Re: NBA Quotes & Anecdotes

[Hank Luisetti]

...
p.s. sulla querelle Chamberlain_Jordan su chi fosse il migliore all-time, mi pare che la risposta di Wilt sui cambidi regole per neutralizzare lui ai suoi tempi e favorire MJ negli anni 80-90 sia stata assolutamente calzante....

Che per limitare Chamberlain siano state inserite nuove regole, questo è un dato incontrovertibile..così come negli anni 90 circa siano state progressivamente inserite regole a tutela di chi attacca.

[viridianus]

ed a proposito di MJ, ieri su Italia 1 in prima serata hanno ritrasmesso Space jam...niente di eccezionale, anche se vedere Barkley che prega in chiesa per riavere i suoi talenti di giocatore mi ha fatto scompisciare...e comunque pensavo, ad un certo punto: un quintetto coi protagonisti del film:Bogues-Jordan-Barkley-L.Johnson-Bradley (oddio, Bradley...) chissà come se la passerebbe nell'odierna lega.....per me Charles farebbe a pugni col mormone al primo allenamento, altro che quello rifilato al giocatore angolano a Barcellona 92....

[Hank Luisetti]

NBA interviews: III

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Interview Part I



- What was it like growing up in New York City in the 1950s and early '60s? What was your life like?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I thought I had a really great childhood. I can't complain about it. I had both parents that cared about me and nurtured and supported me, and taught me about discipline. They didn't let that slide. I don't consider myself spoiled. I did the normal things that kids did in New York in the '50s.
I went to the circus and the rodeo, and went to the library, and played baseball and stickball and swam. I visited my grandmothers in Brooklyn. Just the normal things, family and friends, and the magic of television. That was the earliest days of television, kind of a fascinating time.

- Were you a good kid?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I considered myself to be a pretty good kid. I didn't get in a lot of trouble. My parents were disciplinarians. They didn't allow me a whole lot of leeway to act crazy. I didn't get that.

- How did you like school? Were you a good student?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I was a pretty good student. My mom wanted to emphasize that school was a very important part of my life. She wanted me to do well, and I took that message to heart.

- Did you have hobbies? What were the kinds of things that interested you as a kid growing up?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: The things that interested me the most growing up? I was a baseball fan. I wanted to play baseball. I couldn't be a cowboy because I did not live in the West, so baseball was the refuge there.

- Did you have heroes?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I had heroes. Jackie Robinson was a big hero in my home, and of course, all the musicians. My dad was an avid musician. He thought that music was the pinnacle of artistic statement, so Duke Ellington and Count Basie and Nat King Cole and Sarah Vaughan and Billy Eckstine, they were always on the turntable, and they were icons.

- Do you remember the first time you stepped on a basketball court?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I kind of vaguely do.
I first stepped on the basketball court at P.S. 52 in Upper Manhattan in Inwood. I remember it was during the summer when they would have the schools open for daytime activities for kids. I struggled just getting the ball up to the rim level. I couldn't do it at first. I had to heave the ball underhanded just to get it up to the rim. I didn't do well at all. I started to get pretty good in the 7th and 8th grades. Eighth grade, I dunked a ball in a game. That was pretty amazing in those days. I guess it would be amazing now. You know, 8th graders don't, by and large, have that kind of skill, but for me, I think it was just the issue that I was tall enough and I had been trying it long enough, I finally got to the point where I could do it.

- You must have always been the biggest kid in your class. You were something like 6' 8" by the time you were in the 8th grade. Was that a problem for you?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Yeah, it was a problem. I was being scrutinized and always standing out. I was the only black kid quite often, so I always felt that I was a minority of one.

How did you handle that? How hard was it?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: It was kind of hard. You know, you always want to fit in and be just like everybody else, especially when you are young. So that was pretty tough for me, but I got used to it. You kind of accept your fate and try to live with it.

- You have written about the year you spent at Holy Providence School. What lessons did you learn there?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Well, at Holy Providence School, I learned some tough lessons there. The other kids didn't appreciate the fact that I was a good student, and I was kind of singled out as an egghead, nerd kind of person. The only good thing that happened to me there was I got to play on the basketball team. That was fourth grade. That was the first year that I played basketball, and basketball was kind of like a refuge for me, but I couldn't wait to get out of there.

- It has got to be tough on a young man to be in that kind of situation. Did that make you more determined to become the best you could be in your life?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Gee, I really didn't see that experience in terms of my whole life. It was just the couple of months that it was going to take for me to get out of there. Those were the most important parts of that scenario. I just wanted out.

- You've referred to the year 1964 as a rite of passage. Can you tell us about that? How old were you? Sixteen or 17 years old?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I was 17 years old and got to participate in a program, the Harlem Youth Project.
Dr. John Clark really figured out a way to teach the kids in Harlem how to think about the future and what they could do to make Harlem a better place, and they had a number of workshops to try and get the kids involved in thinking about the future and what positive things they could do to contribute to life in Harlem. In order to do that, they had to know what Harlem was about. Being involved in the journalism workshop, we had to write about those things and put them in front of the participants in the program. So that required that I go and learn about the history of Harlem. That just opened my whole world up in terms of what had gone on before me, particularly the Harlem Renaissance. Because of the influence of my dad, the musician, I knew all about the musical aspects of it, but I didn't know very much about the other aspects of the Harlem Renaissance, and that really filled in what happened and why, and it made me very proud, and it made me a student of black history.

- Were you always going to go to college?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I always was going to go to college. That was a goal that my parents identified for me; probably in fifth or sixth grade I was thinking about, "Gee, where am I going to go to college?" I recently found my grade school album. You write certain things in there about your future, and at that point I wrote in the space there, "Your Favorite College," and at that point I wrote UCLA. That surprised me to find that out. I always thought that that happened a little bit later, after seeing UCLA do so well in college basketball, but as early as the eighth grade I had picked the school that I wanted to go to.

- When did you realize that basketball was going to be such an important part of your life?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I realized basketball was going to be an important part of my life probably somewhere in the seventh or eighth grade, when I started getting recruited to go to high school. In order to go to Catholic high school in New York, there was tuition, and already I had offers to go high school and not have to pay tuition. So at that point basketball started paying some bills, and I knew that to go to college, the same process would take place, and that would be another set of bills that I didn't have to pay, that basketball would take care of. I also knew that professional athletes made pretty good salaries, so it started to be something that started to loom on the horizon there, so to speak.

- How hard did you have to work to become a good athlete, a good basketball player?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I had to work hard to become a good basketball player. You can just be tall and go out there and go through the motions, and you won't do very well. High school basketball in New York is a blood sport, it's a serious game. It's not something that's like a casual pastime. You'd better be at your best. It's almost like the whole world is watching. Kids in New York high school athletics, by and large, are very competitive. So from the very earliest, I was in a very competitive atmosphere and you want to be at your best. You just don't want to go through the motions, you want to distinguish yourself.

- You could have gone to any college in America. Why did you choose to travel 3,000 miles across the country to go to UCLA?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I chose UCLA because my last two years in high school, UCLA won the "NC2A" tournament. Also, earlier, I remember seeing The Ed Sullivan Show when Rafer Johnson was on The Ed Sullivan Show. I knew Rafer Johnson was a world class athlete, but he was not on The Ed Sullivan Show as an athlete. He was on The Ed Sullivan Show as the President of the Student Body at UCLA. I was very impressed with that, that they appreciated him for more than his athletic ability. That said a lot about the attitudes at UCLA and that it would be a good place to go to school.
Also, there was a guy who played on the Knicks, Willie Naulls, who had gone to UCLA. He spoke highly of it, and he spoke highly of Coach Wooden. All in all, it all seemed to make sense. I got a chance to meet Coach Wooden that year on my recruiting trip to UCLA, and that more or less solidified it. He came to New York and spoke to my parents, and they were impressed. They thought I would be in good hands, and that was that.

- Was it scary for a young man your age to be traveling across the country?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: No, it wasn't scary. There is a lot of adrenalin in that situation, but it's excitement. It's a new place, a new world, a new set of circumstances to deal with, and I thought it could only be better.

