Why Bill Walton Was The Best Center Of All Time: Game 6 NBA Finals 1977 

watched every game of that series, Bill was and is my fave player of all time... he won 134 straight games in hs and at ucla!!!

very missleading title, Doesn't explain how he was the best center at all

The video title SHOULD be "Why Bill Walton WOULD'VE Been One of the Greatest Centers of All Time"

I went to High School with Bill and his brothers. My highlight is getting a rebound off of Bill in a pick up game at gym. Of course the ball bounced about 15 feet from the basket so it was my luck, but I count it. He was an amazing center in High School, College and the Pros, but one thing many miss is his move to the Celtics and voted best 6th man in the league when most thought he was done. Not many stars can swallow some pride and be an inspiration off the bench in a room of future Hall of Famers. His positive attitude is infectious. Yes he talks too much on broadcasts....but when he was younger he had terrible stuttering problems and could not face a microphone, so he really had to push himself to be where he was at as an ESPN analyst. Still a great guy!!

This video makes a ridiculously stupid claim that Walton is the best center of all time and then mentions Walton for about 30 seconds.

In his Prime, Mountain Man was incredibly versatile. One of the best outlet passers and defenders .

Great footwork, outstanding outlet pass, great defense, superb all-around passer. Too bad he couldn't stay healthy.

A healthy Walton was the best center of all time. It's sad many didn't get to see it tho. The best college player ever also. I hated seeing him play for the Celtics, but at least he got to show that he still had the skills.

Walton's first 7 NBA games: 16 ppg, 19 rpg, 4.4 apg, 4 blocked shots. Then came the foot injuries...

The 1977-78 Blazers that bolted out to a 50-10 start the year after they won the title were one of the best teams in NBA history, a sentiment shared by Rick Barry, Don Nelson and others at the time in a SI article. The Blazers also won 44 straight at home over two seasons (including the playoffs during this era). They were one of the quickest and best passing teams in NBA history in my opinion.

77 Blazers and 86 Celtics were the two best passing teams I've ever seen in the NBA. And, interestingly enough, Walton was a member of both. You just don't see teams that truly understand moving without the ball and the passing game like that much any more these days.

This was not Ricky Davis. I think his name was Johnny Davis.

How does this show that Bill Walton is the best center of all time?

Great memories from a great season and play-offs for the Portland Trailblazers. I was 21 years old, a college student at the U of O, had a nifty little apartment in the West Hills of Eugene, and fondly remember having 4 or 5 friends over imbibing some great brews throughout the play-offs. After a number of years thinking the Blazers would never amount to much in the NBA, Bill Walton and company showed the NBA how to win a championship. "Red hot and rolling" was an apt descriptor for how they played. This team won some play-offs by 25 to 35 points - a rarity then and now. That year, when they got on a roll, nobody could stop them. Kareem Abdul Jabbar specifically mentioned this team from that year the year he retired from the league. He recognized what many others did. Namely, that was a year nobody could stay with Portland.

Walton could've been one of the all time greats, but I will say he was the best passing center to have played this game.

Walton was a complete player and very talented.

I was there. Walton didn’t get stripped of his jersey. As soon as they won he took it off and threw it in the crowd. Walton was the best center for two seasons. If his career had been now he would have played several more games with the doctors they have nowadays.

Wow i'm a bit young to remember any of these games, but seeing Lionel Hollins, Doug Collins, Walton, all old guys now, NBA sure has changed.

Between his sophomore year in high school and senior year in hi-school, the man's teams were 160 wins and 2 defeats. If not for fracture in his spine his senior year at UCLA, they would've never lost a game his three years on varsity. I tried to warn others after his senior year at Helix High that this was a rare, high-level talent. And for those that stated he couldn't jump, I was 6'1" sitting courtside when he elevated to catch a shot instead of blocking it, his shoes were even with my chest. Portland was a budding dynasty when sadly his injuries began.

Walton was a flawless player, a joy to watch.

A healthy Bill Walton could match up with any center in NBA history. He was solid in every phase of the game. His only weaknesses IMO were his vertical jump and relatively short arms for somebody that is 6'11. We saw here Dr J soar right over Bill's extended arm for an easy dunk. But he was such an intelegent player, he knew how to get position and had excellent footwork (when they worked) and great enthusiasm for the game to compensate for his trivial short comings.

