48, --------- PER, WS48 playoffs
KAJ 1971: 29.0, 0.33, -----------25.0, 0.27 (14 playoff games, title)
Hakeem 1994: 25.3, 0.210----------27.7, 0.208 (23 playoff games, title)
Duncan 2003: 26.9, 0.248------------28.4, 0.279 (24 playoff games, title)
Magic 1987: 27.0, 0.263-------------26.2, 0.265 (18 playoff games, title)
Bird 1986: 25.6, 0.244--------------23.9, 0.263 (23 playoff games, title)
Moses Malone 1983: 25.1, 0.248 -----25.7, 0.260 (13 playoff games, title)
Lebron James 2012:30.7, 0.298-------30.3, 0.284 (23 playoff games, title)
Dwyane Wade 2006: 27.6, 0.239-------26.9, 0.240 (23 playoff games, title)
Julius Erving 1976: 28.7, 0.262-----32.0, 0.321 (13 playoff games, title) - ABA

Vote: Kareem 1971 (Not to mention put a team that never won anything and gave them a title) and was elite on both ends of the floor and had the best stats in the league by far.

[C-izMe]

Magic played in the same era and was able to anchor better offenses and get that kind of seperation. so not sure if that makes a lot sense.

Magic's teams weren't defensive minded. The were always offense first.

[bastillon]

Magic played in the same era and was able to anchor better offenses and get that kind of seperation. so not sure if that makes a lot sense.

Magic's teams weren't defensive minded. The were always offense first.

what do you mean by that specifically ?

[ardee]

I just want to ask something about Bird, and I don't mean to insult him or anything because I have massive respect for his game:

Where are all of these historic offensive teams he's leading? He's been called the 2nd best offensive player ever after Magic, and many people are putting him in a very elite group of players offensively (for good reason), but much of that is based off the fact that he's extremely easy to fit next to other great players (but so are Reggie Miller/Ray Allen types, and I'm not going to say they're offensive GOATs), and because he was the centerpiece of historic offenses. But looking at the Celtics offenses since Bird joined them, and for argument's sake, assuming a historic offense is +6 or higher, this is how the Celtics look:

1980: +4.1
1981: +2.9
1982: +2.9
1983: +2.2
1984: +3.3
1985: +4.9
1986: +4.6
1987: +5.2
1988: +7.4

Excellent offensive teams, but only one of them qualifies as "historic" (the 88 team), and that was the year Bird's injuries got the best of him in the playoffs and the Celtics did not keep up that offensive potency in the playoffs. From the years generally regarded as possibly Bird's peak (84-87), none of those teams were "historic", and none of those teams were really any better offensively than LeBron's 09 Cavs. I'm not really buying the argument that increased use of the 3pt line really changed things, because everyone uses the 3pt line nowadays, so theoretically, that shouldn't matter.

Compare those Celtics teams to Magic's Lakers from 80-91:

1980: +4.2
1981: +2.1
1982: +3.3
1983: +5.8
1984: +3.3
1985: +6.2
1986: +6.1
1987: +7.3
1988: +5.1
1989: +6.0
1990: +5.9
1991: +4.2

Once Magic really hit his stride starting in 84, I'm seeing him lead four +6 offenses, and one +5.9 offense. And the +5.9 offense came after Kareem retired.

We all know about Nash, but let's still look at what he led from 05-10 in Phoenix:

2005: +8.4
2006: +5.3
2007: +7.4
2008: +5.8
2009: +5.3
2010: +7.7

Every single one of the offenses he's led, including one year without Amare (2006) and another year where he didn't even have the ball in his hands nearly as much as he should have (2009), was excellent. He's led 3 +7 offenses, including a +8 offense.

Basically, I'm not really understanding why Bird is getting lumped in with Magic/Nash/Jordan so casually as an offensive player. They actually led historically great offenses (not just +6 either, but +7 and above), which I'm not seeing from Bird's Celtics, save for one year (1988). And it's not like anybody can say that Bird didn't have great offensive support, at least as strong as theirs.

I'm kind of joking when I say this, because I know there's no legitimate comparison between the two, but if Bird's main case for being an offensive GOAT and one of the GOAT peaks is his ultra-portability and his ability to lead excellent but not historic offenses (with great supporting casts), then will Reggie Miller make an appearance on this list? He's one of the most portable players I can think of, and he's led multiple +3 offenses throughout his career, including a +6.5 offense in 99.

I think when people are talking about Bird as an offensive player, they mean his skillset.

One of the best shooters in history, arguably the GOAT off the ball player, ridiculously efficient scoring, unbelievable passing, decent to good on the offensive boards.

[ardee]

Between these guys for me

--------- RS PER, WS48, --------- PER, WS48 playoffs
KAJ 1971: 29.0, 0.33, -----------25.0, 0.27 (14 playoff games, title)
Hakeem 1994: 25.3, 0.210----------27.7, 0.208 (23 playoff games, title)
Duncan 2003: 26.9, 0.248------------28.4, 0.279 (24 playoff games, title)
Magic 1987: 27.0, 0.263-------------26.2, 0.265 (18 playoff games, title)
Bird 1986: 25.6, 0.244--------------23.9, 0.263 (23 playoff games, title)
Moses Malone 1983: 25.1, 0.248 -----25.7, 0.260 (13 playoff games, title)
Lebron James 2012:30.7, 0.298-------30.3, 0.284 (23 playoff games, title)
Dwyane Wade 2006: 27.6, 0.239-------26.9, 0.240 (23 playoff games, title)
Julius Erving 1976: 28.7, 0.262-----32.0, 0.321 (13 playoff games, title) - ABA

Vote: Kareem 1971 (Not to mention put a team that never won anything and gave them a title) and was elite on both ends of the floor and had the best stats in the league by far.

He was NOT elite on both ends of the floor in 1971. Kareem's best defensive years came by the time he became a Laker. He was a worse rebounder, shotblocker and defensive anchor than in his Laker years.

And you're making it sound like he was a one-man team. He had Oscar Robertson in an All-NBA Second Team season, and Bobby Dandridge, one of the best two-way forwards ever! He was a great scorer but in the context of some of these other guys (particularly LeBron, Bird, Magic, Hakeem), Kareem didn't offer as much as an all-around player during his early Bucks years.

Your only argument all the time seems to be 'he had the best stats in the league'.

[semi-sentient]

Great post on Magic, ThaRegul8r.

And the Lakers went and had the best offensive season ever in THAT competitive of a year, at +7.3 in the regular season, and +7.8 in the Playoffs.

Indeed.

The '87 Lakers had the highest rated offense in history in both the regular season AND the playoffs. No championship team was rated higher, and Magic was quite clearly the driving force behind that.

