Remembering Pistol Pete

[Jasper]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9JLJunoxlc

How many NBA players you think do this kind of stuff :lol

Pete had one of the all time handles in the nial's of the bball world. :bowdown:

[Nowitness]

A sad story. Even though Christianity is a poison, it's sad to know that after a life of depression he finds happiness and dies soon after.

[PistolPete]

Magic, before there was Magic.

[triangleoffense]

i don't know that much about him except that he has the best name a basketball player could hope for.

[pudman13]

Dr. J called him the most skilled player he ever encountered.

[SHAQisGOAT]

I've previously wrote this, at some point...


One of my favorite players, definitely one of the most exciting to watch all-time.

Dude had a sweet stroke and could/would shoot it from everywhere in any way, he was a great overall scorer, he was a crazy dribbler (within era's rules) who knew how to keep the ball on a string, he was a great passer with great vision, he had major understanding on how to pull what he was trying to do, his creativeness was unreal and he was willing to try all the flashy stuff... Looked like the game was slowed down to him many times. Plus, he had some nice physical gifts.

He can be discussed as the most skilled player ever... Shame that his intangibles were exactly the opposite, as he never found the right balance between scoring and passing, never fully grasped the concept of team play, was WAY too flashy for his own sake many times, even he would say he played for the fans, he would rather dribble through a crowd to get people off their seat, his defense was average at best for most of his career, he would become very trigger happy, he would make unnecessary passes...
He also never had a coach to really lay into him, teach him something, make him change his ways.

Gotta say that plenty of it was because he was coached by his father in college who gave him the keys to the team, he was also viewed as a star already as a kid, and also because he mastered the game since an early age so he needed ways not to get bored with it.

Still, one of the all-time great talents, probably the GOAT basketball showman:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kq1oUk7sgRY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfWkiO2Iz08
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qv0YS1wHoQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVnJeKX5OeY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiQgmj3bCW8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPqnpxhFWhw

:applause: :bowdown:

Stuff he was doing and loved to do on the court, was mostly frowned upon by the basketball world in that era (most coaches, most players, most media, most hardcore fans)... Nowadays that would've been VERY different though...
And he was also a big influence on the game and many of its players, you still see it today.

He was drafted by the Hawks, team with good players but he just didn't fit there in many ways.
Then with NOLA, when the team was built around him and he was changing his ways a bit playing his best ball, his teammates were simply sub-par.
In '78, when they were improving and getting it going, he got severely injured and was never the same again.
He still played for the Celtics in 1980, as a complete shell... He then returned in the following year, in great shape after an off-season of very hard work to try and change his game to better fit his "situation". They said he was playing very well in pre-season but beef with coach Fitch forced him to retire, while the C's went on to win a ring.

Somewhat sad stuff because he dedicated his whole life to bball, never really gettin the most out of it, then died at the age of 40 when they said he was finally happy.

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

Sick vid :applause:

This is probably my favorite fan-made Pistol Pete mix, though:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qv0YS1wHoQ

Dude was the quintessential wizard.

[chocolatethunder]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9JLJunoxlc

How many NBA players you think do this kind of stuff :lol

Pete had one of the all time handles in the nial's of the bball world. :bowdown:
What are you trying to say here?

[bizil]

Dr. J called him the most skilled player he ever encountered.

In terms of combining great shooting, scoring, passing, and handles as a package, I think Pete is the best of all time. His combination of flair and skill in those areas is the best of all time. I think Steph Curry is the best PG of all time in that realm followed by Nash. But overall, I think Pete is the most skilled. In terms of numbers, u have guys who can do somewhat similar things. But when it comes to the combo of flair and skill combined, Pete separates himself from everybody.

[Lebronxrings]

no one cares weak era. Would be working at mcdonalds today

[SHAQisGOAT]

no one cares weak era. Would be working at mcdonalds today

What's the point of posting useless, dumb and ignorant shit over and over again? Gets even sadder if you're not trolling.
Go do something else... Over 2800 posts in less than one year and not even a handful of good ones :facepalm




In terms of combining great shooting, scoring, passing, and handles as a package, I think Pete is the best of all time. His combination of flair and skill in those areas is the best of all time. I think Steph Curry is the best PG of all time in that realm followed by Nash. But overall, I think Pete is the most skilled. In terms of numbers, u have guys who can do somewhat similar things. But when it comes to the combo of flair and skill combined, Pete separates himself from everybody.

Definitely can be argued, as I've said, he can be argued as the most (offensively) skilled player of all-time... His intangibles couldn't even begin to match that though.
And Pete was similar (or the other way around) in terms of skill/flair/style to players like Nash, Curry, Isiah... while being over 6'5 barefooted and 197 lbs as a rookie.
And he also was a pretty nice athlete, considerably more athletic, overall, than a guy like Nash for example. Pete had that scoring/shooting-PG skill, call it, in a SG's body.

