People have forgotten just how great Walton was because his career was so destroyed by those lousy feet. I remember watching Portland in the playoffs and I have never seen so many layups from players cutting off Walton at the top of the key. His passing was brilliant.
It wasn't just Walton's feet that betrayed him, his back became a mess too. For a couple of years he could not even get up and move, till just a couple of years ago. He finally found a doctor that treated his ailments and now is back broadcasting games and making Grateful Dead comments, lol
Walton as a center was passing the ball like Jokic does today. From down in the lane. Just directing traffic, and using the glass like Duncan to shoot those mid-range shots. Solid defense as well. I know this is old-school basketball, since the refs actually called a travel on someone!
I’m glad I’m not the only one who sees this. And the irony of all that now is…they “teach” all of these things on line!!! 😮😅😮. It’s pathetic. In their mind they’ve invented some new moves. NO…we could have done all that…it was just ILLEGAL. 😂😂😂 The NBA is just a GARBAGE these days. I admire the 3 pt shooting range. That’s real. But all the dribbling stuff, bumping off the defender… all that’s just nonsense.
I agree. I stopped watching years ago. I will watch highlights, all the players palm the ball. That is not dribbling. Then, watching players pick up the ball and jump into position to shoot a jump shot. It sure looks like traveling.
I am thinking more and more when I see these old games that the 3 point shot ruined basketball. These games just flow better and you see teams playing as a team!
This looks like basketball. Teamwork, cutting, passing, strategy. Inside, then out. Totally different from the standing around the parameter waiting for one player to make the game. Right 3 point shot has ruined the game. And I used to be for it. Now I realize it should be banned.
@@jamesvalentino4356 And I think so! As Greg Popovich said - shooting for 3 point is avoiding to play a game. Every team takes 30 3 point shots per game at least! It's so boring for watching.
@@sbnpouipnbt2614 Yes I agree that the athletes are bigger and stronger but they cheat with steroids but again the game (to me anyway) was meant to be played as a team.
I just thought the same thing! Kareem has got that really quick drop step! This is basketball worth watching. The rules enforced. No drive palm, travel, kick out and shoot a three.
Actual basketball. No carries. No traveling. No ludicrous "gather step." Ten guys covering the court, instead of eight guys pinned to one side while a "superstar" plays one-on-one with a defender who will get called for a foul just for taking a deep breath.
Gather STEPS. The gather rule often allows *2* extra steps - over and above the TRAVEL rules change to 2 steps instead of 1. And players STILL travel noticeably often (but rarely get called for it).
@@MeIn321 both were complete packages..... I found walton, when uninjured, to be a touch more athletic but also with a slightly better sense and awareness of the full court. If constructions a dream team of healthy players in their prime, I would pick Kareem and wilt as center and would move walton to forward, magic in backcourt... etc
I'm huge Walton fan and I cant say enough great things about Kareem too. I remember many great games at Portlands Memorial Coliseum with 12,666 fans every game for years.
The whole team was amazing. Lucas and Walton provided the muscle and front court skills. Hollands, Davis and Gross the speed needed in the backcourt. Looking back, I wish Ramsey would have cut down on Walton’s playing time in many of the blowouts won by the Blazers.
@@timwmoore2133 imagine if there were three point shooting and a system that took advantage of it. Walton would have had 20 assists per game along with 20 points and rebounds. Fewer blocks, though.
Portland faced the Made-For-TV superstars of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Artis Gilmore, Julius Irving, George McGinnis and they demolished each with unglamorous team play at its best. CBS and Sports Illustrated anguished over a star-less motion offense in a smaller TV market winning it all. The '77 Trailblazers made a fan of team play out of me for life!
And what's crazy about that is this team was BY FAR the youngest team to ever win an NBA title. When they hoisted the trophy their starting lineup was 25, 24, 23, 23, and 21! That's insane! And this was way before the wave of HS players entering the NBA and players leaving college early.
Blazers swept Lakers in this series. Walton ave 19.3ppg, 14.8rpg, 5.8apg and 2.3bpg while shooting 50% from the field and 55.6% from the line. Jabbar: 30.3ppg, 16.0rpg, 3.8apg, and 3.8bpg while shooting 60% from the field and 77.5% from the line. Walton shot only 9 free throw in the series.