On top of that Magic wasn't exactly a slouch defensively either as several of those articles point out:

And he is still getting his 11 or 12 assists a game, pulling down rebounds and sparking the Lakers’ brilliant perimeter defense. He has them playing at an unsually high emotional level for this early in the season, and the Lakers have the NBA’s best record — 20-6.

“He makes everyone on the court with him better. He plays good defense, he posts up, he scores but still gets his assists. He adjusts to the game. If they’re struggling, he can take the shot. A lot of players can’t do that.”

I'm not suggesting that he was an all-league defender, but brilliant/efficient offense does wonders for a teams defense and Magic was very active out there on the perimeter.

1986-87

Regular Season (Lakers 65-17)

Code: Select all

       GP  MP    PTS   TS%    REB   AST  STL  BLK  TOV  PER   WS 
==================================================================
Magic  80  36.3  23.9  .602   6.3  12.2  1.7  0.5  3.8  27.0  15.9

Team Offense: Lakers (1st, 115.6 oRtg)
Team Defense: Lakers (7th, 106.5 dRtg)

Playoffs (Lakers 15-3)

Code: Select all

       GP  MP    PTS   TS%    REB   AST  STL  BLK  TOV  PER   WS 
==================================================================
Magic  18  37.0  21.8  .607   7.7  12.2  1.7  0.4  2.8  26.2  3.7

Team Offense: Lakers (1st, 119.9 oRtg)
Team Defense: Lakers (4th, 108.6 dRtg)

NBA Finals (Lakers over Celtics, 4-2)

Code: Select all

       GP  MP    PTS   TS%    REB   AST  STL  BLK  TOV
======================================================
Bird   6   42.3  24.2  .534  10.0   5.5  1.2  1.2  3.0
Magic  6   39.3  26.2  .590   8.0  13.0  2.3  0.3  2.2

[C-izMe]

Magic played in the same era and was able to anchor better offenses and get that kind of seperation. so not sure if that makes a lot sense.

Magic's teams weren't defensive minded. The were always offense first.

what do you mean by that specifically ?

From 85-88 (Bird at his best IMO) they were:
85 +4.9(+6.5 total)
86 +4.6(+9.2)
87 +5.2(+6.7)
88 +7.4(+6.0)

The team actually got worse in 88. So do I think they just randomly fell off completely on defense? No. What I think happened is that they were naturally getting worse defensively and realized they couldn't keep up a top 5 defense. So they decided to finally put all their effort on offense. As a result they fell below league average defensively and rose to the top offensively.

[C-izMe]

For a vote I'll put in Hakeem 94.

I'm still wondering why more aren't voting for him. What more could you ask for in a season.

[bastillon]

I'm voting for Hakeem as well. I've yet to hear an argument against him.

[colts18]

I'm voting for Hakeem as well. I've yet to hear an argument against him.

Which Hakeem are we considering his peak?

[JordansBulls]

Between these guys for me

--------- RS PER, WS48, --------- PER, WS48 playoffs
KAJ 1971: 29.0, 0.33, -----------25.0, 0.27 (14 playoff games, title)
Hakeem 1994: 25.3, 0.210----------27.7, 0.208 (23 playoff games, title)
Duncan 2003: 26.9, 0.248------------28.4, 0.279 (24 playoff games, title)
Magic 1987: 27.0, 0.263-------------26.2, 0.265 (18 playoff games, title)
Bird 1986: 25.6, 0.244--------------23.9, 0.263 (23 playoff games, title)
Moses Malone 1983: 25.1, 0.248 -----25.7, 0.260 (13 playoff games, title)
Lebron James 2012:30.7, 0.298-------30.3, 0.284 (23 playoff games, title)
Dwyane Wade 2006: 27.6, 0.239-------26.9, 0.240 (23 playoff games, title)
Julius Erving 1976: 28.7, 0.262-----32.0, 0.321 (13 playoff games, title) - ABA

Vote: Kareem 1971 (Not to mention put a team that never won anything and gave them a title) and was elite on both ends of the floor and had the best stats in the league by far.

He was NOT elite on both ends of the floor in 1971. Kareem's best defensive years came by the time he became a Laker. He was a worse rebounder, shotblocker and defensive anchor than in his Laker years.

And you're making it sound like he was a one-man team. He had Oscar Robertson in an All-NBA Second Team season, and Bobby Dandridge, one of the best two-way forwards ever! He was a great scorer but in the context of some of these other guys (particularly LeBron, Bird, Magic, Hakeem), Kareem didn't offer as much as an all-around player during his early Bucks years.

Your only argument all the time seems to be 'he had the best stats in the league'.

He was more elite than anyone else on this list on Defense other than Hakeem and Duncan. Never said it was a one man team, but him in 1976 nor 1977 don't impress me as much as him in 1971. And why do you say his stats is the only thing I am choosing him? He had the stats and the success and carried the franchise. It would be like me choosing 1991 or 1992 Hakeem over 1986 Hakeem.

[PTB Fan]

Wanted to share my post on '77 Walton just to add to the variety of choices that should be considered in this voting.

"The Portland Trail Blazers, formally announced the firing of Lenny Wilkens yesterday naming Jack Ramsey to succeed him as a coach of the National Basketball Association team. Ramsey, fired by Buffalo after guiding the Braves into the Eastern semi-conference finals, is the fourth coach of the Blazers, who joined in the 1970. Ramsey said, "I think this the best coaching opportunity in professional basketball, and I took the position here for that reason."

"I have great regard for the talent of this team" Ramsey said. "It is like an iceberg. What you see isn't the mass that is really there. Sure Bill Walton has to be healthy and play almost a full season if we are to achieve great success.

"I want a team that can run, a team that can make the transition from offense to defense and be aggressive when it gets to defense. Bill Walton is a great big man and he will give us up front quality. I am looking forward to his playing a major part of the schedule."

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Mf ... lton&hl=en

"Depend on the health of center Bill Walton, this could be the turnaround season for the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association. So far, Walton is healthy -- the healthiest he's ever been since he's turned pro -- and Portland is in a high state of optimism.

"Our future has to be now" says Ramsey, a successful veteran of the NBA wars who left Buffalo after three straight playoff seasons after falling out with the Braves front office. Ramsey admits Walton is the key to a turnaround. "I want at least 60 games out of Bill this season" he said. "If we get that, we will be in good shape."

Walton, the former UCLA All-American, can be awesome when healthy. But he was an injury prone in his first two pro seasons, getting in the equivalent of only one season's play over two years. For the first time, he came to training camp with no injuries:

"Walton is such a fine talent, so coachable, and unselfish." said Ramsey. "He does everything well. I like the spirit on this club. These players want to win. You can see it in practice and we saw it in exhibition games."

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1E ... lton&hl=en

"His third season's been a charm, so far, for big Bill Walton of the Portland Trail Blazers. The sometimes controversial redheaded is off to his best National Basketball Association start ever, and the reason is simple.

