Tag: Jerry Lucas

All-Time San Antonio Spurs vs. All-Time Sacramento Kings

Our next Sweet Sixteen match has a David vs. Goliath feel to it. On one side is a franchise that has become the gold standard in the sport, with 18 straight 50 plus win seasons (including the 1999 lockout, when they were on pace to win 61 games) since Tim Duncan arrived in 1997-98. On the other side is a franchise that has only won 50 games or more seven times in their 67 year history, and has failed to make the playoffs since the 2005-06 season. Is the battle between the All-Time San Antonio Spurs vs. All-Time Sacramento Kings one-sided? Or will the Kings’ long history help them advance in our tournament?

Spurs vs. Kings 2

Key Matchups

Sacramento’s offense vs. San Antonio’s defense: Sacramento has a roster built for high-scoring, fastbreak basketball. They have a lethal penetrator (Tiny Archibald), great shooting off the bench, and two starting big men who can shoot (Jerry Lucas) and pass (Chris Webber) like guards. They also have one of the finest all-around players in NBA history, Oscar Robertson, to get them tough baskets when needed. The Spurs feature three former NBA Defensive Players of the Year (David Robinson, Alvin Robertson, and Kawhi Leonard), along with Tim Duncan, one of the greatest team defenders in NBA history. If the Kings’ perimeter options get hot, expect a lot of minutes from Alvin Robertson and Leonard to try to slow them down. Coach Gregg Popovich may put the 6’7” 230 lb Leonard on Oscar Robertson during crunch time, to minimize his post-up game and to force him to try to score inside over the Spurs’ twin towers.

Biggest Mismatches

San Antonio’s size vs. Sacramento’s lack of size: The Spurs feature two of the greatest big men in NBA history, 7’0” 250 lb Tim Duncan, and 7’1” 235 lb David Robinson starting alongside one another. They also have 7’2” 240 lb Artis Gilmore coming off the bench. The Kings don’t have any seven-footers on their roster, and they’re starting a natural power forward (Chris Webber) at center. The Kings do feature one of the most prolific rebounders in NBA history, Jerry Lucas, at power forward, along with one of the greatest rebounding guards ever, Oscar Robertson. However, they both played in an era where teams missed an abundant number of shots, which inflated the raw rebounding totals seen at that time. It’s hard to believe that San Antonio won’t have an advantage on the boards in this series, and they’ll also have a decided advantage in protecting the paint on defense.

San Antonio’s offense vs. Sacramento’s defense: The Kings do not feature many players known for their work on the defensive end of the court. The Spurs have two former scoring champions (George Gervin and David Robinson), along with a plethora of scoring threats from both inside and out. It’s unclear how Sacramento will be able to stop San Antonio in this series, so they’ll have to outscore them to have a chance to succeed.

X-Factor

Can the Kings’ shooting keep them in this series? In addition to being a very perimeter-oriented team, Sacramento does not have the size to compete against Duncan, Robinson, and company inside, as described above. Sacramento has five Hall-of-Famers in their backcourt, one of the greatest shooting small forwards ever (Peja Stojakovic) and a starting power forward with a deadly mid-range jump shot (Jerry Lucas). Their best chance is to try to outshoot San Antonio, and to space the floor with three to four perimeter threats at all times.

Results

The Spurs offer the complete package on both ends of the court. While Oscar Robertson puts up a valiant effort, and the Kings’ shooters keep them in games, the Spurs dynamic big-man duo is too much for Sacramento to handle.

Duncan and Robinson celebrate another victory Copyright © Lipofsky Basketballphoto.com
Duncan and Robinson celebrate another victory
Copyright © Lipofsky Basketballphoto.com

Spurs win, four games to one.

Next Round

San Antonio faces the winner of the All-Time Warriors vs. All-Time Rockets.

All-Time Detroit Pistons vs. All-Time Charlotte Hornets

Commentary

Not even close.

Results

Detroit wins, four games to none.

Next Round

Detroit faces the winner of the All-Time Nets vs. All-Time Clippers.