Collins, Hollins, Dunleavy sr, Bryant, Bibby??? Wow it kinda makes me wish I had the chance to see the old timers in their prime! I can't imagine the next couple of generations watching Kobe, DWade, Lebron, and Dirk (to name a few), like how we're watching these games.

Walton was a great all around center and certainly should be mentioned with russell, wilt and kareem. He was 7-1 not 6-11....Great enthusiasm and I loved watching him historic 86 celtics with bird, mchale, parish and dj

Wouldn't call him "the best of all time" but, had he stayed healthy throughout his career, he would certainly have to be rated among the top four centers of all time with Wilt, Kareem, and Bill Russell. Note that these three men managed to remain injury-free through most of their careers.

This is probably the most ridiculous title I've ever seen

Bill Walton when healthy was one of the best centers in basketball history. One of the best, and probably underrated in the eyes of many people, in part because he often was not healthy. Interestingly, I visited San Diego in the 1980's along with a friend who had relatives there and stayed in the University Heights area. This is where Walton actually grew up, not upscale La Mesa. There is no major university located in University Heights. It is a socioeconomicaly mixed community. Some of the people I talked to there remembered him as a kid, long before he grew to his adult height of 6'11". Possibly helped along by this exposre, I eventually came to the conclusion that Walton probably was physically ready to play pro ball when he 17 years old. His prime years may have been when he was at UCLA. He played a very kinetic games, and it was no wonder that as he aged into his later 20's he slowed down, he just was not the great player he once had been. Other players have had different experiences.

for his era and perhaps all eras, (when healthy) he was the MOST COMPLETE center,,, nowadays more centers are learning to play like Walton did!

When Walton was not injured he was a great center look at his numbers during his good seasons .He had already broke his nose ,foot wrist and leg before this season76-77 so he was plagued with injuries however he understood the team philosophy very well and loved to make the extra pass he had a great awareness and a nice touch around the rim and had a fierceness in the paint and changed and blocked many shots avg.2.2 blocks per game despite being injured the majority of the time .But I cannot say with any seriousness that he was the best ever now maybe if he was able to play 18 or 19 healthy years in the NBA who knows but you cant change history

Thanks Nick. Great video. Bill was one of a kind. Jamaal Wilkes said playing with Bill Walton was the funnest thing he ever did. Such a joy playing with Bill. That window of Blazermania didn't last long with Bill's injuries and the injuries to Loyd Neal and others but it was a real pleasure for those of us who followed closely. Thanks for the video. Loved it.

The point is that no one played the position better than Walton when he was healthy. There might have been guys who equaled his play, but from an all around perspective, he was the best

I would still take Hakeem Olajuwon as my center any day over anybody else.

on dr j’s first dunk on bill, he pulls bill’s shoulder down just enough. great play by the dr.

Bill Walton easily was the best ever ! It doesn't matter he only had a few healthy NBA seasons we are not talking longevity we are talking who was the best at the top of their game and Bill Walton is the man . He could score , play defense , pass and more important he inspired his teammates . He was the best center as a pro and as a college player he was ions above anyone else that ever played.

Certainly the most skilled Center ever. 86' in Boston was something to behold.

The spacing back then is hilarious compared to what we watch now.. The longest jumper I saw in this vid was no more than 17 feet.. post moves are so much more polished and quick tho.. oh how the game has changed

Johnny Davis. Yes Bill Walton was probably the best passing Center ever. Took the rebound, outlet pass to midcourt in mid air. Beautiful! The turning point in the series was game 3 in Portland. Maurice Lucas walking over to shake Darrell Dawkins hand during introductions, epic!

Bill Walton's career was cut short because of his heel injury. It's very possible he would have ended up at least a top 3 center, but he did not last long enough in the NBA to earn it. After the Trailblazers won the title in 77, the following year, their record was 50 and 3 before Walton was injured and out for the season.

Didn't mention how much Walton and Twardzik hated each other-Walton suing the Trailblazers for giving him meds that covered up his broken foot- Twardzil testifying to Walton's lawyer that he did indeed see Walton getting the pain shots-but adding,"I didn't see the restraints holding him down"....That was great..

I really appreciated Walton's all around game and I also was a fan of Bobby Gross who was a high b-ball IQ player and his game melded so well with Walton's. Gross was a master at moving without the ball, was a solid half court defender, filled the lane on the fast break and could finish at a high level. They always show Dr J dunking on Bobby but they never seem to show him beating Dr J on the fast break or in the half court Portland offense. Gross was really quick and fast and Walton was on the look out for Bobby in the half court or with the outlet pass. Portland's talent was also underrated with Hollins, Lucas, Walton etc... Fans are often guilty of getting caught up in spectacular plays when it's really team basketball that wins championships and that's why the Blazers defeated Philly in '77.

