A friend mentioned he'd heard there was a player on the verge of surpassing Pete Maravich's NCAA record 3,667 career points, a mark that's stood since 1970. . Adam Criblez is an Assistant Professor of History at Southeast Missouri State University and the author of the new book Tall Tales and Short Shorts: Dr. J, Pistol Pete, and the Birth of the Modern NBA. Could the Rolls-Royce Backcourt of Walt Clyde Frazier and Earl The Pearl Monroe handle the modern-day Golden State Warriors Splash Brothers? Top 10 Greatest White Basketball Players in History of the NBA & WNBA Nash led the 15th seeded, and lightly regarded, Santa Clara to an improbable upset win over 2 seed Arizona in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately, Maravich was a consummate showman who was stuck on bad teams throughout the 1970s. Pretty much all you can ask for from the best ever, no? 50 Greatest NBA Players Of The 1980s - Hoops Habit All-Decade 1970s All-Stars NBA 2K23 Roster | 2K Ratings debates. This was the period of time that reallyhelped build the foundation to sneakers as we know it today. Michael Gearon, president of the Hawks, said he believes that as many as half the players in the league may use cocaine and as many as 10 percent may use free base. But let's face it: the old-school center has been going out of style for a long, long time, all thanks to the chaos and rebirth in the '70s. In fact, there has been no college basketball player in history as dominant as Pistol Pete. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. When Bill Walton signed a huge contract with the San Diego (later Los Angeles) Clippers in 1979, his former team received two players and a first-round draft pick in return, essentially gutting Waltons new team. When Lew Alcindor graduated from UCLA in 1969, both sides negotiated for his services. Investors founded the ABA in 1967 as a rival to the more established NBA (then just an eight-team league). He can be reached at acriblez@semo.edu and followed on Twitter at@AdamCriblez. By decades end, that had jumped to $180,000 ($641,000 today). David Thompson and Dr. J. Jo Jo White: It's a bit criminal that Jo Jo is just now being inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. 1970-71 Los Angeles Lakers Roster and Stats - Basketball-Reference.com Vtg 70's AAU USA Basketball Shoes Upside Down Swoosh Logo Travis Size 3.5 Scott. All-Decade Basketball Teams: 1970s - al.com The one time in his 14-year career that he was not an All-Star was in 1970, a season in which an injured Chamberlain was limited to just 12 regular-season games and yet he still managed to will his team to the NBA finals upon his return. Widespread Cocaine Use by Players Alarms NBA All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Money was hard to come by for basketball players in the early days of the league as well. 100 best Illinois high school basketball players ever You had dominating centers, of course, led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a perennial MVP candidate and a fully dependable superstar in the middle for both Milwaukee and Los Angeles. Mac remains one of the greatest athletes in Buffalo history, though, which is something. So whether or not you believe the Rolls-Royce Backcourt could defuse the Splash Brothers or that Dr. J could take LeBron to school, theres no denying the league as we know it todayfull of three-pointers, highlight-reel dunks, and multi-millionaire free agentswas born in the 1970s. You had championships in San Francisco, Portland and Seattle, signaling the weakening of the East's stranglehold on basketball dominance, as well as providing evidence that L.A. could be rivaled on the Pacific Coast. . Regardless of the cigar-chomping coachs recommendation, the league introduced the three-point shot in 1979 and never looked back. His pro career essentially spanned the entire decade, and he racked up five All-Star bids, two first team All-NBA nods and a scoring title. Successful Sports Betting Tips. This years playoffs confirmed that the NBA is in good hands. $179.99. Hondo led the C's to titles in '74 and '76, was an All-Star every year of the decade until retiring in 1978 and made four straight All-NBA first teams from '71 through '74. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Owners hoped this would disincentivize large contracts. Gilmore wasn't the most fluid looking player, but he dominated the paint on both ends in both leagues. Top 10 NBA Players of the 1970s - The Grueling Truth Parish was drafted in 1976 by the Golden State Warriors and didnt retire until 1997, capping off a 21-year career. See the rankings as for this Basketball Player Sets set on 3/2/2023 3:23:10 PM. The Greatest Brazilian Players of All Time - 70s & 80s - Sportslens The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. He was fifth in total minutes played for the decade and was also fifth in points scored.Lanier was also unusually-adept at shooting free throws for a big man, averaging 77 percent for his career. How Many Championships Does Michael Jordan Have? Playing for the Detroit Pistons until he was traded in 1980, Lanier was the heart and soul of his teams and promoted a tough, intense culture. He absolutely dominated the seventies, leading the NBA in points scored and blocks for the decade, as well as recording the second-most rebounds.Abdul-Jabbar was a force on the offensive end, armed with a skyhook shot that was seemingly unstoppable. Drake and Bradley are the favorites in the MVC mens basketball conference tournament. By comparison, Steph Curry attempted 789 three-pointers *himself* this season (connecting on 41.1%) and the Golden State Warriors hoisted over 2,500 (making 38.3%) as a team. Gambling problem? Though he was a great offensive player, Cowens made his biggest impact on defense, being named to three All-Defensive teams in his career. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Alas, it was soon overtaken by the NFL, which lapped the field and has maintained its hold on the public ever since. They appreciated the game on its merits, and embraced the athletes as individuals and fellow entertainers. How to keep your Expected Value bets Positive? 38 Famous NBA Basketball Players in the 80s - Hood MWR Get the best deals on 1970s Athletic Shoes for Men when you shop the largest online selection at eBay.com. The potential matchups are endless (and, to be honest, probably pointless). In 1970, three expansion teams enteredthe Buffalo Braves, Cleveland Cavaliers and Portland Trail Blazers. The 10 Greatest Basketball Players of All Time | Britannica Moreover, his rivalry with Magic Johnsonwho, spoiler alert, youll see a bit later in this listduring the 1980s launched basketball into an unprecedented level of national popularity that the sport has never fallen from. Dugan has called him the best player he's ever coached. Atlanta General Manager Stan. Abdul-Jabbar was a six-time MVP and six-time NBA champion, cementing his legacy as not just the greatest of the decade but one of the greatest in league history. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. TGT Play! Odds Deals Podcasts US USA Arizona California Colorado Connecticut Florida Georgia Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Louisiana Maryland Michigan New Jersey New York North Carolina Ohio Pennsylvania Tennessee Texas Virginia The Marquette men's basketball team has already clinched at least a share of the Big East Conference title. Gambling Problem? Instead, coaches demanded that players only take the shot during late-game rallies to overcome huge deficits, often done in concert with a full-court pressing defense, hoping to create turnovers. Remembering 1972 U.S. Olympic squad, 40 years later - ESPN 30 Pro NBA Players Of The 1970s - Hood MWR The Rockets' forward led the league in minutes, rebounds and win shares . You can't just change your wiring on stuff like that. PSA Set Registry. So, yeah, Magic Johnsonneat guy. Previous Decade > Next Decade . Nicknamed Big Red for his ginger hair, Dave Cowens was the anchor for many great Boston Celtics teams during the seventies. He finished his NBA career in '76 having averaged 20-10. Indeedy. Billy Cunningham: The Kangaroo Kid didn't win a title in the '70s (he was a Wilt sidekick on that great '67 team) but he cranked out some great seasons with the Sixers and the Carolina Cougars of the ABA. The pace of play increased, players were given more freedom, and the talent in the league was at an all-time high. The big guy out of Duke looked like the demonic love child of John C. Reilly and Will Ferrell just after Ferrell . But here again, when I played years ago, if you shot a shot outside and hit it, the next time Im going to be up on top of you. The anticipated plateau of salaries never arrived, and continues today. All-Decade 1970s All-Stars on NBA 2K23. Jabbar then went on to finish up the decade with the Lakers. Havlicek is widely considered to have been one of the greatest players in the history of the game and was inducted as a. Elvin Ernest Hayes (born November 17, 1945) is an American retired professional basketball player and radio analyst for his alma-mater Houston Cougars. How the NBA Changed in the 1970s | Sport in American History But in his rookie year, Russell completely changed the franchises course and established the Celtics as the winningest team in the NBA. 1970s Basketball Players Basketball 1970s vs. now. 1970s and the Chicago Bulls | NBA.com - National Basketball Association The four highest all-time NBA single-season scoring averages all belong to Chamberlainin his first four professional seasons. Frazier had a flair for style that had been sparsely seen in the league before his debut, but once he arrived, all eyes were glued on him. Star Power: Now we are on the to 70's. The most notable of his scoring feats came on March 2, 1962, when he put up an astounding 100 points in a game, an NBA record that will likely never be broken. In 1971, the San Francisco Warriors changed cities and names, leaving the Cow Palace. 