More Commentary

Since Dennis Rodman is a key member of the Pistons, this seems like a good time to contextualize his incredible rebounding totals. Rodman almost had two different pro careers. In his first incarnation, in his early years with Detroit, he was one of the most versatile defenders in NBA history, capable of guarding everyone from Michael Jordan to Magic Johnson. In his second act, he became obsessed with the art of rebounding. Many believe that he was the greatest ever at this skill, but the all-time rebounding numbers are skewed in favor of players who played in a faster-paced league. How did Rodman’s rebounding compare to his predecessors? Below are the best rebounding seasons for every player in history who has ever averaged over 17 rebounds per game. Note that each player only has his best season listed; Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell hold the 18 highest rebounding seasons in NBA history.

The numbers in this chart help to provide some context for the rebounding averages you see next to each player’s name. Team pace is an estimate of each team’s number of possessions per 48 minutes. In 1991-92, the Detroit Pistons pace was estimated at 91.6; compare this to Wilt Chamberlain’s record breaking 1960-61 campaign, when the Warriors were estimated to average 40 more possessions per game. Since rebounding numbers for opposing teams are not available in the basketball-reference.com database for early seasons, we calculated the average number of league rebounds per game in each year that is listed. Obviously, some teams played at faster and slower paces than their peers, but this provides a measure for the number of rebounds that were available in a typical NBA game in the year that is listed. In 1991-92, there were 87.3 rebounds per game (league wide), and Rodman’s 18.7 RPG accounted for 21.4 percent of all rebounds in a typical game. In the 1960-61 season, there were 146.6 rebounds per game! It’s not surprising that the 1960-61 season produced three players on this list (Chamberlain, Bob Pettit, and Elgin Baylor), each of whom had significantly lower percentages than Rodman. Since 1970-71, total rebound percentage can be tracked to measure the percentage of rebounds a player gathered while he was on the floor. Rodman grabbed over a quarter of the rebounds available in his 1991-92 season, which is three percentage points higher than Moses Malone in his incredible 1978-79 campaign. Finally, we have a look at the closest competitor in each season’s rebounds per game race. Only five players on this list actually led their league in rebounds per game; Nate Thurmond, Jerry Lucas, Pettit, Baylor, Walt Bellamy, Wes Unseld, and Maurice Stokes were all eclipsed by Chamberlain or Russell in their career-high seasons. Moses Malone had the widest disparity between his next closest competitor of all the other players on this list, while Chamberlain and Rodman had virtually identical leads in their rebounding races, despite Chamberlain’s higher raw totals.

The greatest rebounding seasons in NBA history, by raw averages, virtually all came in an era where the game was played at a breakneck pace, with a plethora of missed shots, which hardly resembles modern-day basketball. Rodman’s 1991-92 season, in which he averaged 18.7 RPG, came 13 seasons after the second most contemporary season on this list, Moses Malone’s 1978-79 campaign. While this is by no means a comprehensive analysis, it does help to show that Rodman’s 1991-92 season may have been the best career-high rebounding season in NBA history.

All-Time Philadelphia 76ers vs. All-Time Minnesota Timberwolves

Commentary

SWEEP!

Results

Philadelphia wins, four games to none.

Next Round

Philadelphia faces the winner of the All-Time Knicks vs. All-Time Cavaliers.

More Commentary

The only interesting battle between the All-Time Philadelphia 76ers vs. All-Time Minnesota Timberwolves is at the power forward position, where three legends will face off (Charles Barkley, Dolph Schayes, and Kevin Garnett). Garnett was part of a recent renaissance at the position that re-set the all-time rankings. Here are the statistics for the greatest power forwards ever, and then my rankings, from 10 to one (note: Elgin Baylor, Billy Cunningham, Chris Bosh, and Pau Gasol had more years at other positions than at power forward in the basketball-reference.com database, so they’re not included in this analysis).

