Dunk History: A healthy Bill Walton meets Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at the summit

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37+ years later, and we're still glorifying that season.

Lord do the Blazers need to win another title...
 
Abdul-Jabbar was brilliant during that regular season, outpacing Walton in points (26.2 to 18.6) tying him in blocks per game, while nearly matching him in rebounds (14.4 to 13.3) and even assists (3.8 to 3.2). All while, in the pre-Magic Johnson era in Lakerdom, working with a Los Angeles roster that couldn’t hold a candle to Walton’s deep and vibrant Portland Trail Blazer squad. Kareem also outscored Walton in the series by 30.2 to 19.2 margin (marks for rebounds, blocks and assists aren’t reliably available), but even though the Lakers owned the home court advantage, the Blazers swept Los Angeles. It’s a team game, and Bill had the better team.
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As usual, Kelly Dwyer writes without depth. This time the subject is team depth. The Blazers had no more depth than the Lakers. The only thing special they had was Walton, who preferred distributing over scoring, and could have scored 30 anytime he wanted. He made teammates and Jack Ramsay look better than they were.
 
julius said:
37+ years later, and we're still glorifying that season.

Lord do the Blazers need to win another title...
Click to expand...

Were you alive for that season? It wasn't just a normal team, or a normal championship. We could have won three championships from 91-93, another couple in 99 and 2000 and none of those would have held a candle to that 1977 team. And the scary thing? That team didn't hold a candle to the 77-78 club (for the first 60 games). It was only in that season that Jack Ramsay's vision for what the game of basketball could be came to fruition.

I will glorify the 76-77 season until my dying day.
 
Totally forgot about the not being allowed to dunk in college. Definitely, pre-ESPN.
 
The NCAA kept the Alcindor Rule for many years after Big Lew was gone. Players would ferociously leap up to the hoop, suddenly freeze, gingerly place the ball above the rim, and release it, being careful not to push it downward. Walton was such a great leaper that he hovered a full second to ensure that he let it drop gently enough.

http://www.school-for-champions.com...yers_who_caused_rule_changes.htm#.VAoQupUg_rc
 
jlprk said:
As usual, Kelly Dwyer writes without depth. This time the subject is team depth. The Blazers had no more depth than the Lakers. The only thing special they had was Walton, who preferred distributing over scoring, and could have scored 30 anytime he wanted. He made teammates and Jack Ramsay look better than they were.
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They also had Luke and Luke was a beast back then.
 
Notice who was great at PER and who was just good? It's similar to, Gus Williams led the Sonics in scoring, but Sikma was the beast. And when Payton led them in scoring but Kemp was the beast making them win.

Also, Walton was nursing his fragile body all the time, doling out stats to everyone else. This was a center who led his team in assists in high school, on NCAA champions, and in the NBA. That's rarer than a giraffe siting in Lake Oswego.
 
Which leads to this. He talks like I post.

[video=youtube;aq_D0v6wh8w]
 
maxiep said:
Were you alive for that season? It wasn't just a normal team, or a normal championship. We could have won three championships from 91-93, another couple in 99 and 2000 and none of those would have held a candle to that 1977 team. And the scary thing? That team didn't hold a candle to the 77-78 club (for the first 60 games). It was only in that season that Jack Ramsay's vision for what the game of basketball could be came to fruition.

I will glorify the 76-77 season until my dying day.
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You are right Max. I always thought that 77/78 team was the best at offensive team execution that I ever saw play the game. The 75 warriors were probably next so I think it was the coaches of the that era getting the most out out their player in that time.

There isn't much reason it can't be repeated, except the coaches are missing.
 
It was interesting hearing Lenny Wilkens talk about the team leading up to the hiring of Dr. Jack and the championship. Some of the moves he wanted to make, the team refused, and it lead to creative differences. Then, the Blazers made those moves a few months later and the rest is history.

But Lenny ain't bitter.
 
Wilkens used a guard-oriented offense and Walton didn't respect him. Walton demanded Wooden's style and Ramsay conformed. Ramsay failed at his next stop, Indiana, because "the players won't do what I tell them." Ramsay's previous team, Buffalo, had been a loser even with McAdoo. Lucas also had his best years with Walton.

It was all Walton.
 
jlprk said:
Wilkens used a guard-oriented offense and Walton didn't respect him. Walton demanded Wooden's style and Ramsay conformed. Ramsay failed at his next stop, Indiana, because "the players won't do what I tell them." Ramsay's previous team, Buffalo, had been a loser even with McAdoo. Lucas also had his best years with Walton.

It was all Walton.
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Even Walton doesn't agree with you.
 
Every humble unselfish self-effacing leftist needs a fanboy cheerleader like me.
 
jlprk said:
Every humble unselfish self-effacing leftist needs a fanboy cheerleader like me.
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Not to worry, Bill has no self worth deficiencies. But he does have room to think highly of Dr. Jack.
 
