Dominating a game without scoring

[jlip]

In this thread list some games where a player dominated or was simply the most impacting player while scoring 15 or fewer points. I'll get started.

Magic- 1982 NBA Finals Game 6 vs Sixers
13pts/13rbs/13asts

He took just three shots, and his performance prompted Dr. J to say, "He is the only player who can take three shots and still dominate a game".Link (http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00016111.html)

Dennis Rodman- 1996 NBA Finals Games 2 and 6 vs Sonics
Game 2- 10pts/ 20rbs

So was Rodman. The Bulls' power forward finished the evening with 20 rebounds -- he tied an NBA Finals record with 11 offensive boards -- including the most crucial rebound of the game in the closing seconds. Karl called him Chicago's most valuable player of the evening.

Link (http://www.nba.com/history/finals/19951996.html)


Game 6- 9pts/19rbs/5asts

"As you evaluate the series, Dennis Rodman won two basketball games," Karl said. "We controlled Dennis Rodman for four gmaes. But Game 2 and tonight, he was the reason they were successful."

Rodman was the central figure in the burst that gave the Bulls control of the game. The Sonics trailed 52-45 with less than nine minutes left in the third quarter. Chicago went on a 12-2 run over the next two minutes to take a 64-47 lead with 6:41 remaining in the period. Rodman had five points in the run, capping the surge with a perfect backdoor pass to Jordan for a layup.

Same link (http://www.nba.com/history/finals/19951996.html)

[Pointguard]

Jason Kidd definitely has a few.

[Psileas]

A bit boring to list 400 Bill Russell games, so, I'll list a completely dominant game by Wilt in 1972:

3 points, 31 rebounds, 10 assists, 12 blocked shots.

[fpliii]

A bit boring to list 400 Bill Russell games, so, I'll list a completely dominant game by Wilt in 1972:

3 points, 31 rebounds, 10 assists, 12 blocked shots.

Wilt under Hannum and Sharman was incredibly impactful.

[Rysio]

coachbe had a few of those last year. :bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown:

[imdaman99]

A bit boring to list 400 Bill Russell games, so, I'll list a completely dominant game by Wilt in 1972:

3 points, 31 rebounds, 10 assists, 12 blocked shots.
did he not wanna score? how many shots taken?

[KOBE143]

coachbe had a few of those last year. :bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown:
this

Coachbe in the sideline dominates the game without him playing.. :bowdown:

[Rekindled]

larry bird is like the embodiment of dominating a game without scoring

[jlip]

Does anyone have any info on Wes Unseld's 1978 Finals? He was named MVP while averaging only 9ppg.

[jlip]

A bit boring to list 400 Bill Russell games,

Yeah. I know. Russell is basically the poster child for this thread. Russell even dominated a game before the game was played.

"Bill Russell was so special that he had a direct effect on a playoff series before he ever played a game. In the spring of 1957, the Celtics were scheduled to play the Syracuse Nationals in a first-round, best-of-five affair. The day before the series began, Syracuse coach Paul Seymour made a startling announcement. Starting center Johnny Kerr, a very good ballplayer, would be coming off the bench. It seems that Russell had given him a very hard time during the season."

[I]

[fpliii]

[QUOTE=jlip]Yeah. I know. Russell is basically the poster child for this thread. Russell even dominated a game before the game was played.

"Bill Russell was so special that he had a direct effect on a playoff series before he ever played a game. In the spring of 1957, the Celtics were scheduled to play the Syracuse Nationals in a first-round, best-of-five affair. The day before the series began, Syracuse coach Paul Seymour made a startling announcement. Starting center Johnny Kerr, a very good ballplayer, would be coming off the bench. It seems that Russell had given him a very hard time during the season."

[I]

[Burgz V2]

Ben Wallace would definitely have a few. Not on a regular basis because of Detroit's commitment to team basketball, everyone really did their part. But some games shots wouldnt fall but this guy would be out there out working everyone. Too bad his knees disintegrated.

[RR#9]

Rondo has some nice ones

15 pts - 11 rebs - 20 assists in game 3 vs NY in the 2011 playoffs

15 pts - 11 rebs - 18 assists in game 2 vs Orlando in the 2009 playoffs

13 pts - 12 rebs - 17 assists in game 1 vs Philly in last years playoffs

[BuffaloBill]

Jason Kidd

[East_Stone_Ya]

http://jocksandstilettojill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/reggie-evans-flopping.jpg

[LikeABosh]

http://jocksandstilettojill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/reggie-evans-flopping.jpg
Dominating...