In his autobiographical book, Julius Erving (who, ofc, was an athletic freak built like stone) had this to say about Pete:

What nobody ever talks about with Pete Maravich is that he's a big guy. Not only is he tall, at over 6'5", but he is well-built, muscular, strong.

But when you're playing with Pete, you realize that his game, which on TV looks like a flashier version of what I was familiar with from watching the Globetrotters, is actually much faster than anyone who is doing that kind of dribble, cross-over, snap-pass, no-look stuff. Pete has all of the Globetrotters moves, but he can do them at unimaginable speeds. He's one of the fastest players I've ever played with.

Playing one-on-one with Pete is an experience. He's got the kind of shooting range that I've never seen before. He can shoot it consistently out to 35 feet, but if I'm going to go out there and defend that, then he'll cross-me up on the dribble and get a lay-up or dunk. Pete has some great ups, and while he's not known for getting to the rim, he throws some nice dunks down in our games, his red hair flapping in the hot Georgia air. One of the things that makes Pete so great is his hang time, and no one talks about that. He can leave the floor and sort of stay up there long enough to make a good pass out of the play, or fake one way and then pass another.
Read more here: http://deadspin.com/this-doctor-can-operate-dr-j-pistol-pete-and-the-1469135960

I've also posted this gifs, a while back:

(notice that he's doing the fake behind-the-back pass, leaving the ground with his foot just inside the FT line, connecting on the layup, in slow-mo here)
https://33.media.tumblr.com/75367952abe196ad88b9e5d9b9bf65e4/tumblr_n1l465gMBh1s3gys4o1_400.gif

http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/11-23-2014/VOb1uC.gif

http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/11-23-2014/vcl3Lg.gif

http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/11-23-2014/iPjU2S.gif

http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/11-23-2014/ZcoI4d.gif

http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/11-23-2014/b1Wupa.gif

http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/11-23-2014/wkK6v1.gif

https://38.media.tumblr.com/2453f865b42c58bc0c4cb8d35553eb56/tumblr_nbppc2IYLp1s3gys4o2_400.gif

I also see plenty of Maravich's play and game, let's say, in a player like Kobe (even Bryant said it himself), and other SG's "like that".
Pistol was - in terms of skill, flair and style - something like Curry in Klay's body, just to paint a picture.

Just look at him next to Havlicek, who was going h2h against the likes of Gus Johnson, Baylor, Julius And next to Doug Collins, who was even listed at 6'6 back in the day:
http://i60.tinypic.com/10h6cyc.png

I believe that if Pete had the intangibles to go along with his talent/skill, he could've been, at least, a top30 all-time player by now.
Auerbach said that Pistol would've been regarded as one of the very best ever, if he played for him/the Celtics since the get-go.

[SHAQisGOAT]

Some more gifs:

https://i.imgflip.com/2o33d.gif

http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/11-24-2014/3bcQaV.gif

http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/11-24-2014/viOQ7n.gif

http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/11-24-2014/piAq_t.gif

http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/11-24-2014/1rShlJ.gif

http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/11-24-2014/xq4jTB.gif

http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/11-24-2014/1BY0nI.gif

(that's Wilt at his biggest in the league)
http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/11-24-2014/CfAecz.gif

[KevinNYC]

https://33.media.tumblr.com/75367952abe196ad88b9e5d9b9bf65e4/tumblr_n1l465gMBh1s3gys4o1_400.gif

http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/11-23-2014/VOb1uC.gif

http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/11-23-2014/vcl3Lg.gif

http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/11-23-2014/iPjU2S.gif

http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/11-23-2014/ZcoI4d.gif

http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/11-23-2014/b1Wupa.gif

http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/11-23-2014/wkK6v1.gif

https://38.media.tumblr.com/2453f865b42c58bc0c4cb8d35553eb56/tumblr_nbppc2IYLp1s3gys4o2_400.gif

http://i60.tinypic.com/10h6cyc.png

[/B]
Look at that motion his defender makes.

There's a Larry Bird tribute video where Bobby Knight says that Bird might have had the greatest hand-eye coordination in the history of the game and I thought what about Pistol Pete?

[Ariza4three]

no one cares weak era. Would be working at mcdonalds today
This

[KevinNYC]

This
I would guess that the guy with Nate Thurmond avatar is being ironic.


You missed that however.

[Ariza4three]

I would guess that the guy with Nate Thurmond avatar is being ironic.


You missed that however.
Keep talking beta feminist.

[KevinNYC]

Keep talking beta feminist.:roll:

:banana:

:roll:

[bizil]

What's the point of posting useless, dumb and ignorant shit over and over again? Gets even sadder if you're not trolling.
Go do something else... Over 2800 posts in less than one year and not even a handful of good ones :facepalm





Definitely can be argued, as I've said, he can be argued as the most (offensively) skilled player of all-time... His intangibles couldn't even begin to match that though.
And Pete was similar (or the other way around) in terms of skill/flair/style to players like Nash, Curry, Isiah... while being over 6'5 barefooted and 197 lbs as a rookie.
And he also was a pretty nice athlete, considerably more athletic, overall, than a guy like Nash for example. Pete had that scoring/shooting-PG skill, call it, in a SG's body.

