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Very terms 0:00:26.640 --> 0:00:41.320 apply All State Fire and Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates, Northbrook, Illinois. 0:00:42.320 --> 0:00:45.639 Welcome in another special episode of What's Right with Nick 0:00:45.640 --> 0:00:48.400 Wright and the podcast in YouTube shows, we continue our 0:00:48.479 --> 0:00:51.680 countdown of the fifty greatest players of the last fifty 0:00:51.760 --> 0:00:55.360 years in the NBA, and today's episode, I can't believe 0:00:55.360 --> 0:00:59.840 we're already here. We get to the top ten. All 0:01:00.000 --> 0:01:02.920 go on today's episode is we do players twelve, eleven 0:01:03.040 --> 0:01:07.720 and ten. We include the inspiration for this project, which 0:01:07.760 --> 0:01:10.720 I started years and years ago. He's actually the first 0:01:10.760 --> 0:01:12.360 one up. We'll get to him in just a moment. 0:01:12.480 --> 0:01:16.600 And all three of these guys have a claim that 0:01:16.720 --> 0:01:21.400 they were on the single greatest team in NBA history. 0:01:21.440 --> 0:01:24.520 In fact, I think the two greatest teams in NBA 0:01:24.680 --> 0:01:28.880 history were comprised of these three players plus you know, 0:01:28.959 --> 0:01:32.199 obviously some others one notable player who we just had 0:01:32.480 --> 0:01:34.959 in the rankings. But we will that will make sense 0:01:35.000 --> 0:01:36.920 when we are done, You're gonna be like, really, the 0:01:36.920 --> 0:01:39.480 two greatest teams ever. We can discuss that maybe at 0:01:39.480 --> 0:01:45.600 the very end. But Number twelve the inspiration for this project. 0:01:46.120 --> 0:01:49.480 You could argue the most underrated player in the history 0:01:49.480 --> 0:01:51.400 of professional basketball. 0:01:51.280 --> 0:01:54.000 Number twelve Moses Malone. 0:01:54.480 --> 0:01:57.600 So why is Moses Malone the inspiration for the project? 0:01:57.640 --> 0:02:01.560 It's because upon research, I was like, why is he 0:02:01.640 --> 0:02:04.760 not discussed as one of the greatest players ever. He's 0:02:04.800 --> 0:02:08.760 won three league MVPs. Full list of guys with more 0:02:09.400 --> 0:02:13.560 Kareem Michael Lebron, Wilt Russell. 0:02:14.000 --> 0:02:14.840 That's it. 0:02:14.840 --> 0:02:17.519 It's the same number of MVPs as Magic and Bird. 0:02:17.720 --> 0:02:20.239 He has two other top four MVP finishes. By the way, 0:02:20.400 --> 0:02:23.960 he was four time first team All NBA, four time 0:02:24.280 --> 0:02:27.240 second Team All NBA, two time All Defense, a six 0:02:27.320 --> 0:02:32.320 time rebounding champ, a career average of twenty and twelve, 0:02:32.840 --> 0:02:35.680 and during his eight year peak where he won the 0:02:35.720 --> 0:02:40.320 three MVPs over eight seasons, he averaged twenty six and 0:02:40.480 --> 0:02:44.800 fourteen night in night out. He has the most rebounds 0:02:44.840 --> 0:02:48.040 of the last fifty years, third most rebounds all time, 0:02:48.360 --> 0:02:52.720 and he's top ten all time in points. He's not 0:02:52.919 --> 0:02:57.400 remembered as fondly for reasons I can't quite figure out. 0:02:57.680 --> 0:03:01.280 And we'll talk about his amazing playoff success and some 0:03:01.320 --> 0:03:05.600 really good playoff success against one Kareem Abdul Jabbar, who 0:03:05.680 --> 0:03:08.760 might show up number one on this list when we 0:03:08.800 --> 0:03:13.840 finally get there. He was a trendsetter, never played college 0:03:13.840 --> 0:03:17.200 ball right from high school to the ABA. But the 0:03:17.280 --> 0:03:20.160 reason I think he doesn't get the long term respect 0:03:20.320 --> 0:03:23.120 is because at the end of his career he bounced 0:03:23.160 --> 0:03:25.440 around the league so much. In fact, and before we 0:03:25.480 --> 0:03:28.600 get to the playoff stuff, true story about Moses Malone 0:03:28.960 --> 0:03:32.480 in relation to me, I was about eight years old, 0:03:32.880 --> 0:03:37.840 so this is early nineties. Moses is still playing, and 0:03:37.880 --> 0:03:41.760 I'm in the back of my dad's car looking through 0:03:42.000 --> 0:03:44.360 my basketball cards because I used to have a giant 0:03:44.360 --> 0:03:48.160 collection of basketball cards, and I come across a Moses Malone. 0:03:48.240 --> 0:03:51.040 I think it was at Lanah Hawk's card. And the 0:03:51.080 --> 0:03:54.240 way my dad tells the story is I just start 0:03:54.400 --> 0:03:58.880 crying and he's like, what is wrong? And I said, 0:03:58.920 --> 0:04:02.040 I'm just worried, Like what are you worried about? I 0:04:02.080 --> 0:04:04.960 was like, I'm worried that when I make the NBA, 0:04:05.320 --> 0:04:07.760 I'm gonna get traded all the time, like this Moses 0:04:07.800 --> 0:04:11.760 Malone guy. That's true story. Little did I know that 0:04:11.840 --> 0:04:15.120 while Moses Malone was traded quite a bit, uh, he 0:04:15.320 --> 0:04:18.000 was one of the greatest players in league history from 0:04:18.080 --> 0:04:20.760 the late seventies to the mid eighties. So let's go 0:04:20.800 --> 0:04:22.719 through the playoffs stuff. And yes, at eight years old, 0:04:22.839 --> 0:04:24.560 I did think I was gonna make the NBA. I 0:04:24.560 --> 0:04:26.400 didn't really give up the ghost on that till about 0:04:26.400 --> 0:04:31.080 eleven years old. Okay, postseason accomplishments one time champ, two 0:04:31.160 --> 0:04:34.760 time finalists, and a Finals MVP, and that one time champ, 0:04:35.800 --> 0:04:39.560 I think it's it's not I think I know it's 0:04:39.640 --> 0:04:41.839 one of the two best teams ever. The eighty three 0:04:41.920 --> 0:04:46.279 Sixers and the twenty seventeen Warriors are the two greatest 0:04:46.279 --> 0:04:50.080 teams ever. He was the Finals MVP for that team. 0:04:50.120 --> 0:04:53.760 But let's start with nineteen seventy five. He's nineteen years 0:04:53.760 --> 0:04:57.520 old and averages twenty three to eighteen in the first 0:04:57.600 --> 0:05:01.880 playoff series of his life. He's nineteen, including a thirty 0:05:02.000 --> 0:05:05.880 and thirty game, a thirty point thirty rebound game. Nineteen 0:05:06.000 --> 0:05:10.000 seventy seven, he's to the NBA thirty. He has a 0:05:10.080 --> 0:05:12.600 thirty one and twenty six in his first series ever 0:05:12.839 --> 0:05:16.200 against Elvin Hayes and West un celt He averages twenty 0:05:16.200 --> 0:05:20.040 and seventeen for the series. In round two against Doctor 0:05:20.160 --> 0:05:22.440 J who would eventually team up with more on him 0:05:22.440 --> 0:05:24.920 in a moment. He has a thirty and twenty five 0:05:25.000 --> 0:05:29.240 game from nineteen seventy nine until nineteen eighty five, so 0:05:29.320 --> 0:05:34.159 that's a six season stretch. He averages twenty six and 0:05:34.279 --> 0:05:37.640 fifteen in the playoffs nineteen seventy nine, first round exit, 0:05:37.720 --> 0:05:41.920 nineteen eighty Let's go thirty seven and twenty to close 0:05:41.960 --> 0:05:45.400 out the Spurs in round one. He's swept by Boston 0:05:45.720 --> 0:05:48.760 in round two, a Celtics team that was an excellent 0:05:48.839 --> 0:05:51.159 obviously excellent Celtics team didn't win the title, but a 0:05:51.200 --> 0:05:54.800 great Celtics team averages twenty five and eleven against those 0:05:54.839 --> 0:05:59.240 Celtics in that series nineteen eighty one, and this is 0:05:59.279 --> 0:06:03.920 where he'd get his respect. They beat the defending champion Lakers. 0:06:04.600 --> 0:06:10.839 He averages thirty one to eighteen against Kareem. This is Kareem. 0:06:11.520 --> 0:06:13.359 You could argue, is he's still at his peak? I 0:06:13.360 --> 0:06:16.240 don't know. He had just won League MVP a year prior. 0:06:16.520 --> 0:06:19.760 He averages thirty one and eighteen, including a thirty eight 0:06:19.800 --> 0:06:23.159 point twenty three rebound game in game one. The next round, 0:06:23.360 --> 0:06:26.800 he beats the Spurs in seven games. George Gervin go home, 0:06:27.120 --> 0:06:30.600 averaging twenty eight to twelve, including a forty one and 0:06:30.720 --> 0:06:34.160 fifteen in game three, and then beats the Kansas City 0:06:34.240 --> 0:06:37.520 Kings in the Western Conference Finals. How does he beat him? 0:06:37.520 --> 0:06:39.520 It's two two? What happens in games five and six? 0:06:39.800 --> 0:06:42.280 He is a forty two and twenty three followed by 0:06:42.320 --> 0:06:44.360 a thirty six and eleven to get to the finals. 0:06:44.520 --> 0:06:47.320 He was the best player in those finals against Boston, 0:06:47.560 --> 0:06:50.400 but they lose to Boston in six. He averages twenty 0:06:50.440 --> 0:06:53.760 two and sixteen, leads the series, leads Bird leads the 0:06:53.800 --> 0:06:56.160 series in points per game and rebounds per game. That's 0:06:56.200 --> 0:06:59.920 nineteen eighty one nineteen eighty two. He loses in round 0:06:59.920 --> 0:07:02.880 one to Seattle despite averaging twenty four and seventeen, and 0:07:02.920 --> 0:07:06.040 goes to Philly. So what happens in Philly. That's the 0:07:06.080 --> 0:07:08.880 faux faux fou year. Moses Malone predicted they would not 0:07:08.960 --> 0:07:11.720 lose a playoff game, they'd go faux fau fo. Instead, 0:07:11.720 --> 0:07:14.520 they went faux five to fou for the playoffs. Nineteen 0:07:14.520 --> 0:07:18.960 eighty three, first playoff game with Philadelphia thirty eight points, seventeen, rebounds, 0:07:18.960 --> 0:07:22.440 four assists, averages thirty one and sixteen for a sweep 0:07:22.440 --> 0:07:26.400 against the Knicks. Then next round against Milwaukee averages twenty 0:07:26.400 --> 0:07:29.120 two to fourteen and to make the finals, head a 0:07:29.160 --> 0:07:32.000 twenty eight and seventeen to close them out. And then 0:07:32.520 --> 0:07:37.680 in the finals again out playing Kareem Abdul Jabbar with 0:07:37.800 --> 0:07:41.880 a championship on the line, outplays Kareem averaging twenty six 0:07:41.960 --> 0:07:45.680 to eighteen, leading the series in points and rebounds. Again 0:07:46.360 --> 0:07:48.600 the next year, he's out in round one, but averages 0:07:48.600 --> 0:07:51.640 twenty one and fourteen. Nineteen eighty five, back in the 0:07:51.680 --> 0:07:55.600 conference finals, loses to Boston. A great Celtics team, average 0:07:55.640 --> 0:07:58.560 twenty eleven for the playoff for the that entire playoff run. 0:07:58.880 --> 0:08:02.680 Nineteen eighty seven, he's with Washington. Now you're playing the 0:08:02.680 --> 0:08:06.760 great Detroit Pistons. Isaiah Thomas had thirty one and sixteen, 0:08:06.800 --> 0:08:08.720 and the only game that was close they got swept. 0:08:08.800 --> 0:08:11.760 Nineteen eighty eight. Again, Now you're old. Moses came into 0:08:11.760 --> 0:08:14.600 the league nineteen seventy five. It's now nineteen eighty eight, 0:08:14.800 --> 0:08:18.480 playing Detroit again, averages eighteen eleven for the series. Nineteen 0:08:18.520 --> 0:08:21.440 eighty nine, it's playing for the Hawks, averages twenty one 0:08:21.520 --> 0:08:25.240 and twelve for the playoffs. So Moses Malone top ten 0:08:25.320 --> 0:08:28.320 all time, in points, top three all time and rebounds. 0:08:28.800 --> 0:08:34.560 The only guys with more MVPs are Lebron, Michael Kareem, 0:08:35.000 --> 0:08:40.120 Wilt and Russell. Arguably the best player is certainly the 0:08:40.160 --> 0:08:44.360 finals MVP on arguably the best team ever. The twelfth 0:08:44.360 --> 0:08:47.640 greatest player of the last fifty years won Moses Malone. 0:08:47.880 --> 0:08:51.080 Now I'm excited for a caller who undoubtedly never watched 0:08:51.080 --> 0:08:53.600 a single Moses Malone game to tell me why I'm wrong. 