All Things Basketball with GD podcast, hosted by GD That Sports Dude

George Gervin: 6'7", 180 lb (00:29)

Played some small forward but mostly shooting guard

Born in Detroit, MI on April 27, 1952

Comes from a family of 6; dad left home in his early years; grew up in poverty

Started playing basketball at a young age with his cousin & neighborhood kid named Ralph Simpson

In his sophomore year at Martin Luther King HS, he tried out for the team

Willie Meriweather, the JV coach & a father figure to him, convinced the head coach to keep him on the team

Also befriended the school's janitor Mr Winters who gave him access to the school's gym

His basketball skills improved, but his grades weren't that good

Experienced a growth spurt to 6'4" as a senior; averaged 31 PPG & 20 RPG leading team to state quarterfinals; became All-State (1970)

Received a scholarship to Cal State - Long Beach; became homesick then left school after 1st semester

Transferred to Eastern Michigan for 1 1/2 seasons; for 39 games he averaged 26.8 PPG & 14.4 RPG

In a divisional semifinals, tempers flared with a Roanoke VA player & he punched out the player

Costs the head coach his job & George being kicked off the team & suspended for next season; Olympics & Pan Am games invites also revoked

Took his talents to the Eastern Basketball Association, a semi-pro league where he averaged 40 PPG (paid $300/week)

Was discovered by scout Johnny Kerr of the Virginia Squires who saw him score 50 pts in a game

Got signed to a $40K/year contract for VIR in 1973

Spent a little over a year with the team; had teammates Julius Erving & Swen Nater

Teammate Fatty Taylor 1st gave him the nickname Iceberg Slim; nickname evolves into the Iceman

While playing in his 1st All Star game during his 2nd year, VIR deals him to SAS for $228K

ABA's leading office called deal into question; eventually allowed it to go thru

Finished the 2nd half of the season with SAS; was drafted by the NBA's PHO in 1976 (3rd rd, 40th) but chose to stay in the ABA

For the next 2 seasons he ranked among the ABA's top 10 in scoring while making 2 All Star games

In the 1975 All Star game he was reunited with his childhood friend Ralph Simpson on the same team

Appeared in the 1st ever Slam Dunk contest in 1976 at the halftime of that All Star game along with Julius Erving, David Thompson, Artis Gilmore & Larry Kenon

Upon the NBA-ABA merger bringing in SAS there was a prevailing thought on whether he could score like he did in that league, especially after averaging just 23.1 PPG after his 1st NBA season

Went on to not only score but lead the league in that category 4 of the next 5 seasons as well as making 9 straight All Star games

The most famous scoring title came in 1977-78 between him & David Thompson (DEN) which came down to the very last day

David scored 73 pts in an early game while George needed 58 pts to become the scoring champ (27.22 to 27.15)

He ends up scoring 63 pts, including a 33 pt quarter which set the record that was set earlier by Thompson

In 1978-79 he had what was his most successful season with another scoring title (29.6 PPG), finishing 2nd in the MVP voting (lost to Moses Malone) & had his best run to a NBA title losing in the Eastern Conference Finals to WAS

The hiring of Cotton Fitzsimmons in 1984-85 pretty much marked the nearing of the end of George's stay in SAS

Get dealt the following season to CHI for David Greenwood

Played one season there; team also had Michael Jordan who played only 18 games because of a broken foot

Retired from the NBA in 1986 but played in Europe for a few seasons

Inducted into the Hall of Fame & named to the 50th Anniversary team in 1996

Best known for his finger roll shot, extending it out to the free throw line

Week 12 review (00:38)

Mon:

Ja Morant (MEM) & DeMar DeRozan (CHI) as the most recent Players of the Week

League reschedules 11 postponed games; changes times of 10 more games

Kevin Porter Jr & Christian Wood (HOU) both suspended one game for detrimental conduct

Jimmy Butler (MIA) suffered an ankle injury in a loss to GSW; to miss a few games

Anfernee Simon (POR) scored 41 pts as his team beats ATL; Trae Young with 56 pts & 14 asts in the loss

Joel Embiid (PHI) with a triple double (31 pts, 15 rebs, 10 asts) as they blow out HOU

Ja Morant's 36 pts & Desmond Bane's 29 pts helps MEM on the road crushes BKN

Tue:

Donovan Mitchell (UTA) & Joel Embiid (PHI) wins Players of the Month for December

Josh Giddey (OKC) & Franz Wagner (ORL) Rookies of the Month

Taylor Jenkins (MEM) & Erik Spoelstra (MIA) Coaches of the Month 

Joe Ingles (UTA) enters health & safety protocols

Ja Morant's 26 pts & Jaren Jackson Jr's 22 pts leads MEM in a back-to-back win on the road over CLE