In his autobiographical book, Julius Erving (who, ofc, was an athletic freak built like stone) had this to say about Pete:



Read more here: http://deadspin.com/this-doctor-can-operate-dr-j-pistol-pete-and-the-1469135960

I've also posted this gifs, a while back:

(notice that he's doing the fake behind-the-back pass, leaving the ground with his foot just inside the FT line, connecting on the layup, in slow-mo here)
https://33.media.tumblr.com/75367952abe196ad88b9e5d9b9bf65e4/tumblr_n1l465gMBh1s3gys4o1_400.gif

http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/11-23-2014/VOb1uC.gif

http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/11-23-2014/vcl3Lg.gif

http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/11-23-2014/iPjU2S.gif

http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/11-23-2014/ZcoI4d.gif

http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/11-23-2014/b1Wupa.gif

http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/11-23-2014/wkK6v1.gif

https://38.media.tumblr.com/2453f865b42c58bc0c4cb8d35553eb56/tumblr_nbppc2IYLp1s3gys4o2_400.gif

I also see plenty of Maravich's play and game, let's say, in a player like Kobe (even Bryant said it himself), and other SG's "like that".
Pistol was - in terms of skill, flair and style - something like Curry in Klay's body, just to paint a picture.

Just look at him next to Havlicek, who was going h2h against the likes of Gus Johnson, Baylor, Julius And next to Doug Collins, who was even listed at 6'6 back in the day:
http://i60.tinypic.com/10h6cyc.png

I believe that if Pete had the intangibles to go along with his talent/skill, he could've been, at least, a top30 all-time player by now.
Auerbach said that Pistol would've been regarded as one of the very best ever, if he played for him/the Celtics since the get-go.


Well said! As talented as Pete was, he was never as good as Big O or West because of the intangibles. Big O wasn't as flashy as Pete, but offensively speaking (points and assists as a package) Big O is the greatest of all time. In terms of West, West was a great two way guard. Plus West could do many of the things Pete did (great shooting, scoring, handles, and passing) but he wasn't as flashy.

Many of the other guards after Big O and West in the 70's (Gervin, Tiny, Monroe, Murphy, etc.) were also more flashy and great players. But they weren't as good as West or Big O either. It took the guards like MJ and Magic to combine the flashiness of Pete with the great all around game of Big O and West.

I think Pete was the first great big guard (6'5 and up) who had the flashy kind of play. So in a sense he DID influence the bigger guards like MJ, Gervin, Kobe, Drexler, etc. down the pike.

[La Frescobaldi]

Well said! As talented as Pete was, he was never as good as Big O or West because of the intangibles. Big O wasn't as flashy as Pete, but offensively speaking (points and assists as a package) Big O is the greatest of all time. In terms of West, West was a great two way guard. Plus West could do many of the things Pete did (great shooting, scoring, handles, and passing) but he wasn't as flashy.

Many of the other guards after Big O and West in the 70's (Gervin, Tiny, Monroe, Murphy, etc.) were also more flashy and great players. But they weren't as good as West or Big O either. It took the guards like MJ and Magic to combine the flashiness of Pete with the great all around game of Big O and West.

I think Pete was the first great big guard (6'5 and up) who had the flashy kind of play. So in a sense he DID influence the bigger guards like MJ, Gervin, Kobe, Drexler, etc. down the pike.

Not "in a sense." He directly influenced all guards, immediately, instantly, permanently.
He took the concept of pure, honing of skills... in the gym, on the playground, in the driveway.... to levels never seen before or since.

Pistol, it could well be argued, might be the most influential player ever (after Mike, of course, who spread the game far and wide), because all guards since have emulated him... whether they even know it or not. Just his ceaseless drilling alone changed the entire game, everywhere.

The impact he had in the late '60s and early '70s changed everything. Red Auerbach would sit in the stands and never take his eye from Maravich, game after game.... and all coaches, pee-wee through NBA, showed his film to players at every level for a decade. Many of these little highlights Jasper showed us were shown tens of thousands of times in high school gyms all over the continent.... stop, re-wind, play....... stop, re-wind, play....... the legends around him making a hundred free throws in a row in the dark with his dad, dribbling the ball on the floor while he was in bed, at the breakfast table, in his school locker...... were told everywhere.

He took Cousy's game and built on it, studied Earl Monroe, who went in the League a year or two earlier... combined their styles with West's quest for perfection.... and took ball-handling skills to altogether another level.

Another guy, totally forgot today, is Ernie DiGregorio who was wrecked by devastating injury, and we only got a glimpse of where he was heading.
Ernie D was silk