Doctor J
- Thread starter I AM WARHOL
- Start date
I'm guessing he's counting the 2 ABA finals appearances/wins
He saved Pittsburgh too
This is the GOAT WOAT movie! One of my faves!
(Yes, you read that right, lol…)
The part when Kareem and them come through the psychedelic tunnel, crushin’ the buildings…
Goat poster
KANG LIFE
This.
He went 1 for 5 in the finals.
He'd get torn apart by the media and the internet.
No he wouldn't rememeber he spent his prime in the ABA and came to the NBA at the end of his career. He would catch flake for the 76 finals in which they blew a 2-0 lead but wouldn't for the 80 and 82 finals. Maybe 80 since they lost when kareem went down but the narrative was they didn't have anyone to guard kareem until they got moses.
He was 1 of 4 in the NBA Finals (the 76ers were simply overmatched against the Lakers until they got some help in the middle in Moses Malone)
2 of 2 in the ABA Finals
3 of 6 overall
3 championships, 4 MVPs, 30,000+ career points
I think he has AT LEAST as good a resume as Larry Bird (and I'd give him the edge since he had greater longevity), yet people act like it's a given that Bird should rank higher
Goat poster
KANG LIFE
@ y'all acting like people would have any perspective judging Doc if he played today.I'm pretty sure there would be all types of NBA/ABA debates if the 2 leagues played today with most people SHYTTING on the ABA like its a minor league.
Once he came over to the NBA and lost a couple finals it would be all types of "Doc can't win in a REAL league" type of narrative that would persist through this career.
Not saying I would agree BUT
Let's be real here brehs.
In the 1976 ABA Finals, Dr. J averaged 37.7 ppg on 60%+ shooting, along with 14.2 rpg, 6.0 apg, 3.0 steals per game, and 2.2 blocked shots per game
His New York Nets defeated a superior Denver Nuggets team that featured future HOFers David Thompson and Dan Issell, as well as other excellent players such as Bobby Jones (the best defensive forward in either the NBA or ABA at the time, who was nevertheless unable to slow down Erving). That Nuggets team was so good that the ABA all-star game that year was the Nuggets vs. the rest of the ABA all stars --- and the Nuggets WON!
I think it has to be mentioned as possibly the greatest Finals performance of all time.
When Dr. J went to the 76ers, they already had a lot of great scorers (George McGinnis, Doug Collins, World B. Free), as well as lesser players who were nevertheless not shy about wanting their shots (Darryl Dawkins, Henry Bibby, Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, etc.).
At that time, conventional wisdom was that having one dominant scorer was a recipe for disaster in the playoffs (think of how Bill Russell's balanced Celtics continually defeated Wilt Chamberlain's Warriors/76ers). The 76ers management thought it would be better to have a balanced approach with three 20-point scorers (Erving, McGinnis, Collins) than have Erving shoulder the same load he had in the ABA.
In the 1976-77 regular season, Julius Erving averaged just 21.6 ppg as the 76ers struggled to fit together while still having one of the top records in the league based on talent alone. It was not unlike what we saw from the Miami Heat in 2010-11 when they didn't seem to know how to play LeBron, Wade and Bosh together.
In the 1977 playoffs, the other 76er stars disappeared, and Doc stepped up to assume more of a scoring load. He averaged 30 ppg in the 1977 Finals, but it wasn't enough against a more balanced Blazers team. Those Blazers were an excellent defensive team and one of the very best passing teams ever. Their chemistry was amazing.
The 76ers jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but the Blazers went back and won both games in Portland to tie up the series 2-2. The turning point may have been a fight that broke out at the end of the 76ers' Game 2 blowout between Darryl Dawkins and Maurice Lucas. In Games 5 and 6, Dr. J scored 37 and 40 points, but it was not enough.
His New York Nets defeated a superior Denver Nuggets team that featured future HOFers David Thompson and Dan Issell, as well as other excellent players such as Bobby Jones (the best defensive forward in either the NBA or ABA at the time, who was nevertheless unable to slow down Erving). That Nuggets team was so good that the ABA all-star game that year was the Nuggets vs. the rest of the ABA all stars --- and the Nuggets WON!