Wed:

Dirk Nowitzki's #41 jersey reitred by DAL after halftime of their game vs GSW: DAL gets the upset win over GSW behind Luka's 26 pts

Damian Lillard (POR) out at least a week with an abdomen injury

MIL to waive DeMarcus Cousins & add Langston Galloway on Fri

Kyrie Irving (BKN) makes his season debut on the road vs IND; Kyrie with 22 pts & Kevin Durant with 39 pts; Domantas Sabonis has a triple double (32 pts, 12 rebs, 10 asts) in the loss

Thu:

KD & Steph Curry leads 1st round of All Star voting for the East & West

WAS announcer Glenn Corser makes a public apology for confusing who Kevin Porter Jr's dad was; thought he was former WAS player from 1970s

Rudy Gobert (UTA) enters H&S protocols; his 2nd time he's dealing with COVID issues

Larry Nance Jr (POR) out at least a week with a knee injury

Tyler Herro (MIA) & Jusuf Nurkic (POR) both fined $25K for the skirmish they got into

Non-boosted players to be subjected to daily testing & mask requirements while traveling; extended up to Jan 19

NYK, down 25 pts, gets the comeback win over BOS thanks to a RJ 3PG buzzer beater; Evan Fournier with 41 pts (10 3PGs)

In that game Julius Randle gives the NYK fans at home the thumbs down sign

PHO blows out LAC & becomes 1st team to get 30 wins; Chris Paul's triple double (14 pts, 13 rebs, 10 asts)

Fri:

50th year anniversary of LAL's 33 game win streak; finished the season 69-13 (a record at the time)

Coach Jason Kidd enters H&S protocols; 13th head coach to do so

Randle writes an Instagram statement about NYC & his love for the NYK fans

MIL on the road blows out BKN; Giannis Antetokounmpo with 31 pts & 9 asts, Bobby Portis Jr's 25 pts & 12 rebs

KD on Kyrie's vaccination status: I'm not going to force him to get vaccinated

Fred VanVleet's triple double (37 pts, 10 asts, 10 rebs) leads TOR over UTA

Behind LeBron's 32 pts, 9 asts, 8 rebs, 4 stls & 3 blks, LAL blows out ATL; moves into top 10 steals leaders all time

Sat:

Randle fined $25K for egregious use of profane language during practice & postgame

Coach Lloyd Jenkins (MEM) enters H&S protocols; 14th head coach now

Dillon Brooks (MEM) injures ankle in a win over LAC; out 3-5 weeks

Jaylen Brown gets his 1st triple double (22 pts, 11 rebs, 11 asts) as BOS defeats NYK

Sun:

DEN trades C Bol Bol to DET for Rodney McGruder & 2022 2nd rd pick via BKN

Klay Thompson makes his season debut after missing 2 1/2 seasons; GSW defeats CLE while scoring 17 pts; his reaction: "it's unbelievable & worth every second."

MEM on the road beats LAL; Bane with 23 pts & JJJ's 21 pts; Russ Westbrook struggles with just 6 pts

Week 18, part 2 (00:46)

TEN 28, HOU 25

Ryan Tannehill somehow saving his best for last (287 yds, 4 TDs)

D'Onta Foreman's fine job overall filling in for Derrick Henry

All TEN WRs had good games all & all

Davis Mills to be the HOU QB of the future

In desperate need of a solid RB; resigning Rex Burkhead won't get it done

Brandin Cooks with a stinker; Danny Amendola & Nico Collins played well

NO 30, ATL 20

Taysom Hill leaves game with a foot injury (Lisfranc); need surgery in offseason; keep eye on Jameis Winston & his status

Alvin Kamara alleviates your fears with a solid season overall

Tre'Quan Smith a good game on way out; Marquez Callaway disappears

Matt Ryan may have played his last game in ATL

The run game in ATL failed them for much of the season; Mike Davis a bust; Cordarrelle Patterson experiment likely over

The passing game was without Calvin Ridley all year; Russell Gage solid down the stretch; Kyle Pitts a lousy game

BUF 27, NYJ 10

Josh Allen pretty much gets it done

Devin Singletary finishes season strong

Stefon Diggs a nice game; Gabriel Davis a head scratcher

Michael Carter a no-show in terms of performance

Zach Wilson needs to take that next step in 2022

SF 27, LAR 24 (OT)

Jimmy Garoppolo toughs it out playing with the injured thumb & takes care of business

Elijah Mitchell with a solid one

Brandon Aiyuk came on late in the season; Deebo Samuel wraps up a career year; George Kittle disappoints thru the fantasy playoffs