- You have written that it was a tough year for you, that first year.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Yeah, my first year at UCLA was tough. It was at times a lonely kind of situation. Going to school and playing basketball at a higher level -- it was very challenging, but I thought that I was up to the challenge, and things worked out very well

What about the academic challenge? How different was it being a prospective - All-American -- an athlete who could not miss -- and being a history major? How many of your teammates were serious students?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: When I was at UCLA, all of my teammates were serious students -- well, not all of them, but most of them -- and that was because Coach Wooden expected that. He wanted us to graduate. He let us know in the recruiting process that he wanted us to go to class and do well. He was just like a parent, a strict parent. He wanted us to do well. He was not someone that was just there to exploit us as athletes, and I have a lot of respect and undying love for Coach Wooden for that reason. He was not just some cynical opportunist. He really tried to show the love and caring that he had for the people that played sports for him, that was very important.

- Are there any particular lessons, anything memorable that you take away from your relationship with John Wooden?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Gee, there are so many things that I learned from Coach Wooden that had nothing to do with sports. Coach Wooden really made us think about things beyond just playing basketball, and that was a very wonderful thing to have coming from the head coach. I started out as an English major and Coach Wooden, I could talk to him about the fine points of the English language -- whether to use a colon or semicolon, when to use parentheses, what was appropriate, "like" or "as" -- those types of things that an English major can tell you are confusing and can be kind of daunting at times. And it had nothing to do with sports. So for that reason alone, I really thought that I was in the right place and dealing with the right situation.

- Those years you were at UCLA were turbulent years in America. How did that affect you?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I think the turbulence of the '60s affected everybody, no matter where they were -- the Vietnam War, and the divide that happened to people lining up on either side of that. Also, the mid and late '60s really were the culmination of the civil rights movement, and all those things affected me on the campus at UCLA, but I thought I was in a very positive environment there. The people in and around UCLA seemed to have the right ideas on those matters, and I didn't ever feel that I had made a bad choice.

- In 1968, you could have gone to the Olympics and played on the American basketball team, but you declined the invitation. Why was that?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I declined the invitation to go to the Olympics because I didn't feel that the Olympic situation was reality. Here we have this whole appearance of racial harmony on the American Olympic team when things weren't that harmonious here. In addition to that, I had a very good summer job that paid me a pretty good salary, and I needed that to tide me over for the school year, and I couldn't do both things. So I figured I had better go with what was going to benefit my life, as opposed to benefiting the Olympic movement, which I saw as very hypocritical.
The gentleman that was in charge of the U.S. Olympic team, Avery Brundage, to me, was a very controversial figure. I believe in the 1930s he had supported the Nazi Party at one point. It was not somebody I wanted to work for. I didn't want to deal with him or the Olympics, so it was pretty easy for me to make my choice.

- You must have taken some heat for that.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I took a lot of heat for that, but I had good reasons not to go. I thought it would be better if I didn't go, as opposed to going and being a problem for everybody, and being a disruptive element there. I let them do their thing, and I was going to do my thing.

- A lot of big men have played basketball without ever becoming the kind of player you were. How do you account for your achievements on the basketball court?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I think my achievements on the basketball court came from a whole lot of things coming together in one place and one person. I was able to learn the game from some of the best teachers, and I had particular skills that translated well to playing the game. So the knowledge that I had and the physical gifts that I had gave me the opportunity to be a very good player, and I was able to take advantage of that.

- By the same token, there have been teams with very talented players that never won an NCAA or NBA championship. What does it take to win a championship at any level?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: In order to win a championship, you have to have a lot of parts that fit together, and you have to have the opportunity to win. So in order to win, you really have to have a lot of things happen the right way. You have to have good leadership, coaching, and you have to have a talented team that can come together as a unit. And I think the reason that UCLA's teams did so well was that Coach Wooden's ideas on unity and team play really were cutting edge and the best. He taught those elements of the game the best of any coach in the country. You combine that with talented athletes and you're going to have a winning program.

- There is a story that is always told about Coach Wooden, that he would teach his teams how to put their socks on. Do you remember that? How did that help you become better teams?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: The first day that you go to play for Coach Wooden, he tells you about how to put your socks on. And the reason he does that is because his system requires that you do everything on the run. You don't jog through things, you have to run full speed. The wear and tear on your feet is immediate and intense, and if your socks aren't on right, if you have like a ridge that you're running over in your sock, you're going to get a blister and then you won't be able to practice, and if you don't practice for Coach Wooden, you don't play. So he was telling everybody how to survive his system and get through it without coming up with blisters on their feet.

[Hank Luisetti]

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Interview Part II

- How does life in the NBA compare to life in a major college basketball program?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I think life in the NBA was pretty easy, because you are getting paid to do something that you have done for free prior to that. You get paid pretty well, and that is all that you have to do, so all other distractions are on the periphery and you can concentrate completely on basketball. If you have a good foundation in the game, you can do very well.

- You had an amazing record of winning games, at every level, but you didn't win them all. There had to have been setbacks and disappointments and difficulties. What were your disappointments and difficulties and how did you overcome them?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: In the professional game? There are disappointments for any competitive athlete, because you can't win all the time. Coach Wooden taught us this. He taught us that you can only come out and give your best effort. That is all you can do. The outcome is not determined by anything that you have control over. The only thing you have control over is your effort and then the effort of your group, your team, and when you put together a good effort consistently, you have a chance to win, and everybody wants to win, but there is only one team that can win it all, and you have to accept that. As long as you put your best effort out there, you should be satisfied with that, and not be down on yourself.

- Were you ever nervous? Did you ever have doubts or fear of failure in your career?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I had self doubts when I was a freshman in high school. I was 14 years old and not very mature, and there were a few incidents in my freshman year. I learned in a very competitive environment. The high school environment that I played in was very intense, and I learned how to be stoic and go out and compete. My high school coach was very good at working with me, working with people. He never berated anybody or embarrassed them if they went out and played hard, and stuck to our team plan. I was very fortunate to have good coaching like that, both in high school and then again in college with Coach Wooden.

- Are there any incidents that you had to deal with that stand out, or that young people could learn from?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Oh yeah. My very first high school game, I was 14 years old and we went to play a team in Brooklyn and got whipped. There was one player on the team that was doing Globetrotter tricks against our team. It was pretty bad. After the game, I came into the locker room and I felt so bad about my performance I started crying, and at that time I was 14 years old. At that age, you can be either more mature than your years or less mature in certain ways. In this particular set of circumstances, I was less mature. I was a lot closer to being 12 years old than I was to being 16 years old. So I'm crying, and I remember I looked up and all of the other guys in the locker room were looking at me like I had just landed from Mars. Crying at a time like that, like a little kid, and my maturity level just did a leap of maybe four or five years at that point. I realized that I had to leave that childish emotion and self-pity behind and learn how to compete and get with it. It was a pretty intense moment in my life and one that I refer to a lot in terms of focus and determination.

- There must have been tough times for you, the 7-foot black American, in a country in racial turmoil, a country where racism was embedded into the institutions and into the system.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Yes, the racial atmosphere in the early '60s was not a pleasant thing to endure, because America has a way of not acknowledging racial attitudes, and at other times taking the attitude that "things will change later. " Of course, things have to change now if there is going to be any progress now. So the impatience in communities that felt racial oppression was very, very intense. The whole idea of "Freedom Now" emerged in the '60s, and it was something that I had to debate with my peers almost on a daily basis.

- How did those debates turn out usually?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I think people started to get the idea that certain things did have to change if America was going to be the place that it put itself up to be. People like Dr. King and Malcolm X really intensified the debate and made people deal with the issues, and that went across the board. I don't think any group or any individuals really got a chance to not participate. You had to participate. These things affected you no matter who you are or where you were.

- Everyone in public life, athletes included, is subject to criticism. How do you handle criticism?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I handle criticism by understanding that you can't please everybody and you should live according to your own standards, especially if they are reasonable. As long as you know that you have done the best that you can in whatever circumstances that you are in and you are honest, you should be able to handle any criticism that arises, because you understand within yourself that you're not perfect. You can't please everybody, and if you understand that, you can move on.