@@alanfoster6589 In this 1976-77 season, Walton averaged the most free throw attempts for his career. And that number was only 5.0 free throw attempts/game, and he made 3.5 of those. So in 4 games, you would have expected Bill to take 20 free throws, but he took just about half of that.
Bill Walton was (more or less) healthy for basically only two NBA seasons. For both those two seasons he got to the playoffs. In one he was the Finals MVP and won the title. In the other one he got the 6th Man of the Year award and won the title.
@@exclusivefootage6704 Moses wasnt better...Moses was healthier and if battling head2head undeniably stronger...However, Moses wasnt a great passer at all let alone the best passer the center position has ever seen...Walton has that distinction...Malone was dominant on the boards, was not a slouch on either end of the court by any means, but he did not have the impact Walton had when healthy and in his prime...That group around Walton in 77 wasnt a superbly talented or star studded supporting cast Walton made ALL of them MUCH BETTER players his unselfish style had the same effect Bird and Magic's had on their teammates if not an even far greater effect because of how much easier he made their jobs on defense become as well as their jobs on offense...The footage available of him demonstrates an absolute mastery at working within that 5th passing lane...He was an outstanding rebounder and shotblocker as well, and hes a picture perfect fundamentally sound machine when it comes to converting def rebounds into quick outlet passes2trigger fast breaks...If Walton had stayed as healthy and played as long as Malone or Kareem did hed have won at least 2-3 more league MVP awards and maybe 2-3 more NBA championships. If you wanna insist that Kareem was better thats a reasonable statement, but M.Malone wasnt...The team Moses had around him while finally winning a championship was LOADED with talent...1983 76ers had 3HOFers as well as Andrew Toney and Bobby Jones...Walton had a supporting cast in 1977 of M.Lucas and Bob Gross. Hed be in the debate for best big man of alltime if he hadnt been plagued by injuries...
@@diegochavez6203 not too 10 but Walton could have been top 20. His two healthy years, taking the best of his stats he was roughly 20pts 14reb 5ast 3blk per 75. Not going to be better than Kareem wilt shaq and Hakeem but could have been 5th best center.
Yes he has amazing court awareness and knew who was open. \There are so many missed opportunities when guys break open for easu shots and there is a small window of opportunity toe get the ball to him. The opportunity often closes fast and then the guy with the ball starts going one on one. Walton was great at seeing these opportunities and capitalizing on them. Just simple passes to teammates at the right time when they are open.
@@QED_ Interesting idea but I thing you have to move it out a little farther if you want to discount layups and dunks. Say 8 feet. Here is another radical idea that will greatly improve the game: Eliminate the game clock and play to a score. That will eliminate all the fouling and timeouts at the end of games. The way it is now, it takes half an hour to play the last minute of the game. I know people will hate this idea because they have been so conditioned to playing this way, they have accepted it and don't want to change. But do you prefer to watch the greatest athletes in the world playing tough, clean defense or do you want to watch them continually parade to the foul line or to the bench for a timeout where you have to wait and wait and wait for action to resume? The reason teams foul is to extend the length of the game before time runs out - effectively increase the number of possessions they get to catch up. They call timeout many times just to advance the ball or bail themselves out of a bad situation. In my opinion, when you put your opponent in a bad situation, you should be rewarded for it. Your opponent should not be allowed to get help by the ref. Teams should never be rewarded for intentionally committing a foul. That goes against the spirit of competition - but it happens all the time in basketball. If they played to a score there would be no incentive to foul and less incentive to call timeout (I am in favor of eliminating all timeouts also). If you foul when you are behind and the game is close, you will put the opponent at the line, which will put your opponent closer to winning and shorten the game, not lengthen it. Now you will get to see intense defense at the end of the game which is what I personally prefer to watch. No more bailouts. After eliminating the game clock, there will be no incentive to stall either, which is the whole purpose of the 24 second clock. So you can eliminate that also. It will not be necessary because the longer you hold the ball before putting up a shot, the more likely it is your team will turn the ball over. So there is no incentive to pass up good shots and hold the ball to run out the clock, which will not exist. So now refs can focus on pure basketball rather than all the nonsense surrounding clocks. With less things to focus on, refs can call the game better. Focus a little better on traveling violations to start with. There is tremendous room for improvement of the game of basketball.