Matthew Stafford a pretty good game in fantasy but not so much in reality

Sony Michel with a pedestrian game; Cam Akers making a miraculous comeback from a torn ACL in August 2021

Cooper Kupp finishes off his record-setting season; Tyler Higbee with a terrific one; Odell Beckham Jr not great here

MIA 33, NE 24

Duke Johnson with a nice one & not bad for a 3rd down back; Myles Gaskin with a horrid season

Ok game for Jaylen Waddle; Mike Gesicki fades in 2nd half of season

All & all Mac Jones solid in his rookie season

Damien Harris gives you a decent game all things considered

Hunter Henry the better pass catching TE among him & Jonnu Smith

Brian Flores out as head coach; another head scratcher of sorts

SEA 38, ARI 30

Possibly Russell Wilson's last hurrah in SEA; had a fantastic game

May have found their RB of the future in Rashaad Penny

Tyler Lockett finishes strong down the stretch; outside of last week's game DK Metcalf with a disappointing 2nd half of season

Kyler Murray a good game but overall not as effective coming back after his injury

James Conner back in the lineup & gets the majority of the work

Zach Ertz does a terrific job since coming to ARI; Ertz right there among the tier 2 TEs in the league

Christian Kirk & AJ Green with awful games respectively

TB 41, CAR 17

No Antonio Brown now after his blowup last week

Tom Brady doing Tom Brady things

KeShawn Vaughn filling in for injured Ronald Jones II & does ok

Gronk & Mike Evans stepping up & playing well despite the loss of AB

Christian McCaffrey missing the season really hurt this CAR offense

Thought Sam Darnold would be play better overall

Chuba Hubbard a good game

DJ Moore gives you a solid one; Robby Anderson an enigma all season long but has a nice one here

LV 35, LAC 32

Josh Jacobs very solid down the stretch especially without the presence of Kenyan Drake

Darren Waller returns to lineup; Hunter Renfrow finishes nicely

Justin Herbert with an outstanding valiant performance

Austin Ekeler's stellar game

Mike Williams terrific here; Keenan Allen not good overall

Week 18, part 1 (00:40)

KC 28, DEN 24

Not a typical Pat Mahomes type game but solid enough

Darrel Williams left the game (toe) which hurt

Travis Kelce with a so-so game; Tyreek Hill a stinker

Melvin Gordon III, a free agent to be, give you a great one on the way out; Javonte Williams not so much

Tim Patrick the only receiver to make noise; GM John Elway must invest in a QB for 2022

Coach Vic Fangio out; should look to hire an offensive minded coach

DAL 51, PHI 26

Dak Prescott saving his best for last (295 yds, 5 TDs)

Typical run game for the year: Ezekiel Elliott gets the work & Corey Clement the glory scoring a TD

Cedrick Wilson filling in capably; Dalton Schultz with a great one

CeeDee Lamb's season didn't live up to expectations

Kenneth Gainwell a solid game; no Miles Sanders, Jordan Howard or Boston Scott

Quez Watkins with an decent outing; DeVonta Smith a letdown; no Dallas Goedert (COVID)

CLE 21, CIN 16Nick Chubb a disappointing game; D'Ernest Johnson a monster game

Jarvis Landry QB-proof; a solid outing

Baker Mayfield has to improve for 2022

For CIN they played without Joe Burrow, Joe Mixon, Tee Higgins & Tyler Boyd

Samaje Perine to be lead back; for reasons unknown didn't get touches

JaMarr Chase did play but how many folks started him? I'd say you couldn't even after his monster performance last week

DET 37, GB 30

Jared Goff goes out on a high note; team needs an explosive RB to complement him

Jamaal Williams & D'Andre Swift leaves a lot to be desired

Amon-Ra St Brown absolutely impressive; Kalif Raymond with a nice one; could have a solid array of receivers with a healthy TJ Hockensen

Aaron Rodgers only played for a few series so obviously you couldn't start him

With no Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon gets pretty much all the work

Allen Lazard continues his hot play; Davante Adams with a decent outing

MIN 31, CHI 17

Kirk Cousins gives you a solid game

Dalvin Cook with not such a great one

Justin Jefferson continues his solid season on the way out

David Montgomery  pretty productive most of the season

Darnell Mooney an outstanding performance; another WR to consider for 2022 & also Cole Kmet as a viable TE

Allen Robinson has probably played his last season in CHI; free agency awaits

Housing cleaning for both MIN & CHI; both the coach & GM fired

WAS 22, NYG 7

Antonio Gibson pretty much the entire offense

Terry McLaurin solid; WAS needs to fix their QB situation

Saquon Barkley didn't give you the type of season you wanted; a victim of this horrible offense

Kenny Golladay finish his horrendous season; Darius Slayton's TD was only the 5th to a WR for the whole year

