Embiid this season deserves an MVP trophy. He averaged 29.9 points, 11.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. The last center to play 30+11+4 in the regular season was O'Neal in the 1999-2000 season.
On the other hand, Jokic is also not spared, he averaged 26.3 points, 13.6 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game, while continuing to dominate various high-level statistics, perch value is even 32.7, the first in history. The interplay between the two men in the fifth position also reminds people of the centers who ruled an era.
The 1950s: George McCann Genesis
George McCann wears the Lakers' No. 99 jersey, and the late old man is considered the first superstar in NBA history and the NBA's first super center.
McCann is 2.08 meters tall, which is already a big Mac in the NBA and its predecessor baa in the 1940s. Although the image is mild-mannered and wears a pair of very bookish glasses, McCann on the court swept through thousands of troops. Second- and third-rate centers who are generally about two meters tall are still playing the role of pure coolies at that time, which is difficult to match McCann.
In 1948, McCann joined the Minneapolis Lakers. In his first season with the Lakers, McCann became the league's top scorer with an average of 28.3 per game, and won the next two seasons. In addition to his height, McCann's super scoring ability also benefits from comprehensive skills, he is good at hooking shots, and can open the bow left and right. So the Lakers only need to hand the ball into McCann's hands, and McCann has a way to shoot and score.
It should be pointed out that McCann was so strong under the basket, thanks to the rules of the time. At McCann's peak, the NBA had yet to have a 24-second rule limit for violations, and the no-go zone was much smaller than it is now. In the 1951-52 season, in order to limit McCann's dominance on the inside, the NBA expanded the area of the restricted area. McCann's average points per game this season has decreased compared to before, but the gap between other centers and him is too large, and under this restriction, McCann is still the hegemon of the league.
In 1954, McCann's knee injury worsened for a year, and at the end of the 1955–56 season, McCann announced his retirement. During his seven years with the NBA, he averaged 23.1 points and 13.4 rebounds per game, winning five championships for the Lakers, including a three-game winning streak in 1952-54, and inaugurating the first dynasty in the NBA.
60s: Russell's Iron Curtain
"If there were a talent measuring device, Abbad might get a perfect score, Chamberlain in second place, Russell absolutely in the center to accompany the last, he would agree with me, but it is the most prolific center in history," Cusi said. "Cousy is not blatantly, Russell was thin as a reed stick when he first entered the league, and experts fear that he will be split in half by those muscle sticks, but it is not Russell's flesh that is split in two, but the history of the NBA.
In the 59-60 season, the NBA played for the first time with an average of 30 points, and in the 61-62 season, Chamberlain destroyed the decay, averaging 50.4 points per game, and each team averaged 118 points per game. The NBA officially entered the era of crazy offense, but Russell did the opposite, becoming a classic that will never fade with defense.
Bob Petit recalls his first shot against Russell: "It wasn't a cover at all, he grabbed the ball with one hand. "In an era when technical statistics were not yet perfect, russell's hot pot was not recorded, but his influence on the game was obvious. Kushi said of his teammate's defense: "No one has reached Russell's realm, and Chamberlain will not admit it, but he only developed the famous withdrawal shot under Russell's super defense, and he only needs to stand on the floor against other centers and easily put the ball into the basket." ”
In some key moments, Russell's great defense plays a role. In Game 7 of the 1957 Finals, the Celtics vs. Louis Hawks, and in the second overtime, Russell chased all the way back to his own basket, covering Coleman's shot, which Heinthorne thought was the greatest performance he had ever seen. Throughout the game, Russell grabbed 32 rebounds and the night the Greenshirts ascended the throne, cardinals said: "Russell brought a new voice into the game. ”
Winning 11 crowns in 13 seasons is one of Russell's greatest achievements, and beyond the gleaming ring is the Greenshirts' astonishing winning percentage in life and death moments, Russell's team has never lost a hand in the fifth or seventh game of the fifth or seventh game that decides the winner and loser, like the magical Antonchig in "Old And Alone", who can make the coin fall on the same side according to his mind every time. On a competitive level, when two teams compete, when two teams that are evenly matched compete fiercely, the balance of victory always leads to the side that is closely united, strong in heart, and led by the best defensive players in history.