Unfortunately I was a Walton fan in 77, and I didn't realize until I revisited this upload, what a Titanic Matchup I was Witnessing between Arguably the Two Best College Centers of ALL TIME!
@@pertburton5586 UCLA won without either Kareem or Walton 1n 1969-70 and again in 1970-71. Kareem had graduated and Walton was just a freshman, who were ineligible for varsity at the time, in 1970-71. The Bruins were led by Sidney Wickes, Henry Bibby and Curtis Rowe.
@@pertburton5586 kareem graduated in 1969. Walton entered UCLA as a freshman in the fall of 1970. Thus, the 1969-70 season and 1970-71 seasons, the Bruins were without either man.
This is beautiful to watch. As a kid growing up in the 80's, both of these men were heroic, but aged and nowhere near this brilliant. Thanks for posting.
All very unselfish teams. Lebron would ruin the chemistry on each of those teams and, of course, none of those teams would have put up with his total lack of effort on defense.
@Kildare Aleksander I have read and heard that. Unfortunately here in North America that's all we saw him was his time in the NBA. I will say I read David Robinson was very impressed with him when Robinson played against him when he was in Europe.
Damm Bill 1:31 you got Kareem stumped. Watching this I can't help but think of the scene from the movie Airplane when Kareem tells the kid "The hell I don't! LISTEN, KID! I've been hearing that crap ever since I was at UCLA. I'm out there busting my buns every night! Tell your old man to drag Walton and Lanier up and down the court for 48 minutes!"
Amazing upload, thanks! Walton had one of the GOAT peaks for a center, just incredible... and what’s crazy is that he still had years and ways to go; shame for injuries. Kareem was probably at his overall best around 1977, too bad his teammates weren’t all that, and even got worse with injuries all around the team. In terms of peaks/primes for centers throughout basketball history, it’s difficult for me to say who’s the best (you’ve got a few who were just unreal), but overall - considering everything - Kareem is the GOAT center.
Bill Walton was incredibly good, he dominated all facets of game, the best center passer with Sabonis ever, he jumped a lot, but unfortunately he had glass knees
Thank you for posting this. What great memories for me. I was at that game. My father took my brother and I to the game. I was 9 years old at the time.
In this series Kareem Jabbar outplayed Bill Walton at the Center position. Point Scoring: Jabbar 30.3 per game, Walton 19.3 per game. True Shooting %: Jabbar: 66.0%, Walton: 50.7%, Rebounds per game: Jabbar: 16.0, Walton: 14.8, Blocked Shots per game: Jabbar 3.8, Walton: 2.3, Assists per game: Jabbar: 3.8, Walton: 5.8. Jabbar dominated Walton in this series, but the other players on the Blazers team outplayed the other players on the Lakers team, allowing the Blazers to win the series. Jabbar and Walton were the two best passing Centers in the NBA. In the 76 - 77 regular season their assists per game: Jabbar: 3.9, Walton: 3.8. They were both great passers. The key to this series was that Lakers Power Forward Kermit Washington was injured and didn't play. He averaged 9.3 rebounds per game in the regular season. The Lakers were not going to win this series without him. (True Shooting % is Field Goal shooting and Free Throw shooting combined).
Wilt had 7.8 assists per game during his 76'ers championship year (good for #3 in the league). The following year he DELIBERATELY went after the assist title and won it - at 8.6 assists/game. I think he could pass the ball when he wanted to... Oh yeah, Wilts CAREER APG was 4.4 - though to be fair he did benefit from a LITTLE higher pace.
I had forgotten how much Kareem used the left hand earlier in his career. Made him so versatile and unpredictable. Later he became only about the baseline skyhook right handed.
Kareem HAD to use both hands more when he was facing Wilt and Nate. Very few later centers were as strong defensively - and Kareem HIMSELF has said that "Nate played me the toughest".