Dave Gettleman "retires" thankfully; Joe Judge needs to be follow him out the door

JAC 26, IND 11

IND absolutely wets the bed; misses playoffs with this loss

Trevor Lawrence finally looking like a NFL QB

Dare Ogunbowale did an admirable job filling in for James Robinson

Marvin Jones Jr also finally performs up to his expectations; WRs should be draftable in 2022; just need a standout TE

Carson Wentz just not that guy

Jonathan Taylor give you a so-so game by his standards

Michael Pittman Jr with a good game; shows promise for next season

PIT 16, BAL 13 (OT)

Big Ben ends his regular season like he started his career; pretty much game managing

Najee Harris injures elbow which hindered him

A pretty solid receiving corps for PIT; keep eye out on the Jimmy G situation in SF

Still no Lamar Jackson; Devonta Freeman suffers rib injury so Latavius Murray goes off

Mark Andrews solid; future promise for Rashod Bateman & Marquise Brown

Roundup, part 2 (00:46)

LAR 20, BAL 19

Matthew Stafford with an ok game; was expecting more after Joe Burrow scorched that BAL secondary

This is Sony Michel's backfield despite the rumblings about Cam Akers coming back soon

It's still Cooper Kupp season; Tyler Higbee played well; Odell Beckham Jr playing well & being the perfect teammate

Not a great one for Tyler Huntley who's replacing Lamar Jackson still

Devonta Freeman still getting the lion's share of the touches

Mark Andrews soaring at the right time; Rashod Bateman playing good while Marquise Brown with a quiet one

Next up: LAR hosts SF, BAL hosts PIT

LAC 34, DEN 13

Justin Herbert ends up throwing the most TDs in a season, above the likes of Dan Fouts & Philip Rivers

Austin Ekeler still getting it done while in a 60-40 timeshare with Justin Jackson

Mike Williams & Kennan Allen with solid games

DEN run game not existence between Javonte Williams & Melvin Gordon III

Noah Fant with an excellent game; Courtland Sutton with a so-so game

LAC goes to LV (Sun night), DEN hosts KC (Sat)

SF 23, HOU 7

Trey Lance played well starting for Jimmy Garoppolo

Elijah Mitchell explodes after being sidelined 3 games (knee)

Brandon Aiyuk continues his strong 2nd half of the season; George Kittle slumping lately; Deebo Samuel still the dual threat

Rex Burkhead comes back down from last week's performance

Brandin Cooks once again shows that he's pretty much QB-proof

Next up: SF visits LAR, HOU hosts TEN

ARI 25, DAL 22

Kyler Murray's best game since coming off his bye

Chase Edmonds getting all the work with James Conner (heel) sidelined

Solid games for Christian Kirk, AJ Green & Zach Ertz

Dak Prescott with a fine game

DAL run game failed miserably between Ezekiel Elliott & Tony Pollard

Dalton Schultz shows up; good game for Michael Gallup but tears ACL & is put on IR

Next up: ARI hosts SEA, DAL travels to PHI (Sat)

NO 18, CAR 10

Taysom Hill with a good enough game

Alvin Kamara gives you a nice one after last week's debacle

Marquez Callaway coming thru for those who may have started him

Chuba Hubbard with a better game than what he's been showing

DJ Moore has a lousy game; not helping you in championship week

Next up: NO visits ATL, CAR heads to TB

SEA 51, DET 29

Russell Wilson in what could be his last game in SEA saves his best for last

Rashaad Penny has a monster game

DK Metcalf who was left for dead makes amends by having his best performance in weeks

D'Andre Swift came back but didn't run the ball much; Jamaal Williams not good

Amon-Ra St Brown was absolutely phenomenal these past few weeks

Next up: SEA visits ARI, DET hosts GB

GB 37, MIN 10

Aaron Rodgers doing Aaron Rodgers things

GB run game playing well between Aaron Jones & AJ Dillon

Davante Adams also doing Davante Adams type of things; Allen Lazard with a solid outing; Marquez Valdes-Scantling not so much

With Kirk Cousins out (COVID) the offense looked like absolute trash; only KJ Osborn had a decent game

Next up: GB travels to DET, MIN hosts CHI

PIT 26, CLE 14

Big Ben's last game looks a lot like his 1st game as a pro; just enough to get the win but with less accuracy

Najee Harris beasted out for those with shares in him

Diontae Johnson with a decent outing

Nick Chubb disappoints for those with championship aspirations

Next up: PIT goes to BAL; CLE hosts CIN

Roundup, part 1 (00:45)

BUF 29, ATL 15

Josh Allen coming up with a stinker thru the air (3 INTs)