- How hard is it to understand that?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I think after a considerable amount of time in the public eye, you understand that this is just the way that things are, that people are going to criticize you and you can't please everybody. As long as you do the best you can in an honest effort, you should be all right.

- You were raised Catholic, you went to Catholic schools, and you made a decision in the early '70s to become a Muslim. How did that come about?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: My interest in Islam started when I was a freshman at UCLA and I got the opportunity to read The Autobiography of Malcolm X, and it really made me understand that there was a lot more to monotheism than what I knew being raised as a Roman Catholic. I found in Islam that I certainly had a limited view of what monotheism was about, and it made me curious enough to read the Koran and see that it probably was something that I needed to investigate more completely. I was won over by the arguments. The fact that the Roman Catholic Church was greatly invested in the slave trade did not help me want to remain Catholic, and because of that, I changed my affiliation.
I embraced Islam basically after reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X, which gave me a different perspective on monotheism and the history of religions.

- What has it meant to you to be a Muslim?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I think Islam has given me a moral foundation. It gave me a way of trying to balance your own personal ambitions, what you want and need in the world, with some type of morality and a way of viewing what life is about. It certainly doesn't help, at this point now, that there are so many problems with the Islamic world. But I think those have to do with politics, and the Islamic world's reaction to colonialism and being exploited, a lot more than really is based on religious belief. Because all of the religions that come from Abraham basically have the same message. Not very much difference if you can study it objectively, but that is hard to do in this day and age when there is so much politics and nationalism and resentment for things that have gone on centuries ago. It's kind of hard to overcome.

- Has it been tougher in America in the last five years to be a follower of Islam?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: It has been very tough to be a Muslim in America ever since 9/11. Just the fact that Muslims were responsible for such an atrocity, how do you explain that? People aren't really willing to listen without saying that all Muslims feel that way, or there is something inherent in Islam that encourages people to go out and indiscriminately murder. It is not the case, but that is what has happened.

- We'd like to talk about your life off the basketball court. You've written several books now. How do you choose the topics for your books?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: When I am writing a book, I just choose a topic that I think is interesting and relevant, and something that people would want to know about, and I try and make a coherent presentation of what I see.

- Surely it also has to be something that you feel is important. What is important to you, off the basketball court?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Well, off the basketball court, I think that making the world a better place, making my environment a better place, my community, my country. I think that is something that all people should aspire to. If you improve yourself, if you improve your environment, you are contributing to the good of all people, and I think that is a worthy thing for people to aspire to.

- You have written a book about the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and '30s. What is the importance to you personally of the Harlem Renaissance?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Well, for me the Harlem Renaissance epitomizes the pinnacle of the efforts of black people to contribute to American life. I think that the aspirations of the participants in the Harlem Renaissance were such that we should know about it. I think especially young black people today should use that as a template for what they can do with their lives. They can use it as a means to see what their aspirations can bring forward. The poetry of Langston Hughes, the music of Duke Ellington, the social commentary of people like W.E.B. DuBois, all of these are things that made a difference in America and made a difference in black life. I think that is something that our young people should learn about.

- You have written about the importance of jazz in your life. What does jazz mean to you? Why is it important to you?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Jazz, to me, is important because it is an expression of joy. It is an expression of people who, even though they were living in oppressive circumstances, were not going to take the negativity as the last statement on all circumstances, that things could change and that hope certainly was part of the process, and that change was -- even more than being possible -- inevitable.

- Is that what it is about? A sense of possibility, a sense of hope against obstacles?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: A sense of hope against obstacles, and a sense of joy when those obstacles are overcome, and that every little victory can be celebrated in the moment.

- I think you've said in your book that jazz even helped you become a better basketball player. How is that?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Certainly music helps you to do things with more joy, and just what you learn about timing and harmony, and your reaction to the choices that the people around you make, which is part of the jazz experience. All those things can help an athlete.

- You hear the sportscasters talk about athletes or things being in rhythm or out of rhythm. Is there a beat, is there a tempo, is there a rhythm going through your head when you are out there on the court?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: There is a certain group dynamic that happens with a jazz band, and it's the same thing that happens on the playing field. What the group is trying to do in their efforts to achieving that goal, that's something that is shared, and it is something that the team has to be aware of collectively. They have to act as a unit. They can't just do it all as individuals. That cohesion of the unit makes for great team play, and it also makes for great music.

- This might be an unfair question, but what do you consider your greatest achievement so far?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: My greatest achievement, I think, has been being a successful parent, sending my kids to school. They are all college grads. They understand who they are, where they are, and have made a good statement with their lives. I think that has been the best thing that I have done.

- When you were growing up, what influenced you? What were the important things in your life, whether they were individuals or books or events or music?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I think I certainly enjoyed seeing the Brooklyn Dodgers win the World Series in 1955. That was a very special moment. I will never forget that. Playing on the city championship team for three years in a row in high school, that was very special for me, something I enjoyed. Doing well at UCLA both as a student and as an athlete, that was very important to me. Doing well as a professional basketball player, being consistent, and being able to make the All Star team and be the Most Valuable Player in the league, that is something I am proud of as a personal achievement.

- Was there a book you read as a young man that enlightened you in some way, that inspired you or challenged you?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I think The Autobiography of Malcolm X, by Alex Haley, really inspired me to know more and to emulate the positive growth that Malcolm X went through. He started out on a very negative path. He was a thief and someone involved in the underworld, and he grew out of that. His exposure to the teachings of the Nation of Islam made him want to change, and then when he saw that the Nation of Islam had some problems, he put that behind him, and through Islam -- orthodox Islam -- he found a better path, and he never stopped trying to improve himself and increase his knowledge. I think that is a great example for anyone.

[Hank Luisetti]

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Interview Part III

- If a young person came to you for advice, what would that advice be? What would you say to them?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I think the statement that "knowledge is power" is a very succinct way of getting the message across that you have to know what is right, you have to pursue what is right, and the only way that you can know and do these things is to acquire knowledge. Flailing around in the dark does not help anyone.

- As you look ahead into the 21st century, what do you see as the greatest challenges to America as a country?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I think America has the challenge ahead of it of making the promise of the Constitution real for everyone. Everyone needs to have the opportunity to succeed. That's a very difficult thing to make happen. A lot of societies have tried that and failed. I think we have to continually reassess and reinvent how we approach the promise of the American Dream.

- If there is one problem you could solve, what would it be?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: If there was one problem I could solve, I would want to deal with the issue of equality, equality of opportunity. The only way that I see that we can make that a reality is to educate everyone, to make the educational system work for all segments of society, the rich and the poor. That has not happened, and we have the problems that we have based mainly on the lack of opportunity for people who don't get the education that they need to contribute to society.

- Does an athlete as prominent as yourself have a special responsibility? Are you role models?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I think all prominent people, no matter what field they are in, have a responsibility to show others how to get things done. The whole idea of sharing your knowledge and allowing other people to see how to succeed, I think that is very important. I think that works for everyone. It is my hope that that becomes the norm for America.

- How do you personally measure achievement? How do you measure success?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I measure success basically by seeing how far a person can go in whatever field that they choose. If you choose to write, can you get something published that people will want to read? I think that is a pretty straightforward example of someone attempting and succeeding at an effort. For other people, having the ability to go out and support themselves, if they can do that, and get to the point where they can raise and support a family, I think that is another great achievement. It doesn't always have to be spectacular stuff, it just has to be living a normal life.

- What gave you a greater sense of achievement or joy, winning an NBA championship, beating the Celtics, whatever you did as an athlete, or seeing one of your books in print?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I think seeing one of my books in print has given me as much joy and sense of achievement as winning an NBA championship. Although I don't get the notoriety from my books that I have gotten as an athlete, it still gives me great joy to know that I can contribute to American life something significant. Well, it is significant to me, and possibly the people who pick up my books and read them get some fulfillment out of it. I think that to me is very meaningful and it gives me a lot of joy.