Greatest Power Forwards Infographic
Honorable Mention

Bailey Howell, Tommy Heinsohn, and Vern Mikkelsen were multiple time all-stars who contributed to championship teams over the course of their underrated careers…Through nine seasons, Shawn Kemp made six all-star game appearances, and was an integral cog in several championship-level teams in Seattle. However, his career soon fell off of a cliff, and he has the least compelling case of the 19 players listed here…Spencer Haywood won Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season in the American Basketball Association, but had his greatest NBA success on a string of losing teams in Seattle…Dave DeBusschere and Dennis Rodman are two of the greatest defensive players of all time, who were key contributors to championship teams. It’s difficult to leave them out of the top 10, but their combined three all-NBA team appearances and limited offensive arsenals prevent them from being placed above the other legends on the list…Chris Webber and George McGinnis have similar statistical profiles, and each has an intriguing Hall-of-Fame case. However, Webber’s prime was cut short by injuries, and McGinnis was not nearly as dominant in the NBA as he was in the ABA.

10. Jerry Lucas
Lucas was a rebounding machine who made three all-NBA first-team appearances in the 1960s ahead of the likes of John Havlicek and Willis Reed (who was considered a power forward for a few years in his career). He was a contributor to the second Knicks championship team (off the bench), had a very high field goal percentage for his era, and currently ranks as the fourth leading rebounder in NBA history on a per game basis.

9. Kevin McHale
McHale never had to carry a team on his own, and came off the bench for the majority of his career. When he was on the court, however, he was an offensive force, and currently has the highest field goal percentage in NBA history for a non-center (outside of Bo Outlaw, who rarely shot the basketball). He was also a brilliant defender, making six all-NBA defensive teams. Similar to Rodman and DeBusschere, he lacks the all-NBA team appearances that others on the list accumulated. However, he was a far superior offensive player to either of those two, and while his excellent defense may not have been as renowned as either of theirs, it was still elite, and thus, his all-around play lands him in the top 10.

8. Elvin Hayes
I’ve already chronicled the many criticisms of Hayes, who was as difficult a personality as there was in the NBA. However, it’s hard to look past his 12 all-star game appearances, six all-NBA appearances, and the fact that he was the leading scorer and rebounder on a team that won the NBA championship. You could win with Elvin Hayes, despite his personality issues, and his resume secures his place on this list.

7. Dolph Schayes
Schayes was one of the NBA’s best players in its infancy, making six All-NBA first team and six All-NBA second team appearances from 1950 to 1961. He was the best player on a championship team (the 1955 Syracuse Nationals), and was one of only 10 players to make the league’s Silver Anniversary team.

5. (Tie) Charles Barkley and Dirk Nowitzki
These are two of the greatest offensive players in NBA history. Dirk is one of the greatest jump-shooting big men ever, while Barkley did his best work near the basket. Barkley was also a relentless rebounder, while Nowitzki is one of only two players to register below eight rebounds per game on this list. Both thrived in the playoffs; in 123 playoff games, Barkley averaged 23.0 PPG, 12.9 RPG, 3.9 APG, and had a 24.2 PER, while Nowitzki averaged 25.4 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 2.5 APG, and 24.0 PER in 140 playoff games. Barkley infamously never won a championship, while Nowitzki was the best player on the Mavericks only championship team in 2011. Each won one MVP award, and each led the league in PER one season. Nowitzki gets extra credit for leading a constantly rotating supporting cast to 11 straight 50 win seasons during the prime of his career.

4. Karl Malone
As Jack McCallum described in Dream Team: How Michael, Magic, Larry, Charles, and the Greatest Team of All Time Conquered the World and Changed the Game of Basketball Forever, I believe that Barkley was a better player than Malone during their respective primes. However, Malone’s work ethic allowed him to get the very best out of his body, and his 14 all-star game and all-NBA appearances reflect this. Malone was fortunate to play his entire career with one of the greatest orchestrators in NBA history, while Barkley didn’t play with an elite playmaker until he was traded to Phoenix, and Nowitzki lost Steve Nash just as both were entering their respective primes. Malone’s PER dropped from 23.9 in the regular season to 21.1 in the playoffs, and he wasn’t at his best in his two NBA Finals appearances. Malone gets credit for being a solid defender, which isn’t something that can be said about Barkley or Nowitzki. Numbers three through six are very close, and could change once Nowitzki’s career is finished.