The special historical period and imperfect rules of the game have made the Celtic dynasty slightly underscored, but Russell's greatest thing is that he has never been a loser against the Lakers, who are also important in the history of the NBA. "People always look at Jerry West as a killer, but I don't think so." In 2008 Russell taught his junior Kevin Garnett that "only the defensive end can be a killer because I killed every night he was supposed to have." ”
Russell single-handedly concocted the Lakers' long tragedy, and since the 1961-62 season, the Lakers have been defeated by the Celtics in the Finals for the sixth time in 8 years, and the Green Terror has left Baylor and West awake at night. One day in 1971, Russell, 37, sat in the audience at the Atlantic Forum Arena, and since retiring from the military, he has left Boston to settle in Los Angeles. "Sitting next to me that day was Lakers owner Cook, and we had a good conversation." Russell recalled, "A week later, I got a call from him and Cook wanted me to come back and play for the Lakers. You know, their center at the time was the guy named Chamberlain. ”
Perhaps out of loyalty, the Lord of the Rings gave the lakers a final blow: "Are you going to pay Wilt a lot of money and let him be my replacement?" ”
History will not forget Russell, and now the trophy of the MVP in the finals is named after him, and the younger generations have paid tribute in various ways. When Phil Jackson promoted the new book, reporters threw him a question: "If you choose a player to be the cornerstone of the team, who will you choose?" "The Zen master didn't choose Jordan, he didn't choose O'Neal, he didn't choose Kobe." In my opinion, this player has to be Russell. "He got 11 rings as a player, and winning the championship is what the word excellence really means." ”
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1970s: Peerless
At the beginning of entering the NBA, Alcindo brought a different trend to the league, and Russell just retired. As a result, the center, who is taller than Chamberlain and is good at hooking shots, quickly became the most terrifying giant in the Eastern Conference. Alcindo's hookers were unique, precise and long-range, and their skillful footsteps and techniques made him comfortable in that era.
The first year. He averaged 28.8 points, 14.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game, doubling the Bucks' record of the previous season with just 27 wins and ranking second in the league with 56 wins and 26 losses, behind the Knicks' 60 wins and 22 losses.
By the following year, in the 1970-71 season, no one in the league could ignore him, averaging 31.7 points, 16.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, teaming up with the 32-year-old Big O to bring the Bucks to the first place in the league (66 wins and 16 losses), and was crowned MVP in the second year of his career. In the playoffs, he averaged 26.6 points and 17.0 rebounds per game to lead the Bucks across the Warriors, Lakers and Washington Bullets to win the championship. Under him were Nate Thurmond (the NBA's first quadruple-double winner), Wilt Chamberlain and Unseld (1969 regular season MVP, 1978 Finals MVP).
Everyone understands that the time has come for this young man.
In his six seasons with the Bucks, he averaged 30.4 points and 15.3 rebounds per game, taking three MVPs (1971, 72, 74) and two top scorers (71, 72).
But he was not happy in Milwaukee during those years, and he converted to Islam and changed his name to Karim Abdullah Jabbar, meaning "noble and powerful servant," which was much criticized in American society at the time.
In 1975, the bottom-picking Lakers exchanged only Elmo Smith, Junio Bridgeman, Brian Winters, and Dave Mayers for the league's first player at the time. This is much more exciting than the later stud thick eyebrows and "robbery" Gasol.
In the first two years of the Lakers, he had two consecutive MVPs (76, 77), but the Lakers failed to match the lineup accordingly after having this alliance killer. In those years, they lost the playoffs to the Blazers and Supersonics, who later won the championship.