- Do you ever think about the fact that you are called the greatest to ever play the game, that no one ever played basketball better than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I think that what I achieved as an athlete is really wonderful, but limited, and I think that the books I have written, after I am dead, people can still read them. I have stopped contributing anything on the basketball court. I do a little bit of coaching, but the books I have written are able to spread knowledge and inform people, and that will continue after I have passed on. I think that really makes me feel special in ways that my achievement in sports have not. Mark Twain is a hero of mine. I have written some things that might last in the same way that Huck Finn has lasted. It has that possibility. That is a special thing for me.

- How would you like to be remembered? What would you like to have as a legacy?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I think my legacy is the fact that I was able to do well as an athlete and as a scholar. I am very proud of that, and I hope people can understand and learn from the things that I have written long after I am gone. I hope that that is what happens.

- By the way, your new book is terrific.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Thank you very much. It was fun writing it.

- You should be really be proud of that.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I am.
I remember the first book I wrote some 25 years ago, it was very difficult, just being public with private information. That was my autobiography. I remember like six weeks before it was getting ready to come out on the bookstands, I wanted them to stop the project, because I said, "I can't be public like that," and with every publication since then, the process has gotten easier and I think the books have improved.

- How tough is it for you to face that blank page, or a blank computer screen?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I don't think that is tough, because if you have an idea of something meaningful to communicate, you can move forward on that. You might not be successful in communicating what you want to communicate, but at least you have an idea of something that needs to be said, or something that you think should be said, and I think you go from there.

- Is there anything we haven't talked about that you want to talk about?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: No. If you are happy, I am happy.

- You have been very generous with your time. We appreciate that and we thank you very much.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: The pleasure is mine.

[Hank Luisetti]

NBA Interviews: Part IV

Billy Cunningham

- What is your earliest memory of Julius Erving, who you played against in the ABA and later ended up coaching?

Billy Cunningham: I remember the first time I ever saw Julius Erving. He was playing in a summer league game in Philadelphia in the Sonny Hill League. I think it was a game between Philadelphia and New York City. It was the first time that I ever got to see him play. I’m trying to think of the guy’s name who owned the Virginia Squires.

- Earl Foreman.

BC: Earl Foreman, right. A few days afterward I ran into Earl Foreman in Philadelphia – and he had not seen Julius Erving play basketball. He asked me, ‘What did you think?’ I said to him, ‘He’s special. He’s special.’ It wasn’t difficult to see, even in the summer league, the greatness of Julius Erving.

- The 1980-81 Sixers were really one of the great defensive teams of all-time. That gets a little overlooked because of what happened in the playoffs (losing to Boston in the Eastern Conference finals). Talk a little about how great that team was defensively.

BC: I think something that I carried over from all of the coaches that I played under is that you have to remain consistent at the defensive end of the court. Offense is always going to be a situation where you are playing in spurts. That was an exceptional team defensively because we had Maurice Cheeks playing on the ball and he would pick up the point guard full court and pressure the ball. We had such quick forwards in Bobby Jones and Julius Erving that we would look to create turnovers with their great quickness and speed. Physically we weren’t as intimidating as a lot of teams but we relied a great deal on our quickness and our overall team concept on defense in terms of helping each other. With Caldwell Jones and Darryl Dawkins being back there – especially Caldwell, who had the ability to block shots and was such a smart defensive player – we were just a smart defensive team. We played the Boston Celtics 13 times that year between the regular season and the playoffs (splitting the regular season series 3-3 and losing the seventh game of the playoff series by one point).

- And Boston went on to win the championship.

BC: We knew that last game was for the championship, even though Houston had Moses Malone. Boston and Philadelphia were just better basketball teams. For Bill Fitch, who was coaching the Celtics then, the biggest thing (in the NBA Finals against Houston) was avoiding a letdown, because the players were smart enough to realize that whoever won that game would win the world championship if they played to their abilities.

- Would you agree that Julius Erving was an underrated defender, that that part of his game was not as appreciated?

BC: Yes, and there were other examples too. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were not good individual
defensive players – Doc was a little better than they were – but they were great team defensive players, aware of what the schemes were and coming from the weak side. Julius had the great ability to block shots. His anticipation defensively for steals and creating turnovers was just wonderful and he was definitely underrated in that regard. He took a great deal of pride in his defense.

- Sometimes the criticism of guys who get a lot of steals would be that when they go for the steal and
don’t get it, then the defense gets broken down. Bobby Jones told me that that wasn’t the case with the Sixers because your system of traps was designed so that if one guy goes for the steal and doesn’t get it, that there is a natural rotation going on. Julius wasn’t just freelancing, he was going for steals within the system that you had and if he didn’t get it, there wasn’t a defensive breakdown.

BC: As I said earlier, we had to rely on our quickness more than physically overpowering teams. If Julius went for the steal and missed, there was supposed to be somebody there giving him support until he recovered and got back into the defensive set.

-In 1980-81, the 1966-67 76ers were voted as the all-time greatest team. Do you still believe that to be the case? We’ve had another 24 years or so of NBA history that have passed, including some great Bulls teams and a great Sixers team that you coached. So I am asking in a general sense if you still believe that and I am also interested in some specific comparisons that you would make between the Sixers championship team that you played on in 1966-67 and the 1982-83 Sixers championship team that you coached that had the great 12-1 run through the playoffs.

BC: First of all, even to be considered one of the greatest teams is a great enough honor. For me to say whatever I would say in feeling that that was the greatest team would be biased. I know that it was truly one of the great teams ever put together and the shame of it was that the team was broken up so quickly. It was a team that would have gone on and won more championships because we had a wonderful blend of young players as well as experienced players who played very well together. Comparing the two teams – I don’t think that would be fair for me to do. They were two outstanding, great teams and I was just fortunate to be part of both.

- OK, maybe not saying which team was greater, but with your experience as a coach in the league, what would some of the matchups have been like? Not necessarily saying who would win, but describe some of the strengths and weaknesses of each of the players going against each other and what that might look like from a strategic standpoint.

BC: I think that both teams had great versatility – the ability to run and the ability to run a set offense. I think that the big matchup, obviously, would be Moses against Chamberlain. That year, 1982-83, was by far Moses’ greatest year as a pro. He truly had a special, special year. So that would be a phenomenal matchup. Wilt was bigger, Moses was a little quicker around the basket. It’s hard to say now how it would come down. Dr. J would match up against Chet Walker. Julius was obviously better in the open court offensively than Chet and a better shot blocker. Chet was a better one-on-one player offensively and would probably try to post up Julius and do things like that. Luke Jackson was such a key factor on that team because of his versatility and his physical strength.

Bobby Jones and Luke Jackson were very similar in that both did whatever they had to do to help the team. There was nothing done that was selfish in anything that they did because they sacrificed a great deal of their offensive skills for the sake of the success of their teams. With Andrew Toney and Hal Greer, that is just a wonderful matchup. If Andrew Toney had stayed healthy, he would be truly considered a special player who played in the NBA. Cheeks and Wali Jones were two very smart basketball players who were great extensions of their coaches on the court, knowing and understanding what the team needed and what an individual needed at a certain time on the court.

- You mentioned that Chet Walker was a better one-on-one player than Julius Erving offensively and you said that Julius was better in the open court. In what way was Chet Walker better one-on-one? I think that in a lot of people’s minds Julius would be considered one of the great one-on-one players, so what specifically are you referring to that Walker did better one-on-one?[/i]

BC: Julius was the greatest open court player who ever played. Chet Walker was a better jump shooter and he had, I think, a little bit more of an arsenal in the set offense. But by no means am I taking anything away from Julius Erving.

- The classic thing that is brought up a lot of times about the six championships that Michael Jordan won is the idea that he never really had to go against a dominant center. The Bulls did beat Orlando once in the Eastern finals but a lot of people raise the question of what would have happened if Jordan’s Bulls had to play against your 1983 Sixers and face Moses Malone or of course the 1967 Sixers with Wilt. How would a team like the Bulls try to attack teams that have a Malone or a Chamberlain and how do you think that those teams would attack Jordan’s Bulls? What do you think of that type of hypothetical matchup?

