Better postseason performer: Wilt or Lebron?

[Stringer Bell]

What say you?

[Cocaine80s]

Lebron

[dubeta]

28 ppg postseason vs 22

24 ppg finals vs 19

Without including Wilt was guarded b 6'6 unathletic dudes that wouldnt be able to play varsity now.

[Eye Test]

depends on what I have for breakfast

[Magic 32]

Jordan

[fpliii]

28 ppg postseason vs 22

24 ppg finals vs 19

Without including Wilt was guarded b 6'6 unathletic dudes that wouldnt be able to play varsity now.
If you want to make it about ppg without context, that's your call. Not a Wilt fan, and don't care about that argument, or his case vs LeBron. Just want to correct the bolded.

How many 6'6" unathletic dudes guarded him in the playoffs?

60: Red Kerr, Bill Russell
61: Red Kerr
62: Red Kerr, Bill Russell
63: no playoffs
64: Zelmo Beaty, Bill Russell
65: Wayne Embry, Bill Russell
66: Bill Russell
67: Connie Dierking, Bill Russell, Nate Thurmond
68: Willis Reed, Bill Russell
69: Nate Thurmond, Zelmo Beaty, Bill Russell
70: Jim Fox, Walt Bellamy, Willis Reed
71: Tom Boerwinkle, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
72: Clifford Ray, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry Lucas
73: Dennis Awtrey, Nate Thurmond, Willis Reed

For those keeping score (heights were in stocking feet, not in shoes):

Bill Russell: 8x (6'10")
Willis Reed: 3x (6'9")
Red Kerr: 3x (6'9")
Nate Thurmond: 3x (6'11")
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: 2x (7'2")
Zelmo Beaty: 2x (6'9")
Dennis Awtrey: 1x (6'10")
Walt Bellamy: 1x (6'11")
Tom Boerwinkle: 1x (7')
Connie Dierking: 1x (6'9")
Wayne Embry: 1x (6'8")
Jim Fox: 1x (6'10")
Jerry Lucas: 1x (6'8")
Clifford Ray: 1x (6'9")

Dude played in 29 playoff series, 16 against Russell, Reed, Thurmond or Kareem (all four being all-time great defenders). Competition excuse doesn't work here, sorry.

[dubeta]

If you want to make it about ppg without context, that's your call. Not a Wilt fan, and don't care about that argument, or his case vs LeBron. Just want to correct the bolded.

How many 6'6" unathletic dudes guarded him in the playoffs?

60: Red Kerr, Bill Russell
61: Red Kerr
62: Red Kerr, Bill Russell
63: no playoffs
64: Zelmo Beaty, Bill Russell
65: Wayne Embry, Bill Russell
66: Bill Russell
67: Connie Dierking, Bill Russell, Nate Thurmond
68: Willis Reed, Bill Russell
69: Nate Thurmond, Zelmo Beaty, Bill Russell
70: Jim Fox, Walt Bellamy, Willis Reed
71: Tom Boerwinkle, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
72: Clifford Ray, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry Lucas
73: Dennis Awtrey, Nate Thurmond, Willis Reed

For those keeping score (heights were in stocking feet, not in shoes):

Bill Russell: 8x (6'10")
Willis Reed: 3x (6'9")
Red Kerr: 3x (6'9")
Nate Thurmond: 3x (6'11")
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: 2x (7'2")
Zelmo Beaty: 2x (6'9")
Dennis Awtrey: 1x (6'10")
Walt Bellamy: 1x (6'11")
Tom Boerwinkle: 1x (7')
Connie Dierking: 1x (6'9")
Wayne Embry: 1x (6'8")
Jim Fox: 1x (6'10")
Jerry Lucas: 1x (6'8")
Clifford Ray: 1x (6'9")

Dude played in 29 playoff series, 16 against Russell, Reed, Thurmond or Kareem (all four being all-time great defenders). Competition excuse doesn't work here, sorry.

Its just that i'll never understand how someone who can average 50 ppg in his sleep, only gets 19ppg in the finals :lol

[fpliii]

Its just that i'll never understand how someone who can average 50 ppg in his sleep, only gets 19ppg in the finals :lol
I mean, as I said, I'm not a Wilt guy (in general I'm a fan of the era since I've done a lot of research on it, though I like most eras).

The thing is, 50ppg was by design. That was the gameplan of the coach (McGuire), and that's why I think you have to throw it out the window. If you decide before the season starts that you want to score 50 a game, not only is it contrived, but you become very predictable offensively. Especially since back then, there weren't very many skilled shooters in the league (and no 3pt line in general), so you'd get no spacing, and tons of defenders packing the paint. In his 50ppg season, he dropped down to 35ppg in the playoffs (and didn't make the Finals). That was an issue through 64, his last playoffs before getting traded.

Wilt had five playoff runs in his prime with decent teammates (in terms of floor spacing mostly...his teammates earlier weren't scrubs per se, but they weren't suited to a low post isolation-heavy offense), from 65-69. In two of those postseasons (65 and 66), he was in a volume scoring role, in two others he played in a triple post offense (67 and 68), and in one more he was an ancillary offensive option spending a lot of time in the high post so Baylor/West could drive (69).

Some stuff with Wilt is inexcusable (G7 in 68 vs the Celtics, by some accounts it seems both he and Coach Hannum quit on the Sixers since they'd already made plans not to be on the team the next year). His career has been dissected every which way so we can all pass our own judgments on the matter.

I don't know if he or LeBron was the better playoff performer. But it's an interesting conversation for sure.

[Real14]

Wilt

[Psileas]

Since LeBron has had a great single game against Diaw and Kawhi (and we know what monsters Diaw and Kawhi become in the Finals), it can't be other than him. Russell who? 1967 what? :bowdown:


Its just that i'll never understand how someone who can average 50 ppg in his sleep, only gets 19ppg in the finals

How can someone who can average 31/7/7 only get 7/2/4 in a playoff game?

[AintNoSunshine]

Lebron is on MJ level, go figure yourself:facepalm

[aj1987]

How can someone who can average 31/7/7 only get 7/2/4 in a playoff game?
By getting 5 fouls called on him by the 3rd.

Also, LeBron RS - 27.5 PPG; LeBron Playoffs - 28 PPG. Wilt has like an 8 PPG drop form the RS to the Playoffs.

[Psileas]

By getting 5 fouls called on him by the 3rd.

Also, LeBron RS - 27.5 PPG; LeBron Playoffs - 28 PPG. Wilt has like an 8 PPG drop form the RS to the Playoffs.

Maybe you didn't catch the meaning of my question.
As for the 8 ppg drop off, use this to convince someone who doesn't know how stats can lie. 8 ppg drop "per average" in a 14 year career, and yet this only happened once in his career. Something seems out of place here...

[fiddy]

Lebron is on MJ level, go figure yourself:facepalm
Never knew MJ abused HGH

[KOBE143]

LeBron 2011 finals triumphs anything that Wilt has done..

So I guess Wilt by a small margin..

[Marchesk]

Are points the only stat that matters?

[aj1987]

Maybe you didn't catch the meaning of my question.
As for the 8 ppg drop off, use this to convince someone who doesn't know how stats can lie. 8 ppg drop "per average" in a 14 year career, and yet this only happened once in his career. Something seems out of place here...
LOL! 50 PPG in the RS and 35 in the postseason. 45 PPG in the RS, 31-49 record etc. etc.. :oldlol: