Basketball by the numbers. Fantasy owners play it, and by all accounts, Wilt Chamberlain was fascinated with it. Others (including some of the greatest winners in the history of the pro game), not so much. The object of the game is, however, to outscore the opposition. Other skills and tactics attribute to that goal. In light of all that, what have been the dozen best seasons modern pro basketball players have ever had? Awarding no player more than once, here's my take (I took ABA seasons into account because teams such as Denver, San Antonio, and Indiana originated there):
ELGIN BAYLOR, L.A. LAKERS, 1961-62
Vitals: 48 games, 38.3 ppg, 18.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists
Elgin Baylor was the reason the Lakers moved to Tinseltown — Showtime before it had a name. In 1961, with tensions between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. heightened due to the onset of the Berlin Wall, Baylor's reserve number came up. He thus only served the Lakers on leave and weekends. He couldn't practice with the club. Nonetheless, the NBA's first frequent flyer's average of nearly 40 points, 19 rebounds was a routine evening, and when double-teamed, the creative passer dissed to open teammates. The dude attempted 13.1 free throws a night! His Lakers met Boston in the 1962 NBA Finals. One wonders in retrospect what manner of career digits Baylor may have amassed had he not hurt one knee badly during the 1963 campaign, and shattered his other kneecap in 1966. Or if arthroscopic surgery had existed then.
OSCAR ROBERTSON, CINCINNATI ROYALS, 1961-62
Vitals: 30.8 ppg, 12.4 rebounds, 11.5 assists
It is one thing to be a team's playmaker. It is generally another to be a 30-point-per-game producer. For NBA guards, however, only Oscar has managed a season where double-digit rebounds were the norm. No one else has come remotely close (even in this era of larger guards than he). We're talking about a one-man revolution — a guard who, as a rookie in 1960-61, destroyed the season scoring average record for guards by 8 points per game! Robertson's contemporaries say he was the first player they ever picked up on defense at three-quarters court length. Silky feints, deft, pinpoint passes, tenacity under the boards — the three-time NCAA scoring champ had it all, and this season was a testament.
SPENCER HAYWOOD, DENVER ROCKETS, 1969-70
Vitals: 30 ppg, 19.5 rebounds
Surprised? Don't be. The JUCO player who became Olympic Games MVP at age 19 was only 20 when this season began. Blessed with agility, enormous hands, and the confidence of a king, Spencer was a man-child long before Darryl Dawkins, Shaq, or LeBron. This was no brute — he shot better than 81% on his free throws in six season, huge mitts and all (compare that to Shaq and Wilt). He could play a little defense, too. Court woes over jumping leagues and other problems hampered his NBA career, but in 1970 and other seasons, Haywood demonstrated why he was the first "hardship case" to be allowed to play ABA or NBA ball before his college class graduated.
RICK BARRY, SAN FRANCISCO WARRIORS, 1966-67
Vitals: 35.6 ppg. 9.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists
Before the 1965 NBA Draft, some GMs fretted that Miami scoring machine Rick Barry might prove to frail for frontcourt play. Teams slated to select early instead focused their sights on Princeton's mercurial Bill Bradley, 6'8", 230 lb. Davidson phenom Fred Hetzel, and 6'7", 250 lb. Michigan bulwark Bill Buntin. The Warriors took a chance on the Hurricanes' whippet as the fourth pick overall, and in his second campaign, he put up the aforementioned numbers. Barry thus became the first NBA player to lead the circuit in scoring since 1959-60 whose last name was not "Chamberlain." More on the other guy later.
The early Barry was not the deep shooter 1970s fans recall, but a slasher in the mold of contemporary Billy Cunningham (minus "The Kangaroo Kid"s legendary hops). He could give it to you underhand, reverse, hook, or stuff it in your face. Barry is also widely considered the best passing small forward other than Larry Bird who has ever played the game (Baylor fans would differ). As for his trademark underhand free throws, Barry sank 88.4% of those this sophomore season. Oh, and the kid led 'Frisco to the NBA Finals. No wonder ABA owners in Oakland lured him away. As for Michigan's Bill Buntin? He can tell his grandkids, "I was drafted before Rick Barry."
WILT CHAMBERLAIN, PHILADELPHIA 76ERS, 1965-66
Vitals: 33.5 ppg, 24.6 rebounds, 5.2. assists, 47.3 minutes per game
Nobody roots for Goliath, but numbers don't lie. This less selfish version of The Big Dipper, teamed with capable scorers such as Hal Greer and Chet Walker, shared the basketball, dominated the backboards, and led his new team to the NBA's Eastern Finals vs. the rival Celtics. The Big Guy, never fouled out (a stat he maintained for his entire career), and played nearly every minute of every contest, despite double teams, covert banging, responsibilities on both ends of the floor. If they had dunk contests at All-Star Games in those days, perhaps he'd have donned a Superman cape as Dwight Howard recently did. Even Bill Russell couldn't stop Wilt, though the Celts as a team often bested Wilt's Warriors and Sixers (though not the next season, when Chamberlain averaged 7.8 assists and Philly won 45 of its first 49 games en route to a title).
NATE ARCHIBALD, KANSAS CITY-OMAHA KINGS, 1972-73
Vitals: 34.0 ppg, 11.4 assists, 84.7 FT%, 48.8 FG%
"Tiny," by NBA standards, he was. Timid, he was not. Archibald was every bit as fast as Allen Iverson, only he focused his drives north and south. The southpaw possessed a masterful handle, spectacular court vision, and the guts of a burglar. In an era of burly bigs such as Chamberlain, Willis Reed, Bob Lanier, and Wes Unseld, time after time, he slipped into the lane to magically score.