BC: Well, they would probably be double teaming either one of those players, Chamberlain or Moses. Or they might have an attitude that they felt confident in Bill Cartwright or someone like that that they would use several centers to compete against them and not worry about fouls and just play straight man to man against both players. The Bulls were a great defensive team because of Pippen and Jordan, not to take anything away from the other players, but we’re talking about two exceptional defensive players besides their offensive skills. It would be a wonderful chess match, that’s what it would amount to – and how would teams play against Jordan? Obviously you try to take away something. It wouldn’t be as easy for him to go to the basket, for one thing, but as great as he was, he would find another way to be an effective player. He’d also have to play people like Greer or Andrew Toney, which would put a lot of pressure on him at the defensive end of the court.

- Something that you experienced as both a player and a coach is the challenge of trying to win repeat championships. You won the championship in 1967 with one of the greatest teams of all-time but that team did not repeat and then you went through a similar situation – in terms of not repeating– as a coach with the 1983 Sixers, a dominant team that also was not able to repeat.

BC: The year after we won the championship I broke my wrist in the New York series, so that hurt. Plus we had other injuries on that ball club and I think that was as big a factor for us that year as anything – injuries. As for the next year (in 1984, when the Sixers tried to repeat as champions), looking back, for several years we were right there either playing for the championship or competing for the Eastern title and it almost appeared that at the end of that year (1983) we had an empty tank, emotionally more than anything. It wasn’t a matter of people not wanting to do it or not trying their hardest, it was just, even in the last game when we lost to New Jersey (in the first round of the 1984 playoffs), in the latter part of the fourth period we were up seven and we just ran into a brick wall. That series was very strange because we lost the first two games against New Jersey in what at that time was a five game series and then we went up to New Jersey and won two games. I mean, they played well, but there was no energy, there was no emotion – it was a very frustrating time for all participants.

[Hank Luisetti]

'50s:

-I Lakers di Mikan e HoF come Vern Mikkelson, Jim Pollard and Slater Martin guidati da un altro HoF John Kundla, sono stati sicuramente i dominatori di questo decennio con il più alto numero di titoli(4) e di apparizion in Finale (5).
Nonostante questo i Lakers non sono la squadra che ha il più alto umero di vitorie degli anni 50: 388.
-I celtics infatti ne hanno vinti 408 (nonostante l'anello arrivi solo con Russell nel 57 e poi nel 59)..i celtics inoltre non hanno avto una stagione perdente dall'arrivo di Red in panca nel 51 fino al ritiro di Russell.
-I Syracuse National di Dolph Schayes Syracuse Nationals vincono 404 nel decennio arrivando in finale 3 olte e vincendone una.
-I Knicks vincono 388 partite nei '50s ed arrivano a tre consecutive e perdenti finali.

'60s:

-Negli anni 60 assistiamo ad un dominio quasi immacolato dei Boston Celtics che vincono 9 campionati e 571 partite guidati da Russell e (non tutti insieme) Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman, Tom Heinsohn, Sam Jones, K.C. Jones, Frank Ramsey and John Havlicek.
-Dietro si piazzano i Nats/76ers, con 486 vittorie ed un anello guidati da Wilt Chamberlain, Hal Greer, and Billy Cunningham.
- I lakers traferitisi a LA guidati dalla coppia Elgin Baylor-Jerry West vincono 447 arrivando e perdendo 6 finali tutte contro i Celtics

'70s:

Gli anni 70 sono gli anni della rivalità fra la NBA e la ABA e di un sostanziale equilibrio.

-In NBA nessun Team riesce nell'impresa di vincere due campionati consecutivi, 8 franchigie vincono il titolo negli anni 70: New York Knicks e Boston Celtics vincono in totale due titoli; Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers, Washington Bullets e Seattle Supersonics solamente uno.
-In ABA gli Indiana Pacers riescono nel back-to-back vincendo il titolo ne '72 e nel '73, portando a tre in totale i titoli vinti nei '70s. New York Nets (2), Utah Stars (1) e Kentucky Colonels (1) sono le altre squadre ABA ad aver into un titolo negli anni 70.

- I Milwaukee Bucks sono la squadra che riesce a vincere più partite nei 70s: 492 seguita dal LAL: 485; Baltimore/Washington Bullets: 483; Boston Celtics: 477; e NYN: 458.

Ps: I Denver Nuggets fra ABA e NBA vincono 469 partite nei '70s.

'80s:

Magic Johnson& Larry Bird.

- I LAL di MAgic arrivano 8 volte in finale incendone 5 ed un totale di 591 partite
- I Celtics di Bird arrivano in finale 5 volte vincendone 3 ed un totale di 592 partite.
- Philadelphia finisce terza con 535 partite vinte, 3 gir in finale ed un Anello
- I  Detroit Pistons di  Isiah Thomas vincono l'anello nell'89 e sono insieme a Houston Rockets ad andare in finale oltre alle 3 (2 volte tutte perse contro Boston).
- Milwaukee Bucks vincono 522 ma non arrivano mai in finale.

'90s:

- Jordan ed i Bull regnano su questa decade, con 6 anelli e 558 vittorie, seguiti da Utah Jazz (542), Seattle Supersonics (511), Phoenix Suns (503), San Antonio Spurs (496) e Portland Trail Blazers (495).
- I Rockets di Hakeem Olajuwon vincono 2 anelli di fila incastrati tra le 2 triplette dei Bulls. I pistons aprono il decennio di anelli che viene chiuso dagli Spurs.

[Hank Luisetti]

Curiosità&Records:

Pro Basketball's 100-100 Club

Ovvero almeno 100 steals e 100 blocked shots in una stessa stagione (dati riferiti fino alla stagione 2001)

Le statistiche di palle rubate e tiri blaccati vengono ufficialmente registrati dalla stagione 1972-73 in ABA e 1973-74 in NBA.
Bill Russell e Wilt Chamberlain probabilmente non avrebbero avuto problemi a metter su almeno 100 steal a stagione (almeno per le prime), per i Block..non ne stiamo manco a parlare.. così come Connie Hawkins, o  Jerry West( quest'ultimo ci andò più volte vicino a fine carriera e nonostante i numerosi infortuni).

-Fino al 2002 48 players hanno fatto parte del club dei  "100/100", 25 dei quali per una sola stagione.

-Julius Erving è stato il primo a registrare una stagione da 100/100 con 181 steals e 127 blocked shots nella stagione 1972-73 ai Virginia Squires in ABA.
- Julius Erving ha avuto una unica stagione da "100/200"  toccando quasi "200/200" con 190 steals e 204 blocked shots.
- Julius Erving è anche il primo a fare registrare una stagione da  "200/100" nel 1975-76 con 207 steals e 160 blocked shots
- Julius Erving si ritira dopo 16 stagioni da pro con un record di 12 "100/100" stagioni.
- Julius Erving detiene anche il record, con 6, per stagioni da  "Top Ten" sia nelle steals che nei tiri bloccati.

- Hakeem Olajuwon  è l'unico altro giocatore a codetenere il record di Erving con 12 stagioni "100/100"
- Hakeem Olajuwon detiene inoltre il record di 11 stagioni da "100/200".
- Hakeem Olajuwon ha anche tre stagioni "100/300" e due da "150/300"
- Gli unici altri giocatori ad avere una stagione da almeno 100/300 sono David Robinson (tre stagioni "100/300" ed una da almeno"150/300") e Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (una stagione da almeno "100/300").

- Olajuwon’detiene anche la seconda piazza di stagioni da "Top Ten"
- Olajuwon ha un record da top ten in shot blocking di 14 stagioni.
- Olajuwon è anche l'unico membro del club da  "200/200" con 213 steals e 282 blocked shots.