I think it has to be mentioned as possibly the greatest Finals performance of all time.
When Dr. J went to the 76ers, they already had a lot of great scorers (George McGinnis, Doug Collins, World B. Free), as well as lesser players who were nevertheless not shy about wanting their shots (Darryl Dawkins, Henry Bibby, Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, etc.).
At that time, conventional wisdom was that having one dominant scorer was a recipe for disaster in the playoffs (think of how Bill Russell's balanced Celtics continually defeated Wilt Chamberlain's Warriors/76ers). The 76ers management thought it would be better to have a balanced approach with three 20-point scorers (Erving, McGinnis, Collins) than have Erving shoulder the same load he had in the ABA.
In the 1976-77 regular season, Julius Erving averaged just 21.6 ppg as the 76ers struggled to fit together while still having one of the top records in the league based on talent alone. It was not unlike what we saw from the Miami Heat in 2010-11 when they didn't seem to know how to play LeBron, Wade and Bosh together.
In the 1977 playoffs, the other 76er stars disappeared, and Doc stepped up to assume more of a scoring load. He averaged 30 ppg in the 1977 Finals, but it wasn't enough against a more balanced Blazers team. Those Blazers were an excellent defensive team and one of the very best passing teams ever. Their chemistry was amazing.
The 76ers jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but the Blazers went back and won both games in Portland to tie up the series 2-2. The turning point may have been a fight that broke out at the end of the 76ers' Game 2 blowout between Darryl Dawkins and Maurice Lucas. In Games 5 and 6, Dr. J scored 37 and 40 points, but it was not enough.
I'm pretty sure there would be all types of NBA/ABA debates if the 2 leagues played today with most people SHYTTING on the ABA like its a minor league.
Once he came over to the NBA and lost a couple finals it would be all types of "Doc can't win in a REAL league" type of narrative that would persist through this career.
Not saying I would agree BUT
Let's be real here brehs.
Yeah, your'e right, there would be such BS narratives.
However, if you look at how ABA players performed in the NBA after the merger, in general, they performed at a similar level. I think roughly half of the All-Stars in the first post-merger All-Star game were former ABA players. In the 7 years following the NBA-ABA merger, 4 league MVPs were won by former ABA players (Moses Malone and Julius Erving). George Gervin won 4 scoring titles. The Nuggets and Spurs were among the best teams in the league.
And that is the EXACT reason why I dont like to talk about basketball prior to the merger
People wont let me give credit to the Doctor for his stats, MVPs in the ABA....then why should I give credit to players in the NBA? Obviously, Dr. J was the best wing player of the 70s....but he gets slighted so much, because he wasnt in the NBA and people disregard him
If I cant use his numbers, and Dr. J WAS better than Larry Bird, then Im not using ANYONE'S numbers prior to the 1976 ABA-NBA merger, because they (NBA) werent playing against the best competition (some teams and players in the ABA who later became NBA All-Stars as well) either
"end of his career" He was 26 and healthy when he came to the league.
In '81 they were up 3-1, and blew a 17pt lead at home in game 6 to clinch the series. Bird outplayed him.
mastermind
Rest In Power Kobe
its deeper than thatAnd that is the EXACT reason why I dont like to talk about basketball prior to the merger
People wont let me give credit to the Doctor for his stats, MVPs in the ABA....then why should I give credit to players in the NBA? Obviously, Dr. J was the best wing player of the 70s....but he gets slighted so much, because he wasnt in the NBA and people disregard him
If I cant use his numbers, and Dr. J WAS better than Larry Bird, then Im not using ANYONE'S numbers prior to the 1976 ABA-NBA merger, because they (NBA) werent playing against the best competition (some teams and players in the ABA who later became NBA All-Stars as well) either
professional basketball did not start until 1980, and to some folks 1984.