0:08:53.679 --> 0:08:54.400 Let's see who it. 0:08:54.360 --> 0:08:59.800 Is on take that, Mike Florio. Oh hello, Nick, caught 0:08:59.880 --> 0:09:04.920 up with your latest ranking Moses Malone. Moses Malone ahead 0:09:04.960 --> 0:09:06.280 of Yannis and KD. 0:09:06.800 --> 0:09:07.120 Wow. 0:09:08.080 --> 0:09:09.720 I'm all for schooling up the youngs. 0:09:09.800 --> 0:09:10.040 Nick. 0:09:10.080 --> 0:09:13.600 This one's a bit hard to claim from what I 0:09:13.640 --> 0:09:16.360 can tell watching on YouTube. Because that's the only place 0:09:16.400 --> 0:09:20.079 I've ever seen Moses Malone. He was great at offensive rebounding, 0:09:20.080 --> 0:09:24.160 but usually just cleaning up his own misses. I'm not 0:09:24.200 --> 0:09:27.880 sure that's actually greatness, but you have him ahead of 0:09:27.920 --> 0:09:30.000 two of the best players I've ever seen in my life, 0:09:30.000 --> 0:09:33.040 guys who just scored instead of missing to get their 0:09:33.040 --> 0:09:37.320 own rebounds in score. I feel like you're reaching here. 0:09:37.400 --> 0:09:39.280 I feel like you're trying to, you know, make a 0:09:39.320 --> 0:09:41.400 statement to the young people, and I feel like you 0:09:41.480 --> 0:09:44.000 missed Moses Malone way too high on this ranking. 0:09:44.480 --> 0:09:49.480 Okay, Yannis or KD could pass Moses Malone. Jannis would 0:09:49.480 --> 0:09:51.960 have passed him if Yannis had gotten to the finals 0:09:52.000 --> 0:09:54.000 or won the title this year. KD maybe could have 0:09:54.000 --> 0:09:55.760 passed him, but he gotten to the finals or won 0:09:55.800 --> 0:09:58.160 the titless year instead of losing in round one. But 0:09:58.240 --> 0:10:01.840 the three mbps has to matter, The longevity has to matter. 0:10:02.040 --> 0:10:03.600 The idea that he was just cleaning up his own 0:10:03.600 --> 0:10:06.200 missus fifty percent from the field for his career, Gabe, 0:10:06.200 --> 0:10:09.640 look that up, buddy, And so no, I'm very he's 0:10:09.720 --> 0:10:11.240 the inspiration for this list. 0:10:11.600 --> 0:10:12.080 He was. 0:10:12.840 --> 0:10:15.200 If we let me say one more thing about Moses Malone. 0:10:16.600 --> 0:10:19.280 If you were to ask me, who were the greatest 0:10:19.320 --> 0:10:23.080 players in the league, the guy to hold the belt 0:10:23.400 --> 0:10:27.480 between the basically the start of the league. We'll call 0:10:27.520 --> 0:10:30.120 it Russell's rookie year because we're not talking Mike and 0:10:30.800 --> 0:10:35.920 Bob pettittt From Russell's rookie year until right now, at 0:10:36.240 --> 0:10:41.200 most thirteen guys have held that title best player in 0:10:41.240 --> 0:10:45.040 the league. Moses is one of those guys. It was 0:10:45.080 --> 0:10:49.559 Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain, going back and forth. Then 0:10:49.600 --> 0:10:52.920 it was Kareem for a decade who took it from Kareem, 0:10:53.480 --> 0:10:56.840 Bill Russell, who took it from Bill Russell. I'm sorry, jeez, 0:10:57.040 --> 0:10:59.240 I said that wrong. Who took it from Kareem, Moses 0:10:59.280 --> 0:11:03.800 Malone who took it from Moses, Larry Bird, then Magic, 0:11:04.120 --> 0:11:08.200 then Michael, then a Keen, then Michael again, then Shack, 0:11:08.679 --> 0:11:11.640 then Duncan. Then there's some argument some would say after 0:11:11.720 --> 0:11:14.280 Duncan was Kobe. I would say, after Duncan and Lebron, 0:11:14.320 --> 0:11:17.200 but let's give it to Kobe, then Kobe, then Lebron, 0:11:17.559 --> 0:11:20.640 then Yannis. Though that's the full list of people to 0:11:20.679 --> 0:11:23.720 be the best player a lot Moses is on that list. 0:11:23.960 --> 0:11:26.040 He's the twelve best player of the last fifty years. 