Kareem's prime and peak?

[LAZERUSS]

Cool, thanks for the response.

This is OT, but I'm wondering what your thoughts on Lanier are in general? Also, specifically regarding his defense, did he play much of it outside of 73-74? This article:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?ni...g=5106,1636156

suggests that he was pretty good on that end that season (evidently he worked with Russ in the summer of 73).

I honestly never considered him a great defensive center, BUT, that particular season does show up in this category...

http://www.basketball-reference.com/...ws_season.html

Now offensively, he was a skilled shooter, with a soft touch, for such a big man. He reminded me of a bigger Willis Reed.

By the mid-70's on, he gave KAJ all he could handle.

[fpliii]

I honestly never considered him a great defensive center, BUT, that particular season does show up in this category...

http://www.basketball-reference.com/...ws_season.html

Now offensively, he was a skilled shooter, with a soft touch, for such a big man. He reminded me of a bigger Willis Reed.

By the mid-70's on, he gave KAJ all he could handle.

Cool, thanks again.

While we're on the subject of Reed, can you break down his offense/defense for me? I haven't done too much research on him, yet.

[LAZERUSS]

Cool, thanks again.

While we're on the subject of Reed, can you break down his offense/defense for me? I haven't done too much research on him, yet.

Watch footage of Zach Randolph. Nearly identical, although I would give Reed an edge up to 15-18 feet.

[fpliii]

Watch footage of Zach Randolph. Nearly identical, although I would give Reed an edge up to 15-18 feet.

Defense too? So I guess the excellent team defense on those Knicks squads was largely due to Frazier and DeBusschere?

[LAZERUSS]

Defense too? So I guess the excellent team defense on those Knicks squads was largely due to Frazier and DeBusschere?

Reed was load on defense. At least in the paint. But you are right, those Knick teams from the late 60's thru the early 70's were as great a TEAM defense, as there was. Everyone of their starters were solid defenders, in both individual, and team defense. Very similar to the Celtics of the 60's, but of course, Reed was not capable of covering as much of the floor as Russell was (no one was.)

[Round Mound]

There Are Some Rally Awsoume Kareem 70s Game Resumes In Youtube. The Dude Is The Peak of Finess Offensive Play For A Center

[fpliii]

Good stuff, thanks again. I'll reread the Kareem book when I have a chance, and maybe post some quotes.

I also want to start dumping articles from the Milwaukee Journal and Sentinel for nbastats.net for Kareem's seasons soon. Problem is, both papers are on Google News Archives, which aren't very screen-capture friendly:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?ni...g=7297,1848046

[LAZERUSS]

Good stuff, thanks again. I'll reread the Kareem book when I have a chance, and maybe post some quotes.

I also want to start dumping articles from the Milwaukee Journal and Sentinel for nbastats.net for Kareem's seasons soon. Problem is, both papers are on Google News Archives, which aren't very screen-capture friendly:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?ni...g=7297,1848046

Your research is second to none...



Anyone that is interested in NBA history, needs to thank you.

[LAZERUSS]

To add to the OP...

After KAJ's 70-71 season, I honestly believed that he would go on to challenge some of Wilt's records. And by late 71-72, I was convinced that he would. But, something happened to him in the first round of the '72 playoffs against Nate, and then in the last four games of the '72 WCF's, and from that point on, he no longer seemed invincible. And, he slowly seemed to decline. Granted, a slow decline from where he had been was still better than almost everyone else playing the game..at least until Moses came along. But, he just seemed to lose motivation, or focus. In fact, this lack of intensity was even a running joke in the movie 'Airplane.'

[SHAQisGOAT]

Prime: 70-81
Peak: around 1977


Still really good after 1981, just couldn't play as many minutes as before, still wrecked shit in the post-season, still had one of the GOAT Finals performances in 1985, at 38. The longevity that man had is just amazing, with a top5 peak

[dankok8]

I couldn't disagree more with LAZERUSS. Statistical peak does NOT equal actual peak ability. Jordan put up his best stats in 87-88, Wilt in 61-62, and Lebron in 09-10. I strongly believe none of those 3 guys peaked in the aforementioned seasons.

