I see two comments here and it doesn't look like either think much of Pistol. Besides his stats you have to remember that defenders were allowed to hand check, you had to dribble with your hand on TOP of the ball not carry it like they do now and they still called traveling when Pete played. Also the science of sports medicine was almost non existent. Injuries were treated the same as a factory worker ( look at the pictures of the brace he wore after the knee injury, it looks like something from the middle ages ). The next closest player I can remember from those days as far as a showman would be Dr. J but on a different area of the court. Doc was a wizard working the base line and coming down the lane. As far as I know the term Showtime in basketball was first used to describe the warm up period before a game when Pete was at LSU and would put on a ball handling show during the warm up period.
Thank you for your comment and your support in checking this video out! Your analysis of the game in the 60s and 70s is 100% correct. All that factored in it makes Pistol Pete's accomplishments even more impressive. The lifespan of many players in that era was very low back then. The advancements in sports medicine have had a drastic change on how long a player can last now and days. Another thing we can also mention is that in that era, big men ruled the game. Kareem, Mcadoo, Walton, Unseld, Reed, and Cowens were all mentioned as the top talent in that era. Maravich made being an offensive dominant guard popular in the league. The only player that was on that level, maybe higher is Oscar Robertson at that time.
If he would have never got the knee injuries, and been on teams that had a roster with better players there is no telling how many titles he would’ve won. His NBA career reflects this. He was special but he could have been the best ever. RIP Pistol.
The joker reminds me of pistol Pete he was my favorite player he was showtime, the most under rated player of all time to me he was better than Larry .
He is definitely amongst the most underrated players of all time. Especially on the college level. But better than Larry? Larry and the Celtics dominated in the 80s in a tough Eastern conference that included the 76ers, Bad Boys, and upcoming Chicago Bulls.
@@jonathan031795 had mr maravich played on teams with better players he would have made playoffs and championships too. he was only 1 man who was treated like he was the whole franchise.