Michael Jordan è l'unico giocatore ad aver fatto registrare almeno due stagioni da 200/100

"100/100" Club (giocatori che in stagione hanno avuto almeno 100 steals 100 shot blocked)

Player Seasons
Julius Erving                 12
Hakeem Olajuwon 12
Sam Lacey               7
David Robinson             7
Bobby Jones               6
George Gervin               5
Vlade Divac                 5
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 4
Terry Tyler                   4
Kevin Garnett               4


"100/200" Club (giocatori che in stagione hanno avuto almeno 100 steals 200 blocked shots)
Player Seasons
Hakeem Olajuwon 11
David Robinson             7
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 3
Terry Tyler                   2
Patrick Ewing                 2
Julius Erving                   1
Gar Heard                   1
Bob Lanier                   1
Elvin Hayes                   1
Robert Parish                 1


"200/100" Club (giocatori che in stagione hanno avuto almeno 200 steals 100 blocked shots)
Player Seasons
Michael Jordan             2
Julius Erving                 1
Hakeem Olajuwon 1
Scottie Pippen             1


"Top Ten" Club (Lista di giocatori che hanno condotto la lega nelle prime 10 posizioni sia nelle palle rubate che nei tiri bloccati)
Player Seasons
Julius Erving                 6
Hakeem Olajuwon 4
Bobby Jones             2
Elvin Hayes               1
Marvin Barnes             1
David Robinson           1

Ps: nella stagione 2000/01 solamente 5 giocatori hanno fatto registrare una stagione da 100/100 Kevin Garnett, Shawn Marion, Tracy McGrady, Bo Outlaw and Ben Wallace.

[Jamal Crawford]

Sarei curioso di vedere se dal 2001 se ne sono aggiunti diversi di giocatori o molto pochi...per esempio sono andato a vedere un candidato eccellente, cioè Josh Smith, e ho visto che 100-200 lo ha fatto per 2 anni, l'ha mancato l'anno scorso ma quest'anno potrebbe fare 3 e raggiungere Jabbar.

E considerato quanto è ancora giovane, dovrebbe poterlo superare agilmente e piazzarsi terzo con un numero di volte > 3...però appunto non contando eventuali altri tra il 2001 e oggi. 

[Sancho Panza]

Sarei curioso di vedere se dal 2001 se ne sono aggiunti diversi di giocatori o molto pochi...per esempio sono andato a vedere un candidato eccellente, cioè Josh Smith, e ho visto che 100-200 lo ha fatto per 2 anni, l'ha mancato l'anno scorso ma quest'anno potrebbe fare 3 e raggiungere Jabbar.

Basta fare una piccola ricerca su basketball-reference: qui.

[Hank Luisetti]

Sarei curioso di vedere se dal 2001 se ne sono aggiunti diversi di giocatori o molto pochi...per esempio sono andato a vedere un candidato eccellente, cioè Josh Smith, e ho visto che 100-200 lo ha fatto per 2 anni, l'ha mancato l'anno scorso ma quest'anno potrebbe fare 3 e raggiungere Jabbar.

E considerato quanto è ancora giovane, dovrebbe poterlo superare agilmente e piazzarsi terzo con un numero di volte > 3...però appunto non contando eventuali altri tra il 2001 e oggi. 

Ecco quà:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/pla ... rder_by=ws

Ovvero 3 volte Ben Wallace, 2 volte Smith ed una Kirilenko

Del club dei 150/150 fanno parte:

Julius Erving:  3
Olajuwon: 4
Robinson: 1
Hayes: 1
Bobby Jones: 3
Kirilenko: 1

Ps: solo 2 giocatori hanno fatto una stagione da almeno 1000pt, 1000rb e 500as: 2 olte wilt chamberlain ed una volta.... Billy Cunningham!

[Hank Luisetti]

Pro Basketball’s Closest Races for the Rebounding Title

Tutti noi abbiamo ben impresso il favoloso duello a distanza fra George Gervin e David Thompson l'ultima partita per scoring title del 1978 NBA...

...ma ci sono state 3 corse al titolo...of rebounding championchip che sono state decise da un margine ancora più risicato!


[Dalla stagione 1969-70 la prima che in cui la NBA adottò il conteggio Per Game, invece che in Totals.. (la ABA invece ha sempre utilizzato averange tutte e 9 le stagioni, 1967-68--1975-76)]

1- Wes Unseld dei Washington Bullets vinse la corona di rimbalzista nella stagione 1974-75 NBA su Dave Cowens dei Boston Celtics per appena .01496 rpg!!..ed il tutto grazie all'ultima prestazione stagionale di Wes da 30 rb nella vincente gara contro New Orleans jazz per 119-103 home victory on April 6, 1975...e quello fu anche il suo solo rebounding title!

2- Michael Cage dei Los Angeles Clippers vinse il titolo nel 1987-88 per la seconda minima differenza dell'era moderna, over  deiCharles Oakley Chicago Bulls di apena .02778 rpg.
A Cage servivano 29 rebounds  nell'utimo game della stagione per sorpassare Oakley e ne catturò 30 nella sconfitta interna per 109-100 contro i Seattle Supersonics on April 24, 1988.

3- La terza cors al rebounding title con minor margine of the modern è nella stagione1974-75, ABA. Swen Nater dei San Antonio Spurs scnfisse Artis Gilmore dei Kentucky Colonels di .19506 rpg, impedendo a "A Train" 5 consecutiv rebounding titles. - Swen Nater è l'unico giocatore ad aver vinto il titolo di rimbalzista sia in ABA che in NBA.

- Altre corse memorabili nel 2002 tra Ben Wallace dei Detroit Pistons e Tim Duncan dei San Antonio Spurs di .28018 rpg (5 margine minore). Nel 2000-01 Wallace perse a favore di Dikembe Mutombo dei Philadelphia 76ers di .38333 rpg (settimo).

- Ma è nella stagione 1951-52 che la NBA ha la più stretta corsa al titolo di rimbalzista: Larry Foust dei Fort Wayne Pistons e Mel Hutchins dei Milwaukee Hawks catturanono entrambi 880 rebounds in 66 partite (13.3 rpg) e divisero il trofeo. George Mikan dei Minneapolis Lakers perse il titolo per soli 14 rebounds; Secondo le regole attuali avrebbe vinto il titolo con13.5 rpg in 64 games.

- Mikan vinse il rebounding title nel 1952-53 battendo  Neil Johnston dei Philadelphia Warriors di 31 rimbalzi ed alzando così il suo solo titolo di rimbalzista...di fatti Mikan perse di 70 da Harry Gallatin dei New York Knicks nel 1953-54 ed ancora di 122 da Dolph Schayes dei Syracuse Nationals nel 1950-51, primo anno che la NBA tenne il conteggio dei RB.

Chamberlain vinse 8 rebounding titles giocano nella lega con Russell e tre ancora dopo il ritiro di quest'ultimo.L'unico anno in cui Chamberlain o non vinse il titolo o non arrivò secondo è la stagione 1969-70, quando un infortunio al ginocchio lo limitò a sole 12 partite. Russell vinse 2 rebounding titles giocando con Chamberlain ed altri due prima che Chamberlain entrasse nella lega. Dennis Rodman con 7 rebounding titles è secondo solo a Chamberlain per titoli vinti.

[Dati riferiti fino alla stagione 2002]

Pro Basketball's Closest Rebounding Races

Most NBA/ABA 2nd Place Finishes:

Player Total

Bill Russell 6
Wes Unseld 4
George Mikan 3
Bob Pettit 3
Dave Cowens 3
Mel Daniels 3
Shaquille O'Neal 3

Closest NBA Races, 1951-1969

Player/Season        Margin       Winner/Total Rebounds

George Mikan/1952 -14       Larry Foust & Mel Hutchins/880
Neil Johnston/1953    -31         George Mikan/1007
George Mikan/1954 -70       Harry Gallatin/1098
Maurice Stokes/1956 -70       Bob Pettit/1164
Harry Gallatin/1955    -90          Neil Johnston/1085
Bill Russell/1963      -103    Wilt Chamberlain/1946
George Mikan/1951 -122       Dolph Schayes/1080
Wilt Chamberlain/1964 -143      Bill Russell/1930
Bill Russell/1960       -163     Wilt Chamberlain/1941
Bill Russell/1966       -164          Wilt Chamberlain/1943

Closest RPG Races: ABA, 1968-1976; NBA, 1970-2002

Player/Season                  Margin     Winner/RPG

Dave Cowens/1975   .01496 RPG    Wes Unseld/14.75343
Charles Oakley/1988    .02778 RPG     Michael Cage/13.02778
Artis Gilmore/1975 ABA   .19506 RPG   Swen Nater/16.39744
Wes Unseld/1970     .19510 RPG      Elvin Hayes/16.90244
Tim Duncan/2002    .28018 RPG      Ben Wallace/12.98750
Charles Barkley/1986    .28476 RPG     Bill Laimbeer/13.10976
Ben Wallace/2001     .38333 RPG       Dik. Mutombo/13.53333
Dennis Rodman/1991 .45122 RPG   David Robinson/12.96341
Shaquille O'Neal/2000   .46419 RPG     Dik. Mutombo/14.10976
Julius Keye/1971 ABA    .46973 RPG     Mel Daniels/17.98780

(D.F.)