For the first time in his pro career, Walton's completely healthy. "I don't think about the injuries. I try to keep up in the best physical condition that I can prevent injuries, but I don't think about them" Walton says.[/b]

But he's had a bad reason to think a lot. He had nine broken bones of one kind or another in his first two NBA seasons. Coach Jack Ramsey wanted the 6-11 center, who was drafted No.1 from the UCLA in 1974, to come to camp a bit lighter this season. And he did -- about 10 pounds.

Ramsey thinks with less weight, there's less chances of an injury from pressure on the legs and knees. The Blazers have something of a new attitude under Ramsey, more of a team concept. But Walton says his attitude are about the same ever.

"I don't think I've changed. I have the same values and the same interests." says Walton, who turned 24 last week. Still bearded, he says he's got long hair cut for comfort, nothing else. The coach has nothing but praise for Walton.

"He is a blend of all the skills of the game" Ramsey says. "He'll do whatever is necessary to win, and that's all he's concerned about.

"I think he could be the most valuable player in pro basketball." But Walton, who has been a leading scorer for Portland and tops the league in rebounds so far in this season, says what counts in the end is the final tally on the scoreboard.

"I go by wins and loses and not by the boxscore. Boxscores are extremely misleading." Walton says. And he's glad to be mended. "It is pleasant to go to practices this season and be able to practice." [/i]

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7P ... lton&hl=en

"The red ponytail is gone and so is the bandanna. So, too, are the aches and pains, the injuries that dogged Bill Walton through his first two years as a pro. "I'm healthy, that's the biggest difference" said Walton, who is playing the way Portland folks had hoped when they drafted him at No.1 in 1974 out of UCLA.

The 6-foot-11, 225 pounded is in great shape and is playing nearly 40 minutes a game. He still wears bandages on his knees, and after games he soaks his chronically sore feet in a tray of ice. But to have gone through seven weeks of the season with no injuries is a new experience, one he is enjoying.

"This is the most I've played in the NBA in one strach" Walton said following a 114-96 victory over the New York Knicks Tuesday night in which he contributed with 16 points, 15 rebounds and 8 blocked shots.

"Consistency, that's the most important thing," he said. "I've been able to develop all the areas of my game. When you play two weeks and then get hurt and sit out two weeks, you can't do that."

Ramsey who has nothing but praise for Walton, who leads the league in rebounds and blocked shots and is Portland's leading scorer at 21.1 points a game. "Bill's been just super" Ramsey said. "He's a very team first oriented guy. He's been working his tail off to help this team. He has great rapport with his teammates."

Walton, 24, is the captain of the Blazers. a position which he was voted to by other players. "It was nice of the guys to select me captain" he said with a smile. "but this team doesn't really need a captain to get them going. They know what to do, how to win games. But it was nice."

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Ia ... lton&hl=en

"Center Bill Walton of the Portland Trail Blazers will not play Sunday in the National Basketball Association All-Star Game in Milwaukee because of an inflamed Achilles tendon. He will be replaced by Don Buse of the Indiana Pacers.

Walton, who leads the NBA in rebounds and blocked shots, hasn't played in two weeks because of the injury. He said there has been noticeable improvement in the injury in the past three days."

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NB ... lton&hl=en

"A jubilant coach Jack Ramsey called it the return "of the old Portland Trail Blazers" and the New Orleans Jazz felt the sting, losing 131-104 in a National Basketball Association game here Tuesday night.

The win broke a three-game Portland losing streak and put the Blazers back within 2 and half games within the leading Los Angeles in the Pacific Division. Center Bill Walton made his return to the Portland lineup after missing five games because of an ankle sprain. He played only 17 minutes, but tallied 12 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots.

"We ran well" said Portland forward Maurice Lucas who scored 18 of his 20 points as the Blazers built 66-44 lead. "It makes so much difference with Bill (Walton) back. Also I can do many more things with him there."

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=12 ... lton&hl=en


For the season, Bill Walton averaged 18.6 points, 14.4 boards, 3.8 assists and 3.2 blocks on 52.8% field goal percentage, 69.7% free throw percentage and 56.3% true shooting percentage in 34.8 minutes per game. He led the league in rebounds, blocked shots and defensive rebound percentage while ranking top 5 in other advanced and basic stats (#2 in block %, #3 in total rebound %, #3 in win share per 48, #8 in effective field goal %, #2 in defensive rating).

Portland posted a 49-33 record in which he was arguably the main contributor. He finished second in the MVP voting, and for his excellence in the RS, he was awarded with a All-NBA Second selection ( only to the eventual MVP, Kareem) and All-NBA First Defense Team selection as well.


In the postseason, Walton averaged 18.2 points, 15.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 3.4 blocks on 50.7% field goal percent, 68.4% free throw percent and 52.7% true shooting percent in 39.7 minutes per game. He ranked fourth in rebounding, eight in assists and second in blocks in the playoffs. Walton managed to top all in four advanced stats (defensive reb %, DWS, Drtg and block %) and to lead all in total boards, blocks and assists in the same run.


In the first round against the Chicago Bulls, he posted averages of 17.3 points and 12.3 rebounds, as he had game logs of 11/9, 24/17 and 17/11 in those three games. Then came the series against the Los Angeles Lakers, who had the league MVP Kareem that was coming off a dominant series versus the Warriors.

"They were both All-Americans at UCLA and now the match up will be Kareem Abdul-Jabbar against Bill Walton as the Los Angeles Lakers battle the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association semifinals.

The best of seven series starts Friday night at the Forum, home of the Lakers and where they've 41-4 record this season. The latest was a 97-84 triumph Wednesday night over the Golden State Warriors, who had beaten the three times in Oakland but lost all four playoff games at the Forum.

Abdul-Jabbar, who was Lew Alcindor when he played at UCLA, stands 7-foot-2 which gives him a three inch height advantage over Walton, who followed him at UCLA. "He's a good center and they're a good team" said Abdul-Jabbar, who spearheaded the Laker attack in the triumphant quarter-finals. He scored 40 or more points and 36 in the last one.

"It's going to be a tough series. There's no doubt that the home court is an advantage, at least it has been for us this year. But I've seen things turn around quickly."

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_U ... kers&hl=en


Against LA, he averaged 19.3 points, 14.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 2.3 blocks on 50.7% field goal percentage and 51.7% true shooting percentage in a series where he was a major factor to Portland's surprising series sweep. He did a solid job defensively on Kareem (holding him to 10 points below the average from the previous series with a decent help from his teammates), matched him in other areas and made his impact in Portland's wins.


In the Finals against the 76ers, Walton led his team from 0-2 to win the next straight 4 games with him dominating. For the series, Walton averaged 18.7 points, 19 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 3.7 blocks on 54.5% field goal percent and 57.9% true shooting percent en route to a title and Finals MVP. Had there been a Defensive Player Of The Year award, he'd have most likely won that award as well.