1901. The 1970s NBA. The 1970'swas a time when you had a lot of emerging sneaker companies and no one company completely dominating thesneaker market. Artis was great and underappreciated, but Cowens was better. Its time for BritannicaOK, one editor at Britannicato jump into the perpetually unresolved greatest ever in [insert sport here] fray. Some say the three-time All-Stater and future baseball Hall of Famer was Illinois' first high-school basketball star. NBA Basketball Players Body Size Data - Topend Sports Teams: Atlanta Hawks (1970-74), New Orleans/Utah Jazz (1974-80), Boston Celtics (1980 . Once there, he would finish with an emphatic dunk, a foolproof strategy that helped ONeal lead the NBA in field-goal percentage 10 times in his career. Yes, they played the kind of slow-paced ball that put most fans to sleep by the third quarter, but there was often a thing of pure beauty hidden among the tire-fire of a 7871 final score: Tim Duncans bank shot. : Gender and Styles of Play in Modern Basketball, Review of Tall Tales and Short Shorts | Sport in American History, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. The competition between the two leagues became fierce. Oh jeez, this guy. Odds & lines subject to change. Please play responsibly. Hayes and Wes Unseld led the Bullets to three Finals berths and one title, and Hayes was an All-Star every year of the decade. Boston Celtics | History, Notable Players, Championships, & Facts Play Video. Oscar Robertson versus Russell Westbrook? The 1970 Draft is also known as the first draft where international players who had never played U.S. high school and college basketball were selected. During his career as a center, Abdul-Jabbar was a record six-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), a record 19-time NBA All-Star, a 15-time All-NBA selection, and an 11-time NBA All-Defensive Team member. Jordan played college basketball for three seasons under coach Dean Smith with the North Carolina Tar Heels. Although many small changes took place during the seventies, three major changes rocked the very foundation of the league: its embrace of the slam dunk and three-point shot; salary escalation; and the arrival of free agency. Something not often mentioned about West is his excellent defense. The only NBA Hall of Famer for whom a Gossip Girl character was named. Part of the merger agreement was the settlement of the Oscar Robertson lawsuit, which ended the dreaded reserve clause. Absolutely. He was never the best player in either league -- Dr. J and Kareem ensured that --. Hockey. During the 1970 tournament Jairzinho scored in each and every game, finishing with seven goals and a reputation as one of the world's best players. CIAC Boys Basketball All Century Team | CIAC The league officially adopted the three-point field goal in 1979 and the San Diego Clippers led the NBA that season with 543 three-point attempts (making 32.6%). Best NBA Defensive Players of All Time | Stadium Talk He's one of the most interesting elite athletes ever, he was fully dominant for a long spell and he kept the Lakers afloat in bridging the West and Magic eras. as a member of the Miami Heat. This decade served as the start of the second Sooner. The Logo retired in 1974, but he did enough in those first five seasons of the decade to warrant inclusion. When it comes to the 1970s, there was no greater basketball player than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.In fact, Abdul-Jabbars game has transcended eras, as he remains one of the greatest players to ever pick up a basketball. Russell Westbrook is being left wide open on offense, and hes still hurting the Clippers. How 1970s NBA pioneers paved the way for today's game In addition to his unprecedented prowess at putting up points, Chamberlain was also the only person to grab more rebounds per game than Bill Russell (22.9), all while averaging more minutes played per game than any player in league history (45.8). 1970s and the Chicago Bulls. From there, its just a short jump to comparing players from the past with present stars. 1972-73 Missing player: Bob McAdoo The 1971-72 squad fell to Florida State in the Final Four, before defeating Louisville in the now defunct consolation game. and fought Bruce Lee in Game of Death, so his cool quotient is easily the highest of anyone on this list. Card Manufacturer: Topps. Lew Alcindor's historic run to the NBA Rookie of the Year award was the talk of the 1969-70 season, but it was his sophomore campaign in 1970-71 where the Milwaukee Bucks big man took a transcendent leap towards the Hall of Fame.. With the acquisition of All-Star point guard and future Hall-of-Famer Oscar Robertson, the Bucks . Maravich averaged 25+ points, 4+ rebounds, and 5+ assists per game in the 1970s for five All-Star selections, four All-NBA teams, and the 1976-1977 scoring title. Frazier held most Knicks records until . What sneakers do you like from the 70's? 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He led the league in scoring three straight times from 1974-1976, pouring in over 30 points per game in each season. 1970-71 Houston Cougars Men's Roster and Stats Previous Season Next Season Record: 22-7 ( Independent ) Rank: 14th in the Final AP Poll Coach: Guy Lewis More School Info Houston (Men's) School History Roster & Stats Polls, Schedule & Results On this page: Roster Per Game Team and Opponent Stats Per Game Totals Per 40 Minutes I put Pistol Pete on the first team over Jerry West primarily because my father raised me to believe Pistol Pete was the most exciting player ever. The player who scored the most points in the 1970s was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Why did salaries increase so much during the decade? Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. . His patented skyhook was unguardable, and he used it to score over 22,000 points during the decade. I have a confession to make: even though Im a lifelong devotee to all Seattle sports team, I had a fan-fling with the San Antonio Spurs teams of the late 90s and early 2000s. Al Lankford, Lee Averaged a double-double through much of his career with the Generals, scoring more than 20 points per game as a senior..