3. Kevin Garnett
During his prime, Garnett may have been the best all-around player in the NBA. While he wasn’t the scorer that Barkley, Nowitzki, or Malone was, he was still a multitalented offensive threat, who once averaged a mind-blowing six assists per game from the power forward position. He’s also one of the handful of greatest defensive players in NBA history, operating almost as a giant Scottie Pippen, who could singlehandedly disrupt opposing offenses. In Minnesota, his postseason play was sometimes criticized, but he never had adequate talent around him to win a championship. He led the Celtics to a title in his first year with the club, and could have repeated if he hadn’t suffered a season-ending injury the next year (he was never the same player after that). His all-around play places him in the top three.

2. Bob Pettit
Pettit has an unassailable resume. He made the all-star game every year of his career. He made the All-NBA first team in each of his first 10 seasons, and made the second team in his 11th and final year. He was the best player on a championship team, and led the Hawks to three other NBA Finals appearances. Advanced statistics support the fact that he was one of the handful of greatest players ever, and he is one of only three players on this list to win multiple regular season MVP awards.

1. Tim Duncan
The only ‘criticism’ of Duncan is that he’s played half of his career at center, but for our purposes, he’s eligible for this list (basketball-reference.com has him listed as playing primarily power forward in 10 seasons, and primarily playing center in eight). Like Malone and Nowitzki, Duncan has aged like fine wine, and has accumulated the most all-star game, all-NBA, and all-NBA defensive appearances on this list. His advanced statistics are spectacular. He’s a two-way player, who can operate as the offensive and defensive anchor on championship-level teams. He’s won five championships, and has been the clear-cut best player on four of those teams. His playoff PER is virtually identical to his regular season PER. And he’s still going! Duncan is the greatest ever.

All-Time Sacramento Kings vs. All-Time Denver Nuggets

Our next match features two teams that would be really fun to watch. The battle between the All-Time Sacramento Kings vs. All-Time Denver Nuggets should be highly competitive, with an abundance of scoring and fast-paced action. Who would come out on top? Each team has several key advantages.

Sacramento’s Advantages

Dominant guard play: The Kings will be led by their guard play, with five Hall-of-Famers in their backcourt. Oscar Robertson and Tiny Archibald will dictate the pace for their starting unit, and Bob Davies, Bobby Wanzer, and Mitch Richmond will lead the bench unit. Expect them to experiment with three guard lineups, which will be particularly effective when Richmond is paired with two of the three lead guards, to help space the floor. Denver does have solid backcourt defenders in Fat Lever and Chauncey Billups, and the Kings do not have a good defensive counter for David Thompson. Despite this, Sacramento has a deeper backcourt.

Battle of the boards: Sacramento has one of the great rebounders in NBA history, Jerry Lucas, alongside double-double machine Chris Webber and Oscar Robertson, who can also dominate the glass. While Denver’s Fat Lever should be able to cancel out Robertson, Bobby Jones and Dan Issel will have a lot of trouble with the other two. Expect Dikembe Mutombo, Denver’s best rebounder and defender, to get heavy minutes in this series.

Three-point shooting: The Kings’ playmaking guards will have a field day when Richmond and Peja Stojakovic are on the floor. This team can experiment with modern NBA basketball for periods of each game, with Peja as a stretch four.

Denver’s Advantages

Defensive versatility: Normally, the Nuggets aren’t associated with defense, but they have several stoppers who will loom large in this series. Bobby Jones is the one of the great defenders ever, and will see time against Jack Twyman, Jerry Lucas, and Chris Webber. Dikembe Mutombo and Marcus Camby were excellent rim protectors who will each be needed to slow down the penetrating Archibald and the other Kings scorers at the rim.

Wing scoring: Sacramento doesn’t have the personnel to stop David Thompson, Alex English, Carmelo Anthony, and Kiki Vandeweghe. Denver can experiment with lineups where three of these individuals play together, which could be an excellent counter to Sacramento’s small ball lineups.