0:11:26.160 --> 0:11:29.720 We'll be right back with ten and eleven. Ooh boy, 0:11:30.000 --> 0:11:33.280 these are fluid rankings as we sit here today. We'll 0:11:33.280 --> 0:11:33.920 do that next. 0:11:39.080 --> 0:11:41.840 This episode is brought to you by Unstoppable. 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Like rate subscribe reviews, we 0:12:14.720 --> 0:12:18.320 continue our special editions of the fifty greatest players of 0:12:18.400 --> 0:12:21.920 the last fifty years. We are today. We got into 0:12:21.960 --> 0:12:24.360 the top twelve. Let's just keep it moving. 0:12:24.880 --> 0:12:27.479 Number eleven Julius Erving. 0:12:28.320 --> 0:12:31.680 So doctor j What must be included is what he 0:12:31.840 --> 0:12:35.280 did in the ABA. He is four time first Team 0:12:35.320 --> 0:12:39.319 All ABA to one time second Team All ABA then 0:12:39.400 --> 0:12:43.000 goes to the NBA five time first team All NBA, 0:12:43.400 --> 0:12:46.200 two time second team All NBA. So NBA and abas 0:12:46.240 --> 0:12:50.240 combined nine time first team, three time second team. What 0:12:50.320 --> 0:12:55.080 about MVPs. He won the ABA MVP three times, he 0:12:55.160 --> 0:12:59.840 won NBA MVP once and then was top five in 0:13:00.080 --> 0:13:04.040 MVP voting five other times. So think about what that 0:13:04.080 --> 0:13:06.679 means for Doctor J when we're discussing it. He had 0:13:06.720 --> 0:13:10.080 a decade where no matter what league he was in, 0:13:10.440 --> 0:13:15.320 he was either the best guy or a top five guy. 0:13:15.440 --> 0:13:19.920 His MVP award like voting goes as follows from ABA 0:13:20.000 --> 0:13:24.160 to the NBA second first, first, first, then comes to 0:13:24.200 --> 0:13:30.559 the NBA fifth tenth, second, first, third, fifth, sixth. So 0:13:30.760 --> 0:13:33.840 from nineteen seventy two to nineteen eighty four, with one 0:13:34.320 --> 0:13:38.160 exception his second year in the NBA, he's top six 0:13:38.240 --> 0:13:41.800 in MVP voting. Every single year. He wins four of them, 0:13:41.960 --> 0:13:45.760 he finishes second two other times. Like That's who he was. 0:13:46.160 --> 0:13:49.480 And it wasn't just that he was this great regular 0:13:49.520 --> 0:13:52.800 season player where he's a three time ABA scoring champion. 0:13:53.360 --> 0:13:57.160 In the playoffs, he's unbelievable. So he's a two time 0:13:57.200 --> 0:14:01.480 ABA champion, two time ABA playoff off MVP and then 0:14:01.720 --> 0:14:03.920 when he came to the NBA. Yes, he was a 0:14:04.000 --> 0:14:06.320 champion on the team we talked about arguably the greatest 0:14:06.320 --> 0:14:09.360 team ever, the eighty three sixers, but he also made 0:14:09.800 --> 0:14:13.960 three other finals. So after dominating the ABA for his 0:14:14.000 --> 0:14:17.120 half decade playing there, he comes to the NBA and 0:14:17.200 --> 0:14:19.440 his first seven years in the NBA, he makes the 0:14:19.480 --> 0:14:23.080 finals four times, wins the title. Is the best player 0:14:23.120 --> 0:14:26.400 on three finalists. So let's go through it. Nineteen seventy 0:14:26.440 --> 0:14:30.760 two and Demonse sits here during these Rancor shows but 0:14:30.800 --> 0:14:34.440 doesn't chime in the doctor J stuff. Demonse is going 0:14:34.480 --> 0:14:36.920 to blow your mind because I know you've seen some 0:14:36.960 --> 0:14:40.720 of the highlights. Nineteen seventy two. He's twenty two years old. 0:14:41.440 --> 0:14:46.640 His first playoff series ever. He averages thirty eight and 0:14:46.840 --> 0:14:49.800 nineteen A twenty two year old in his first playoff series, 0:14:49.800 --> 0:14:52.800 how would I average? Thirty eight points nineteen rebounds, including 0:14:53.120 --> 0:14:57.600 a fifty three point fourteen rebound game Round two, he's 0:14:57.600 --> 0:15:02.240 playing Rick Berry in the ABA. Averages thirty one and 0:15:02.320 --> 0:15:04.760 twenty one in a seven game series, but they lose 0:15:04.800 --> 0:15:08.560 in seven. Nineteen seventy three, he's twenty three years old. 0:15:08.920 --> 0:15:12.040 He averages thirty and nine, but he loses in round one. 0:15:12.120 --> 0:15:15.240 He does have a forty and ten game nineteen seventy four, 0:15:15.280 --> 0:15:17.680 he's twenty four years old. He goes twelve to two 0:15:17.720 --> 0:15:20.280 in the playoffs and route to his first championship. To 0:15:20.360 --> 0:15:23.800 get to the finals, averages thirty and nine in the finals. 