"Portland became National Basketball Association champions Sunday, mostly because Coach Gene of Philadelphia 76ers could not find any way to stop Bill Walton of the Portland Trail Blazers. Shue tried four different men on Walton in Sunday's sixth game of the championship final but none could handle him.

Caldwell Jones, Darryl Dawkins, Harvey Catchings and George McGinis all tried, but failed as Portland posted a 109-107 victory to overcome the multi-talented 76ers 4-2 in the best of seven series.

"Bill Walton has been our lead all the way" said Portland coach Jack Ramsey. "He is our team captain in every sense of the word. There is no better player, no more co-operative player, no better person than Bill."

Shue said: "Bill Walton is the best player for a big man who has ever played the game of basketball. We couldn't contain him. He dominated the middle and that threw us out of our game." Walton, who scored and rebounded in double figures in every game of the series, had 20 points, 23 rebounds, seven assists and eight blocked shots in the series finale.

He was named Most Valuable Player in the series for the way he anchored Portland's offense and defense."

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=fU ... lton&hl=en

[JordansBulls]

For a vote I'll put in Hakeem 94.

I'm still wondering why more aren't voting for him. What more could you ask for in a season.

I would pick him but I think Kareem 1971 has an edge over Hakeem 1994. Hakeem 1994 while impressive was nearly defeated in a series, it took a choke job by the Knicks for Hakeem to win.

[ushvinder88]

The internet at its finest, where the 'aba dr. j' will be mythologized into having a peak as good as lebron's. The same internet that will say kobe is overrated due to team success, despite the fact that magic or bird were not dominant individual players like lebron, or anywhere near the 2 way players hakeem and duncan were. I forgot the double standard doesnt apply to older players.

Lebron, Hakeem and Duncan all peaked higher than bird, magic and dr.j, but i forgot only modern players can get criticised for relying more on team success rather than individual dominance. You guys can brainwash yourselves into thinking magic was a dominant individual player like jordan/wilt/shaq/lebron were, hmmm but he wasn't. His defense is by far the worst of any top 10 atg, he always had to have 3 others players on the team that would help carry the load offensively, but magically he produced a higher peak than 94 hakeem, 03 duncan and 09-12 lebron, what a joke.

[ThaRegul8r]

ThaRegul8r- If you're taking requests, I'd greatly enjoy an informative post featuring Kareem Abdul-Jabbar which details his greatness, similar to the post you made just north of here on this page featuring Magic.

Since you didn't specify, and since I recall you saying this in the Retro Player of the Year Project:

This is peak Kareem. Absolute peak Kareem. **** 71 and 72. This right here is the best Kareem Abdul-Jabbar we will ever see.

Then I'll do this one. Since no one's actually broken this particular season down. And because the extent of his closing ability might come as a revelation to some.

Before the season, Phil Elderkin of the Christian Science Monitor wrote: “While the Los Angeles Lakers have the best one-man team in the Pacific Division in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, they may also have the poorest five-man team among their rivals. That division should again belong to the Golden State Warriors, who still have Rick Barry and have added seven-foot rookie center Robert Parish” (Anchorage Daily News, Oct. 29, 1976).

Oct. 22, 1976, “Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 33 points and keyed a third period surge to present Los Angeles Coach Jerry West with his first victory” (Times-Union, Oct. 23, 1976) in a 103-94 win over the Bullets. “Abdul-Jabbar scored 12 points in the third quarter as the Lakers extended a five-point halftime lead to 14 points” (Times-Union, Oct. 23, 1976). Oct. 24, the Cleveland Cavaliers beat Los Angeles 100-95 despite Kareem’s 13 fourth quarter points. “The Cavs held a 15-point lead midway through the third quarter before the Lakers started their drive, closing to within three points with one minute left in the game. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the Lakers’ comeback bid with 13 points in the fourth quarter and 29 for the game” (Daily Union, Oct. 25, 1976).

Nov. 20, “A third-quarter offensive barrage and tight defense led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar helped the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors 121-99” (The Spokesman-Review, Nov. 21, 1976). Nov. 21, Kareem scored 33 points on 14-for-16 shooting and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead LA to a 96-91 win over the Nets (The Evening Independent, Nov. 22, 1976). Nov. 23, Kareem scored 16 of his 36 points [14-24 FG, 8-9 FT] in the fourth quarter to lead LA to a 117-114 win over Milwaukee (Eugene Register-Guard, Nov. 24, 1976).

The Bucks were ahead by one point with 1:28 left.

Bobby Dandridge made a short baseline jumper with three seconds left on the 24 second clock, but Abdul-Jabbar followed with a baseline hook. The Nater lost the ball and Quinn Buckner recovered but missed a shot. The Lakers got the ball, and Abdul-Jabbar rebounded a missed shot by Lamar and scored. The Lakers led, 115-114. Then with seven seconds left, Lamar stole the ball from Bucker and Kermit Washington scored. The Bucks had been outscored, 14-2.

Death, Taxes, Kareem

“What are you going to do about Kareem?” Winters asked. No one, of course, has ever answered the question. The Bucks could at least find solace in that, in addition to their own mistakes, they had been beaten by a player who can do it best.

Nov. 31, Kareem had 26 points and 10 assists in a 109-102 win over Washington. Dec. 15, Kareem scored 35 points to lead LA to a 115-105 win over New Orleans.

Jan. 7, 1977, Kareem “scored seven straight points in the last two minutes to rally the Lakers from an 80-79 deficit” (The Deseret News, Dec. 16, 1976) to an 85-82 win. “I want him to have the ball in tight situations like that,” said Lakers coach Jerry West. Jan. 9, Kareem scored 28 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, scoring 15 in the fourth quarter to combine with Cazzie Russell who scored a game-high 35 and 10 in the final period to lead LA to rally from a 12-point fourth quarter deficit en route to a 124-118 win in a nationally-televised game against Detroit. Jan. 10, Kareem hit a jump hook with four seconds left to give the Lakers a 101-99 win over the Clippers.

Cav’s can’t stop Abdul-Jabbar, Lakers

Sometimes there is no stopping towering Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Jim Chones, Cleveland’s starting center, fouled out trying to do it. Nate Thurmond, Cleveland’s No. 2 pivotman, also fouled out. So with the game on the line — the score tied and 25 seconds left in overtime — it was up to little-used John Lambert.

After calling a timeout, the Los Angeles Lakers killed the clock until ten seconds were left. Then the ball went into the pivot, and the Abdul-Jabbar did his thing.

Stationed in his familiar low post, Abdul-Jabbar spun on Lambert and flipped up a jump-hook that went through the net with four seconds remaining, giving the Los Angeles Lakers a dramatic 101-99 National Basketball Association victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers Tuesday night.

