By
Steve Kallas (posted by Rick Morris)
Well,
this has been an incredible season for offense in the NBA. The greatest season ever, based on the
opinions of some “experts?” Not a
chance.
But
let’s first talk about what got the most attention: Russell Westbrook averaging a triple-double,
causing many to say that this accomplishment is as great or even greater than
Oscar Robertson’s 1961-62 triple-double season average.
WESTBROOK
V. OSCAR
Take
nothing away from Russell Westbrook; he’s a tremendous talent, one of the most
athletic players in the history of the NBA with a great work ethic, who has
done something that’s only been done once before.
But
you really have to look at things in context.
According to Oscar, back when he played, nobody even talked about a
triple-double, let alone try for it or try and make things happen late in the
game to make sure you got one. And the
change in the assist rule, hard to pin down but certainly different today than
it was back in the early ‘60s, gives one pause when trying to compare then with
now. Also, according to at least one ESPN stat guy, there might be some “home cooking”
(his phrase) when it comes to Westbrook’s assists.
ASSISTS
For
example, it’s often been said that you didn’t get an assist back in Oscar’s day
if a player that you passed to dribbled the ball before he scored. The best example that comes to mind is that,
on a fast break, if you hit a guy in stride and he dribbled once and then scored,
today you get an assist and back then you didn’t. While the definition of an assist seems
simple (“an assist is a pass that leads directly to a basket”), it’s obviously
open to a broad (or narrow) interpretation.
You
don’t have to be a basketball genius to figure out that there would be more
assists today than back then. Russell
Westbrook broke Oscar’s record for most triple-doubles in a season with 42
(Oscar had 41).
But
three things come into play here. First, in 1961-62, the season was 80
games. Today it’s 82. So, if Oscar had played two more games, maybe
he would have had one or two more (or no more) triple-doubles.
Second,
if assists really were scored differently (i.e., harder to get one), maybe
Westbrook wouldn’t have had as many 10-assist games under the old rule as he
was given credit for this season. A
review of Westbrook’s triple-double games shows that he got 10 (10 times) or 11
(7 times) assists in 17 of his 42 triple-doubles this season. It says here, under 1961-62 rules, he would
have missed a number of triple-doubles under the old assist rule. Conversely,
Oscar might have had one or two more triple-doubles if he played in an 82-game
schedule (rather than 80) and might have had a few more triple-doubles using
the modern-day assist rule.
Third,
according to ESPN’s Tom
Haberstroh, Westbrook might be getting some “home cooking” with assist scoring
from the OKC official scorers.
Interestingly, Haberstroh points out that Westbrook averaged almost two
assists (11.1 to 9.2) per game more at home than on the road. Indeed, Haberstroh goes on to point out that,
by comparison, both James Harden (10.7 to 11.8) and John Wall (10.5 to 10.8)
actually averaged more assists on the road than at home this season.
REBOUNDS
The
rebound analysis is different. There is
now an NBA stat kept for “uncontested rebounds.” Westbrook was the league leader in
uncontested rebounds this year.
According to ESPN, the next nine guys on the list are big men.
According
to Tom Haberstroh, in that ESPN video cited above, Westbrook’s 2016-17 rebounds
per game were a 2.6 per game improvement over 2015-16 (10.4 this season
compared to 7.8 last season). He then
points out that Westbrook”s uncontested rebounds this season went up to 8.4 (versus
5.9 last season). The 2.5 increase per
game, which also catapulted him to the league lead in uncontested rebounds
(something a guard has never done), puts Westbrook over the magic 10.0 per game
needed for a triple-double.
How
were these uncontested rebounds obtained by Westbrook? What led to the 2.5 per
game increase this season in his uncontested rebounds? Well, on the Haberstroh video, there is an
example of both of the OKC big men, set up inside on the foul line, simply
boxing out there man and allowing Westbrook to get the rebound. It’s unusual, to say the least, but this
writer has always believed that there should be a separate stat within defensive
rebounds for rebounds after a foul shot versus rebounds obtained in the flow of
defensive play. Obviously, the latter is
virtually always harder than the former.
Finally,
politicking for a triple-double or focusing on getting one doesn’t seem to be
beyond Westbrook, even though he always gives the standard “I just want to win”
quote (and good for him). But
take a look at an article by Kevin Draper at Deadspin.com from March 13, 2015
(i.e., that’s the 2014-15 season, not this season or last season), entitled
Russell Westbrook got a “Triple Double” Last Night on This “Rebound.” Watch the video, read the article and decide
for yourself.
And,
remember, Oscar talked about how people didn’t really know or care about
triple-doubles when he did it. To this
writer, that means a lot in today’s stats-obsessed world.
While
giving credit at the beginning of the ESPN video to Westbrook for accomplishing
the feat, Haberstroh then goes on to point out the issues with respect to the
assist/rebound numbers for Westbrook.
WHAT
ABOUT MINUTES PLAYED PER GAME IN GETTING THE TRIPLE DOUBLE?