Devin Singletary rewarding those who may have been forced to start him

BUF WRs come up empty thanks to Allen's bad game

Mike Davis wets the bed all season long; Cordarrelle Patterson doesn't give you much either

Kyle Pitts becomes the 2nd rookie to top 1,000 yds (the other: Mike Ditka)

Russell Gage fails to deliver 

Next up: BUF hosts NYJ, ATL hosts NO

CHI 29, NYG 3

David Montgomery with a solid outing like he's done pretty much all season

Darnell Mooney comes thru for those who started him; a early round WR target for next season

Not expecting to see Allen Robinson in a CHI uniform

Cole Kmet could be in that next tier of TEs; just below Kelce, Kittle, Mark Andrews & Hock

Saquon Barkley delivers a fine game on his way out; offers promise for next season

Next up: CHI travels to MIN, NYG hosts WAS

CIN 34, KC 31

Joe Burrow follows his 526 yd, 4 TD performance with a 446, 4 TD game

Joe Mixon had a fine day PPR-wise

JaMarr Chase obliterates the rookie receiving yds record with 266 yds & 3 TDs

Tee Higgins comes down to earth while Tyler Boyd does OK

Patrick Mahomes with a decent enough game

With no Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Darrell Williams had a solid performance

Tyreek Hill goes missing; Travis Kelce doesn't give you his normal type of game

Next up: CIN travels to CLE, KC goes to DEN

TEN 34, MIA 3

D'Onta Foreman really has emerged from that lousy performance last week; Derrick Henry may return so watch practice closely

AJ Brown with a bit of a letdown here

Duke Johnson not a great one; Myles Gaskin with a letdown for most of the season

MIA receivers with subpar games

Next up: TEN goes to HOU, MIA hosts NE

LV 23, IND 20

Not a great game for Drew Carr

Josh Jacobs has been the bellcow these past few weeks

Zay Jones has come out of nowhere to help that LV passing attack; Hunter Renfrow bounces back from last week's dud

Jonathan Taylor capping off his stellar season with a solid game

Michael Pittman Jr & TY Hilton with so-so games

Next up: LV hosts LAC (Sun night), IND travels to JAC

NE 50, JAC 10

Mac Jones with a bounce back game

Damien Harris starts great but hurts his hamstring again; Rhamondre Stevenson finishes with a bang

Fine games from Kendrick Bourne, Jakobi Meyers & little know Kristian Wilkinson

Dare Ogunbowale does his best James Robinson impression

Laquon Treadwell getting the looks; disappointing seasons for Marvin Jones Jr & Laviska Shenault Jr

Next up: NE goes to MIA, JAC hosts IND

PHI 20, WAS 16

Not the greatest of games from Jalen Hurts

Boston Scott with a solid one but got hurt; Jordan Howard also hurt in this game; Kenneth Gainwell the only healthy RB

Dallas Goedert with a good game & an ok one for Devonta Smith

Jaret Patterson, in for Antonio Gibson, gives you a good emergency performance

Terry McLaurin still hanging in there

Next up: PHI hosts DAL, WAS goes to NYG

TB 28, NYJ 24

Tom Brady doing Tom Brady things

Ronald Jones II played but ends up with an ankle injury while KeShawn Vaughn has injuries to his ribs; watch their practices this week

Gronk showing you vintage Gronk; unknown Cyril Grayson steps up; Mike Evans with an ok game

A lot of folks had high hopes for Antonio Brown & he had financial incentive to perform but has a meltdown & leaves the game early

Bottom line: AB needs to accept responsibility & accountability period!

Michael Carter with not such a good game but gets placed in concussion protocols

Next up: TB hosts CAR, NYJ visits BUF

Sam Jones: 6'4", 198 lbs (00:31)

Played some small forward & point guard but mostly played shooting guard

Born in Wilmington, NC on June 24, 1933

Went to a historic African American prep school called Laurinburg Institute

Attended a small HBCU school NC College which became NC Central University later

Was a 3 times All-CIAA; coached by Hall of Fame coach John McClendon & Floyd Brown

Spent 4 years there as well as 2 years in the military

Was  initially drafted by Minneapolis Lakers in the 1956 draft during the 8th round but chose to go back to college to get his degree after finishing his military service

Enter Red Auerbach, the BOS coach who was looking to draft a player in the upcoming 1957 draft

Red visited University of NC but was told by another coach about Sam & how good he was

So sight unseen, Red drafted Sam 8th overall of that draft

This shocked Sam to be drafted by a team that had just won a NBA title & just returned 11 of their players

Wanted to become a HS teacher after college & thought he was closer to that dream after being selected by BOS

In fact Sam had an offer from one HS to teach; asked for a $500 increase when offered the position; the school refused & as they say the rest was history