Bill Walton was a BEAST!

Those Blazers were screwed by Bill's health. They were on track for the best record ever when he went down in 77-78. Nothing has ever been the same in basketball. ;)

bill Walton was a good player in his time give him props

One of the greatest finals ever... except game 2 man that fight was nasty.

Without a doubt a hall of famer, but I still wonder how much better he could've been

Nice breakdown of this game 6 championship game. I'm kinda late with my input on this, but just a couple of corrections: You said Ricky Davis. It was Johnny Davis and he was a rookie that year and played great for the Blazers. The second thing is that Walton didn't have his shirt torn off by the fans. He actually tossed the shirt into the crowd after the final buzzer. He was the guy who rebound tipped the missed McGinnis shot to one of his teammates as time expired.

wow possibly the all-time highest basketball IQ for a center. would be good to see him and Tim Duncan on a dream team.

At his best and without the knee issues, I'd take Arvydas Sabonis. Complete package - inside, outside, rebounding, passing.

John Wooden, who coached both Walton and Jabbar, said Walton was the best center ever. He should know. Wooden is the greatest basketball coach ever, too.

A healthy Bill Walton was a better center than anyone who ever played the position. Bill Russell was great as well. Neither of them needed great players around them to win. They made average players seem like great players.

Walton was the king of the outlet pass. You have to box him out so far out of the paint so he wouldn't zip out the outlet and start the instant transition.

I remember that day and I was watching the game and I was a big fan and I wish the Blazers would win other championships.

This isn't a breakdown, this is to showing why Bill Walton was the best center of all time.

Nice job.... Walton was awesome... Easy top five center....

The glaring difference between the Sixers and the Blazers in that Final was the coaching styles of Dr. Jack and Gene Shue. Old school execution of set offense vs relying on athleticism and "natural advantage."

Bill could bank shots superbly. Pass great. Surprised more center with exception being Duncan, rarely use glass.

From 1967 to 1973 UCLA was 205-5. Both Alcindor and Walton were 88-2. Walton,s 88 wins were consecutive. Both were 3 time player of the year winners. UCLA won 3 NCAA Titles with Alcindor and 2 with Walton. UCLA was upset by David Thompson and North Carolina State in the 1972 Finals. In between the Alcindor and Walton eras Steve Patterson led UCLA to 29-1 record and the 1970 Championship

For that 100 game stretch , nobody was remotely close to Bill Walton!!! Period! The only guy to block Kareems hook! Twice in the same game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Funny thing is, people remember more of Dr J dunking on Bill than Bill winning a ring.

If you watch BW play - when healthy - he was the one of the most complete centers to ever play the game

At his best (and healthy), Walton was as good as any center in the history of the game. His passing was next-level. He was big, athletic, strong, fundamentally sound, with great shooting touch. In '86, as a 6th man for the Celtics (and no longer at his best), he outplayed Sampson and Olajuon in the finals when he was on the court.

Great analysis but terribly misleading title.

nice commentary, acute analysis , e.g., "Dr. J likes to leave his feet to pass..." That is spot on. Plus we also get to see sort of how schoolyard shabby the 76er's were in fact. as per Walton, well, he liked to pass. It's called basketball, passing.

Hence his condition, which he stated multiple times, "When he was healthy."

I vividly remember walton's 44 point game against Memphis State in 73, 21/22 from the field, Wow! But my 1st exposure to walton and that whole incredible ucla team was the year before against Florida State, -i don't remember the details of that game, I was 10 and just getting into college basketball, but remember that I was super impressed with walton once he hit his stride, ha wasn't as dominating in that game but did enough that the performance the next year against M state did not surprise me -he was just so much fun to watch

In my lifetime, the best center I saw was Hakeem The Dream Olajuwon. I wish I could've seen Kareem and Wilt during their prime to make a better comparison.

I loved that Portland team and enjoyed watching that series.

Not the greatest center of all time, but certainly a great one when he wasn't injured, which was often. Well rounded in all phases of the game, and one of the most fundamentally sound big men to ever play the game. But to say that Bill was better than Kareem, Wilt, Hakeem, Shaq, or even Patrick Ewing or David Robinson is absurd.