@@sbnpouipnbt2614 Hadrin would have to completely change his game to do anything at ALL. He doesn't get to take 4-6 steps before he shoots in THIS era, he has to deal with hand checking slowing him down, he doesn't get to KICK people and have it called a foul on HIM - and his frequent FLOPS would be ignored. Also, NO 3 POINT LINE IN THE NBA in the 1970s. No, he would NOT dominate - but he's smart enough he could probably adopt to be a GOOD player.
@@sbnpouipnbt2614 but it would be interesting to see how Harden would react and adjust to strong rugged players who could use their damn hands on him; with Refs who would never give him the wimpy ass calls he gets...hmmm
The Bill Walton of '77 was him at his best. Unfortunately injuries was a major issue throughout his career and he never again duplicated this championship season success...
Credit to Walton's wonderful all around team game, but no one, absolutely no one could outplay Kareem at his peak. This was the Kareem the Showtime Lakers never got to see
Nope. Kareems prime lasted longer than pretty much every NBA player. He stayed in good shape and did not have major injuries. His unstoppableness does not depend on being very fast at running. Its his skyhook, up and under, standinf reach, rebounding and passing. If yoy blocked his skyhook he could get it back and skyhook again on you and score. Wilt blocked multiple in a row and Kareem regained control on occasions after a knee surgery. From age 37 to 41 yrs old he was old scoring Hakeem. Rockets had to double him. He was also ourscoring Patrick Ewing and kept him under 19 PPG.
Kareem was the league 's MVP Magic's first year three years later. People seem to forget how good Kareem was in the playoffs until he got hurt, he should of been the MVP for the series too.
Stuart Perry facts. Its funny how no one ever reports that 1980 was Kareem’s season he had a better Finals performance than Magic. But that Game 6 in Philly tho, Magic was a bad bul.
@@bricefleckenstein9666 yea and you forget that that was not only the old Wilt but after Wilt's knee surgeries, The Wilt of 1966 -67 could have really smoked Kareem I suspect; true, no one in the world was gonna ever really shutdown young prime Kareem but Wilt would have really dominated him physically on the boards ad defensively. Now I gotta say Brice, I watched those games between those two and I was always really hopimg and rooting for old Wilt, but if you look up the stats on their matchups, Wilt wasn't outplaying Kareem very much...
This game shows why the 3-point shot was added just a few years later. Notice how there are 4 Blazers in the paint when Kareem catches the ball down low. The game needed some spacing. The 3 second rule wasn't even added until 2001! Teams can really crowd the paint back then. And what a shame that Walton was riddled with injuries in his prime. Could have been an All time great.
True. jabbar was just as good a passer, but had to carry the offensive load for that team. Waltons best career assist number for his short lived career are 4.6 and 5.0. Jabbar in his prime had 5 seasons of 4.6-5.0 assists per game.
Thx for posting this..I remember watching NBA games on ABC WADE WORLD OF SPORTS every Sunday afternoons ... no hype!! Just basketball 🏀!! But then $$$$$ changed all that...🏀
Bill Walton was amazing. Who else could retire for 3 years due to injuries, [foot] go to law school at Stanford, then come back with the Celtics and be very effective.
Should never be a doubt about the The Big Red Head being in the HOF or a top 50 player.He was fundamentally sound.He & Sabonis are the 2 greatest passing centers that i've been privelaged enough to watch
Wilt and Jocic are my choice for best passing big men, Wilt led the league in assists only big man to do that and edges out jocic, Sabonus and big red with his stamina😊
He is really just a borderline HOFer due to his injury plagued career. He is not a top 50 or top 75 NBA player. There are many players that posted better numbers over a much longer career. His HOF entry is really due to his great college career.
IMO had Walton had a healthy NBA career, he'd be the GOAT and it wouldn't be a conversation. He NEVER HAD a fully healthy season - 1986 was the closest but he was already worn down by that point - and STILL claimed "6'th Man of the Year". As I recall he only played 62 or so games in the regular season the year he led Portland to their ONLY title.
