Moses Malone - 1981 Finals (All Points + Rebounding & Blocks)

[Round Mound]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYWNWs3rJXM

[GIF REACTION]

Karl Malone>

[Round Mound]

Karl Malone>

The Thread is about Moses Malone

[WillC]

It's great to see a younger, more athletic Malone dominating the paint with some crafty post-moves and incredible quickness and leaping. His timing on the boards is legendary.

I saw a lot of Malone from 1984 onwards but these highlights from 1981 were him at his peak.

[SHAQisGOAT]

Another great upload Moses

Top5 GOAT rebounder, great scorer, one of the best ever at gaining fouls while shooting well from FT line, played pretty good defense in his prime, equipped with good moves on the block, had a jumper, great finisher, could even handle the rock some, and that man rarely got outworked under the basket, just pure hustle and sheer determination... Those Rockets went on that note all the way to the Finals, with Malone doing his thing, Calvin Murphy great as the 6th man (shame he got injured in those Finals), Robert Reid very versatile (overlooked nowadays), and some other solid role-players who knew their role very well.

It's great to see a younger, more athletic Malone dominating the paint with some crafty post-moves and incredible quickness and leaping. His timing on the boards is legendary.

I saw a lot of Malone from 1984 onwards but these highlights from 1981 were him at his peak.

True.

I'd say his absolute best was in 1983, then he considerably dropped his level of play most likely due to already having it made (MVP's, FMVP, title and money)...
Dude was a beast in those days, one of the best primes for a center and I believe he's underrated these days.

Moses was very strong, pretty mobile and quick with his big body, tremendous endurance and stamina... But his best athletic trait, imo, was his ability to "double-jump", dude was never a great leaper but he could give his best jump right after touching the ground, and just like that continously...

1981 Finals are one of the most physical Finals I've ever seen.

[WillC]

Yes, his 'double-jumping' is one of those rare talents that separates him from other centers. Similarly, he was so quick at skying for put-back dunks and tip-ins, as shown in the video.

I've heard people compare him to Zach Randolph, but that's such a lazy comparison. Randolph doesn't have half of Malone's athleticism and springy jumping ability.

[Gotterdammerung]

Yes, his 'double-jumping' is one of those rare talents that separates him from other centers. Similarly, he was so quick at skying for put-back dunks and tip-ins, as shown in the video.

I've heard people compare him to Zach Randolph, but that's such a lazy comparison. Randolph doesn't have half of Malone's athleticism and springy jumping ability.

Completely agreed.

Randolph was approaching Moses level in the 2011 playoffs when he totally dusted Duncan in the first round, but he never managed to summon that high level again.

As for Moses, I wonder what would the outcome be like had he played centers like Wilt Chamberlain or Shaquille O'Neal? Would Shaq or Wilt be able to keep Moses off the glass?
Hakeem Olajuwon was fortunate to train with Moses at Fondue before turning pro, and that accelerated his learning curve.

[JellyBean]

Wow. This brought back great memories. Moses was just a joy to watch. Even though I grew up being a Kareem and Jack Sikma fan, Moses (and Artis Gilmore) was one of the hardest working dudes on the floor. He would be pouring sweat 4 minutes into the game!! Great video clip and thanks for sharing.

[Odinn]

The guy was tough, strong and relentless. His three season span (from 1980-81 to 1982-83) is among my top 12 peaks ever list.
I saw him going up and winning against KAJ. My fantasy matchup would be him going up against Shaq. Pure old-school battle.

[Round Mound]

[jlip]

It's like he just knew where the ball was going off a missed shot.

[LAZERUSS]

The guy was tough, strong and relentless. His three season span (from 1980-81 to 1982-83) is among my top 12 peaks ever list.
I saw him going up and winning against KAJ. My fantasy matchup would be him going up against Shaq. Pure old-school battle.

Without question.

In terms of league domination, Top-10.

BTW, he was already a huge force by 78-79.