If you could alter NBA history

[Marchesk]

Let's say you're gifted a time machine to temporarily change some aspect of NBA history, see the results, put history back as it was, and then post the basketball reference results from the altered history on ISH, what change(s) would you make? Never mind what it would take to make those changes, let's just assume you can.

I can think of 5:

1. Prevent Maurice Stokes from playing in the game he hit his head on the floor.

2. Convince Wilt to go to a New England college so that Auerback would have territorial rights to his pick.

3. Have Houston's GM trade Ralph Sampson to Portland for their 2nd pick in the 1984 draft.

4. Prevent Len Bias from using cocaine right after he was drafted by the Celtics in 86.

5. Have Krause trade Pippen for Kemp right before the season of their first title.

* Obviously, I'd have to make five separate alterations.

[JimmyMcAdocious]

I would probably murder Dr J and see how much that would change how basketball is played.

[ArbitraryWater]

1. Have Hawks winning the '57 and '59 titles
2. Suns win that epic Finals v.s. Boston in the 70's, so we have 9 different winners in a 10 year span (1970's)
3. No McHale block, no fluky 3 game first round... Lakers > Sixers in '81, Lakers three-peat with Kareem still at the helm.
4. Lakers make the '86 finals, lets see the GOAT Celtics put a beatdown on them.
5. No Kareem foul call in '88, Pistons win.
6. Bulls start dynasty in 1990?!
7. The Hue Hollins call, none of it... lets see how that finals plays out.
8. 1997 Rockets, everyone wanted them in the finals.
9. MJ plays in '99, perhaps ends his career with a title over the Spurs.
10. Horry hits that 3 on the road in '03, Spurs bounce back.. same as the next year after Fisher. Three consecutive Spurs/Pistons finals from '03-'05 (SA 5, 6, 7)
11. 2006 Mavericks/Spurs should have been the WCF. GOAT series.
12. Terry hits Dirk on the last second shot, forces OT... Mavs in 7, re-peat...
13. Hornets go to '08 WCF, Lakers in 6, Kobe as usual monster WCF.
14. LeBron goes to Miami in 2010, we get a Heat/Lakers final. 2011 Finals a bit different.
15. Spurs win 2012 G6, perhaps 3 straight Heat/Spurs duels. 2014, AC doe.. no cramps pls. Heat up 2-0.

[aj1987]

Prevent Wade from getting his meniscus removed, make him sit Game 5 of the '05 ECF, the '07 game against the Rockets, and make him sit prior to the play where he got hip checked by Cardinal in game 5 of the '11 Finals.

[305Baller]

Kings over Lakers.

[rmt]

Can't decide between:

Manu's foul on Dirk in 06 - that's probably a 3-peat there. I'm pretty sure Spurs beat Suns and Heat (Bowen to guard Wade, Duncan/Rasho/Nazr to guard Shaq and Parker running circles around a 37 year old Payton).

28 seconds with a 5-point lead in game 6 of 2013 Finals.

Both were unbelievable (and mostly Manu's fault).

[BasedTom]

Prevent Wade from getting his meniscus removed, make him sit Game 5 of the '05 ECF, the '07 game against the Rockets, and make him sit prior to the play where he got hip checked by Cardinal in game 5 of the '11 Finals.

His draft stock falls, he might even wait another year. Zero guarantee that he gets picked by the Heat (heat weren't 100% sure in the first place) So that's a tricky one.

i wish eddie jones would have been on the 06 title team and could have lived without antoine walker

[BasedTom]

brandon roy, yao, tmac, etc

[GrapeApe]

Prevent Wade from getting his meniscus removed, make him sit Game 5 of the '05 ECF, the '07 game against the Rockets, and make him sit prior to the play where he got hip checked by Cardinal in game 5 of the '11 Finals.

If all that went down, Wade may very well have 5 championships, 3 FMVP's, and a regular season MVP. It's crazy how unfortunate (and ill-timed) injuries have impacted his career. Granted, none of that accounts for the butterfly effect so in reality, who knows how things would have played out.

[Marchesk]

If all that went down, Wade may very well have 5 championships, 3 FMVP's, and a regular season MVP. It's crazy how unfortunate (and ill-timed) injuries have impacted his career. Granted, none of that accounts for the butterfly effect so in reality, who knows how things would have played out.

So we'd be looking at Wade like we look at Kobe right now, and there would be a serious debate for who was the 2nd best SG of all time.

[jongib369]

"Convince Wilt to go to a New England college so that Auerback would have territorial rights to his pick."

Convince Wilt to use his money to secretly record every game he plays in, to be given to a certain youtuber in about an hours time

Convince Red, Kareem, Wilt, and Russell to personally train/mentor high school Shaq from his freshman year up

Prevent Len Bias from using cocaine right after he was drafted by the Celtics in 86.

Convince Wilt to come back in the 80s and play for the Lakers, Celtics, or Bulls. Or maybe even not retire until the 80s (He's the true Ironman IMO given the shape he stayed in, looks to be in better shape than Kareem in the 80s )

Convince Oscar Robertson to either go to a school that lands him on the Celtics or Warriors. Russell/Jones/Robertson or Wilt/Thurmond/Robertson

[Psileas]

"Convince Wilt to go to a New England college so that Auerback would have territorial rights to his pick."

Convince Wilt to use his money to secretly record every game he plays in, to be given to a certain youtuber in about an hours time

Convince Red, Kareem, Wilt, and Russell to personally train/mentor high school Shaq from his freshman year up

Prevent Len Bias from using cocaine right after he was drafted by the Celtics in 86.

Convince Wilt to come back in the 80s and play for the Lakers, Celtics, or Bulls. Or maybe even not retire until the 80s (He's the true Ironman IMO given the shape he stayed in, looks to be in better shape than Kareem in the 80s )

Convince Oscar Robertson to either go to a school that lands him on the Celtics or Warriors. Russell/Jones/Robertson or Wilt/Thurmond/Robertson

Also, convince statisticians to start keeping blocks and steals official count since very early on.
Btw, I'd like to have known estimates on Mikan's shot blocking. I've barely heard of any.

Oh, and convince coach v.B.Kolff to re-enter Wilt in that Game 7...

[RoundMoundOfReb]

lol at you people wasting your time with weak era players. no one gives a crap about the 60s.

i would go back to 2012 and tell Sam Presti to not break up the most stacked team of all time.

[KobesFinger]

Tell Kwame not to rush out

[Duderonomy]

As mentioned the Phantom foul on Laimbeer in 1988.
The kings-Lakers 2002 WCF G6
2013 finals G6 Heat-Spurs. Pop should of left Duncan out. Not boxing out is unacceptable
2006 NBA finals. Games 3-5
Funny the bad officiating always benefit the Lakers or Heat.