Tom
Haberstroh, in a separate appearance on ESPN, talked about the fact that
Westbrook accomplished his triple-double in about nine minutes less per game
than Oscar (rounding off, about 44-35 minutes per game). When asked about this, Haberstroh, a stats
guy, explained that Oscar played in an era where Wilt Chamberlain played
“basically” 48 minutes per game.
I’m
not sure what he meant by that comment.
Obviously, back then, guys just played a lot more minutes than they play
today. To compare anyone to Chamberlain,
the greatest physical specimen in the history of the NBA, is absurd. In fact, in the 1961-62 season, Wilt
Chamberlain averaged 48.5 minutes per game, meaning he averaged more than a
complete 48-minute game for the season.
That’s
because Wilt’s team played in overtime games that year and Wilt played virtually
every minute of every game. Unbelievable
(Here’s a little known fact: contrary to popular belief, Wilt did not play
every minute of every game that year – Wilt’s Philadelphia Warriors played 10
overtime periods, so, of the 3,890 minutes the Warriors played in 1961-62, Wilt
played in 3,882 minutes – a staggering achievement and, yes, a record that will
never be broken).
Achieving
a season-long triple-double in less minutes per game cuts both ways. While it’s beyond impressive, it is simply
easier to get assists today and, if your big guys are going to box out and let
you get the rebound, it’s easier to get rebounds. Also, if Westbrook averaged as many minutes
per game as Oscar, he might have gotten hurt or tired over the long season by
playing in the mid-40s in minutes every game.
HARDEN
V. OSCAR
James
Harden also had a season for the ages and is a main candidate (along with
Westbrook) to win the MVP (more on that later). But, even in the Harden amazing
stats (and, to be clear, he’s a superstar as well), there are some interesting
things to compare with the past.
For
example, arguably Harden’s most impressive stat is the following: he’s the
first player in the history of the NBA to finish a season with 2000+ points,
600+ rebounds and 900+ assists.
Beyond
impressive. And totally true.
But
wait! In Oscar’s 1961-62 season, he had
more points than Harden (Oscar 2,432 to Harden’s 2,356, which includes 262 more
threes than Oscar had – hopefully, you get the joke/point), more rebounds than
Harden (a staggering 985 to Harden’s 659) and only seven less assists than
Harden (899 to 906 for Harden).
Again,
the amount of games comes into play. Is
Harden the first ever to do the above?
Absolutely. But if Oscar played
two more games, which he couldn’t due to the 80-game (versus today’s 82)
schedule back then, it says here he would’ve broken that now (somehow?)
important (?) 900-assist mark. Since
Oscar averaged 11.4 assists per game in 1961-62, it says here that he would
have found a way to get eight assists in two (or even one) games to beat that
mark as well.
HARDEN
V. TINY -- “POINTS ACCOUNTED FOR”
Another
Harden record, maybe, is in the points accounted for category, beating another
hero of this writer, Tiny Archibald. But
despite anointing Harden with this record, there still seems to be some dispute
as to whether Harden did it or not. ESPN
says no, a number of others say yes.
To
this writer, it’s another irrelevancy.
Tiny Archibald had one of the greatest seasons ever in 1972-73, becoming
the only player in the history of the NBA to lead the league in both scoring
(34) and assists (11.4) per game. Tiny,
who this writer thinks has to be on the short list of greatest players ever
under 6 feet (he’s listed at 6’1”, but someone should check that – this writer
thinks he’s closer to 5’10” than 6’1”, having stood next to him a couple of
times when he was still in the NBA).
In
any event, it’s irrelevant because of the existence of the three-point
line. As noted above, Harden scored 262
three-pointers so, if he did beat Archibald (still, it seems, an open question
at this point), it was only because of making and assisting on threes. Tiny had more assists than Harden (910 to
906) and many more points (2719 to 2356 (and again, Harden’s 363 points less
than Tiny’s includes 262 three-point shots made)).
That
should count for something.
ONE
FINAL THING ON OSCAR
To
this day, this writer would vote for Oscar as the greatest player of all time,
with Wilt number two. Bill Russell is
number three as the greatest winner of all time. Michael Jordan would be four and Lebron
James, with time left in his career, would be five.
And
while it doesn’t really matter what this writer thinks, here’s what the NBA
logo, Jerry West, has said: “When I look back on my career, he [Oscar] is the
greatest I ever played against. Period.”
Of course, West played against Wilt and Russell, among others.
For
one season, you can compare a Westbrook or a Harden with an Oscar, but
understand this: If you total up Oscar’s
stats for his first five seasons in the NBA, he averaged a triple-double for
FIVE SEASONS. His numbers are (from
1960-61 through 1964-65): 30.3 points per game, 10.6 assists per game and 10.4
rebounds per game. Beyond staggering.
Indeed,
some would say that Oscar averaged a triple-double for his first six years, but
this writer didn’t want to round up his 9.99 six-year rebound average to 10.0.
These
are numbers that will never be matched.
Incredible
seasons by Russell Westbrook and James Harden. They have attained superstar
status in today’s NBA and deservedly so.
But be careful when you compare them to superstars of the past. Things like how many games in a season,
changing rules (we never even discussed how, in the “good old days,” guys could
hand-check while playing defense (and get away with a lot); nor did we discuss
how the carry rule stopped being enforced since the early-1990s), the desire of
more players (and fans and media) today to be concerned with stats, etc., all
have to play into any analysis of what their accomplishments all mean.
