Best team to have never
won
The headline is a little misleading because
a few years later reconfigured the Sixers would win it all. As for the 1977 Sixer team that was a
different story, on paper they might have been the best assembled team
ever. The 1977 NBA Finals saw the
Blazers of Portland matched against the Philadelphia 76ers. That 76er
team might have been one of the best in NBA history to never win a
championship.
In 1983 the 76ers would defeat my Lakers
to win the NBA finals, although it was just a few years difference this was not
the same 76er team, Dr. J. was the only remaining player from that ‘77 team.
As for the 1977 team from Julius “Dr. J.” Erving to the last player off
the bench this team was stacked. They were high scoring in addition had a
strong defensive presence, this 76er team was outstanding and had it all---all
that is the exception of a championship.
The 76er starting lineup was Dr. J. at small forward, power forward
George McGinnis; the center was Caldwell Jones backed up by Harvey Catchings
(Tamika’s dad) and the late Darryl Dawkins.
Henry Bibby served as the point guard,
Doug Collins was the shooting guard; reserves were Joe Bryant (Kobe’s dad) and
Lloyd B. Free (later World B. Free). The Blazers would defeat the
outstanding 76er team four games to two. One more unusual incident can
you imagine the network failing to cover the trophy presentation? That
occurred in 1977, CBS did not have time because they made a commitment to cover
the Kemper Open Golf Tournament. They left coverage of the afternoon game
to cover another sports event, think that would ever occur today?
What he said
This is a question for
basketball fans that has bothered me for years, the game has changed from
inside-out to outside-in. Small ball, 3-point shooting etc., but what about the
future of the game? Can a budding Wilt,
Kareem, Hakeem, or Shaq be developed in this era of small ball? The list of 7-foot athletes has not dwindled,
all we need to do is check Rivals.com or Euro Leagues, tall guys are still out
there.
The change has witnessed an
evolution in their game. We now see Big
Men such as Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol and Kristaps Porzingis playing the power
forward position and developing 3-point range.
When responding to the question five friends who follow basketball provided
me input on the Big Man’s role, the comments below belong to them.
“With defenses focusing on
guards and shooting forwards, a super star center will explode into the scene
that can exploit them at some point.
Besides, you still can’t teach height...”
“I think the 3 (point line)
will remain the most common setup for the foreseeable future, but some teams
will be able to build around very special big men.”
“As coaches at college
levels look for an advantage, the trend will move back, and those talented big
men will return.”
“I don’t believe we will
ever go back to inside-out. It takes a
special skill to play with you back to the basket and no one is teaching
it. The footwork and handling of the
ball is not taught anymore so the hook shot is a thing of the past. No matter how tall a kid is he is taught to
face up, shoot the jumper.”
“I believe (a player
similar to) Kareem could play in any era.”
These are the thought of my friends, ask your friends and associates their view of the same question.
The NFL
Rest assured despite
the headline this remains a basketball blog, we are discussing the NFL because it continues to struggle. The most popular fan sport in America and
they cannot get there act together. Despite
the fact NFL players can take a position it appears ownership has no desire to
back them up. Point in case, NFL players
kneeling during the National Anthem and Colin Kaepernick. Finally, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell
address racism but only after Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes and others had a
PSA running.
The NBA certainly
exhibited problems at times, the black balling of Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and former
Clippers owner Donald Sterling could be cited.
It would appear the NBA has a better working relationship with its
employees over the NFL. I probably could
be proven wrong; I just do not believe the NBA would allow a controversy to
drag on and on and on. Technically it
remains unsolved, not a single NFL owner is willing to offer Colin Kaepernick
the opportunity to prove he cannot play in the NFL.