[RoundMoundOfReb]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/62/Scal_Media_Day.png/220px-Scal_Media_Day.png

[kshutts1]

1998 NBA Finals, Game 3. Scottie Pippen.

[Walker]

How did this thread get into the second page without one mention of Dikembe Mutombo :confusedshrug:

[kshutts1]

How did this thread get into the second page without one mention of Dikembe Mutombo :confusedshrug:

And Elmore Smith's 17 blocks in a game. Can't find the boxscore so I don't know what his point total was

[jlip]

How did this thread get into the second page without one mention of Dikembe Mutombo :confusedshrug:

While I don't consider all star games to be "real" games, the 2001 All Star game did show Mutombo's impact. Everyone talks about Iverson and Marbury leading the East's comback, but Mutombo was easily IMO the most important player for the East.

The East's starting frontcourt was the barely 6'9" Antonio Davis, 6'7" Anthony Mason, and 6'6" Vince Carter. The West starting frontcourt was Webber, KG, and Duncan. The West was just too big for the East and were dominating the paint on both sides of the ball until Deke came into the game. That was the turning point, and Larry Brown started him in the 2nd half. He ended with 6pts 22rbs 3blks.

[Odinn]

How did this thread get into the second page without one mention of Dikembe Mutombo :confusedshrug:
Same goes with Ben Wallace. I remember a game of him he was near at triple-double but couldn't make it even double-double. I guess it was against the Sixers.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200303200DET.html

I found the box score.

[Eric Cartman]

And Elmore Smith's 17 blocks in a game. Can't find the boxscore so I don't know what his point total was

http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197310280LAL.html

[jlip]

1998 NBA Finals, Game 3. Scottie Pippen.
:applause:

Scottie Pippen was buzzing John Stockton like an annoying gnat in the backcourt, filling the passing lanes the way Coach Jerry Sloan wishes his players would and taking a charge from Karl Malone under the basket. On the next Utah Jazz possession, Pippen caused more havoc.

''He is probably the only guy in basketball who draws offensive fouls anymore,'' Sloan said today. ''He had a ton of them last night, I think eight or nine. That was about as good a display of being able to step up and take a charge as you'll see.''

Antoine Carr, the veteran Jazz forward, added, ''Scottie is everywhere.''

Pippen, a roving linebacker in high-tops, is using the finals to reaffirm his position as the game's most complete and chaos-inspiring defensive player. On Sunday night, he was largely responsible for the lowest scoring total in National Basketball Association history since the advent of the shot clock, when the Chicago Bulls pulverized the Jazz, 96-54, to take a two-games-to-one lead in the four-of-seven-game series.

Pippen roamed the floor, spreading his 6-foot-7-inch angular body from player to player on the Jazz roster. Twenty-six Utah turnovers and an unprecedented finals rout later, everyone wanted to know how one player could cause such disruption.

Link (http://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/09/sports/nba-finals-every-turn-jazz-finds-pippen-bulls-consummate-defender-picks-apart.html?src=pm)

His stat line of 10/4/4 would never tell the story.

[hitmanyr2k]

1998 NBA Finals, Game 3. Scottie Pippen.

Before that definitely Game 1 and 2 of the 1998 ECF. Only 4 points in Game 1 but he dominated the game.

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1998-05-18/sports/1998138106_1_pippen-michael-jordan-jackson

CHICAGO -- As Indiana Pacers guard Mark Jackson dissected the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals, Scottie Pippen was an interested spectator. And in the days leading up the Eastern Conference finals, the Chicago Bulls forward had one request as he talked about the matchups with his teammates.

"I wanted to play Jackson," Pippen said. "He's the guy who makes the team click. I wanted him to have to work."

Pippen got his wish. And for a guy who was so off-target on offense that he simply stopped shooting, Pippen was the most dominant player on the court during an 85-79 win over the Pacers that gave the Bulls a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Pippen shot 1-for-9 from the field and scored four points. But for most of his 40 minutes, he pressured Jackson from the moment he received the ball.