His rookie season was anything but spectacular; averaged only 4.6 PPG & 10.6 MIN & was the 3rd SG behind Bill Sharman & Frank Ramsey

Red was actually preparing him to be the heir apparent to Bill Sharman as BOS starting SG

In his next 2 seasons he played SF coming off the bench with the young KC Jones to form the alliance of the Jones Boys

Red decided to move Ramsey to SF which opened the door to get closer to Sam being the starting SG in future

His big break came in 1960-61 when Sharman had to sit due to injuries; not entirely comfortable being a starter

Began to adjust nicely with a 15 PPG average in his debut as the team's lead SG

In his next 3 seasons he settled into being the position & started becoming a clutch performer, particularly in the playoffs

in 1961-62 where he became an All Star for the 1st time, BOS played PHW to a grueling 7 games in the Eastern Divisional Finals where he hit a game winner over Wilt Chamberlain (Wilt declared Sam as BOS' best player)

Against LAL in the Finals, he scored 5 of the team's 10 pts in OT of Game 7 in the finals to win their 4th straight NBA title

In 1962-63 he averaged 19.7 PPG & a career best 47.6 FG% while upping his game in the playoffs with a 23.8 PPG to help win their 5th straight title

Had his career year in 1964-65 averaging 25.9 PPG (4th in the league) while making his 3rd All Star game; also named to All-NBA 2nd team for the 1st time (behind 1st teamers Oscar Robertson & Jerry West)

BOS finished that season 62-18; had his greatest postseason ever with 28.6 PPG leading to their 7th straight title

Would play another 4 seasons; appearing in 2 more All Star games & won 3 of 4 NBA titles in those years

In his final game fittingly so, he hit the clinching basket for Game 7 in the Finals to beat a Elgin Baylor-Jerry West-Wilt Chamberlain led LAL squad to win his 10th NBA title for BOS

Retired from basketball (1969, age: 36)

Inducted into the NAIA Basketball Hall of Fame, North Carolina Sports HoF (the 1st African-American to be honored), Naismith HoF & the inaugural American Basketball HoF

Named to the 25th, 50th & 75th NBA Anniversary Teams

Did become a substitute teacher in Maryland for over 30 years

Retired from teaching & moved to St Augustine, FL; died in Boca Raton, FL at the age of 88 on Dec 31, 2021

Statements from the BOS organization, NBA commission Adam Silver & good friend Bill Russell came in honoring Sam

Nickname: Mr Clutch, The Shooter

Week 11 review (00:29)

Mon:

NBA making adjustments to health & safety protocols; isolation period from 10 to 6 days

DeAndre Ayton & coach Monty Williams (PHO) enters protocols

Trae Young clears protocols; scores 29 pts in a loss to CHI; DeMar DeRozan 35 pts & Zach LaVine 30 pts

MEM on road squeaks by PHO; Ja Morant with 33 pts & Desmond Bane 32 pts

BKN on read blows by LAC; James Harden 34 pts, 15 asts & 8 rebs

Tue:

Bogdan Bogdanovic joins 12 ATL players in protocols

Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving & LaMarcus Aldridge clears protocols

Evan Mobley clears while Darius Garland enters protocols

Ricky Rubio tears ACL in a CLE loss to NOP; out for season

Coach Mark Daigneault (OKC) enters protocols; 5th coach to do so this season

MIA takes down WAS; Tyler Herro 32pts, Duncan Robinson 26 pts & Jimmy Butler 25 pts with 15 asts

DEN on rad edges GSW; Nikola Jokic 22 pts & 18 rebs; Steph Curry with 3000 3PGs made

Wed:

Isaiah Thomas, formerly with LAL, signs a 10 day contract with DAL

MIA/SAS game postponed; MIA without 8 players needed to play

Kyrie attended his 1st practice; says he missed playing ball

MEM defeats LAL; Morant 41 pts & 10 rebs; LeBron with 37 pts, 13 rebs & 7 asts in the loss

Chimezie Meku drops a 3 at the buzzer as SAC beats DAL

Thu:

Julius Randle (NYK) enters protocols

GSW/DEN game postponed; Austin Rivers & coach Mike Malone enter protocols

Draymond Green complains on Twitter about postponed game

PHI on road beats BKN in KD's 1st game back from protocols; led by Joel Embiid (34 pts) & Tyrese Maxey (25 pts)

TOR reducing arena capacity to 1000 guests for next 3 weeks

Fri:

BOS Hof Sam Jones passes away at 88 years old (more in my latest Player Spotlight episode)

1/3 of NBA referees out with either injuries or COVID protocols; calls up G League refs

Jonas Valanciunas (NOP) enters protocols

SAS assistant coach Becky Hammon hired by the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces

Other WNBA news: New York Liberty hires former Phoenix Mercury coach Sandy Brondello

DeMar DeRozan hits game winner as CHI beats IND 108-106; also scores 28 pts & Coby White with 24 pts

BOS upsets PHO; Jaylen Brown/Marcus Smart 24 pts (lead 7 players in double figures)

LAL closes out 2021 with a blowout win over POR; LeBron with 43 pts & 14 rebs

Sat:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) enters protocols

Women refs from the G league being called up for NBA games

Luka Doncic, Tim Hardaway Jr & Maxi Kleber clears protocols

Lance Stephenson signs a 10 day contract with IND, his original drafted team

DeMar DeRozan opens 2022 in the same way he closed 2021: a game winner to beat WAS; scores 28 while LaVine has 35

GSW on road takes care of UTA; Curry 28 pts & 9 asts along with Andrew Wiggins' 25 pts

LAC on road takes down BKN; Eric Bledsoe with 27 pts; KD on loss: team needs to adjust attitude or the losses will pile up

Sun:

Coach Chauncey Billups (POR) clears H&S protocols; will return to the sideline Mon

Draymond clears H&S protocols; will play Mon

Kyrie to join BKN on road this coming week

Jaylen Brown drops 50 pts & 11 rebs as BOS beats ORL in OT

Josh Giddey (OKC) becomes the youngest player ever to record a triple double (17 pts, 14 asts, 13 rebs) in a loss to DAL

SAC upsets MIA; Buddy Hield (26 pts with 7 3PGs) & DeAaron Fox (24 pts)

PHO on road crushes CHA; Devin Booker's 24 pts leads 7 players in double figures

LAL struggles a bit but defeats MIN; LeBron 26 pts, Malik Monk 22 pts & Russell Westbrook with 20 pts but also 9 TOs

Bob Pettit: 6'9", 205 lb (00:29)

Played some center but mostly a power forward

Born in Baton Rouge, LA on Dec 12, 1932

Son of a county sheriff who comes from a modest upbringing

Attended Baton Rouge HS; was cut from his varsity team twice

His dad built him a hoop set in their backyard so he could practice his shooting

Growing to 6'4" he tried out again as a junior & made the team; incorporated a rigid practice regime

Made the All-City prep team as a junior; led his HS team to its 1st state title in 20 years as a senior

Received scholarship letters from up to 14 universities; chose to stay close to home by attending LSU

Had a stellar career at LSU with a 27.4 PPG & 14.6 RPG; team had a 59-15 record

Was a 3 time All-SEC, 2 time All-American & only the 2nd 30 or more PPG scorer in college history (the other player: Frank Selvy of Furman University at 41.7 PPG)

Became the 1st LSU Tiger to have a jersey retired in any sport; inducted into their Hall of Fame

Was drafted 2nd overall in 1954 draft with the Milwaukee Hawks (1st overall pick: Selvy, Baltimore Bullets)

With only $100 in his bank account he signs a $11,000 contract

Established himself early as a big man who doesn't have to play with his back to the basket

Many weren't sure how we would hold up against the big men of his day because of his gangly built

Won Rookie of the Year & made both the All Star game & All-NBA in that same season with a 20.4 PPG & 13.8 RPG)

Owner Ben Kerner moved the team to St Louis; led the league in scoring after his sophomore season with a 25.7 PPG average & 16.2 RPG

Won the 1st ever MVP award & named All Star game MVP that season

STL undergoes a major overhaul in the offseason; traded the draft rights for Bill Russell to BOS for Ed Macauley & rookie Cliff Hagan; also added Slater Martin & Alex Hannum

In 1956-57 his team finished 34-38 but got all the way to the Finals only to lose to BOS in a grueling 7 game series

In 1957-58 Hannum became the full time head coach of STL; set Bob to play strictly as a PF after 2 seasons at C

Team finished 41-31 as he had 24.6 PPG & 17.4 RPG; defeated both DET & BOS to capture a NBA title

Dropped 50 pts & 19 rebs in the deciding Game 6 to clinch that title; Giannis Antetokounmpo became the 2nd player to score 50 in a deciding game last season

Bob's teams followed their title season with 3 more seasons atop the conference but couldn't capture another title

His 29.2 PPG led the league & was the highest average ever at that time; won 2nd league MVP that season

In 1960-61 he became one of 5 players to average 20 or more RPG in a season; one of 3 players to average 20 or more PPG & RPG with 27.9 & 20.3 respectively

The following season he finished with 31.1 PPG (3rd in the league) & 18.7 RPG (4th) but team had only a 29-51 record; Kerner turned to Bob to coach the final 6 games