That basket capped a magnificent 40-point effort by the 7-foot-3 and one-half Abdul-Jabbar, last season’s most valuable player in the NBA and the prime mover in the Lakers’ 25-14 start this season, the third-best record in the league.

Jan. 18, “The Los Angeles Lakers, with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scoring 36 points, overcame a 12-point third-quarter deficit and defeated the Kansas City Kings 113-111 […]. Abdul-Jabbar scored 14 points in the final quarter when the Lakers took the lead for the first time since early in the opening period” (Lewiston Morning Tribune, Jan. 19, 1977). “The Los Angeles guards yelled out a variety of plays as they brought the ball down the floor in the waning minutes—but the result was almost always an Abdul-Jabbar hook, jumper or stuff. ‘I can assure you the plays aren’t designed for that to go only to Abdul-Jabbar,’ said West, the Lakers coach. ‘It just looks that way’” (Daily Union, Jan. 19, 1977). Jan. 30, “Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 27 points, 13 in the fourth quarter, rallying the Los Angeles Lakers to a 101-99 National Basketball Association victory over the New Orleans Jazz […]” (Lewiston Morning Tribune, Jan. 31, 1977).

There was a time not too long ago when practically all of his points were off the “sky hook” or dunks. Now he also shoots a left-handed hook, short turnaround jumpers and drives to the basket. He has worked on improving his game and knows he is a better player now than ever before.

“They’re giving me more freedom to move here,” he said. “In Milwaukee, (coach) Larry Costello used various plays to get specific shots for certain people and he was a master at setting that up. There wasn’t much freedom, though.

“I’ve always had the ability to score in ways other than the hook, but this is the first chance I’ve had to do it. We’d be running into each other in Milwaukee if I tried to play there like I am now.

The first four or five years I was in the league, I was played basically one on one. There are 2 1-2 men on me all of the time now. One in back, one in front and a guard going for the ball. It’s made it necessary for me to do other things.”

Feb. 9, Kareem scored 30 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked five shots to lead LA to a 105-90 win over Buffalo. “Abdul-Jabbar […] tallied three baskets in the final six minutes after the Braves, trailing by 22 points early in the third quarter, came to within six, 93-87, with 5:59 left in the game” (The Palm Beach Post, Feb. 10, 1977).

Abdul-Jabbar Stands Tall In His Eighth Pro Season

NEW YORK — Because the top of his head is less than 3 feet below the rim of the basket, many people shrug at Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s skill. But those people don’t understand basketball.

“He has a tremendous burden,” Jerry West, his coach on the Los Angeles Lakers, said. “He’s expected to do more than anybody in the league; score, rebound and block shots.”

And as he approaches his 30th birthday, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has turned that burden into a testimonial. He remains the National Basketball Association’s most dominant player, second to Pete Maravich in scoring with an average of 27.2 points and second to Bill Walton in rebounds, with a 14.5 average and blocked shots, with a 3.04 average. But those numbers are not why Kareem Abdul-Jabbar believes that he is playing better than he ever has in his eight seasons.

“I have more understanding of the game,” he said. “The little things you have to do well. When to switch, when not to. When to help out, when not to. When to pass, when to hold the ball.”

…

And when the NBA players vote for the league’s most valuable player, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is expected to win it for the fifth time, equaling Bill Russell. He even won it last season when the Lakers missed the playoffs.

Mar. 11, he turns in another MVP performance:

The Man With The Goggles Paces Another Rally

It was hardly a secret. The Los Angeles Lakers knew who they had to rely on late in the game. And the Washington Bullets knew, too. He was the tall guy wearing the goggles. It has never been easy to stop him.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 20 of his game-high 31 points in the fourth quarter Friday to rally the Lakers to a 94-91 victory over Washington in Los Angeles.

The victory improved Los Angeles’ record to 41-24 and increased its Pacific Division lead to 3½ games over Portland, the Lakers’ widest margin of the season. The defeat dropped the Bullets ½ game behind Houston, which defeated Indiana and took over first place in the Central Division.

After trailing 47-37 at the half, the Bullets hit 14 of 21 shots from the field in the third period, outscoring Los Angeles 38-22 and grabbing a 75-69 lead.

Abdul-Jabbar, the league’s second leading scorer, demonstrated why he has won the NBA Most Valuable Player award three times and may be closing in on the honor again.

“He made all the key offensive and defensive plays down the stretch,” said Lakers coach Jerry West. “If he’s not the greatest player in the game, I haven’t seen the other guy.”

Mar. 20, Kareem scored 29 to lead LA to a 100-95 win over New Orleans, enabling them to withstand Pete Maravich’s 46 points.

Don’t blame Pete Maravich. He did everything he could except win. And in the end it was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who once again saved the Lakers.

...

Maravich reserved his enthusiasm after Sunday’s game for Abdul-Jabbar, whom he’s hot to play with.

“I’d do anything to play with Abdul,” said Maravich. “I’d take his clothes to the laundry, be his chauffeur. I’ll be his caddie or anything else he wants me to do as long as we get that (championship) ring.”

Quote of the Day

New Orleans Jazz guard Pete Maravich when asked if he would like to play on the same team as Los Angeles Laker center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – “I’d be his caddie. I’ll take his clothes to the laundry. I’ll pick him up and drive him around. Anyone would like to play with the greatest center in the game.”

Apr. 3, Kareem scored 33 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead the Lakers to a 115-107 overtime win, which “tied the NBA record of 36 wins at home in a season and lengthened their lead over Philadelphia in the race to end regular season play with the best overall record and secure the home court advantage for all playoff contests” (Ludington Daily News, Apr 4, 1977). Apr. 9, “Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 14 of his game-high 30 points in the final period leading Los Angeles to [a 113-104] victory” over Seattle. “The Lakers closed out the year with a 53-29 won-loss record, the best in the NBA. Jabbar sat out much of the third period as the Lakers’ reserves battled the Sonics on even terms and led 81-72 going into the final quarter. Jabbar then personally hoisted the point-spread to 15 points with a variety of hooks and jump shots” (Star-News, Apr 10, 1977). “The Lakers played the first four minutes of the fourth quarter with their starters on the bench and Seattle cut the lead to 87-82 with 7:30 remaining. Jabbar scored the next 11 of 15 Laker points to put the game out of reach 102-86 with 3:50 left” (The Press-Courier, Apr 10, 1977).

The Lakers finished the regular season with a league-best 52-39 record, setting an NBA record for best home record at 37-4. Kareem averaged 26.2 points (3rd in the league) on 57.9 percent shooting (1st), 13.3 rebounds (2nd), 3.9 assists and 3.18 blocked shots (2nd) in 36.8 minutes per game.