Contrary to popular belief, he was not "the only player ever to lead the NBA in scoring and assists." Oscar Robertson accomplished the feat in 1967-68, but since "The Big O" only played in 65 games, due to injury, Dave Bing won the league's scoring crown, which was then awarded the player with the most total points, not the highest average. By today's standard's, Robertson's 29.2 ppg and 9.7 assists led in both. Spotting Oscar at least five inches, and 50 pounds, "Tiny" became the second player in the history of the Kings franchise, and indeed the league, to be the premier scorer and playmaker in the same season.
KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR, MILWAUKEE BUCKS, 1971-72
Vitals: 34.6 ppg, 16.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 57.4 FG%
The man fans had become accustomed to calling "Big Lew" had all the gifts. He was graceful, he had rise, he could handle the basketball the length of the floor, and he had a nice touch. Forget the balding Laker pivot with the goggles — this was a dominant force for several seasons. No center has averaged 34 points since, and none might. The rebound average speaks to a Jabbar with a lot of spring in his step and tenacity in his game. The dimes? This was the second season Oscar Robertson was schooling the 7'2" former UCLA star to the ways of passing out of the double-team. These Bucks went 63-19; the season before, they'd swept a talent-laden Bullets team in the NBA Finals.
MICHAEL JORDAN, CHICAGO BULLS, 1988-89
Vitals: 32.5 ppg, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 2.9 steals
This was Jordan before he became Lord of the Rings — when his teammates included Sam Vincent, Brad Sellers, and Charles Davis. Of whom much is given, much is asked. Probably the closest anyone has come to putting up Robertson-esque numbers. 32, 8, and 8 is a standard King James might shoot for. All achieved by a player often charged with watching the most dangerous offensive member of the opposition. Bird and "Magic" Johnson were garnering the headlines and the jewelry, but the 25-year-old Bull was the darling of the dunk contest, and the hardest working man in pro sports.
ADRIAN DANTLEY, UTAH JAZZ, 1982-83
Vitals: 30.7 ppg, 6.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists, made 9.7 of 11.3 FT per game, 58 FG%
The face of the Utah franchise before the arrivals of John Stockton and Karl Malone. Few NBA or ABA combatants 6'4" and under have posted a shooting percentage of better than .550. A.D. did it six times, five of them in consecutive seasons. One has to have pretty savvy post moves to play power forward when one's giving up five to seven inches in height to one's average opponent. This was a season for the books, accomplished far from the limelight. Hall of Fame careers are not comprised of a season, but Dantley netted similar numbers from 1980 to 1986. Remember the context, too — on a nightly basis, he faced players such as Kevin McHale, Dominique Wilkins, Marques Johnson, Larry Bird, Julius Erving, and George McGinnis. Young guns seeking a primer on post play and the triple-threat position would do well to study Dantley's feints, moves, and balance.
LEBRON JAMES, CLEVELAND CAVALIERS, 2007-08
Vitals: 30 ppg, 7.9 rebounds, 7.2. assists, 1.8 steals, 48.4 FG%
Had The King attended college for four years, last year would have been his rookie season in the league. He's the reason the Cavs went 45-37. It's not easy being a marked man every night and finding teammates for open shots. Ball-handling duties, leadership, and court awareness mark his game. Unlike the legends listed above, he's just getting started. Given his size, smarts, handle, and athleticism, he could approach Jordan's best numbers in the major categories.
The game has changed too much (less shots taken, less available rebounds) for him to average the unthinkable triple-double, though he's far more suited to it than were Kobe Bryant or Jason Kidd. In the final analysis, the only number M.J. was concerned with was the final score. LeBron will need better teammates if he hopes to match the six rings won by Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan.
BILL RUSSELL, BOSTON CELTICS, 1963-64
Vitals: 15 ppg, 24.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists
Often, I wish the NBA had charted blocked shots when Russell, Chamberlain, and Nate Thurmond played. Only then would today's fans truly appreciate the intimidation and evolution each brought to the game. Russ changed what had existed as basic basketball strategy for six decades before he played — work the ball as close to the basket as possible for the highest percentage shot. He had a staggering 25 rebound average. What's considered outstanding now was a night's work for No. 6. He could dish, too — the Celtics' half-court offense, such as it was, ran through the lanky lefty. But Red Auerbach's teams preferred to run, and Russell's rebounds triggered many a fast break, and 11 famous championships in 13 seasons.
HAKEEM OLAJUWON, HOUSTON ROCKETS, 1989-90
Vitals: 24.3 ppg. 14 rebounds, 4.6 blocks, 2.9 assists, 2.1 steals
If you're looking for a quadruple-double on a given night, The Dream and Nate Thurmond are your men. Scoring, assists, blocks, steals, boards — Olajuwon was a stat-sheet filler and a born winner. While Russell was an agile, leaping defensive genius, no other center was as cat-quick on the offensive end as this half of Houston's Twin Towers. In his heyday, he had as many moves as Earl "The Pearl" Monroe and embarrasses enemy pivots on the regular. Not even David Robinson could react quickly enough, or avoid being faked out of position by "The Dream Shake." His 1990 numbers illustrate his superstar ability despite regular competition such as Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, and Robert Parrish.
Though by its very nature, and number of players per team, basketball is the ultimate team sport. Still, the prolonged individual efforts cited above are the gold standard of professional play. Some were achieved under a bright spotlight, others, by 2009 measures, in relative anonymity. As we approach the postseason, they all deserve renewed attention.
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