Wow Dave Cowens was screwed out of the MVP in 76 by Kareem

[TheCorporation]

Cray

[Lebron23]

Dave Cowens is the most underrated player in NBA History. I think he's a top 20-25 player of all time. He's a very skilled, great rebounder, and good defensive big men for a 6'9" Center.

[dankok8]

First of all the team record was poor but as someone mentioned Lakers missed the playoffs in favor of two worse teams. They had the 4th best record and 3rd best SRS in the conference without anyone other than Kareem to rebound, defend, and no quality PG.

I don't think most people realize how insanely good he was this season...

27.7 ppg => 2nd in scoring
16.9 rpg => 1st in rebounding - including NBA record for defensive rebounds in a season and in a single game
4.1 bpg => 1st in blocks
52.9% shooting => 5th in FG%
5.0 apg => 2nd in assists among bigs

His team's DRtg was 98 but his own was 90. That's unprecedented. With him on the floor they were by far the best defensive team in the league (best team had 94.5 DRtg...), without him certainly the worst.

He also crushed the league in all advanced stats including PER, WS, BPM, and VORP. Just ANNIHILATED everybody else... His impact was so huge he was by far the best player in the league. That doesn't necessarily justify his MVP but the disrespect in this thread is almost painful.

[LAZERUSS]

First of all the team record was poor but as someone mentioned Lakers missed the playoffs in favor of two worse teams. They had the 4th best record and 3rd best SRS in the conference without anyone other than Kareem to rebound, defend, and no quality PG.

I don't think most people realize how insanely good he was this season...

27.7 ppg => 2nd in scoring
16.9 rpg => 1st in rebounding - including NBA record for defensive rebounds in a season and in a single game
4.1 bpg => 1st in blocks
52.9% shooting => 5th in FG%
5.0 apg => 2nd in assists among bigs

His team's DRtg was 98 but his own was 90. That's unprecedented. With him on the floor they were by far the best defensive team in the league (best team had 94.5 DRtg...), without him certainly the worst.

He also crushed the league in all advanced stats including PER, WS, BPM, and VORP. Just ANNIHILATED everybody else... His impact was so huge he was by far the best player in the league. That doesn't necessarily justify his MVP but the disrespect in this thread is almost painful.

So you agree with me then, that Chamberlain should have won the MVP EVERY season in the decade of the 60's?

[Marchesk]

27.7 ppg => 2nd in scoring
16.9 rpg => 1st in rebounding - including NBA record for defensive rebounds in a season and in a single game
4.1 bpg => 1st in blocks
52.9% shooting => 5th in FG%
5.0 apg => 2nd in assists among bigs

Yeah, that's MVP numbers in most seasons. Wow.

[LAZERUSS]

Yeah, that's MVP numbers in most seasons. Wow.

And Wilt was running away with those numbers virtually every season in the 60's.

[Smoke117]

Wtf? Random bump.

[LAZERUSS]

Yeah, that's MVP numbers in most seasons. Wow.

And, as you know, Chamberlain blew those numbers away in the 60's.

Not only was he winning scoring titles, he was winning them by nearly 20 ppg. Not only was he winning virtually every rebounding title, he was winning them by five per game, and crushing the second best rebounder H2H. Not only was he among the best passing centers, he was the best passer in the league at times. And while we don't have his bpg, we pretty KNOW that he was easily the greatest shot-blocker in NBA history, and in fact, wiped out Russell in that category in their known H2H's. He not only won virtually every FG% title, he won FG% titles by margins of .162, and outshot the league average by .242.

Defensively, he held his opposing centers to just HORRIFIC shooting in their H2H's, and in fact, just MURDERED all of them in virtually every category H2H.

Advanced Stats? How about 8 PER titles in 10 years in the 60's, with three 30+ in a row, including the all-time record of 31.8? Win Shares? How about EIGHT times in 10 seasons, including leading the league by a huge margin while playing for a pathetic team that won 31 games? Of course, he also led the league in Win Shares a few years for a team that went 68-13, as well.

In his worst season in the 60's, he was CLEARLY the best player in the league.

[dankok8]

So you agree with me then, that Chamberlain should have won the MVP EVERY season in the decade of the 60's?

Not quite.

Wilt's league had a guy by the name of Bill Russell. Wilt crushed the offensive categories by an even bigger margin than Kareem but there was no doubt who was the best defender in the league... Bill was by far the most impactful defender in the league as evidenced by DWS, testimonies, team impact etc. On the other hand in 1976 there was no doubt Kareem as an offensive AND defensive presence was far superior to Cowens.

If Kareem faced Russell he'd lose a few MVP's to him too.

Besides in 1963 Wilt won very few games (low 30's IIRC which is too little) and in 1965 he only played in Philly for half a season so those years he really had no case.

[LAZERUSS]

Not quite.

Wilt's league had a guy by the name of Bill Russell. Wilt crushed the offensive categories by an even bigger margin than Kareem but there was no doubt who was the best defender in the league... Bill was by far the most impactful defender in the league as evidenced by DWS, testimonies, team impact etc. On the other hand in 1976 there was no doubt Kareem that as an offensive AND defensive presence was far superior Cowens.

If Kareem faced Russell he'd lose a few MVP's to him too.

Besides in 1963 Wilt won very few games (low 30's IIRC which is too little) and in 1965 he only played in Philly for half a season so those years he really had no case.

Chamberlain led the league in FIFTEEN statistical categories in 1962-63, including WIN SHARES.,..and by a HUGE margin.

And no, Russell was NOT "by far" the most impactful defensive player in the league. And you can't use TEAM stats to prove it, either. He played with as many as FIVE other players in the Top-10 in defensive win shares. And the reality was, Havlicek, KC Jones, and Satch Sanders were regarded as the best defensive players at their positions in the 60's.

Wilt DESTROYED Russell H2H, including DEFENSE. There were seasons in which he held Russell to FG%'s as low as as .281 and .303. He was outshooting Russell by as much as 20% higher in their H2Hs.

Slaughtered him in scoring, and rebounding, as well. And, when he cut back his scoring, he killed him in apg, as well.

Russell couldn't hold a candle to Wilt in ANY season in the 60's.

BTW, swap rosters in '63, and Wilt likely has a 70 win team, while Russell likely plays on a 20 win team.

And we saw what happened in '65, when Chamberlain led a team that didn't make the playoffs the year before, to a first round romp over Oscar's stacked Royals, and then to a game seven, one point loss, against a 62-18 HOF-laden Celtics team at the peak of their dynasty...and in a series in which Chamberlain just ANNIHILATED a helpless Russell in every facet of the game (even in FT shooting.)

[Spurs5Rings2014]

Doesn't matter because the best player in the world in 76 was Julius Erving.

[jlip]

Now this is a thread about Wilt.

[LAZERUSS]

Now this is a thread about Wilt.

Nope...just an interesting twist on the take from a "Wilt-basher" (and closet "Magic-basher.")

If Kareem deserved the MVP in '76, then Chamberlain should have been the runaway winner every season in the 60's.


BTW...McAdoo was robbed in '76 (not Cowens.)

[dunksby]

Robbed by the players? They say players didn't like Kareem and still voted him for 6 MVPs now that's as close as you can get to be deserving of something.

[cltcfn2924]

So you agree with me then, that Chamberlain should have won the MVP EVERY season in the decade of the 60's?

Seems like he said the exact opposite. You need to read more than just the parts you want to twist.