Kerner hired former Knick Harry "the Horse" Gallatin as the coach for Bob's last 3 seasons; made the playoffs 2 of the 3 but again couldn't reach the Finals

His final season was riddled with knee issues which allowed him to play only 50 games (22.5 PPG & 12.4 RPG

Retired after the 1964-65 season at age 32

Went into the banking industry where he worked for 23 years; became a financial consultant soon after & retired in 2006

Finished his career as the NBA's leading scorer all time & 2nd in rebounds all time

Inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame (1970)

11 time All Star & All-NBA (10 times 1st team), 2 time MVP, 4 time All Star MVP, 2 time scoring champ, 1 rebound champ, 1 NBA champ

Named to the 25th, 35th, 50th & 75th Anniversary Team

Never averaged under 20 PPG or 12 RPG in a season

Week 10 review (00:28)

Mon:

Players of the Week: Jayson Tatum, BOS (East) and Karl Anthony Towns, MIN (West)

Steve Kerr named head coach of the USA mens basketball team

NBA allowing replacement players amid the COVID crisis in the league

Andrew Wiggins (GSW) enters health & safety protocols

Damyean Dotson (NYK) signs a 10 day contract

Joel Embiid drops 41 pts & 10 rebs as PHI beats BOS 108-103

Dejounte Murray delivers a triple double (24 pts, 13 asts, 11 rebs) as SAS upsets LAC 116-92 on the road

Draymond Green gets another triple double (16 pts, 11 rebs, 10 asts) as GSW blows out SAC 113-98

Rudy Gobert with 23 pts & 21 rebs help UTA get the win vs CHA 112-102

Tue:

Adam Silver has no plans to put season on hold; his quote: "it's something we're gonna have to learn to live with"

Of the 10 teams playing on Christmas Day, more than 30 players in H&S protocols

Manu Ginobili, Tom Chambers and Lindsay Whalen among the first timers on the Hall of Fame ballot

Luka Doncic (DAL) enters H&S protocols; already sidelined with ankle issues

Jalen Brunson's 28 pts leads DAL to a win over MIN

PHO on the road defeats LAL thanks to Devin Booker's 26 pts, 9 rebs and 7 asts

Wed:

BKN/POR game canceled (BKN has 10 players in H&S protocols)

TOR/CHI game canceled (TOR has 8 players in H&S protocols)

BOS signs Joe Johnson while ATL signs Lance Stephenson

Derrick Rose (NYK) out for 8 weeks after ankle surgery

Obi Toppin (NYK) clears H&S protocols and rejoins team

BOS gets 34 pts from Jaylen Brown as well as 21 pts, 11 rebs & 7 asts from Robert Williams as they defeat CLE 111-101

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drops a triple double (27 pts, 12 asts, 11 rebs) as OKC beats DEN 108-94

Thu:

James Harden & Paul Millsap (BKN) clears H&S protocols

Bradley Beal (WAS) enters H&S protocols

Zach LaVine are among 5 players to clear H&S protocols for CHI

Karl Anthony Towns joins Anthony Edwards in H&S protocols for MIN

CJ McCollum (POR) healed from collapsed lung; cleared for non-contact drills

Kemba Walker puts up 44 pts, 9 rebs & 8 asts in a loss to WAS who was without Bradley Beal 124-117

Steph Curry (GSW) scores 46 pts including 8 3PGs to beat MEM 113-104

SAS goes to LAL & defeats LAL 138-110 thanks to Keita Bates-Diop's 30 pts (11-11 FG) & 7 rebs

Fri:

League is bringing forth efforts to get players to take the booster shot (97% vaccinated)

Darren Collison (LAL) signed to a 10-day contract (retired in 2019)

Sat:

All Star voting begins on this day; runs until Jan 28

Paul George (LAC) out at least 3-4 weeks with a torn UCL in his elbow

Dewayne Dedmon (MIA) to miss 1-2 weeks with a MCL sprain

Coach JB Bickerstaff (CLE) signs a contract extension running thru 2026-27

Sun:

Lonzo Ball (CHI) enters H&S protocols

Miles Bridges & PJ Washington (CHA) enters H&S protocols

John Collins (ATL) enters H&S protocols

Draymond Green (GSW) enters H&S protocols

Donovan Mitchell to miss the next 1-2 games with a lower back strain

Josh Giddey (OKC) records a scoreless double double (10 rebs & 10 asts), the first in 50 years, as the team beats NOP 117-112

Jimmy Butler returns after missing 12 of 13 games as MIA defeats ORL 93-83

Joel Embiid's 36 pts & 13 rebs contributes to a PHI win over WAS 117-96

Nikola Jokic drops 26 pts, 22 rebs & 8 asts as DEN gets past LAC 103-100