Initially, that helped delay the Pacers in setting up their offense. And, ultimately, the post-ups the 6-foot-3 Jackson used to destroy New York's smaller guards in the second round were not available against the 6-7 Pippen.

Jackson was so frustrated that he finished with seven turnovers. And while his overall line was impressive -- 12 points, seven rebounds, six assists -- he didn't record one assist over the final 28 minutes, 10 seconds.

"Obviously, that hurt us offensively," Indiana coach Larry Bird said. "This is the first time this year I have seen a player get on a point guard and not really foul him, but get his hands in there and dig out the ball. Next game we need to do a better job of getting Mark open going down the court."

[jlip]

A bit boring to list 400 Bill Russell games, so, I'll list a completely dominant game by Wilt in 1972:

3 points, 31 rebounds, 10 assists, 12 blocked shots.


did he not wanna score? how many shots taken?

He took just 2 shots

http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197111140LAL.html

[jaydacris]

joel anthony

[j3lademaster]

For the modern era: Ben Wallace needs a mention.

[305Baller]

I dont know about dominating, facilitating maybe.

[lilgodfather1]

I'm sure JKidd has a ton of games where he only had 10-15 points, but had near 20 assists, and was dominant on the glass. That man was a monster, and controlled the game like few others could dream of.

A man that never gets any real mention for dominating a game is Tony Allen. He never puts up flashy numbers so he's not a household name, but there has been times that he has completely changed games with his fantastic defense.

[Droid101]

Rodman should have had finals MVP that year.

[andremiller07]

Marc Gasol has done this his whole career, dominating a game while not looking to score (his scorng is good but he dominates through defense and passing.

[Micku]

Magic and Bird had a few games like that. Tho Bird attacked more than Magic did.

Pippen game 1 against the Pacers in the ECF 1998. Rodman as well like that in that same game. The commentators joked about it was the best bad offensive game they have ever seen because of his defense.

Rondo had a few of those games too in 2010 playoffs. Well, his whole career. CP3 had a few of those games too. Russell and Wilt later on his career were probably the kings at that.



joel anthony


I don't know about dominating. But he was underrated in defense IMO. He is a good shot blocker and is a good defender. He can't really do much else. He hasn't been that good this year in the defensive end. But the whole Heat team are not as good defensively. They started off bad.

[AirFederer]

:applause:

Scottie Pippen was buzzing John Stockton like an annoying gnat in the backcourt, filling the passing lanes the way Coach Jerry Sloan wishes his players would and taking a charge from Karl Malone under the basket. On the next Utah Jazz possession, Pippen caused more havoc.

''He is probably the only guy in basketball who draws offensive fouls anymore,'' Sloan said today. ''He had a ton of them last night, I think eight or nine. That was about as good a display of being able to step up and take a charge as you'll see.''

Antoine Carr, the veteran Jazz forward, added, ''Scottie is everywhere.''

Pippen, a roving linebacker in high-tops, is using the finals to reaffirm his position as the game's most complete and chaos-inspiring defensive player. On Sunday night, he was largely responsible for the lowest scoring total in National Basketball Association history since the advent of the shot clock, when the Chicago Bulls pulverized the Jazz, 96-54, to take a two-games-to-one lead in the four-of-seven-game series.

Pippen roamed the floor, spreading his 6-foot-7-inch angular body from player to player on the Jazz roster. Twenty-six Utah turnovers and an unprecedented finals rout later, everyone wanted to know how one player could cause such disruption.

Link (http://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/09/sports/nba-finals-every-turn-jazz-finds-pippen-bulls-consummate-defender-picks-apart.html?src=pm)

His stat line of 10/4/4 would never tell the story.

Great post!

[jlip]

Jason Kidd
4pts (1-11 fgs) 18asts 7rbs 4stls

12-27-01 (http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200112270DET.html)

Jason Kidd was the star of the New Jersey Nets' victory despite making just one of his 11 shots.

Kidd had 18 assists, seven rebounds, four steals and just one turnover to lead the Nets to an 88-75 victory over the Detroit Pistons last night.

"That's just how Jason is-- a great team player," Nets coach Byron Scott said. "He's one of the few guys in the league that can beat you without scoring..."