Finally, the real National Basketball Association season is upon us. Each team will have played about 90 regular season games by Monday morning, and the NBA playoffs will start soon. Then, maybe, we will be in store for some real basketball, not that “going through the motions” routine we tolerate during regular season play.

I’m not the world’s greatest predictor, but I think the playoffs will go something like this:

In the first round of the playoffs (all best two out of three) Chicago will surprise Portland by winning in three; Detroit will take Golden State in three; Washington will take Buffalo in two; and San Antonio will take Cleveland in two games.

The four divisional winners get first-round byes, and right now, it looks as those winners will be: Los Angeles, Denver, Philadelphia and Houston.

For some reason, I think Los Angeles has the best chance of winning the championship. Don’t ask me why. The Lakers are comprised mostly of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and a bunch of lesser players. But they play extremely well as a team, and that is what is most important at times.

Depending on what they do in their remaining games, the Lakers have an excellent chance to finish the season with more victories than any other NBA club.

Western Conference Semifinals – Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors: “I would think Golden State is sitting up wondering what Kareem is going to do,” said Jerry West. “We feel Kareem is the best player in basketball” (Ellensburg Daily Record, Apr. 19, 1977).

WARRIORS VS. LAKERS:
Two of the most perplexing teams in professional sports, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors, square off tonight in the opening game of their best-of-seven quarterfinal playoff series.

Just a year ago, the Warriors probably were the top team in the NBA and had the league’s best record. The Lakers meanwhile, struggled through last season losing more games than they won.

But how things changed.

This time around, Golden State had a so-so 46-36 season while the Lakers, written off early in the campaign as having Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and little else, slowly but surely melded into the NBA’s winningest team.

The two teams’ personnel has not changed dramatically, although the Lakers have a new coach in Jerry West.

LA won Game 1 111-105. “Migraine headache and all, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 27 points to help bring the Lakers to a 111-106 victory over the Golden State Warriors […] to give Los Angeles a 1-0 lead in its Western Conference semifinal series. […] Abdul-Jabbar scored 11 of his points in the final period to offset a 40-point performance by Warrior forward Rick Barry” (Eugene Register-Guard, Apr. 21, 1977). In Game 2, Kareem had a near triple-double with 40 points, 19 rebounds and nine blocked shots to lead LA to a 95-86 win and 2-0 series lead. When Golden State pulled within two, 86-84, “Abdul-Jabbar put it away with six of 14 fourth-quarter points” (The Evening Independent, Apr. 23, 1977).

Warriors Must Figure Out Way To Turn Off Lakers’ Jabbar

The Golden State Warriors must figure out a way to turn off Kareem Abdul-Jabbar if they hope to survive their quarter-final playoff series with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Neither migraine headaches nor Clifford Ray have hindered the Lakers’ 7-foot-2 center, who scored 40 points, grabbed 19 rebounds and blocked nine shots Friday night to lift Los Angeles to a 95-86 victory over the Warriors and a 2-0 lead in the series.

The teams move to Oakland for games this afternoon and Tuesday night in the best-of-seven series. A fifth game, if necessary, will be played in Los Angeles next Friday night.

…

“Kareem has been absolutely magnificent in the first two games,” Lakers’ Coach Jerry West. “I can’t recall anyone being so dominant in all phases of the game in a long, long time. In both games we struggled in several situations, but he went back in and really picked us up. I’ll tell you, it’s a good feeling to have a force like that.”

Abdul-Jabbar has 67 points, 35 rebounds and 12 blocked shots in the first two games.

“He’s playing the greatest basketball of his life,” Golden State’s Jamaal Wilkes said. “There’s nothing we can do.”

Abdul-Jabbar has been suffering from migraine headaches the past few weeks, including ones prior to both games against Golden State.

“But I’m not worried about it,” Jabbar said. “They come and go. I usually have them after the season for about a month or six weeks.”

Jabbar: Taking It On Himself

The playoffs are when brilliant individual performances can do a lot to lift a team.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar came through for the Los Angeles Lakers, Lloyd Free for the Philadelphia 76ers and Dan Issel for the Denver Nuggets last night. That meant victories for all three teams as the National Basketball Association playoff quarterfinals continued.

Abdul-Jabbar was “incredible,” said Laker Coach Jerry West. The 7-foot-2 center amassed 40 points, collected 19 rebounds and blocked nine shots to power Los Angeles past the Golden State Warriors 95-86 for a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven matchup.

“It was one of the finest ball games I’ve seen an individual play from the standpoint of offense, defense and team play,” marvelled West. “He was absolutely magnificent. It’s a good feeling to have a force like that.”

Golden State won Game 3 109-105 to cut LA’s lead to 2-1. Kareem had 28 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists. Golden State won Game 4 114-103 to even the series at 2-2. “The Warriors once again overcame a tremendous one-man show by Lakers’ center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who erupted a game-high 41 points and 18 rebounds” (Lodi News-Sentinel, Apr. 26, 1977).

Jabbar Scores 41 But Warriors Win

Oakland, Calif. — AP — Forwards Jamaal Wilkes and Rick Barry combined for 53 points Tuesday night, leading the Golden State Warriors past the Los Angeles Lakers, 114-103, to tie their NBA playoff series.

A 41 point performance by the Lakers’ Kareem Abdul-Jabbar went to waste as Los Angeles lost for the 15th straight time on the Warriors’ court, dating back to 1973.

The best of seven Western Conference semifinals stands 2-2, with game No. 5 scheduled Friday night in Los Angeles and the sixth game in Oakland Sunday afternoon.

The Warriors took control late in the second period, outscoring the Lakers, 9-0, over the final two minutes to lead 50-37 at halftime. Barry scored the final four points in the hot streak and had 18 of his 26 points before the intermission.

Wilkes finished with 27 including 10 in the last quarter when the Lakers, who were 22 points down at one point, closed the gap to 12 on several occasions but could get no closer.

Jabbar was forced to carry the scoring load for Los Angeles, which has suffered several player injuries since the series began. The second high scorer was rookie guard Earl Tatum with 15 points.

In Game 5, “Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored his season high of 45 points” and “hauled down 18 rebounds” to lead LA to a 112-105 win to take a 3-2 series lead (The Milwaukee Sentinel, Apr. 30, 1977). In Game 6 “The Golden State Warriors bolted to an early 17-3 lead and went on to score a 115-106 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers […], squaring their NBA Western Conference semifinal playoff series at three games apiece” (The Daily Union Democrat, May 2, 1977). Kareem led the Lakers with 43 points and 20 rebounds. After a Kareem skyhook brought the Lakers within eight, trailing Golden State 62-54, the play-by-play announcer said, “An interesting statistic, ... the fact that the rest of the starters, excluding Kareem, shot 6-for-23 in the first half. And that’s been the story.” After Kareem scored his 41st point to make it 97-84: “You could not ask anything more of Jabbar. He’s done everything today, as he’s done in the past games.”

