Scoring differentials of the best players ever from the regular season to the playoff

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

LOL at Wilt being at -7.6 ... His playoff escapades couldn't be better explained than with this stat differential (and by "escapades", I mean his wild disappearing acts).

[LAZERUSS]

LOL at Wilt being at -7.6 ... His playoff escapades couldn't be better explained than w/ this stat differential (and by escapade I mean his wild disappearing acts).

"Disappearing acts"...

In his 23 "Must win" playoff games...

12-11 W-L record

[COLOR="DarkRed"]31.1 ppg[/COLOR] (Regular season career average was 30.1 ppg)
26.1 rpg (Regular season career average was 22.9 rpg)
3.4 apg (Regular season career average was 4.4 apg)
.540 FG% (Regular season career average was .540 FG%)


3 games of 50+ points (including the ONLY THREE by a GOAT candidate)

5 games of 40+ points (including a Finals 40+ elimination game)

13 games of 30+ points

6 games of 30+ rebounds

20 games of 20+ rebounds

or his 37 "must win" and potentially "series clinching" playoff games...

Wilt actually played in 37 "elimination games",...games where either his team faced elimination, or could have clinched the series:

1. W: 53-22-2, 24-42 FG/FGA

2. W: 50-35-2, 22-42

3. L: 26-24-0, 8-18

4. L: 33-23-1, 13-29

5. W: 56-35-1, 22-48

6. W: 32-21-1, 12-29

7. L: 22-22-3, 7-15

8. W: 39-30-?, 19-29

9. L: 30-27-2, 12-28

10. W: 38-26-5, 14-22, 10 blks (Triple-Double)

11. W: 30-26-4, 13-22, 13 blks (Triple-Double)

12. L: 30-32-2, 12-15

13. L: 46-34-?, 19-34

14. W: 18-27-9, 7-14

15. W: 29-36-13, 10-16, 7 blks (Triple-Double)

16. W: 24-23-4, 8-13

17. W: 25-27-3, 10-19

18. L: 28-30-7, 11-21

19. L: 20-27-8, 6-21

20. L: 14-34-5, 4-9

21. W: 11-25-1, 5-9

22. W: 16-29-3, 5-11, 16 blks (Triple-Double)

23. L: 8-18-4, 1-5

24. L: 18-27-3, 7-8

25. W: 36-14-3, 12-20

26. W: 12-26-11, 4-11, 11 blks (Quad-Double)

27. W: 30-27-6, 11-18, 11 blks (Triple-Double)

28. W: 45-27-3, 20-27

29. L: 21-24-4, 10-16

30. W: 25-19-9, 7-12

31. L: 23-12-4, 10-21

32. W: 8-31-8, 4-6

33. W: 20-24-2, 8-12, 10 blks (Triple-Double)

34. W: 24-29-4, 10-14, 8 blks

35. W: 21-28-4, 10-17, 8 blks

36. W: 5-22-7, 2-2

37. L: 23-21-3, 9-16


W-L : 24-13

Here were Wilt's averages in those 37 games:

[COLOR="DarkRed"]29.5 ppg[/COLOR]

26.1 rpg

4.2 apg (missing one game)

.546 FG% (in post-seasons that shot about .440 on average in that span.)

Keep in mind that 24 of those 37 games came after his "scoring seasons" (59-60 thru 65-66)

[Poochymama]

at Wilt.

and people seriously try to say he wasn't a choker?

You should add finals differential too OP

[Young X]

What happened in 1969?

Lost in the finals again to Russell (in his last season) and the Celtics with his teammate averaging 38 a game and winning FMVP.

Lakers had the better, more talented team and were expected to beat the old Celtics but lost game 7 on their homecourt. They prematurely made celebration plans, Russell got upset when he heard about it and guaranteed no matter what that they would lose...eventually leading his team, as a player-coach, in the last game of his career to a championship.

Wilt sat out the last few minutes because of an injury and Russell criticized him for it, basically saying he would've played if he was in Wilt's shoes. Wilt took offense to this and went years without talking to Russell (who was his close friend at the time).

[Rocketswin2013]

And 10 playoff H2H's against Bellamy; 11 playoff H2H's with Reed as a starting center; 11 against Kareem; 17 against Thurmond; and 49 against Russell.

BTW, as an example... in Kareem's first four seasons, he averaged 31.6 ppg on a .556 FG% in his regular seasons. In that same span, he faced THURMOND in three straight playoff series covering 16 games. In those 16 games he averaged 24.3 ppg on a .438 FG%.

Oh, and in his greatest scoring season, '71-72, when he averaged 34.8 ppg on a .574 FG% against the entire NBA, he faced THURMOND in six H2H's in the first round of the playoffs, and averaged 22.8 ppg on a .405 FG%. BTW, Thurmond averaged 25.0 ppg on a .437 FG% in that same series.

Why is this always ignored? How do people rationalize this?

[LAZERUSS]

at Wilt.

and people seriously try to say he wasn't a choker?

You should add finals differential too OP

Down from 23 ppg in his regular seasons, to 18.6 ppg. Oh, of course, he faced Reed twice (and post-surgery in both), Russell, TWICE, and Thurmond ONCE (and HOF Lucas in another one...and again post-surgery.)