Lakers' Kareem circa 1977 still had at least 90% of his early athleticism but he was a much more polished player. He had the skyhook perfected with both hands, a mid-range J up to 15 feet, and he had 20 lbs more of muscle to bang down low. His edge in physical strength and experience made him even more devastating in the postseason against elite defenders. In 1980 he lost a little more athleticism but he was till a beast.

Peak: 76-77
Prime: 69-70 to 80-81

[Lebron23]

I have a question. Why did Kareem won an MVP while playing on a 42 or 45 win team??

[fpliii]

I have a question. Why did Kareem won an MVP while playing on a 42 or 45 win team??

Voting was done by the players through 79-80. The sportswriters who took over in 80-81 had different criteria, most likely. Though it's worth noting that The Sporting News (TSN) NBA Player of the Year actually continued for a while, and was voted on by the players through 01, and again from 09-11 (02-08 front office personnel voted, and TSN has been absorbed by AOL since then and the award no longer exists):

81 Julius Erving
82 Moses Malone
83 Moses Malone
84 Bernard King
85 Larry Bird
86 Larry Bird
87 Magic Johnson
88 Michael Jordan
89 Michael Jordan
90 Charles Barkley
91 Michael Jordan
92 Michael Jordan
93 Charles Barkley
94 Hakeem Olajuwon
95 David Robinson
96 Michael Jordan
97 Michael Jordan
98 Michael Jordan
99 Karl Malone
00 Shaquille O'Neal
01 Allen Iverson
02 Award Voted on by FO Personnel
03 Award Voted on by FO Personnel
04 Award Voted on by FO Personnel
05 Award Voted on by FO Personnel
06 Award Voted on by FO Personnel
07 Award Voted on by FO Personnel
08 Award Voted on by FO Personnel
09 LeBron James
10 LeBron James
11 Derrick Rose
12 Award Discontinued
13 Award Discontinued

Prior to 79-80 they had the same picks for MVP, except in 72-73 (players picked Tiny Archibald for TSN POY, and Dave Cowens for NBA MVP, perhaps due to differences in polling).

[Lebron23]

Voting was done by the players through 79-80. The sportswriters who took over in 80-81 had different criteria, most likely. Though it's worth noting that The Sporting News (TSN) NBA Player of the Year actually continued for a while, and was voted on by the players through 01, and again from 09-11 (02-08 front office personnel voted, and TSN has been absorbed by AOL since then and the award no longer exists):

81 Julius Erving
82 Moses Malone
83 Moses Malone
84 Bernard King
85 Larry Bird
86 Larry Bird
87 Magic Johnson
88 Michael Jordan
89 Michael Jordan
90 Charles Barkley
91 Michael Jordan
92 Michael Jordan
93 Charles Barkley
94 Hakeem Olajuwon
95 David Robinson
96 Michael Jordan
97 Michael Jordan
98 Michael Jordan
99 Karl Malone
00 Shaquille O'Neal
01 Allen Iverson
02 Award Voted on by FO Personnel
03 Award Voted on by FO Personnel
04 Award Voted on by FO Personnel
05 Award Voted on by FO Personnel
06 Award Voted on by FO Personnel
07 Award Voted on by FO Personnel
08 Award Voted on by FO Personnel
09 LeBron James
10 LeBron James
11 Derrick Rose
12 Award Discontinued
13 Award Discontinued

Prior to 79-80 they had the same picks for MVP, except in 72-73 (players picked Tiny Archibald for TSN POY, and Dave Cowens for NBA MVP, perhaps due to differences in polling).

Good Posts..

[SexSymbol]

Coming from a NBA fan with barely any games of Kareem seen in his resume:
Was Kareem soft? I saw it being implied in the movie Airplane. Those absurd comedies usually portray the general opinion very well