I believe Bill Walton is one of the greatest players in the history of basketball. The guy could do it all. He was a very good scorer but his defense, rebounding & passing (especially for a center) were top notch. The only thing that could stop him was the 82-game + playoffs NBA season. If the season was like college back then 30 games plus 3 playoff games, it would be a completely different story.
People are crowing about Walton on here and I came to see it, but I see Kareem dominating. Walton looks like more of a top 10 candidate big man rather than vying for the crown. Which is no knock, this isn't the 80s where people would argue Dr. J was in the top 3, in part because he was still playing but also because we had a lot less players vying for those top spots.
Kareem was, obviously, difficult to stop from scoring. Walton was no slouch at it either, but he could pass as well as Larry Bird, was a great rebounder and rim protector/shot blocker.
B.B. was such a different experience in those days! I'm not one of those who sneer at today's game, but the play in these old clips was very competitive and highly entertaining.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is arguably the greatest center in NBA history. Yet I’ve seen multiple series where he was literally outplayed by another center. One was Bill Walton. The other was Moses Malone.
This was a great series and a classic battle between two of the all time greats at the center position. Unfortunately the narrative ended up being that Walton outplayed Jabbar when in reality it was a very close battle. Unfortunately Kareem really had to carry the Lakers offensively as nobody else had any sustained production. Earl Tatum had a great offensive game in game one but didn't do much of anything the rest of the series. By contrast, Walton didn't have to do everything himself because Lionel Hollins, Johnny Davis, and Mo Lucas were extremely productive. Kareem was bitter about how much press Walton got, attributing it to disrespect of his game, bigotry against his Muslim faith, and racism. While he was probably right to some degree, Kareem was also famous for treating members of the sports media very badly so it's hard to blame them for not being a little bit biased in their reporting. For the series Walton averaged 19.3 ppg, 14.8 rpg, 5.8 apg, 1 steal, and 2.3 blocks on 50% from the floor and 56% from the line. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar put up 30.3 ppg, 16 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.3 steals, and 3.8 blocks on 61% from the field and 78% from the line, leading in every statistical measure except assists. It's not hard to see why Kareem thought he should have gotten more credit, though he always was very complimentary of Walton's game. Similarly, you can see why Bill always said Kareem was the greatest player he ever played against.
I think people are too trigger-happy when it comes to accusations of racism and bigotry. The disparity in media attention might've had something to do with the fact that the Blazers were winning the series. The winners get all the love and it's always been that way. I think Kareem nailed it later on in his career and more accurately touched on the disproportionate lack of media buzz surrounding him throughout his career. He was a low key guy for starters who lacked flamboyance. And his style of play just wasn't that exciting to a lot of people. Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking him for those things and to me, players like Kareem are refreshing in the world of self-promoting egomaniacs and I've always tended to root for guys like him. Kareem was a fabulous player and a strong GOAT candidate. He was clearly the best player on the planet throughout the '70s and outplayed pretty much everybody, including arguably Walton in '77. But he had that same thing going on that Tim Duncan had. And to show that his accusations of racism and bigotry being the cause of it is a bit misguided, it was very similar for John Stockton too. It didn't take long for Kareem to take a back seat to Magic in the hearts and minds of Laker fans because Magic had "sizzle" for lack of a better term whereas Kareem didn't.
@@madcapper6 You may be right, but the 70s were a different time than today. People forget how controversial Kareem used to be. In 1973, a home owned by Kareem was the scene of a grisly murder and he was still dealing with the fallout from that a few years later when he and Walton met in the finals. He belonged to a religion that was viewed as alien by many Americans and possibly even dangerous. It didn't help his reputation that he was often truculent, if not outright hostile, to the press, that he didn't treat fans well who approached him, or that he flashed a foul temper on the court from time to time. You're right that Walton got lots of love and much of that was because the Blazers were winning, but if Kareem had been more willing to engage the public, as he began to do during his later years and has continued to do in his retirement, he might have been portrayed in a better light. When Airplane! was released in 1980, it showed a different side of Kareem and then he seemed to rediscover his enjoyment of the game in the 80s as the cornerstone of the Showtime teams. It's too bad that in the 70s he seemed to be very reluctant to appear as anything other than a jerk. Tim Duncan was a quiet leader for the Spurs, but he was always likeable. Kareem just wasn't in the 70s. I have no doubt that there was a component of religious and probably some racial bigotry as far as people's attitude toward him, but more of it was his own fault in alienating people who otherwise might have defended him. In the end, he got criticism he probably didn't deserve, but it didn't have to be that way. He seemed to not realize that his own persona turned people against him, instead attributing their reactions as motivated by bad faith when really they were just reacting to how he presented himself.
