Wilt Chamberlain vs Kareem Abdul Jabbar Duel Game 5 1971 WCF

[coastalmarker99]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwGhniGdi1o

[dankok8]

Great footage! Wish it was longer than 2 minutes...

[coastalmarker99]

Great footage! Wish it was longer than 2 minutes...

Same I think Wilt did a very great job on Kareem throughout this series without both his co-stars in Baylor and West and for the record if the were Lakers fully health that year in the playoffs I think they beat the Bucks as they did in the 1972 Wcf and then they go on to beat the bullets in 5 or 6 games.





And also the more footage I get of Wilt vs Kareem the more I think a prime Wilt would have kicked his ass as Moses did to Kareem every time they matched up in the playoffs.

[Psileas]

So many famous plays in that game...Wilt's block duet on Kareem's hooks, Kareem's 2 most famous dunks on Wilt, Wilt's fancy layup under Kareem's pressure...
Did you watch the whole game, marker? Did Wilt block 6 shots in that game?

[coastalmarker99]

So many famous plays in that game...Wilt's block duet on Kareem's hooks, Kareem's 2 most famous dunks on Wilt, Wilt's fancy layup under Kareem's pressure...
Did you watch the whole game, marker? Did Wilt block 6 shots in that game?

Yes, Wilt did block actually more than 6 shots this game the final total for him was 8 to 9 shots and afterwards as he left the game late in the fourth the Bucks crowd recognized his incredible performance and stood up as one to applaud him as he walked off the floor.


If Wilt was in his prime vs Kareem I think he would have destroyed him if Kareem was struggling so hard against this old post knee injury version of Wilt who had lost most of his mobility and athleticism. Lord knows what a prime Wilt would have done to Kareem he most likely would have eaten him alive on the boards and bullied him inside as Moses did so successfully vs Kareem.

[dankok8]

Same I think Wilt did a very great job on Kareem throughout this series without both his co-stars in Baylor and West and for the record if the were Lakers fully health that year in the playoffs I think they beat the Bucks as they did in the 1972 Wcf and then they go on to beat the bullets in 5 or 6 games.





And also the more footage I get of Wilt vs Kareem the more I think a prime Wilt would have kicked his ass as Moses did to Kareem every time they matched up in the playoffs.

From watching the extensive footage posted from the 1972 WCF (Game 3, 4 and 6) it was young Kareem who had a much better motor and was crushing Wilt on the offensive boards not vice versa. You have to understand that Moses dominated a Kareem in his mid-30's with major miles on his odometer. And even then I wouldn't say Moses kicked his ass in 1981. That series was pretty even in terms of who outplayed who.

I think Kareem was a more balanced all-around offensive player than Wilt. In a game of one-on-one on the playground Wilt's strength would overpower Kareem. Within the framework of a team offense, I think Kareem is a superior player to Wilt. Kareem skyhook was a more reliable weapon that anything in Wilt's arsenal and most importantly Kareem seems to have better decision making with the ball. He always knew how to involve his teammates and pressure the defense with his own scoring whereas Wilt rarely found the right balance.

[coastalmarker99]

From watching the extensive footage posted from the 1972 WCF (Game 3, 4 and 6) it was young Kareem who had a much better motor and was crushing Wilt on the offensive boards not vice versa. You have to understand that Moses dominated a Kareem in his mid-30's with major miles on his odometer. And even then I wouldn't say Moses kicked his ass in 1981. That series was pretty even in terms of who outplayed who.

I think Kareem was a more balanced all-around offensive player than Wilt. In a game of one-on-one on the playground Wilt's strength would overpower Kareem. Within the framework of a team offense, I think Kareem is a superior player to Wilt. Kareem skyhook was a more reliable weapon that anything in Wilt's arsenal and most importantly Kareem seems to have better decision making with the ball. He always knew how to involve his teammates and pressure the defense with his own scoring whereas Wilt rarely found the right balance.



I disagree with Kareem being a superior player than Wilt as for one was he a better rebounder defender scorer shot-blocker and playmaker than Wilt was no he was not.



Also, I found this stat very interesting between Wilt and Kareem

First 10 seasons for each player:

Kareem's teams in POs:
9-7 in series, 44-34 in games
1 champ, 2 total Finals

Wilt's teams in POs:
10-8, 51-47
1 champ, 3 Finals



Kareem should be thanking God every day that Magic came to the Lakers and saved him from finishing his career with only one ring as before Magic he struggled to win titles despite the fact that his prime was spent in by far the weakest era in Nba history.

