The myth that Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain never played against players over 6'5
- Thread starter UpAndComing
- Start date
I agree that Shaq had his best days when the league was still a bit diluted from the expansion era. But you're not getting away with that dumb shyt, naming a few random guys that Shaq faced without even mentioning the stars, then mentioning the stars that Wilt faced even though they all worked him.
Shaq had to go against The Dream, The Admiral, Mutombo, Sabonis, Duncan, etc, and that's JUST counting the guys he faced before the zone era changed things up for post players.
Here are a few of the big and/or good centers that Shaq faced in the playoffs (before the zone really started changing things) and how he did against them.
Against 7'0", 255lb Hakeem Olajuwon: 29ppg on 56% shooting, 51% from the line, wins one and loses one.
Against 7'1", 235lb David Robinson/ 6'11", 250lb Tim Duncan: 25ppg on 52% shooting, 56% from the line, wins two and loses one
Against 7'2", 245lb Dikembe Mutombo, 33ppg on 57% shooting, 51% from the line, wins one
Against 7'2", 265lb Luc Longley: 27ppg on 56% shooting, 54% from the line, wins two and loses one
Against 7'3", 280lb Arvydis Sabonis: 28 ppg on 55% shooting, 55% from the line, wins four times
Against 7'2", 280lb Greg Ostertag: 26ppg on 53% shooting, 51% from the line, loses twice
Against 7'1", 240lb Jim McIlvaine: 31ppg on 61% shooting, 60% from the line, wins once
Against 7'1", 235lb Vlade Divac, 31ppg on 55% shooting, 53% from the line, wins three times
Against 7'4", 250lb Rik Smits: 30ppg on 62% shooting, 44% from the line, wins twice
Against 7'0", 280lb Todd McCulloch: 36ppg on 60% shooting, 66% from the line, wins once
Remember, you could only list TWO seven-footers that Wilt had ever faced in the playoffs, and his performances against them weren't great. Even when you list the good, shorter centers that Wilt faced, he didn't offensively dominate any of them.
Yet Shaq consistently put up strong scoring and/or wins against a ton of different big centers, quite a few of them Hall of Famers.
And don't rip on Shaq dominating Rik Smits. The only time Wilt ever faced a 7'3" guy, it was an alcoholic named "Swede"....and "Swede" beat Wilt in a 3-game sweep.
needs to dig this post
Wilt Chamberlain was eliminated from the playoffs by:
Bill Russell (1960, ’62, ’64-66, ’68, ’69), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1971), and Willis Reed (1970, 1973)
Shaq was eliminated from the playoffs by:
Rik Smits (1994—sweep), Hakeem Olajuwon (1995—sweep), Luc Longley (1996—sweep), Greg Ostertag (1997, 1998--sweep), David Robinson (1999—sweep, 2003), Ben Wallace (2004, 2005, 2007--sweep).
which list looks more impressive to you?
27 of Shaq’s 198 career playoff games came against another center who was a Hall of Famer and Top 50 Player of All Time. for 13.6%
meanwhile
99 of Wilt’s 160 career playoff games was against a Hall of Fame center and Top 50 Player of All Time. for 61.2%
but Shaq faced taller players tho....
I like how you left Swede Halbrook off of Wilt's list. Swede is worse than anyone on Shaq's list.
And it was a first round sweep.
It's not impressive to list people who lost to, when you hardly beat anyone. You gave the list of great centers Wilt lost to, but who did he beat? Russell once in 8 tries? Kareem as a 5th option on offense while Kareem was outscoring him 34ppg to 11ppg?
Give me ONE dominant offensive performance that Wilt had in the playoffs against a great center. Just ONE.
Shaq beat Hakeem, David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Sabonis, Mutombo. All guys who would have looked like mountains against the centers Wilt was facing AND who were more skilled than them too.
Name five guys Wilt scored on AND beat in the playoffs who match up with Hakeem, David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Sabonis, and Mutombo.
Yet Wilt EITHER LOST THE SERIES OR SUCKED ON OFFENSE IN EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE MATCHUPS.
The Top 50 Player of All Time list was made in 1996, after Shaq's rookie season.
Act like Arvydis Sabonis, Dream, David Robinson, Mutombo, Tim Duncan wouldn't have been fukking MVP candidates if they played in the 1960s.
Hell, Paul Arazin is a Hall of Famer and Top 50 Player of All Time, and he literally couldn't start for a D1 team today. It means nothing.
These gifs are appropriate
That's because he's like 100 years old though
These gifs are appropriate
It HAD to be inadvertent that you just posted gifs of Bill and Wilt surrounded by 6'5" White guys.
UpAndComing
Veteran
bump
Dude been dead for 10 years.
But they hyping Zion Williamson for dunking on said 5'8 white guys
Guess it doesn't matter if you aren't a big man
I agree, but a the same token the Jordan era is very disrespected 'round these parts. Let some tell it, and athletes didn't exist in the NBA until he retired from the Wizards.
UpAndComing
Veteran
I'll say this though, to everyone dissing the 60s
Watch, in 10-15 years the media would start to discredit the Kobe/Duncan/Shaq/KG/Dirk era, purposely shytting on it just to promote the current NBA
That's what the media does. How can it sell it's product when something that happened before is supposedly better or up to par? When that happens, that's when ya'll brehs would feel it
Watch, in 10-15 years the media would start to discredit the Kobe/Duncan/Shaq/KG/Dirk era, purposely shytting on it just to promote the current NBA
That's what the media does. How can it sell it's product when something that happened before is supposedly better or up to par? When that happens, that's when ya'll brehs would feel it
In what world is Bill averaging 35 in this league when he was never even an offensive player.
UpAndComing
Veteran
Was just watching Wilt Chamberlain highlights 
Kareem Abdul Jabbar: 7'2"
Dennis Awtrey: 6'11"
Walt Bellamy: 6'11"
Tom Boerwinkle: 7'0"
Nate Bowmen: 6'11"
Mel Counts: 7'0"
Walter Dukes: 7'0"
Jim Eakins: 6'11"
Ray Felix: 6'11"
Hank Finkel: 7'0"
Artis Gilmore: 7'2"
Swede Halbrook: 7'3"
Reggie Harding: 7'0"
Bob Lanier: 6'11"
Jim McDaniels: 6'11"
Otto Moore: 6'11"
Dave Newmark: 7'0"
Rich Niemann: 7'0"
Billy Paultz: 6'11"
Craig Raymond: 6'11"
Elmore Smith: 7'0"
Chuck Share: 6'11"
Ronald Taylor: 7'1"
Nate Thurmond: 6'11"
Walt Wesley: 6'11"
Look what we have here
The argument people use is stupid, but this list is horrible and tells me you don't know much about the era or the players therin.