0:15:23.840 --> 0:15:27.200 First finals game everages twenty four years old, so the 0:15:27.280 --> 0:15:29.920 same age Jason Tatum is right now. He has a 0:15:30.000 --> 0:15:32.640 forty seven to ten in his first finals game ever. 0:15:33.080 --> 0:15:37.680 For the Finals, he averages twenty eight points, eleven rebounds, 0:15:37.680 --> 0:15:42.400 five assists, two blocks, one steal per game. That's doctor 0:15:42.520 --> 0:15:45.640 J in the ABA at twenty four nineteen seventy five. 0:15:45.680 --> 0:15:47.880 They lose in round one, despite the fact that he 0:15:47.960 --> 0:15:52.760 scores thirty four separate times nineteen seventy six to get 0:15:52.800 --> 0:15:56.440 back to the finals in a seven game series, averages 0:15:56.800 --> 0:15:59.680 thirty two points, eleven rebounds, five assists. Game one of 0:15:59.680 --> 0:16:02.240 the final Finals throws up a forty five to twelve, 0:16:02.280 --> 0:16:04.800 and four Game two of the Finals throws up a 0:16:04.920 --> 0:16:08.720 forty eight fourteen to eight. Four of the Finals averages 0:16:08.920 --> 0:16:11.920 thirty eight points, fourteen rebounds, five assists. He's now won 0:16:11.960 --> 0:16:16.360 two championships, so now in the ABA, he's won three MVPs, 0:16:16.520 --> 0:16:19.880 two titles. Two. They don't have finals MVPs in the ABA, 0:16:20.160 --> 0:16:23.880 they have just playoff MVPs. Won that twice. So he's like, Okay, 0:16:24.240 --> 0:16:26.000 maybe I should go over to the NBA. Try my 0:16:26.120 --> 0:16:29.760 luck there. First playoff game ever in the NBA, thirty 0:16:29.760 --> 0:16:34.119 six points, ten rebounds, five assists against the defending champion Celtics, 0:16:34.280 --> 0:16:37.600 who they the Philadelphia seventy six ers went and beat 0:16:38.080 --> 0:16:42.240 thirty four to nine, and six against Moses who we 0:16:42.320 --> 0:16:44.720 just talked about to get to the finals. First in 0:16:44.760 --> 0:16:48.240 the NBA. In the finals in the finals, tied two 0:16:48.320 --> 0:16:52.200 to two against Bill Walton and that Blazers team. In 0:16:52.280 --> 0:16:56.800 Game five, thirty seven points, nine rebounds, seven assists. They 0:16:56.840 --> 0:17:01.040 lose by like five. Game six, facing elimination, forty points, 0:17:01.320 --> 0:17:05.480 six rebounds, eight assists, they lose by two. But he 0:17:05.560 --> 0:17:07.679 gets he gets dinged because they were up two. Oh 0:17:07.760 --> 0:17:11.119 they lost four straight. He averaged thirty points, seven rebounds, 0:17:11.119 --> 0:17:15.600 five assists for those finals nineteen seventy eight nineteen seventy nine, 0:17:15.640 --> 0:17:18.440 back to back first round or where you can't get 0:17:18.440 --> 0:17:21.000 out of the East. He averages in those two years. 0:17:21.119 --> 0:17:24.520 Averages in the playoffs twenty four points nine, rebounds, five assists, 0:17:24.520 --> 0:17:29.119 including in that probably the best moment of George Gervin's career, 0:17:29.560 --> 0:17:33.200 a Game seven where Gervin beat Doctor J. He scores 0:17:33.320 --> 0:17:36.600 at Doctor J had thirty four, five and eight in 0:17:36.720 --> 0:17:40.840 the Game seven loss to Gervin. Nineteen eighty, He's back 0:17:41.200 --> 0:17:45.760 in the finals. Outplays Larry Bird, whose name we haven't 0:17:45.760 --> 0:17:48.120 heard yet on this list in the Eastern Conference Finals, 0:17:48.240 --> 