[1987_Lakers]

Same I think Wilt did a very great job on Kareem throughout this series without both his co-stars in Baylor and West and for the record if the were Lakers fully health that year in the playoffs I think they beat the Bucks as they did in the 1972 Wcf and then they go on to beat the bullets in 5 or 6 games.





And also the more footage I get of Wilt vs Kareem the more I think a prime Wilt would have kicked his ass as Moses did to Kareem every time they matched up in the playoffs.

Old Wilt matched up well with a young Kareem because early 70's Wilt was at his peak in terms of post defense, he had the size and the body to guard Kareem, but despite all that, Wilt was on record as saying Kareem was the first guy that made him think to himself "I need some help guarding this guy".

'77 Kareem was more skilled and added more weight compared to his Bucks years, making it harder for physical defenders to push him around, so if we are talking about prime vs prime, I feel like maybe '67 Wilt and '77 Kareem would be the ideal matchup. When I compare both players, I see Kareem as the more skilled guy offensively, he has the most unguardable shot in history, along with other counter moves turnaround jumper or a left hook, judging by the tape, Kareem would fair much better as a post scorer than Wilt in today's league, whos offensive tape is pretty underwhelming.

One thing I do give props to Wilt is his defense & rebounding stayed elite even as he aged, Kareem saw massive regression in that area once the 80's rolled around. Even at his peak, Kareem was a great rim protector and All-Defensive player, but because of his average effort and lack of physicality as a defender overall, big men like Russell, Walton, Hakeem, D-Rob were better on that end.

[Marchesk]

Good video. Wilt looks so massive. But he's not as fluid as his younger days, due to knee injury.

[dankok8]

I disagree with Kareem being a superior player than Wilt as for one was he a better rebounder defender scorer shot-blocker and playmaker than Wilt was no he was not.



Also, I found this stat very interesting between Wilt and Kareem

First 10 seasons for each player:

Kareem's teams in POs:
9-7 in series, 44-34 in games
1 champ, 2 total Finals

Wilt's teams in POs:
10-8, 51-47
1 champ, 3 Finals



Kareem should be thanking God every day that Magic came to the Lakers and saved him from finishing his career with only one ring as before Magic he struggled to win titles despite the fact that his prime was spent in by far the weakest era in Nba history.

Kareem had subpar supporting casts from 1973-1979. It's hard to deny that.

Basketball to me is about balancing scoring and playmaking on offense. Wilt may have been more talented than Kareem in some aspects of offense but he wasn't better at putting them all together. When they shot similar volumes of shots, Kareem shot much higher %'s and against a tougher cast of centers (ex. 1966 Wilt vs. 1972 Kareem). Wilt's teams did better when he had smaller offensive roles i.e. 1967 onwards. Defensively I'd give Wilt the edge over Kareem. From the increasing amount of footage I've watched Wilt doesn't seem to be in the Russell or Hakeem or KG level defensively though. He doesn't seem that laterally quick. His shotblocking was impressive but defense isn't just shotblocking. Overall it can go either way in their peaks. I don't think there is much separating them. If I had to choose I'd go with Kareem because I think elite offense is more valuable than elite defense especially in latter eras where more shots would come from the perimeter.

[JBSptfn]

Kareem had subpar supporting casts from 1973-1979. It's hard to deny that.

In 1977-78, he had Norm Nixon, Adrian Dantley, Jamaal Wilkes, and a solid backup center in James Edwards (14.8 PPG that year). The next year, Edwards was gone, but they added rookie Michael Cooper (who didn't hardly play at all that year). I wouldn't call those supporting casts subpar.

[Horatio33]

In 1977-78, he had Norm Nixon, Adrian Dantley, Jamaal Wilkes, and a solid backup center in James Edwards (14.8 PPG that year). The next year, Edwards was gone, but they added rookie Michael Cooper (who didn't hardly play at all that year). I wouldn't call those supporting casts subpar.

Wasn't Cooper a late 1st/early 2nd round pick? Its not like they drafted a top 5 pick. Plus Cooper missed the season with a knee injury.

[1987_Lakers]

In 1977-78, he had Norm Nixon, Adrian Dantley, Jamaal Wilkes, and a solid backup center in James Edwards (14.8 PPG that year). The next year, Edwards was gone, but they added rookie Michael Cooper (who didn't hardly play at all that year). I wouldn't call those supporting casts subpar.

Adrian Dantley was a cancer, every team got better once he left them.