Judging from Walton's plays during the video. I think he will make a much better fit in a "all star team", such as the current Lakers/Heat/Celtic(with Ray Allen), than all the other super scoring behemoths. Walton is less focused on the rim and thus is more prepared to throw the ball to a teammate in a better spot with a better timing.

Guy acts like he knows the 1977 Portland Trail Blazers. At 6:10 he calls Johnny Davis "Ricky Davis". Pffft....please.

Bill Walton , for that 100 game strech leading up to him breaking his foot( again). The Blazers were beating everybody! And I mean everybody! And beating teams by 30. Look at his stats in that only healthy strech in his career. 23 points. 18 rebounds. 3plus blocked shots. 8 assists. AVERAGES for about 100 game strech, the best player ever.

He didn't really answer why Walton was the best. Most of the plays didn't even include him

Is it just me or is Marc Gasol the Bill Walton of today. With Mike Conley being Lionel Hollins, and Bobby Gross being Teyshaun Prince.

Once you read “The Breaks of the Game” you realize why Bill Walton was legitimately one of the top centers, certainly the best passing center, in the history of basketball. He was that good, pre-injury. When he played in ‘86, even as a shell of what he once was, Larry Bird called him the best player he ever played with. He was a 7 foot Magic, with a great defensive sensibility and trained by Wooden. Wow.

This Blazer team is one of my 2 faves of all-time along with the Laker team that won 33 in a row and the title and led by Jerry West and Wilt. I love Walton's all-around game, maybe the best passing big man ever when healthy. I'm not sure I'd call him the best ever but he's in the conversation when healthy. After all, let's not forget Wilt, Kareem, Russell, and Hakeem.

Walton was absolutely out of this world. He was certainly special. I've never seen a center, or any player make a better outlet pass than Walton. He didn't put up great numbers, but he constantly made great plays time and time again. The most fundamentally sound Center I've ever seen player. He was incredibly unselfish and new how to get the best out of his teammates. Clearly he isn't the greatest Center of all time because his career was shortened because of injury. If I had one game or one series to win, and I could take a center at his apex, I'd take Walton, he was that good. Smartest player ever.

Bro, Dr. J is too athletic 😂

Kareem is the best college player ever. 3 chips and 6 in the NBA along with most points and mvps ever, also the most unstoppable shot in NBA history. Yeah I know he had magic and Oscar but he did win the finals MVP over Oscar and once over magic as well so he wasn't a 2nd wheel.

Watched this game at Fort Bragg in my barrack's common room packed sardine tight by the troops, everyone was there to watch Julius Erving AND Bill Walton. Ended, we near filled the dumpster with beer cans and bottles and cigarette butts. I'd say I remember it like it was yesterday... but I can't remember yesterday! Hee

Walton was a great team center, much like Russell.. but GOAT is mega-stretching it.

A good player? When healthy, Walton was a monster out there. He was all about rebounding, defense and out-letting the ball plus he had a fine array of low-post and high-post moves. He's always in the conversation when it comes to all-time greats. Seriously, calling Walton simply a good player exposes you as ignorant more than anything else.

What's his son got to do with it? Yeah, nothing... The voices of intellectual capital weigh in. Ever see Walton play in anything longer than a 5 minute clip? Oh, that's right, you were likely in diapers, at the time. John Wooden (you might not know who is) said Walton is the best center he's ever seen. There have been numerous articles written about how cerebral (that means intelligent) he was, his athleticism, his ability to score, pass, and rebound. He was the ultimate team player. There's more to basketball than scoring... Walton, like Magic could have scored 25 a game but he chose to get his teammates involved. Can't say he would have been best all time, but damn close. Ignorant...

Coach Nick, you make me see the beauty and artistry of basketball.

6:10 Wrong era, Coach! Johnny Davis, not Ricky Davis!

Good job of how you showed Walton as the best center of all time lol those 30 seconds of Walton was amazing lol

You've got to be kidding? What about Chamberlin or Jabbar? Give me a break man!

Bill Walton's peak was arguably the greatest of any NBA Center ever: why? Because Bill Simmons, an infamous Celtic homer, said that if there was anyone he would take healthy and in their primes at the 5, he would take Walton over Russell. It's unfortunate what happened to Bill Walton. The man, at his peak, was essentially a blown-up version of Draymond Green ... AND clogged up the middle WITH a reliable post-game. '75-'77 Bill is unfortunate to not have longevity on his side. Kareem even confessed that the man did more for his team than he himself could at the time.