0:17:52.240 averaging twenty five, eight and four, tied to two. In 0:17:52.280 --> 0:17:57.000 the finals against the nineteen eighty Lakers, Kareem Magic that 0:17:57.119 --> 0:18:00.400 team Norm Nixon if you want him, Doctor J thirty 0:18:00.440 --> 0:18:03.119 six points nine and rebounds six assists, but they lose. 0:18:03.200 --> 0:18:06.000 Kareem is too much in that game with forty to fifteen, 0:18:06.280 --> 0:18:08.520 and then Game six is the famous game Kareem's out 0:18:08.520 --> 0:18:11.359 with an injury, Magic jump center. Magic has one of 0:18:11.400 --> 0:18:13.919 the greatest games ever and the Lakers win. So now 0:18:13.960 --> 0:18:16.040 he's been to the finals twice in the NBA, lost 0:18:16.080 --> 0:18:20.320 in both nineteen eighty one, playing that great Milwaukee team 0:18:20.320 --> 0:18:23.760 that we talked about earlier. Game seven against Milwaukee, second 0:18:23.800 --> 0:18:27.080 round of the playoffs twenty or I guess the back 0:18:27.119 --> 0:18:28.679 then this was the first round. But to get to 0:18:28.680 --> 0:18:31.680 the conference finals twenty eight points, seven rebounds, three is says, 0:18:31.760 --> 0:18:33.600 six blocks in a game seven to get to the 0:18:33.640 --> 0:18:37.159 conference finals. Go up three to one on the Celtics. 0:18:38.000 --> 0:18:42.600 They blow the three to one league. They lost games five, six, 0:18:42.720 --> 0:18:47.639 and seven by two points two points, one point. That 0:18:47.760 --> 0:18:49.560 Celtic team would go on to win the title. He'd 0:18:49.600 --> 0:18:52.280 have won that title. You cannot convince me otherwise he 0:18:52.280 --> 0:18:54.239 wouldn't won that title. They're up three to one, they 0:18:54.280 --> 0:18:57.359 lose those three games by combined five points. Instead, Bird 0:18:57.400 --> 0:19:00.520 goes on to win the title. Nineteen eighty two, Okay, 0:19:00.560 --> 0:19:02.680 let's just go back to the finals again, where Doctor 0:19:02.720 --> 0:19:05.320 j W should be. In the finals, he outplays Bird. 0:19:05.640 --> 0:19:08.000 I'm sorry. In nineteen eighty two, gets back to the 0:19:08.000 --> 0:19:14.560 finals against defending champion Boston. I believe he outplays Bird 0:19:14.560 --> 0:19:16.919 to get to the finals. Twenty nine points in a 0:19:16.960 --> 0:19:21.520 game seven, twenty nine points, four rebounds, five assists, three steals, 0:19:21.520 --> 0:19:25.119 three blocks to beat the Celtics, the defending champs, to 0:19:25.119 --> 0:19:27.400 get back to the finals. In the finals, you're playing 0:19:27.440 --> 0:19:31.600 the Lakers again and again. Kareem's too much. Magic's too much, 0:19:31.680 --> 0:19:34.080 but he averages twenty five point eight rebounds and in 0:19:34.119 --> 0:19:36.720 Game six, the final game of that series, thirty points, 0:19:36.720 --> 0:19:40.120 eight rebounds, three assists, five blocks, but they lose nineteen 0:19:40.160 --> 0:19:44.320 eighty three. They add Moses, Moses, who's had success against Kareem. 0:19:44.640 --> 0:19:47.680 They finally have some help. As we talked about earlier. 0:19:47.840 --> 0:19:50.520 They lose one game. The entire playoffs. They sweep the 0:19:50.600 --> 0:19:53.159 Lakers who have been beating them. He averages for the 0:19:53.200 --> 0:19:56.119 playoff or for the finals nineteen points, nine rebounds, five assists, 0:19:56.160 --> 0:19:59.960 one steal, three blocks. That's Doctor J. So the idea 0:20:00.200 --> 0:20:03.639 that Doctor J is, you know, one of the greats, 0:20:03.640 --> 0:20:06.120 but not one of the greatest. I rejected out of hand. 0:20:06.680 --> 0:20:09.840 You can't dismiss what he did in the ABA, and 0:20:09.920 --> 0:20:14.399 let's get to a Doctor J. Caller. I specifically requested 0:20:14.640 --> 0:20:17.720 we get Chris Brussard for Doctor J because he can 0:20:17.760 --> 0:20:21.440 discuss why the ABA stuff is really impressive. Let's listen 0:20:21.480 --> 0:20:22.320 to Bruce Sard. 0:20:22.880 --> 0:20:25.679 Love the love you given the Doctor Doctor J. 0:20:25.920 --> 0:20:26.800 Julius Irvin. 