WATCH FOR: Lakers: The guy with 33 on his back must seem like something out of a nightmare for Golden State. Abdul-Jabbar has scored more than 40 points four times, grabbed every rebound north of San Diego, passed like a guard, and been the most intense player on the floor. He might be enough all by himself. But some help from former UCLA teammate Lucius Allen wouldn’t hurt. Recovered from a foot injury, the 6-2 guard played well in the fifth game and provides much-needed motion to the offense. Much of that motion gets the ball to forward Cazzie Russell, who can and does put it up and in from anywhere. Guard Earl Tatum has played well on offense but is vulnerable to pressure when bringing the ball upcourt. The Warrior guards will harass him while the Lakers will try to let Chaney handle that chore.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (UPI)—Los Angeles Lakers Coach Jerry West thinks this year’s Golden State Warriors have more talent than the team that won the NBA championship two years ago.

But he thinks the Lakers will beat the Warriors tonight in the seventh and final game of their NBA playoff series for at least two reasons.

1) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. 2) the homecourt advantage.

“I honestly believe the Warriors have better talent than when they won the NBA title in 1975,” said West, an all-pro guard on the Los Angeles’ team that won the title five years ago. “So it wouldn’t be a shock or even a surprise if they won this last game. But to be frank, I don’t expect it to happen.”

Abdul-Jabbar doesn’t expect it to happen either, and if there’s one player in the league that can make his wishes come true, it’s the 7-foot-2 center now finishing up his second year with the Lakers.

Abdul-Jabbar has been the most dominant force in the series, averaging 37.3 points per game. And he’s gotten better every night—scoring 27, 28, 40, 41, 43 and 45 points respectively, in the first six encounters.

He’s also averaged 17.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.8 blocked shots per game for the series.

In Game 7 at the Forum, West was proven right as Kareem scored 36 points and grabbed a season-high 26 rebounds to eliminate the Warriors 97-84.

Jabbar takes control, Lakers face Portland

For the first 14 minutes, it looked like it would be the Golden State Warriors — and not the Los Angeles Lakers — against Bill Walton and Co. in the next round of the NBA playoffs.

But looks sometimes are deceiving. Especially when the Lakers possess such a magnificent weapon as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

“We didn’t lose it,” Golden State coach Al Attles stressed, “they won it. You can see from this series why the Lakers had the best record in the league. They have Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.”

With Abdul-Jabbar scoring 36 points and pulling down 26 rebounds Wednesday night, the Lakers overcame a 14-point first half deficit to beat the Warriors 97-84 in the seventh and deciding game of their series.

They earned the right to face Walton and the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference finals that get under way here Friday night and Sunday afternoon.

…

Laker coach Jerry West was forced to use Abdul-Jabbar for all but the final minute in Los Angeles’ 41st victory in 45 home games this season, four of them against Golden State in the playoffs.

“I didn’t fear fouling out,” said the 7-foot-2 Lakers superstar, who picked up his fifth foul with 4:34 to go, “but I feared passing out. I was very, very tired. But all the plays were so critical I had to stay in there.”

For the Western Conference Semifinals Kareem averaged 37.1 points on 60.7 percent shooting and 64.0 percent true shooting, 18.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.29 blocked shots.

Western Conference Finals – Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers: “Kareem was magnificent against Golden State, and, hopefully, he’ll be even better against Portland.”

Jabbar, Walton war begins

LOS ANGELES (AP)—Former UCLA All-American centers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton battle each other tonight in the opening game of the National Basketball Association Western Conference final playoff series and statistics show it could be close.

During the regular season, the Lakers won three of four meetings with Portland and Abdul-Jabbar averaging 25 points and Walton 24.3. Walton averaging 21 rebounds and Abdul-Jabbar 13.7.

In the four games, Walton did not appear in the third game and Abdul-Jabbar saw limited service in the fourth, a 145-116 rout by the Trail Blazers.

Both Walton and Abdul-Jabbar were No. 1 draft choices after finishing their collegiate careers. Abdul-Jabbar was chosen by Milwaukee in 1969 and was traded to the Lakers for the 1975-76 season. Walton was Portland’s top choice in 1974.

The Lakers, using the home court advantage to its fullest, beat the Golden State Warriors 97-84 in the seventh and deciding game of their West semifinal series, winning all four of their games at their Forum home.

Because they finished the regular season with the best record in the league, 53-29, the Lakers get home court advantage as long as they remain in the playoffs. Portland finished second to the Lakers in the Pacific Division with a 49-33 mark and eliminated Denver in the playoffs.

Coach Jerry West of the Lakers said, “To beat Portland, we must stop their running game. They are by far the quickest team in the league.”

West also emphasized that the Lakers must shoot better than they did against Golden State when they won the final game while hitting only 41.3 per cent from the floor.

Over-all, during the season, the 7-foot-3½ Abdul-Jabbar averaged 26.2 points and 13.3 rebounds and was third in scoring. The 6-11 Walton averaged 18.6 points and 14.4 rebounds. He led the league in rebound average and Abdul-Jabbar was second. They were also 1-2 in blocked shots with 3.25 per game for Walton and 3.18 for Abdul-Jabbar.

Coach Jack Ramsey of Portland says his club is happy to be playing the Lakers rather than Golden State because it wants to prove which is the better team after the close finish during the regular season.

The Trail Blazers eliminated favored Denver in six games and will have an advantage in rest, having finished that series Monday night.

The teams play again Sunday in the Forum, then go to Portland for the third and fourth games, Tuesday and Friday nights.

Portland took Game 1 121-109. “Maurice Lucas led a quartet of 20-point scorers for Portland […] as the Trail Blazers shattered Los Angeles’ home-court invincibility and whipped the Lakers 121-109 in the opener of their National Basketball Association semifinal playoff series. Lucas scored 28 points, Lionel Hollins 25, Bill Walton 22 and Johnny Davis 20 as the visitors led from start to finish in the first game of the best-of-7 series. The Trail Blazers led by 22 points at 60-38 late in the first half and the closest the Lakers could come after that was 99-92 in the final period. Then Lucas scored three points and Hollins hit a field goal to boost the lead again” (Lewiston Morning Tribune, May 7, 1977). Kareem led LA with 30 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.

Portland Grabs 2-0 series lead
Jabbar wins, Lakers lose

LOS ANGELES (UPI) — In the battle of the goliaths, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar outscored Bill Walton 40-14, but the Portland Trail Blazers proved statistics can be deceiving and thrust themselves into position to sweep the Los Angeles Lakers.

“The biggest worry I have now,” said a smiling Jack Ramsey after his Trail Blazers nipped the Lakers, 99-97, Sunday, “is getting through the crowd at the Portland airport.”