I think Wilt is the best center of all time, just because the only person who has done as many things on the basketball court as him was possibly Larry Bird. Early in his career, everyone knows about his unstoppable scoring. Deadly mid range shooter huge arsenal of post moves, incredible post fadeaway, and not to mention being the most freakish athlete the league has ever seen. And throughout his career he was the most thoroughly dominant rebounder in NBA history. But then, come 1967, when he finally has the stacked team he had always desired, he drops 7.8 dimes per game, and then in '68 he becomes the only big man to lead the NBA in assists. Moving on into his Laker days, he rivals Bill Russell and Ben Wallace for the most dominant paint protector we've ever seen, single-handedly making the paint a no-fly zone for opposing teams, while still maintaining his passing prowess, slinging it to West and Goodrich to their hearts' content. And, contrary to popular belief, he did step it up when his team needed it. In the 1972 Finals against the Bucks, the 35 year old Wilt arguably outplayed the 24 year old reigning MVP Kareem, severely limiting him on the offensive end, outrebounding him, managing to beat him down the floor on most fastbreaks despite being 11 years older, being an effective scorer and passer, and having a stunning moment when he blocked two Kareem skyhooks in the same possession at the apex of the shot. Plus, in another Game 5, he dominated the game with a severely broken shooting hand

I liked this summary. Not afraid to critique great players. Very honest. Obviously knows his stuff.

Wha I took away from this was, DR J REALLY COULD JUMP whoa

If his career had been longer we could make comparisons. But, yes, he is up there with the best of them.

Nice video, but very little to show that Walton was the greatest center of all time. It's not really mostly about Walton.

Ok, I’m 3 minutes into why Bill Walton is the GOAT of NBA centers and all I’ve seen is highlights of the 76ers.

Walton scored 7000 points in his career kareem 37000

Walton in my opinion is the second best ever behind wilt only because wilt is just an animal and I think you guy are taking in account the video only not knowing the full story. He got injured late in the 1977-78 season at around 50-10 and still one a season mvp. His aggressive rebounding ability was outstanding. He was a 6'1 point guard in high school but then grew to be about a 7'2 center and you guys are saying he was only a 6'11 center wrong. He told them to put that down because he thought anyone over 7'0 was uncoordinated.He was healthy for four years. He won 2 championships even though he was a 6th man in one and got a season mvp and a finals mvp. It's not always about a player scoring the most points it's about who wins the game and who has a ring in the end. And Walton has 2 out of 4 healthy years. He understood team basketball like most teams back then and clearly you guys don't. I know this because all of you are talking about how they don't show Walton very much. He is throwing the passes down the court, setting screens, getting rebounds, and getting assists! So I'm tired of seeing all of you guys that don't aw the truth all you rely on is stats and stats and the game are two different things guys come on use your heads. During this time not even Kareem could stop him but Kareem beat him when he was injured. There is no center in the history of basketball that could match up to waltons team caliber.

Yes, too bad for his injuries, and yrs. of not playing-at his best he was one of the best-and so skilled, and smart-had he had a normal career he would be among the top few-as it is it's hard not to mention him

Nice analysis. You summed up Philly's weaknesses quite accurately. When they got both J and McGinnis I knew it was not going to work out. I used to watch the ABA on TV, and they were shoot first guys, not team players. But Walton had only two great seasons. He averaged 13ppg 10rpg over his career. Russell, Wilt, Kareem are in a class by themselves.

If Bill Walton had been injury free, he could have been one of the top five centers ever. He really had everything you need in a center, plus he was a very good passer. And he was really an intelligent player. Very few centers could start the fast break like him.

Agreed about the three best all time. There's really no question about it.

Even healthy I can name at least ten centers better than Bill Walton. I dont normally like to take away from players but I just cant see how Bill Walton can be in the conversation when there are so many centers that had amazing careers. Walton does not measure up compare to Russell, Wilt, Hakeem, Shaq, Nate Thurmond, Willis Reed, Ewing, David Robinson, Moses Malone, Kareem. All put up better numbers and was more effective for a long time. You cant say he is the greatest when healthy or if he stayed healthy etc. cause it's not about what if's

You know the team game for sure. The problem with basketball in today's highlight culture is that all the players are thinking in terms of beating their man and counting on their team mates to do the same. If a coach could get some of the athletes today to concentrate on a coordinated, poetry-in-motion -style approach instead of the Sports Center Top Ten, that coach -and the players- could win a decade of championships. The last team to really do this was Chicago.