0:20:26.960 --> 0:20:31.520 A few years ago, nick I started saying that Doctor 0:20:31.600 --> 0:20:34.600 J has three titles instead of just one. He won 0:20:34.680 --> 0:20:37.680 one in the NBA, but he won two in the ABA, 0:20:38.160 --> 0:20:41.080 and obviously if he had three rings, people would hold 0:20:41.119 --> 0:20:44.480 him in even higher esteem than they already do. But 0:20:44.560 --> 0:20:47.400 here's why I valued the ABA rings as much as 0:20:47.400 --> 0:20:50.879 the NBA rings, because ABA was just as good as 0:20:50.920 --> 0:20:53.840 the NBA. At least half of the best players in 0:20:53.840 --> 0:20:56.679 the world were in the ABA, half were in the NBA, 0:20:57.240 --> 0:21:00.919 and the two leagues used to play exhibition games, and 0:21:01.000 --> 0:21:05.760 the ABA won more than the NBA. They won seventy 0:21:05.840 --> 0:21:09.760 nine to seventy six in total games. But then during 0:21:09.800 --> 0:21:12.920 the last three years of the league they actually won 0:21:12.960 --> 0:21:16.919 about sixty six percent of the games against the NBA. 0:21:17.000 --> 0:21:20.760 So if we value the NBA titles of that era, 0:21:20.960 --> 0:21:23.879 and we do, the Knicks won their two titles during 0:21:23.880 --> 0:21:27.880 that era. Jerry West won his one title during that era, 0:21:28.359 --> 0:21:31.640 Wilts title. One of his second title, came during that era. 0:21:32.160 --> 0:21:36.040 We should value the ABA rings just as much as 0:21:36.040 --> 0:21:37.760 we do in the NBA rings. So it's good to 0:21:37.760 --> 0:21:40.040 see the doctor getting so much love. 0:21:40.840 --> 0:21:44.879 Three rings for doctor j That's exactly right, Bruh. I 0:21:44.920 --> 0:21:47.400 couldn't say it any better. Nine time First Team All 0:21:47.480 --> 0:21:51.960 ABA or NBA, three rings, four mbps if you're counting 0:21:51.960 --> 0:21:54.359 the ABA MVPs, and now all of a sudden, he 0:21:54.520 --> 0:21:57.760 is nine times he was top five MVP, winning it 0:21:57.840 --> 0:22:00.880 four times, four other time, five other times been top five. 0:22:01.200 --> 0:22:02.320 We went through the resume. 0:22:02.880 --> 0:22:03.240 It is. 0:22:04.080 --> 0:22:08.679 It's not unimpeachable, but it is damn near bulletproof. There's 0:22:08.720 --> 0:22:15.879 Doctor j welcome back in. It is What's right with 0:22:16.000 --> 0:22:19.520 Nick Wright? Special episode, Special Editions. And you might say, 0:22:19.600 --> 0:22:22.240 was that a special wardrobe change? So here's the deal. 0:22:22.840 --> 0:22:25.440 Spoiler alert for what's about to be revealed in about 0:22:25.440 --> 0:22:28.240 thirty seconds. The tenth greatest player of the last fifty 0:22:28.280 --> 0:22:32.720 years is Wardell Stephan Curry. What you are about to 0:22:32.920 --> 0:22:38.360 see I recorded right before these finals started, the finals, 0:22:38.359 --> 0:22:41.080 that Steph just won his fourth ring, so all of 0:22:41.080 --> 0:22:44.520 this information still applies. I'm gonna let you guys see 0:22:44.600 --> 0:22:47.200 what we were saying about Steph right before these finals. 0:22:47.440 --> 0:22:51.280 Then I'm gonna be back in this exact outfit talking 0:22:51.400 --> 0:22:55.720 momentarily about the finals that just happened, which cemented him 0:22:55.800 --> 0:22:58.919 ahead of Julius Irving and as the tenth best player 0:22:59.200 --> 0:23:01.679 of the last fifth years. But I mean, he was 0:23:01.720 --> 0:23:05.119 top twelve even without this ring, as you're gonna see 0:23:05.200 --> 0:23:07.520 from what he had already accomplished that we talked about 0:23:07.600 --> 0:23:10.080 last week. But you guys are seeing right now. 0:23:11.640 --> 0:23:13.480