[nolian]

Pro Basketball’s Closest Races for the Rebounding Title

bravo Hank, e grazie per i tuoi post sempre molto interessanti

sarebbe interessante vedere lo stesso "studio" per la corsa al titolo di miglior parcatore...

se non ricordo male in tempo recenti va ricordata una stagione in cui lottavano David Robinson e Shaquille O'Neal, col primo che vinse segnando 71 punti nell'ultima di regular...

[Hank Luisetti]

Pro Basketball's Almost Scoring Champions

- Karl Malone per ben 5 anni è andato vicino a vincere il titolo di miglior scorer..ma è sempre arrivato secondo. Nel 1991-92 perse per 2.1 ppg (28.0 ppg, Jordan ne fece 30.1 ppg). Gli altri margini sono compresi fra 2.2 ppg a 3.4 ppg.

- Shaquille O'Neal ha perso 3 delle 4 reces al scoring titles col minor margine da quando nel 1969-70 il titolo viene assegnato per media.Ha comunque 2 scoring titles (1994-95 and 1999-00).
Nel 1993-94 David Robinson ne mise 71 points contro i LA Clippers nell'ultima gara della stagione e the Admiral andò a vincere il suo unico titolo come marcatori di appena .442 ppg..ovviamente su O'neal...Nel 1997-98 O'Neal perse da Michael Jordan di un margine ancor più modesto:.427 ppg (Jordan non fece nessuna prestazione eroica l'ultimo game per assicurarsi il premio comunque..)..infine O'Neal arrivò dietro Allen Iverson di .444 ppg nel 1998-99 e di 4.2 ppg nel 2001-02.

- Ovviamente la più famosa ed emozionante corsa al titolo di marcatori si ebbe on April 9, 1978. David Thompson cominciò per primo facendo registrare 73 points (escludendo Chamberlain, secondi solo agli 81 di KB) nella sconfitta dei suoi Denver Nuggets contro i Pistons per 139-137.Thompson segnò un record di 32 points nel rpimo quarto ed arrivò a 53 a metà gara. A George Gervin servivano 59 punti per vincere il titolo..e non si fece attendere..Gervin segnò 33 nel secondo quarto per un totale di 53 alla prima metà. Gervin giocò solo 33 minuti per un totale di 63 Pt nella sconfitta contro i Jazz..andando però così a voncere per .06 ppg si Thompson.  Gervin vinse altri 3 titoli marcatori.

- Rick Barry è l'unico giocatore ad aver vinto il titolo marcartori in NCAA, NBA ed ABA ed è il solo con Billy Knight ad esser finito secondo in scoring sia in ABA che in NBA. Barry vinse l'NBA scoring crown nel 1966-67 con i San Francisco Warrior, e nel 1968-69 lo vinse per gli Okland Oaks in ABA. Per ben 3 volte arrivò secondo nella cora al miglior marcatore in ABA (1969-70--1971-72).Tornato in NBA Barry arrivò secondo dietro Bob McAdoo dei Buffalo Braves nella corsa allo SC del 1974-75. In 1970-71 Barry, giocando per i New York Nets, arrivò dietro a Dan Issell dei Kentucky Colonels di.49 ppg, il minor margine in ABA, ed il 5° di sempre.Negli altri anni Barry perse con un margine che va da 2.3 ppg a 3.9 ppg.

- Billy Knight dei Indiana Pacers perse l'ultimo titolo marcatori (1975-76) di 1.2 ppg a favore di Julius Erving dei New York Nets, che registrò 29.3 ppg andando così a catturare il suo terzo scoring title. L'anno successivo Knight finì ancora secondo questa volta dietro a Pete Maravich dei New Orleans Jazz (31.1 ppg) di 4.5 ppg.

-George McGinnis, nel 1972-73 e 1973-74 arrivò secondo dietro al Doc prima di vincere l'anno successivo il suo solo titolo marcatori.

L'ABA nei suoi 9 anni di vita ha sempre misurato tenendo presente la madia partita. In NBA dalla stagione 1947-48 fino alla stagione 1968-69 determinava le classifiche in base al totale stagionale.

-Nel 1947-48 Max Zaslofsky dei Chicago Stags vinse il titolo su Joe Fulks dei Philadelphia Warriors per 58 points. Tecnicamente questo avvenne nella BAA, ma la NBA è consona ritenere le ultime tre stagioni di questa lega come le prime 3 della NBA. La stagione 47-48 contava 48 partite vinse con un margine di più di 1ppg.

-Nel 1956-57 Paul Arizin dei Warriors sconfisse Bob Pettit dei St. Louis Hawks per appena 62 points. la stagione contava 72 games questo significa che Arizin vinse per meno di 1 ppg. Nei successivi anni Arzin perse il titolo con un margine molto risicato. Nel 1955-56 Pettit lo sconfisse di 108 points e nel 1954-55 Arzin fu sconfitto dal compagno di squadra Neil Johnston per 119 points, Both of those margins are roughly equal to 1.5 ppg.

- In 1952-53 Johnston vinse il suo primo titolo marcatori per 122 su George Mikan dei Minneapolis Lakers, che vinse i successivi 3 titoli marcatori e portando i lakers a 5 titoli.

The other two scoring races decided by less than 150 points were Mikan over Fulks by 138 points in 1948-49 and the Detroit Pistons' Dave Bing besting Elgin Baylor of the Los Angeles Lakers by 142 points in 1967-68. That was Baylor's third runner-up finish, the most in the "total points" era.

7 giocatori nell'era pre averange hanno totalizzato 2 seconfi posti: Fulks, Alex Groza di Indianapolis Olympians, Mikan, Arizin, Jack Twyman dei Cincinnati Royals, Oscar Robertson dei Royals e Jerry West dei Lakers).

Chamberlain catturò il premio in ciascuna delle sue prime 7 stagioni (1959-60--1965-66). Nel 1961-62 segno u numero record di 4029 points (50.4 ppg) battendo il rookie Walt Bellamy dei Chicago Packers di ben 1534 points. Il più alto margine di sempre.

Nelle 9 stagioni ABA e nelle 33 NBA solo 7 scoring races si sono decise per meno di 1ppg. Molte già nominate le altre sono:
- Nel 1985-86 Dominique Wilkins degli Atlanta Hawks vinse su Alex English dei Nuggets per .53 ppg
- Nel 1978-79 Gervin vinse su World B. Free dei San Diego Clippers di  .79 ppg.


-  Jerry West vinse il suo solo titolo marcatori nel 1969-70, averaging 31.2 ppg nella prima stagione in cui valeva la miglior media partita e non il totale. Quell'anno sconfisse Kareem Abdul-Jabbar che però aveva segnato di più di West: 2361-2309,ma giocato 8 partite in più per una media di 28.8 ppg. Jabbar si rifece nei successivi 2 anni segnando sia il maggior numero di punti sia avendo la migliore media.

- Solo 6 giocatori sono sono arrivati secondi un numero maggiore alle due volte: Karl Malone (5), Rick Barry (4), Shaquille O'Neal (4), Elgin Baylor (3), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (3) e Dominique Wilkins (3).
- World B. Free (2), Moses Malone (2) e Hakeem Olajuwon (2) due volte.
Karl Malone, Baylor, Groza, Twyman, Robertson, Knight, Free, Moses Malone e Olajuwon non hanno mai vinto il titolo marcatori fra i giocatori che sono arrivati secondi almeno 2 volte.



