who has best chance of beating MJ's 6 finals MVP record/

[dyna]

Durant

[The Iron Fist]

Already beaten even before he won them. Ask Bill Russell.

[jlauber]

I have mentioned this before, but just because they didn't have a FMVP before 1969, doesn't mean that there wasn't one. Then the only question would be to determine who those players were. Gifted Mind pretty much summed them up, and true basketball historians would agree with 95% of his list.

And those that rip Russell's "FMVP's" because of the number of teams need to realize that half of the league's at the time had relatively loaded rosters. I have used this exactly many times, but take a look at the '67 Lakers.

Let's start with the front court, shall we? Tom Hawkins was a quality bench player who provided solid defense throughout his career. And in the '67 season he averaged a solid 8 ppg on .481 shooting as a spark off the bench. The Laker's PF that season was Rudy LaRusso, who averaged 13 ppg that season, and would average 21 ppg the very next season. Their starting SF, was Elgin Baylor, on a slight decline in his career, but still a potent 27 ppg scorer and 13 rpg rounder.

The Lakers had depth at the center slot, too. Their starting center was 6-10 Darrall Imhoff, who averaged 11 ppg and 13 rpg in '67. His backup was 7-0 Henry Finkel. The other Laker frontcourt player was 7-0 Mel Counts, who was a quality outside shooter, and could play both the center and PF positions.

That Laker roster boasted two exceptional backup guards. One, Archie Clark, would be a 20 ppg all-star the very next season. As it was, he averaged 11 ppg in '67. The other backup guard was Walt Hazzard (Mahdi Abdul Rahman), who averaged close to 10 ppg in '67, and who would average 24.0 ppg the very next season.

The Lakers' starting guards? HOFer Gail Goodrich, in his 2nd season, and in a year in which he would average 12 ppg on a decent .454 shooting. The other guard? None other than Jerry West, and very near his absolute prime, and in a season in which he averaged 29 ppg.

Look at all of that talent. West and Baylor, near their primes, and averaging 29 and 27 ppg respectively. Goodrich, Clark, LaRusso, and Hazzard...all 20+ ppg scorers at times in their careers (and three of them the very next year.) A solid journeyman center, and two full seven-footers.

How did that Laker team finish that season?

36-45.


BTW, while Russell won 11 rings in 13 seasons, his Celtics almost always had a seven game series each season he was there. In his 13 seasons, he went 10-0 in the seventh games, and seven of those were decided by four points, or less (several in OT, too.)

In any case, to not acknowledge what he most certainly accomplished is flat wrong. If we do not acknowledge what the players of the past achieved, then why even keep records at all? Durant is the greatest scorer of all-time; Lebron is the greatest player of all-time; and the Heat are the greatest team of all-time. Until next season, when we start with a clean slate, and forget about the past season.

MJ who?

[EnoughSaid]

It's easily LeBron though. This season was the first time he actually tried to develop a post game, and look how it worked out for him. If he continues to develop that post presence and his jump shot, he has the greatest chance in history to do what MJ did.

[guy]

It's probably an unbreakable record. Russell probably would have done it had the award existed, though.

I don't see Lebron doing it, he finally got 1 in his 9th season. But he'd be 32 at the youngest in at least his 14th season, and that's only if he won 5 more in a row for 6 in a row total.

Very unlikely because I don't see him having the best longevity given his playing style, size and because he's already lost some athletic ability. Plus, Wade would be 35 by that time.

If the NBA lasts at least another 30 years or so, I'm sure it will be done. Its not "unbreakable".