Were
there more possessions way back when due to the pace of the game? Absolutely.
Were there more rebounds because shooting percentages were lower? You betcha.
But the game is played the way the game is played, then and now. The pace of the game is faster today than
it’s been in some time. Not as fast as
the early ‘60s, but faster nonetheless.
There were more rebounds due to poor shooting percentages way back when,
but there are more long rebounds today due to so many missed, by definition
long, three-point shots.
The
game today, while very different, is still basketball.
SO,
WHO’S THE MVP?
It
was good to see Oscar present to congratulate Russell Westbrook on averaging a
triple-double for a season and breaking Oscar’s record (by 1) with 42 triple-doubles
in a season. Then it was fascinating to
hear Oscar lead the chants of “MVP” in front of the wild OKC crowd.
As
most of you know, Oscar finished third in the MVP voting the year he averaged a
triple-double. The award went to Bill
Russell, as he led the Celtics to a 60-20 regular season record, the best in
the NBA (they would go on to win the NBA Championship). Russell, the greatest (and probably smartest)
defender ever, averaged 18.9 points per game and 23.6 rebound per game in
1961-62.
Wilt
Chamberlain finished second in the voting.
He averaged 50.4 points per game and 25.7 rebounds per game. Of course, on March 2, 1962, he scored 100
against the Knicks.
Oscar,
with his triple-double, finished third in the voting. It would seem that, back then, winning
mattered more and defense mattered more.
Certainly winning and defense did matter more when choosing the winners
of MVP awards back then.
Well,
Harden is on record as saying that winning matters the most. Before this season, OKC was expected to do better
this year than Houston. OKC, with an
average over/under total of about 45.5 or so, won 47 games. Houston, with an over/under of about 43.5 or
so, won 55 games.
As
between Harden and Westbrook, this writer would give the MVP to Harden.
But
if we look at winners and defense, too (and, of course, we should), the MVP
this year is Kawhi Leonard. Leonard, the
defending NBA Defensive Player of the Year, averaged 25.5 points a game, 5.8
rebounds per game and 3.5 assists per game.
He’s probably, this season, either the NBA Defensive Player of the Year
(again) or he will finish second to Draymond Green.
The
Spurs were 61-21 this year, so, if winning matters, he’s ahead of the other
candidates (nobody from Golden State stands out – that’s part of the problem
with having a Big Four). Some people, in
discounting Leonard’s candidacy, simply say that the Spurs are the Spurs and
they always win 60. But the Big Three in
San Antonio has, essentially, left and gone away.
It’s
really been Leonard and then the Big Three the last few seasons. This year, Tim Duncan is gone (but he hadn’t
been TIM DUNCAN for a few seasons, including their last championship), Manu
Ginobili hasn’t really been Manu Ginobili for a few seasons and Tony Parker is
still pretty good, but not as good as he’s been in the past.
Leonard’s
the man, and the fact that they haven’t missed a beat is mainly because of
him. LaMarcus Aldridge has been good for
the Spurs as well, but he’s not Kawhi Leonard, who usually guards the best
player on the other team.
You’re
rarely going to say that about Westbrook or Harden.
FINALLY,
IS THIS THE GREATEST REGULAR SEASON EVER?
Be
serious. This writer hasn’t looked at
every season, but it’s hard to believe how anybody could say this season is
better than 1961-62. There was a piece
shown a few times on ESPN recently, stating that this year is the best season
ever.
Again,
you have to put everything in context.
If someone tells you that, for example, there were more triple-doubles
this season then ever before, or even better, that there were more 20 or more
point-per-game scorers than ever before, there should be someone there to say
wait a minute!
There
are over three times as many teams in the NBA today as there were back in
1961-62, and, thus, many more games per season.
As virtually everybody knows, there was no three-point line back
then. It’s like fools in baseball who
equate “post-season” home runs with World Series home runs.
Those
stats mean nothing when comparing this season with 1961-62. And, not surprisingly, there was no mention
of any defense, stat or otherwise, in the piece.
Another
absurd reference in that ESPN piece was that Anthony Davis scored 52 in the
All-Star game. Well, if anything, that
was a total embarrassment for the NBA. Nothing against Davis, a young star who was
playing before his home crowd, but you could barely call that an exhibition
game. It was such a joke that the NBA is
looking at ways to “fix” it.
Back
in the ‘60s, the All-Star game was played like a real game – it was played hard
and played for pride. Like the MLB
All-Star game, the NBA All-Star game has become a joke, nothing more than a
laughing matter.
Again,
nothing against Davis, but to include that in an argument that this was the
greatest season ever just shows a lack of understanding of the game as it was
and as it is today.
So,
this writer would argue that 1961-62, a season with somebody averaging over 50
(and over 25 rebounds) per game (think about that), a superstar defender who
did win the MVP and the only guy to average a triple-double in one season
(until this year), makes that year better than this year.
Oh,
and that first guy also scored 100 points in a game.
That
should be more than enough.
©
2017 BY STEVE KALLAS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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