@@pebutts Fair enough. You make some excellent points. I didn't like him back in those days because I was a Sonic fan lol. As far as that goes, I hated Magic even more. He was the great equalizer against my beloved Sonics and flipped the edge in the Lakers' favor in '79-80. I honestly despised the dude. He had a big part in ending the Sonics' reign at the top and to me he was just having far too much fun doing it. Looking back on it though that all sprung from being a passionate fan and saw Magic as a mortal enemy. I got a chance to meet him around '85 when I was in high school when he teamed up with Jack Sikma at Osborn & Uland in Seattle to honor the Garfield High School basketball team after winning the state championship. One of the nicest guys I've ever met. So my attitude changed a long time ago. I did let him have it for crushing my soul in the '80 WCF though lol.
@@madcapper6 I was a SuperSonics fan as well. I thought Magic was the difference. If you remember all those games were close and the Sonics won game 1 in LA. Guess close doesn't count
@@mongoslade277 Yeah the Sonics probably spent the majority of that series ahead on the scoreboard, especially in Games 4 and 5. They just didn't have the staying power to hang with the Lakers at the end of those games. Probably the biggest difference in the series to me was the Kareem/Jack matchup, which Kareem won pretty decisively. Sikma looked a bit reticent against Kareem and it probably stemmed from his confidence taking a hit in the previous series against the Bucks, in which he also struggled. The other thing that hurt them was the rebounding battle. The Sonics should have won the rebounding battle pretty easily as they were as I'm sure you know one of the strongest rebounding teams in the league while it was considered the part of the game where the Lakers were at their weakest. Yet the Lakers won the rebounding battle too.
For those of you who are running what ifs scenarios for Bill Walton just think about Sabonis. Walton actually had a shot to play in the NBA in his prime
Based JUST on Walton's NBA career, he probably should not be in the Hall. **** BUT **** It's the BASKETBALL Hall of Fame, and Bill had a MUCH BETTER college career than most players EVER had - which was probably enough to put him in the Hall BY ITSELF.
Classic B Ball. Those teams would embarass most of the teams today that barely have any offensive game plan or strategies. Walton was a much more fundamentally complete player, too bad he broke down
This is when Walton was healthy, then he broke his ankle after the Trail Blazers won the championship in 1977. He was never the same. I was there for the 1977 Championship game. One of the best moments of my life!! I was so hopeful for the 1978 season but it wasn't to be. I think the Seattle Supersonic won the championship in 1978 if memory serves me right. God I'm old.........
I am also thinking 🤔🤔 as I watch film 📽️📽️ of Old Game's. How the addition or the subtraction of different players would Add too a Team's identity and also allow it too move on and then Win it's Conference or the Whole Thing with an NBA Championship 🏆🏆 or repeat One's. Also the Three point addition into the Game's has really changed the overall Styles of Play, from when the Five postions would work different styles of the Game too achieve a Win. Now the Game, and the Team's seem too have more or less capabilities too achieve Thier objectives. Thanks for Sharing.
I remember watching this when I was a kid. Walton had ALOT of help from Lucas on Jabbar that series but Walton was very good, competitive with Jabbar for those two years.
Of course he did, as did everyone. But in terms of both points and rebounds, Kareem didn’t do quite as well against Walton as he did against other centers of his prime.
Lanier, Cowens, a young Bob McAdoo all gave Kareem a headache as well. They could hit regularly from 12-18 feet and Kareem did not like to leave the paint. Nor did Wilt for that matter.