Link (http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=RA4wAAAAIBAJ&sjid=yAMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6697,4124636&dq=jason+kidd+nets+assists&hl=en)

[ThaRegul8r]

How did this thread get into the second page without one mention of Dikembe Mutombo :confusedshrug:

Mount Mutombo Erupts With 31 Blocks in First-Round Series

Chris Tomasson

Yes, there was Mount St. Helens in 1980. But there was another pretty impressive eruption in 1994.

That would be the one by Mount Mutombo.

Dikembe Mutombo's Denver Nuggets, the No. 8 seed in the West, stunned the top-seeded Seattle SuperSonics 3-2 in a first-round playoff series. Mutombo led the way by blocking 31 shots, the most ever for an NBA five-game series and his 6.2 average per game remains the highest ever for any series.

That series ended with the unforgettable image of the big center sprawled on the floor, holding the ball over his head in triumph and screaming with joy.

"I've seen it a thousand times (on highlights),'' Mutombo said. "That was the best of times. It was a terrific moment.''

Mutombo retired after last season, his 18th in the NBA. That wasn't followed by a lot of complaints from Nuggets coach George Karl.

Karl, you see, then was Seattle's coach. The less he sees Mutombo, the less he has to think about Denver's 98-94 overtime victory in Game 5 being the lowest moment of his coaching career.

"That's probably my most miserable moment and most miserable day of my life,'' Karl said of May 7, 1994 in Seattle. "I really don't have any fond memories of it because there's always the flashback of Mutombo laying on the ground that comes in every package of highlights made.''

The SuperSonics had finished the regular season with an NBA-best mark of 63-19. They were favored to win the title in the first season of Michael Jordan's retirement, after he had led Chicago to three straight crowns. But Mutombo stood in the way.

He turned out to be an obstacle as formidable as the Great Wall of China.

Mutombo, who had led the NBA during the regular season with a 4.10 blocks average while his Nuggets went 42-40, swatted away shots with ease against the SuperSonics. In Game 5, Mutombo had eight blocks to go along with 15 rebounds.

Mutombo's final block of the series was pivotal. With the Nuggets clinging to a 96-94 lead and 29 seconds left in overtime, Mutombo stuffed a shot by Shawn Kemp, enabling Denver to regain possession and hit a pair of free throws.

Just before the final buzzer, Mutombo, who had averaged 12.2 rebounds in the series, grabbed his last rebound. He collapsed to the court in joy and raised the ball toward the ceiling.

"I think that's the best moment ever in NBA history,'' Mutombo said.

It was a moment that had never before happened. The Nuggets became the first No. 8 seed to beat a No. 1 seed, although they would be joined in 1999 by New York toppling Miami and in 2007 by Golden State stunning Dallas.

Those Nuggets almost tacked on another stunning moment in their next series against Utah after falling behind 3-0. They won three straight games, and were threatening to become the first team ever to win a series after trailing 3-0 before the Jazz won 91-81 in Game 7.

Mutombo swatted 38 shots in that series. That remains the most blocks ever by a player in any NBA playoff series.

Link (http://www.aolnews.com/2009/09/26/tip-off-timer-mount-mutombo-erupts-with-31-blocks-in-first-roun/)


Don't remember how many points he averaged, but he didn't dominate through scoring, and it wasn't his points that got them past Seattle.

[jlip]

Don't remember how many points he averaged, but he didn't dominate through scoring, and it wasn't his points that got them past Seattle.

:applause:
^Good one.^ He avg. 12.6ppg that series

Link (http://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/NBA_1994_WC1.html#DEN::none)

[Lebron23]

Dennis Rodman in the 1996 NBA Finals.

http://www.ticotimes.net/var/tico/storage/images/media/images/news-photos/rodman-kemp-1/1324538-1-eng-US/Rodman-Kemp-1_newsfull_h.jpg

7.5 ppg on 48 FG%, 14.7 rpg, 2.5 apg, 0.8 bpg, 0.2 spg.

[Round Mound]

Offensively These 2

https://pristineauction.s3.amazonaws.com/1/14800/main_1.JPG

Defensively These 2

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HHqJPwoqfEk/TVViLyjgFqI/AAAAAAAAABk/DrlBDCYs6RQ/s1600/chamberlain-russell.jpg