I never saw Bill Walton play in person. If healthy for more than 10 seasons, would he be considered the best center of all time?
 
magnifier661 said:
I never saw Bill Walton play in person. If healthy for more than 10 seasons, would he be considered the best center of all time?
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Probably not, but if his healthy prime had been 10 seasons, he'd probably be in the next tier after Chamberlain, Russell, Abdul-Jabbar, O'Neal and Olajuwon, with a chance at being in that tier.
 
magnifier661 said:
I never saw Bill Walton play in person. If healthy for more than 10 seasons, would he be considered the best center of all time?
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He would in my mind. He was number one on Defense and pretty good on offense individually. He was the best at making a team click like a clock and just knew how to play the game of basketball.

The only guy I ever saw do it better was Sabas but he didn't have the team or the coach to make it work. You got to see just a touch of what he had his last year here with Mo Cheeks coaching.
Damn he was good! I saw him fairly early in Europe an there the thought came to me that I was watching the best Center I have ever seen. I watched all his games in the Seoul Olympic games. Geez, sometime he just would hold a clinic with guys cutting off him and him back passing to the other guy. We waisted him here for the most of his time.
 
Minstrel said:
Probably not, but if his healthy prime had been 10 seasons, he'd probably be in the next tier after Chamberlain, Russell, Abdul-Jabbar, O'Neal and Olajuwon, with a chance at being in that tier.
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Those guys where all good for sure, Chamberlain and Olajuwon and Jabbar where the best on Offense in the history of the game. Russell was Defender that set the standard for excellence..
Walton was right there with Russell and good enough as an individual offensive player.
He stood alone in the ability to run the team. Put the ball in Bills hands and start the modified Princeton, good stuff is going to happen.
 
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Walton would have been the greatest ever. He was as great a defender as Russell. Chamberlain didn't focus on defense.

Abdul-Jabbar was great at both offense and defense. Nowadays they write only about his sky-hook, but that was only like 10% of his total game, which was more defense than offense. Jabbar was narrow and easily pushed around. The defender just put hands on Jabbar's narrow waist and rotated him as he shot. Jabbar compensated by counter-rotating his long arms in mid-air, and usually made the shot.

But Walton had a wide waist and couldn't be manhandled like that. He could have averaged 30 ppg like Kareem and Wilt, but was unselfish with the ball, preferring to make others look good. So he praised Lucas, Ramsay, Steele, Twardzik, everyone except Wilkens and especially Princeton Republican Petrie, who would cast off 25-footers after Walton had worked hard to get inside position to score. The team got rid of Petrie and Wilkens to mold the system around Walton.

The best part of Walton was his strong spirit, still visible now. Compare his personality to Russell, Jabbar, and Chamberlain. Walton was an amazingly strong leader and they were comparative followers. He dragged Ramsay, Lucas, and the rest into what were by far the best seasons of their careers. Sabonis? You compare that quiet non-leader to the ferocious spirit of Walton?
 
Have you heard of the rare charismatic, inspirational general for whom the troops say, "Lead me into battle, SIR!!" Chamberlain, Russell, Jabbar, Olajuwon...just didn't have that "It" factor. They didn't have it.

To those who came along later, and have only stats to evaluate Walton: Notice how enraptured by Walton are Marazul, maxiep, I, and OldManGrouch (I think in another thread)? You had to see him play (on TV or in person). He had iconic signature moves never since duplicated (like his outlet pass). His body bent fluidly--he was no stiff--like a great 6-5 guard. He was The Boss and all his teammates knew it as he yelled at them when they erred. If you combine Rasheed Wallace with Akeem Olajuwon, insert John Wooden's calm intellectualism and Michael Jordan's ferocious killer will to win, you have Bill Walton.
 
walton-kareem.jpg
 
jlprk said:
If you combine Rasheed Wallace with Akeem Olajuwon, insert John Wooden's calm intellectualism and Michael Jordan's ferocious killer will to win, you have Bill Walton.
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Yes, it was refreshing how much calm intellectualism he brought as a TV analyst.

I'm kidding, I'm sure Walton was a smart guy. His mouth tended to run away with him while talking during basketball games, though.

I'd actually probably choose Olajuwon as the best center of all-time, amazing offensive player, arguably the greatest defensive player in history, very smart guy. But there are other good choices.
 
Minstrel said:
Probably not, but if his healthy prime had been 10 seasons, he'd probably be in the next tier after Chamberlain, Russell, Abdul-Jabbar, O'Neal and Olajuwon, with a chance at being in that tier.
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Have to disagree. "IF" healthy, both Walton and Sabonis were easily in that group.

And Oden (ducks...LOL).
 
BBert said:
Have to disagree. "IF" healthy, both Walton and Sabonis were easily in that group.

And Oden (ducks...LOL).
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I actually agree with you on Oden (assuming you were serious), because he was already a great defensive player and rebounder, and an efficient offensive player, other than the turnovers, with the tools to be excellent with some further development. It's pretty interesting how many very talented centers have come through Portland but unable to fulfill their destiny as long-term amazing centers in Portland (though in Sabonis' case, it's just because he got to Portland too late in his career).
 
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