X-Factor

Sacramento’s defense: Can the Kings get any stops with a lineup that doesn’t include any all-NBA defenders? None of the Kings from the modern era were known for their work on the defensive side of the ball, so they may be forced to outscore the Nuggets to have a chance to win the series.

Results

Run-and-gun. This series goes back and forth, with many high scoring encounters. Sacramento struggles defensively, as expected, with Thompson, Issel, and English repeatedly burning them. In the deciding game, Oscar Robertson controls the action, and the Kings outrebound Denver in a close affair.

Sacramento wins, four games to three.

Next Round

Sacramento faces the All-Time Spurs.

All-Time Sacramento Kings Team

All-Time Sacramento Kings Team Infographic 2

Our next franchise has been in existence for 67 seasons. They experienced their greatest success early on, winning the NBA Finals in their third year. They’re very well-traveled, going from Rochester, to Cincinnati, to Kansas City, to Sacramento, then almost to Seattle, but ultimately staying in Sacramento for the foreseeable future. In recent seasons, they’ve been defined by bad ownership; first, by a family who desperately tried to move them yet again, and currently, by a man who seems to have been planted by their competitors in an effort to ruin the franchise. When you’ve been in existence for so long, however, you’re likely to have employed several memorable players, which is certainly the case here. The 13th seed in our tournament, the All-Time Sacramento Kings team has a nice mix of stars from throughout their long history.

The starting backcourt consists of Hall-of-Famers Tiny Archibald and Oscar Robertson. Tiny famously led the league in both scoring and assists in 1973, averaging a mind-blowing 34.0 PPG and 11.4 APG. A master at driving and drawing fouls, he was one of the great playmakers of his era. Oscar was one of the great playmakers of any era; in addition to averaging a triple-double in his second season in the league, he cumulatively averaged a triple-double over his first five seasons (30.3 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 10.6 APG). He made the All-NBA first team in his first nine seasons, and won the only MVP award in franchise history. While both were primary ball handlers, they have a nice mix of quickness (Tiny) and strength (Oscar), and should fit together to form one of the most talented backcourts in this tournament. Off the bench, Bob Davies was one of the first playmakers in league history, and was one of 10 players selected to the league’s 25th anniversary team. His former backcourt mate, Bobby Wanzer, was a nominee for that team, and, like Davies, was elected to the Hall of Fame. They’re joined by fellow Hall-of-Famer Mitch Richmond, who was one of the best shooters of his era, and the high-scoring Otis Birdsong, who ranks in the top-10 in NBA history in field goal percentage for a guard.

The starting small forward, Hall-of-Famer Jack Twyman, was a dynamic scorer who, along with Wilt Chamberlain in 1960, became the first player in league history to average over 30 points per game in a season. Twyman’s career is often defined by his beautiful alliance with Maurice Stokes, but he was also a great player, who adds more firepower for this explosive unit. He’s joined by fellow Hall-of-Famer Jerry Lucas, who’s fourth in league history in rebounds per game. Lucas’s famous jumper will help space the floor for this starting unit. They’re joined in the starting lineup by Chris Webber, one of the most talented big men of his era who was a uniquely gifted passer, in addition to his scoring and rebounding prowess. Off the bench, Peja Stojakovic is the one of the greatest shooters ever, currently ranking 10th on the all-time list for made three point field goals. He’s joined by Hall-of-Famer Arnie Risen, one of the first great big men in league history, who helped lead the team to their only title, and all-star Wayne Embry, who will spend minutes at both center and power forward.

One of the tricky parts of a tournament like this is determining how to compare players from different eras. Risen, Davies, and Wanzer played a completely different game from Webber and Stojakovic. The 6’9” Risen earned the nickname ‘Stilts’ due to his tremendous height, but he was built like a modern-day small forward. He and Embry had more than enough size for their eras, but are physically outmatched by the modern-day athletes they will surely encounter in this tournament. I’ll do my best to contextualize these match ups, and not discount the league’s pioneers. This team has great potential, considering the relative dominance of many of its stars.

Coach: Les Harrison

All-Time Franchise Winning Percentage (through 2014-15): .460