April 15 1983
Two Hall of Fame Centers of different play styles face off in L.A., one center being the leading scorer in NBA history, and the other a 7 time All-Star farm boy from Illinois. They both had one similarity however: an unblockable, unguardable shot. Kareem had his sky hook, and Sikma had his turn-around behind the head shot release over any defender, 7 foot tall or smaller.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had 29 points and 9 rebounds, where at some moments in this game it was clear he was pissed off and channeling that anger to get buckets (a reverse jam over two defenders is traditionally not what you expect from the usual graceful performance from Kareem). On the other side, Jack Sikma poured in 25 points and grabbed 14 boards, trying to match the second best center of all time (hello, Wilt Chamberlain) every step of the way.
Kareem's Lakers would finish on top, with Abdul-Jabbar sinking the eventual game winning free throw to finish on top 100-99. Sikma's opinion on the foul call was that it was a phantom whistle, shown by his lack of supportiveness towards the referee while Kareem prepared shooting at the line. Sikma would get a chance at the other end 20 seconds later, but his momentum would force the ball to dance around the rim instead of go in. Game over, Lakers would escape with a one point victory.
3 окт 2024