@@joshuasussman4020 "For the series Walton averaged 19.3 ppg, 14.8 rpg, 5.8 apg, 1 steal, and 2.3 blocks on 50% from the floor and 56% from the line. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar put up 30.3 ppg, 16 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.3 steals, and 3.8 blocks on 61% from the field and 78% from the line, leading in every statistical measure except assists.".......Maybe Walton did better, if so, Kareem must have been annihilating those other guys!
When I bother to check in with today's game (which isn't frequent and a shame since I was a basketball nut growing up in the 60's and 70's) it looks like NBA '20 come to life . . . fast breaks to hoist 3-pointers, etc. Athleticism is much better but fundamentals are missing. I remember when John Wooden once came out and stated he preferred watching the woman's game because it was more fundamentally sound.
@@ellvtv2314 Hello, 1970s game. PAY ATTENTION. THERE WAS NO GATHER RULE (added to the travel rules in 2009, tighter specified in 2019), and the Travel rule was also changed from 1 step to 2 in 2009. www.espn.com/nba/news/story?id=4563546 about the original 2009 rule changes (and it WAS a change to the rules, even if NBA refs had widely MISCALLED the rule for a while). Pay particular attention to Walt Fraiser's comments in that article - Hall of Fame on his first ballot, 7 x All Defense, 7 x All Star, 6 x All NBA, and a member of the 50 Year All Time Team, he KNOWS what he's talking about on the subject. official.nba.com/new-language-in-nba-rule-book-regarding-traveling-violations/#:~:text=Incorporating%20the%20Gather%20into%20the%20Traveling%20Rule&text=A%20player%20who%20gathers%20the,ball%20to%20start%20his%20dribble. covers the "clarification" and notes that the rule PRIOR TO THAT POINT had been getting called differently than the INTENT of the rule (hello Hardin in particular).
When Walton played during the 1976-77 and 1977-78 seasons, the Blazers were 108-37 including a stretch of 70-15, one title, one 1st tm all NBA, one MVP, one finals MVP, one 2nd tm all NBA, led NBA in rebs, blks once each
Healthy Walton was great but not better than Jabbar....Jabbars prime assist numbers are even better than Waltons. (Walton best assists per game , 2 years of 4.6 and 5.0, Jabbar has 5 seasons of 4.6-5.0 assists per game. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-6dCR8B0SFp4.html Pull up jumpers, turn around jumpers, fade away jumpers, jumpers off the glass, lay ups, dunks, sky hooks (right/left hand), assists, running the floor, bringing the ball up on the fast break, defense/blocks....(one article said he should have won 3 dpoty awards, but the NBA wasn't giving them out at that time.) Prime Walton could do a lot of that, but not better than Kareem....nothing in the stats shows otherwise.
Walton never averaged 20 pts in any season in the NBA. He was only healthy for 2 years in his NBA career. To say he was better than Kareem is ludicrous. Walton was a big what if in NBA history.
I remember the 'Mountain Man.' He was the best player in the league, as someone below said, for 2 precious seasons, and then . . . disaster. Miraculously, orthopedic science brought him back years later and he was still an excellent addition to Boston--maybe the best front line in history. Man was Walton pissed at the Trailblazers and their medical staff after his departure . .
I remember the Sports Illustrated cover picture showing Kareem and Walton battling. The caption stated, The Franchise vs The Mountain Man! Bill Walton dominated in that series!
Very true. Traveling, and the other violation known as "palming the ball," haven't been enforced for many years. Back in that era, Kyrie Irving and most other ball handling specialists of modern times would have been called for palming almost every time they did a crossover dribble when their hand strayed to the underside of the ball. Somewhere along the line, the powers that be decided that the game was better if some of the basic rules of handling the ball were forgotten. As someone who has been watching basketball since the 1950's, I do not agree with that philosophy. It has made the game much less about teamwork and ball movement, which are the essence of basketball.
Walton is obviously a better team player than Kareem...In this series Kareem had the numbers over Walton. They took the same amount of shots yet Kareem outscored and outrebounded Walton. Watching this game though it appeared at least to me that Walton was a slightly better player as he elevated is teams play.