With a surprising 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference finals accomplished on a court where the Lakers had lost only four previous games this season, the Trail Blazers host the next two games of the series Tuesday and Friday nights.

Since Los Angeles didn’t win a game on the road in its quarterfinal playoff series with Golden State, Portland could easily clinch the series without having to return here next Sunday.

Naturally, Walton did not agree. After all, he has to face Abdul-Jabbar, who has 70 points in the first two games.

“This series is far from over,” cautioned Walton. “We have to play better next time.”

Instead of winning with Walton and Maurice Lucas, Portland’s 6-foot, 9-inch power forward, the Trail Blazers relied Sunday on the backcourt combination of Lionel Hollins and Herm Gilliam.

Hollins fired in 31 points, 22 in the first half, and Gilliam came off the bench to get 24, 14 in the final quarter when Portland overcame a seven-point deficit.

Gilliam’s scoop shot with 1:03 remaining put Portland ahead to stay at 98-97 and Hollins added a free throw with 11 seconds left. Abdul-Jabbar, who hit 17 of 23 shots, missed a shot with five seconds left that would have tied the game.

A seven-year veteran who is playing with his fourth NBA club, Gilliam hit five baskets in the final 5:39 as Portland outscored the Lakers, 15-6.

“The Lakers were packing in,” said Gilliam, “so we knew we had to shoot more from outside.

“But I had to take some of those one-on-one shots in the fourth quarter. They’re not the kind of shots Jack wants me to take but they went in. If I’d have missed, I would have wound up on the bench.”

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the Lakers’ leading scorer with 40 points—his fifth playoff game with that many or more—had a 14-foot try with five seconds left. But harassed by three Trail Blazer defenders, his shot hit the rim, bounced high and back onto the court toward the sidelines as time ran out.

Trail Blazer centre Bill Walton scored 14 points with 17 rebounds and two assists in his battle of former UCLA centres against Abdul-Jabbar. The latter also had 17 rebounds with one assist.

Coach Jerry West of the Lakers declared: “Kareem simply cannot do everything for this club. It is too much of a burden for anyone to shoulder.”

Portland took Game 3 102-97. Kareem scored a series-low 21 points, but had series-highs of 20 rebounds, eight assists and eight blocked shots. “Kareem is the most awesome force in the NBA,” said West. “Sometimes I feel sorry for him out there since we don’t help him enough.”

Portland won Game 4 105-101 to complete the four-game sweep and advance to the NBA Finals.

Laker superstar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had 30 points to cap a masterful 11-game performance in the postseason playoffs.

West maintained all through the series that if the Lakers could have done more to help Abdul-Jabbar, the series could have gone the other way.

“We depend so much on him,” said West. “Without him I don’t know where we’d be. He’s the most cooperative star I’ve ever seen, and I have seen all the greats.”

Kareem also had 17 rebounds and four blocks.

In the Western Conference Finals against Portland, Kareem averaged 30.3 points on 60.8 percent shooting and 66.0 percent true shooting, 16 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 3.75 blocked shots. For the playoffs, Kareem averaged 34.6 points (1st in the playoffs) on career bests of 60.7 percent shooting (3rd) and 64.6 percent true shooting (2nd), 17.7 rebounds (1st in the playoffs), 4.1 assists, 3.45 blocked shots (1st in the playoffs) and 1.73 steals in 42.5 minutes per game (4th). Looking at advanced stats, he had a playoff-leading PER of 32.4 (1st by 9.5 over runner-up Julius Erving, and the second-highest ever at the time, behind George Mikan’s 33.6 in 1954 [since surpassed by Hakeem Olajuwon in 1988 (an all-time record 39.0) and LeBron James in 2009 (37.4)]), led the postseason in win shares per 48 minutes (.332—.117 over runner-up Julius Erving, and second-highest ever at the time, behind George Mikan’s .391 WS/48 in 1954 [since surpassed by Hakeem Olajuwon in 1988 (.386), Michael Jordan in 1991 (.333), and LeBron James in 2009 [a record .399])], was second in win shares (3.2 [behind Julius Erving (3.4)]), offensive win shares (2.3 [behind Julius Erving (2.6)]), total rebound percentage (a career-best 21.6% [behind Moses Malone (21.7%)]), defensive rebound percentage (a career-best 31.5 [behind Bill Walton (31.8%)]), block percentage (4.2 [behind Bill Walton (4.7%)]).

“He might be the most respected player in the league,” said Portland’s Maurice Lucas. “He seems to have such inner strength. You may beat his team, but you never beat him.”

Abdul-Jabbar won his fifth NBA Most Valuable Player award, tying Bill Russell. “I don’t think I can play any better or with any more consistency,” he said. “Once a player reaches his late 20s or early 30s, his physical ability and knowledge of the game begin to mesh. That’s when a player is at his peak” (Observer-Reporter, May 24, 1977). It was Jabbar’s fifth MVP award in the last seven years.

Doug Krikoran: “Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, that first year Jerry West coached, was as good a player as this league has ever had. You talk about a dominant center. People forget. He single-handedly beat Golden State in a series that went seven games. People could not stop Kareem.”

[ardee]

The internet at its finest, where the 'aba dr. j' will be mythologized into having a peak as good as lebron's. The same internet that will say kobe is overrated due to team success, despite the fact that magic or bird were not dominant individual players like lebron, or anywhere near the 2 way players hakeem and duncan were. I forgot the double standard doesnt apply to older players.

Lebron, Hakeem and Duncan all peaked higher than bird, magic and dr.j, but i forgot only modern players can get criticised for relying more on team success rather than individual dominance. You guys can brainwash yourselves into thinking magic was a dominant individual player like jordan/wilt/shaq/lebron were, hmmm but he wasn't. His defense is by far the worst of any top 10 atg, he always had to have 3 others players on the team that would help carry the load offensively, but magically he produced a higher peak than 94 hakeem, 03 duncan and 09-12 lebron, what a joke.

1. Do you realize that in the ABA Finals of 1976, Erving averaged 38 points and 14 rebounds against a Nuggets team that stayed together, and then became the best defensive team in the NBA the very next season?

2. On what basis do you make that statement? What are you trying to prove here? The Doctor had a TERRIBLE cast when he won the title in '76. Magic was responsible for the greatest offense in history. Magic's offensive peak was above the lump of guys you mentioned, the only one who comes close is Bird.

Magic was not a shutdown defender, but he played good team defense, got a lot of steals, and was arguably the GOAT rebounding guard. None of those '3 other guys that would help carry the load offensively' were on the level of Pippen or young Kobe when Magic was at his peak. Everything was dependent on Magic's creation.

You come in here and start flaming like that, no one is going to take you seriously, my friend.

[ardee]

I'm voting for Hakeem as well. I've yet to hear an argument against him.

Duncan had a higher SPM