Pro Basketball's Almost Scoring Champions

Most NBA/ABA 2nd Place Finishes

Player Total

Karl Malone 5
Rick Barry 4
Shaquille O'Neal 4
Elgin Baylor 3
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 3
Dominique Wilkins 3


Closest NBA Races, 1947-1969

Player/Season              Margin      Winner/Total Points

Joe Fulks/1948            -58            Max Zaslofsky/1007
Bob Pettit/1957            -62            Paul Arizin/1817
Paul Arizin/1956            -108          Bob Pettit/1849
Paul Arizin/1955          -119            Neil Johnston/1631
George Mikan/1953      -122            Neil Johnston/1564
Joe Fulks/1949            -138            George Mikan/1698
Elgin Baylor/1968          -142          Dave Bing/2142

Closest PPG Races--ABA, 1968-1976; NBA, 1970-2002

Player/Season                  Margin                      Winner/PPG

David Thompson/1978      .06 PPG                      George Gervin/27.21
S. O'Neal/1998                .427 PPG                    Michael Jordan/28.74
S. O'Neal/1994                .442 PPG                    David Robinson/29.79
S. O'Neal/1999                .444 PPG                    Allen Iverson/26.75
Rick Barry/1971 ABA          .49 PPG                      Dan Issel/29.88
Alex English/1986              .53 PPG                      Dominique Wilkins/30.33
World B. Free/1979          .79 PPG                      George Gervin/29.56

(D.F.)

[Hank Luisetti]

Midseason Maestros: The All-Star Game

- George Mikan, per via dei tempi storici ha giocato in soli 4 All-Star Games, conducendo la partita in punti e rimbalzi due volte e vincendo un MVP nel1953.

- Bob Pettit è sicuramente il più grande giocatore dell'ASG, riuscendo a vincere un record di 4 All-Star Game MVPs, conducendo la partita delle stelle per un record di 6 volte in punti, oltre che 4 volte nei rimbalzi e due in assist. Pettit detine anche il maggior numero di rimbalzi in una partita con 27 nel 1962, ha il secondo maggior numero di rb con 178 in carriera all'ASG dietro a Wilt Chamberlain (197), Pettit ha però la migliore media rb:16.2 rpg to 15.2 rpg di Wilt; Pettit è inoltre 3 come media carriera in punti (20.4) e 4 come punti totali in carriera all'ASG.

- Pettit è uno dei soli 4 giocatori ad aver condotto la partita delle stelle in points, rebounds and assists ed è l'unico ad ad averlo fatto almeno una volta in tutte e tre le categorie, nella partita delle stelle del 1956 dove Pettit vince l'MVP con 20 points, 24 rebounds e 7 assists; e pure nel 1959con 25 points, 16 rebounds e 5 assists.

- Bob Cousy ha condotto la partita delle stelle in assists 4 volte ed una in punti; ha vinto 2 ASG MVPs ed è terzo nella classifica degli assist in carriera in questa gara.

- Wilt Chamberlain conduce la partita delle stelle un record di 5 volte in rb, vincendo il suo solo MVP da rookie. Chamberlain conduce l'ASG in punti solo una volta ma ha comunque la prestazione più alta in punti ever con 42 nel 1962.

- Bill Russell conduce l'All-Star Game in rebounds solo 2 volte e vince un solo trofeo di MVP ASGnel 1963. Nel 68 conduce la partita anche negli Assists.

- Oscar Robertson vince 3 All-Star MVPs, è secondo solo a LBJ nella media dei punti ed a MJ nei punti totali all'ASG.Conduce la Partita in As 5 dietro solo alle 7 di Magic Johnson. Robertson conduce la partita in Pt 3 volte.

- Negli anni '70 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elvin Hayes e Dave Cowens conducono la partita delle stelle in rb 10 volte su 11; Cowens con 4, Abdul-Jabbar 3 conducendo però una volta anche in Pt e due in As  Hayes conduce la partita in Rb 3 volte, una in Pt ed una in As.

- Julius Erving è il secondo ed uno dei soli 3 giocatori a vincere l'MVP ASG pur essendo nella squadra perdente. Gli altri due sono Pettit nel 1958 e Magic nel 1990. Erving conduce la partita in Pt 4 volte, una in As ed una in Rb.

- Magic Johnson conduce la partita in As un record di 7 volte; vince due All-Star MVPs (1990 e 1992), conducendo la gara in Pt tutte e due le volte. Magic conduce l'All-Star Game sia come numero totale di As in carriera, sia come Game col maggior numero di As: 21.

- Michael Jordan ha condotto la partita delle stelle in punti per ben 5 ed una in As; ha vinto 3 All-Star MVPs, ha segnato il maggior numero di punti in carriera in un Asg.
Jordan è anche l'unico giocatore ad aver postato una tripla doppia nella competizione con 14 points, 11 rebounds e 11 assists nel 1997.

-Altre: Moses Malone ha condotto la partita delle stelle in Rb 3 volte; Karl Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, Shawn Kemp e Tim Duncan 2. John Stockton ha condotto la partita delle stelle in As 3 volte, Gary Payton e Jason Kidd 2.

- Isiah Thomas è secondo sia negli assist che nelle palle rubate in carriera nella partita delle stelle, vincitore per due volte dell'All-Star MVPs (1984 e 1986) conducendo la partita in punti o as solo una volta.

In ABA nessun giocatore ha vinto più di un MVP ASG e solamente 3 giocatori possono vantare di aver condotto una categoria più di una volta:Mel Daniels 2 volte in punti, Artis Gilmore 2 volte in Rb e Mack Calvin 3 volte negli As.

I Leaders ABA in a single game sono i seguenti:

Punti:     30, Larry Jones
Assists:  11, Mack Calvin
Rimbalzi: 22, Swen Nater
Steals:   6, George Gervin
Blocks:   5, George Gervin

Stats NBA:

Punti:     42, Wilt Chamberlain
Assists:   21, Magic Johnson
Rimnbalzi: 27, Bob Pettit
Steals:     8, Rick Barry
Blocks:     6,Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

NBA All-Star Game Single Game Leaders  [dati riferiti fino all'ASG del 2001 compreso]

"Three Tool" Players

Player                         Points        Reb.           Assists

Bob Pettit                          6             4             2

Kareem Abdul Jabbar            1             3             2

Julius Erving                       4              1             1

Elvin Hayes                        1               3             1


Overall Category Leaders [dati riferiti fino all'ASG del 2001 compreso]

Player                                  Points         Reb.       Assists         Total
Bob Pettit                                   6            4                2          12
Magic Johnson                             2            0                7           9
Oscar Robertson                          3             0                5           8
Wilt Chamberlain                          1             5                0           6
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar                    1             3                2           6
Julius Erving                                4             1               1            6
Michael Jordan                            5              0               1            6


Category Leaders  [dati riferiti fino all'ASG del 2001 compreso]

Player Points

Bob Pettit                6
Michael Jordan          5
Julius Erving             4
Oscar Robertson        3


Player Rebounds        [dati riferiti fino all'ASG del 2001 compreso]

Wilt Chamberlain          5
Bob Pettit                   4
Dave Cowens              4
Elvin Hayes                 3
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar    3
Moses Malone              3


Player Assists      [dati riferiti fino all'ASG del 2001 compreso]

Magic Johnson         7
Oscar Robertson      5
Bob Cousy              4
Dick McGuire           3
Nate Archibald         3
John Stockton         3

EDIT: ..il resto:

- O'neal e KB vincono 3 MVP ASG, dal KB conduce la gara in Pt per 3 volte, O'neal solamente una volta.KB conduce la gara anche negli As per ben 2 volte.
Tim Duncan dal 2001 conduce la gara in Rb 3 volte. DH12 2 volte invece. Paul conduce la gara in As 2 volte.mentre Iverson per ben 3 volte.
LBJ vince due MVP ASG e conduce la gara in Pt 2 volte.

(D.F)

NB: Tim Duncan è All-Star rebounding leader con 6