Oh, and he badly outrebounded those same guys, and collectively outshot them from the field by a .559 to .439 margin.

[LAZERUSS]

Lost in the finals again to Russell (in his last season) and the Celtics with his teammate averaging 38 a game and winning FMVP.

Lakers had the better, more talented team and were expected to beat the old Celtics but lost game 7 on their homecourt. They prematurely made celebration plans, Russell got upset when he heard about it and guaranteed no matter what that they would lose...eventually leading his team, as a player-coach, in the last game of his career to a championship.

Wilt sat out the last few minutes because of an injury and Russell criticized him for it, basically saying he would've played if he was in Wilt's shoes. Wilt took offense to this and went years without talking to Russell (who was his close friend at the time).

And in that game seven, Russell was nowhere to be found in the 4th quarter (he had five fouls and hid the entire period), and was badly outplayed by Chamberlain, who outscored him, 18-6; outshot him from the floor, 7-8 to 2-7; and outrebounded him, 27-21...all in five minutes less...in that two point loss.

Oh, and Russell apologized some 20 years later for his ridiculous remark (BTW, Russell missed two games in the '58 Finals, and parts of two more, with an injured ankle, and his team lost that series, 4-2.)

Oh, and West? Three years later, West had the worst post-season of his career, shooting .376 overall, and a paltry .325 in the Finals...BUT, won his ONLY ring...thanks to WILT, who dominated in that post-season, particularly in the Finals, en route to a FMVP.

[KembaWalker]

-7.6

[LAZERUSS]

Why is this always ignored? How do people rationalize this?

I have KAJ at #4 all-time. And I have a PEAK Kareem at #2 and just behind Wilt. BUT, in his first ten prime seasons, and pre-Magic...he went to TWO Finals, and won ONE ring.

[KembaWalker]

And in that game seven, Russell was nowhere to be found in the 4th quarter (he had five fouls and hid the entire period), and was badly outplayed by Chamberlain, who outscored him, 18-6; outshot him from the floor, 7-8 to 2-7; and outrebounded him, 27-21...all in five minutes less...in that two point loss.

Oh, and Russell apologized some 20 years later for his ridiculous remark (BTW, Russell missed two games in the '58 Finals, and parts of two more, with an injured ankle, and his team lost that series, 4-2.)

Oh, and West? Three years later, West had the worst post-season of his career, shooting .376 overall, and a paltry .325 in the Finals...BUT, won his ONLY ring...thanks to WILT, who dominated in that post-season, particularly in the Finals, en route to a FMVP.

What were his stats again?

[LAZERUSS]

-7.6

Yep...going from 50 ppg down to 35 ppg is a huge decline...albeit, on far less FGAs.

You can probably give us all here a long list of players who put up 35-27 post-season runs, right?

Hell, I'm sure you can give us an almost limitless number of players who averaged 30 ppg, 27 rpg, 5 apg, and shot ten percent higher than the post-season league eFG% average...in their first 67 straight playoff games, right?

But, how about starting with just ONE GOAT, who put up just ONE playoff SERIES, in which he averaged a 30-27-5 and a +10% margin over the post-season league eFG% mark.

[SouBeachTalents]

I have KAJ at #4 all-time. And I have a PEAK Kareem at #2 and just behind Wilt. BUT, in his first ten prime seasons, and pre-Magic...he went to TWO Finals, and won ONE ring.

In Wilt's first ten prime seasons he went to THREE Finals, and won ONE ring

[LAZERUSS]

What were his stats again?

By virtually ALL ACCOUNTS, THAT Chamberlain OUTPLAYED a PEAK Kareem in the WCF's (Time Magazine went so far as to claim that Wilt DECISVELY OUTPLAYED Kareem in that SERIES)...and then hung a 19-23 .600 FG% Finals, which included the clinching game five (with a broken wrist no less) of 24 points, on 10-14 shooting, with 8 blocked shots, and 29 rebounds (oh, and the entire NY team had 39 BTW.)

[KembaWalker]

By virtually ALL ACCOUNTS, THAT Chamberlain OUTPLAYED a PEAK Kareem in the WCF's (Time Magazine went so far as to claim that Wilt DECISVELY OUTPLAYED Kareem in that SERIES)...and then hung a 19-23 .600 FG% Finals, which included the clinching game five (with a broken wrist no less) of 24 points, on 10-14 shooting, with 8 blocked shots, and 29 rebounds (oh, and the entire NY team had 39 BTW.)

Don't dodge the question what were Wilt's stats in those playoff series

[LAZERUSS]

In Wilt's first ten prime seasons he went to THREE Finals, and won ONE ring

And he nearly beat the eventual champion in THREE game seven's in the ECF's THREE more times (losing them by margins of 2, 1, and 4 points.)

Meanwhile, Kareem lost in the first round with a 60+ win team once with HCA, in the second round to a far less talented team once, and then were blown out by that team in the second round the very next year, was swept with HCA in the WCF's in another, and missed the playoffs altogether, twice.