Such was UCLA's superiority that the NCAA banned dunks, which had not only helped to make Alcindor so effective but had even come to be considered disrespectful to opponents who had no hope of getting in his way. He averaged 26.4 points and 15.5 rebounds as his team registered a record 88 wins and just two defeats in 90 games: 30-0 one year, 29-1 in the other two. Between 19, UCLA won three straight titles, with Alcindor the MVP and Final Four MVP on each occasion. After winning 71 games in a row on the high-school circuit in New York, he joined John Wooden’s UCLA team and, measuring 7’ 2”, proved unstoppable. It was the start of a legendary career for a player who, until the arrival of LeBron James, was the only man who could legitimately challenge Michael Jordan for the status of the NBA’s best ever. Both at the University of San Francisco and the Celtics, Russell was one of a trio of legendary centers who helped transform the rules of basketball and the way it is played.įull screen Focus On Sport (Focus on Sport via Getty Images) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: the NCAA slams dunksīefore changing his name and becoming Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Lew Alcindor began carving out his giant chapter in the history books at UCLA. He surpassed 1,000 rebounds in 12 consecutive seasons, and he and Chamberlain remain the only players to reach 50 rebounds per game. Russell, 6’ 10” tall and with a 224cm wingspan, changed the way basketball is played close to the rim, and was the driving force behind the quick transitions of Red Auerbach’s Boston Celtics. With his 11 championship rings, he beat Chamberlain time and again in the playoffs, limiting the latter to just two NBA titles despite his stratospheric figures. Russell was one of the first masters of the game above the rim, the first great anchor in defence and a unique intimidator. In addition to Mikan and Chamberlain, it’s clear that Bill Russell also had a major influence on rule changes governing the lane’s distance from the basket and, above all, defensive and offensive goaltending. The emergence of great centers, giants who dominated games at will and created dynasties, transformed early basketball, and the NBA then remained largely unchanged until the arrival of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird in 1979. Mikan’s shot percentages dropped from almost 43% to 38%.įull screen Focus On Sport (Getty Images) Bill Russell: the reign of the Lord of the Rings It was the first attempt to move a dominant big man away from the basket, as a game still in construction adapted to a new profile of star. (The lane would later be expanded again, because of Wilt Chamberlain). To avoid Mikan simply devouring his opponents close to the rim, the league responded by introducing what became known as the Mikan Rule, which widened the lane, the area below the basket where players can only spend three seconds, from six to 12 feet. That, allied with his size, made him an unstoppable player. With the Lakers, who were still based in Minneapolis, 6' 10" center Mikan won five titles between 19 and was perennially the league’s leading scorer, surpassing 28 points per game at his peak, with rudimentary movements in the post which, at the time, were unique. Beginning in the period before the BAA and the NBL merged to become the NBA, the emergence of George Mikan as the first dominant star of the game changed everything.
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