Throughout the seventies, Abdul-Jabbar was the undisputed king, winning five regular season MVPs over a decade. But he is also the biggest unlucky egg, except for the big O in the early years of the Bucks, there is really no powerful helper, so he has only one championship in total.
More about Jabbar can be found at:
As for the 80s and 90s, they belong to the black and white duo and the great Michael Jordan, and the two-time champion Olajuwon will take it out and write it separately, which is not too much to introduce here.
New Age: Giant Shark Strike
O'Neal is seen as the last dinosaur in the center, but he has never been a legacy of traditional centers, and the Sharks have completely deviated from tradition since their debut. O'Neal weighs 147 kilograms, and in his case, 99 percent of centers are malnourished. Former Pistons coach Gentry once went crazy about this: "What do you want me to do? How to arrange the defense? The food he eats every day weighs more than our centre-forwards weigh. ”
While maintaining a large tonnage, the Sharks have amazing flexibility, which allows him to face any defender enough to form a misalignment. Van Gugli said: "If he is stronger than O'Neal, he must not be as agile as the sharks. "The question is how can the nimble centers withstand the sharks. Once he successfully jams and catches the ball under the basket, it is impossible to stop him, and he is like a big diesel engine, providing huge power in an instant.
In his eight seasons with the Lakers, the Sharks have led the league in six seasons, topping the league for five consecutive seasons starting in the '97-98 season. O'Neal does whatever he wants in the penalty area, relying not only on his explosive physical fitness, but also on his flexible basket skills. As O'Neill puts it: "I really enjoy the feeling of constantly swinging my opponents in attack. ”
After being beaten by the Lakers in 1998, supersonic coach George Carr became a prophet: "Right now the Sharks are the strongest in the NBA, I think he's stronger and more dominant than any of his players, I think he's stronger and more dominant than any active player." Jordan's style of play is prettier and faster, but from a coach's point of view, O'Neal may be the toughest guy to deal with at the moment. In terms of the threat in the forbidden zone, no one on this planet is invincible. ”
In the 99-00 season, O'Neal reached the peak of his career, almost completed an unprecedented monopoly, scoring first, rebounding first, blocking third, leading the team to 67 wins, and was undoubtedly elected the regular season MVP, with 120 of the 121 first votes.
In 2000, O'Neal finally became the Tyrannosaurus Rex of his time, averaging 38 points and 16.7 rebounds per game in the Finals, the Pacers' interior line was like a hurricane, and commentators often mocked Davis as a mantis arm when defending Shaq. O'Neal dominated the Finals, becoming the second Grand Slam winner to win regular season MVP, All-Star MVP and Finals MVP after Willis Reed in 1970 and Jordan in 1996.
In 2001, the Lakers did not face any challenges in the West, only to lose the first game in the Finals, O'Neal destroyed the dpoy Mutombo of the year, averaging 33 points, 15.6 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game. People say that sharks only have strength, but he can hold a hand in a scrub shot, a small hook hand, a bottom line retreat and a dexterous turning step. Looking at the center in history, perhaps only big dreams can do this in one go, but he does not have such terrible strength.
In 2002, injuries, age, rules and other unfavorable factors did not bind the Sharks, O'Neal used a third championship to declare that he was still the master of the basketball world, which was the fifth consecutive triple championship in NBA history, and the Lakers have since gone down in history with those dynastic teams. The 30-year-old Shark was elected Finals MVP for the third consecutive time. Only Jordan had accomplished such a feat before. Barkley described O'Neill's greatness this way: "My grandmother and Shaq can win the championship. ”
The era of shark dominance has passed 20 years, and now dinosaurs have long been extinct. Neither his successors, Yao Ming nor Howard, won championships with themselves at their core — let alone ushered in an era. O'Neal is the last king of the centre position, and while Embiid and Jokic are fierce enough, they stand ahead of the top podium and are far from qualifying to be tied with their predecessors.