1969
Reigning belt holder: Wilt Chamberlain (3X)
NBA Champion: Boston Celtics
ABA Champion: Oakland Oaks
NBA MVP: Wes Unseld
ABA MVP: Mel Daniels
NBA Finals MVP: Jerry West
NBA Scoring champ: Elvin Hayes (28.4)
ABA Scoring champ: Larry Jones (28.4)
NBA PER champ: Jerry West (22.3)
ABA PER champ: Connie Hawkins (29.7)
The candidates:
Wilt Chamberlain: following his 4th quarter metldown in game 7 of the 1968 eastern conference finals, Wilt was dealt yet again, this time to the LA Lakers, who had been searching for an answer to Bill Russell for ten years. No longer the athletic freak he was in his prime, Wilt none the less was still the NBA's dominant center, averaging 20 points, a league-best 21.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists and shot just under 60% from the floor, leading the league in FG% for the 7th time in 10 seasons. The Lakers also benefited, vaulting to 55 wins and winning the top seed in the west for the first time since 1966. Wilt took a backseat to west and baylor in the playoffs, focusing on being a playmaker, and LA easily return to the finals to face the Celtics for the 7th time in 11 seasons. Wilt did not have the type of performance against Russell perhaps the Lakers were hoping for,though he averaged 25 rebounds, he paired that with just 11 points despite shooting 50% from the field. The Lakers blew series leads of 2-0 and 3-2 to face a winner-take-all game 7 in the forum. Ironically, Wilt would have his finest performance of the series in game 7, with 18 points and 27 rebounds on 88% shooting, before a leg injury forced him out for the 4th quarter with the lakers trailing hopelessly by 15 points. In a cruel twist of fate, The Lakers suddenly came back to life with Wilt off the floor, cutting the lead to just one point with 3 minutes remaining. When Wilt tried to re-enter the game, coach Butch Van Breda Kolff, who believed Wilt had loafed through the series, refused to let him back in the game. Wilt had to watch his last, best hope to beat his chief rival go to waste from the bench, as Boston held on to win by 2 points.
Jerry West: The addition of Wilt in 1969 had a profound effect on Jerry West. with more open looks than he'd seen in years, West averaged 25.9 points and just under 7 assists, on 47% shooting. He was easily the NBA's most efficient offensive player as well as one of its best defenders. He led the Lakers in scoring in the first and 2nd round series, and really turned up the heat against Boston, throwing down a 53-point salvo in a game 1 win, and followed that up with 41 more in game 2, another Lakers victory. Despite his pyrotechnics, the Lakers couldn't shake Boston. With things looking hopeless in game 7 and West limping around with a bad hamstring, West went to work in the 4th quarter, slicing a 17-point Celtics lead through sheer force of will, fouling out Sam Jones in the process. Without Wilt to control the paint however, LA could not get enough stops to pull ahead. West would finish game 7 on a heavily bandaged leg with 42 points, 12 assists and 13 rebounds, one of the greatest game 7 performances of all time. Jerry West earned himself the Finals MVP for his performance, to this day the only member of a losing team to receive the award.
John Havlicek: With player/coach Bill Russell focusing less on staying in shape and more on being more player than coach entering his final season, the role of Celtics best player unquestionably shifted to John Havlicek. Leading the team with 21.6 points and 5.4 assists, Hondo carried the 48-34 defending champs back to the postseason, this time as the east's #4 overall seed. Facing off against the 55-win sixers, Havlicek ripped through them for a 27.2 average, as Boston won easily in 5 games. The conference finals against the Knicks were tougher, but Havlicek led Boston in scoring again, including 28 points in the clinching game 6. He carried that momentum into the finals and tore into Elgin Baylor with 80 points in the first two games, plus 34 more in a must-win game 3. While the historic 1969 NBA finals is remembered more for West's individual performance and Wilt's coach turning on him, Havlicek quietly played every single minute, averaged 28 points, 11 rebounds and 4.4 assists, and led his team in game seven with 26 as Boston won its 11th championship in 13 years, and 6 out of 7 with Havlicek on the roster.
Mel Daniels: Native Detroiter Mel Daniels was drafted in 1967 by the Royals. Thought to be their missing piece in the middle, he shunned Oscar and co. to join the Minneapolis Muskies of the ABA, and was that league's rookie of the year instead. Nearly bankrupt, they solid his contract to the Indiana Pacers the following season, and Mel took a mediocre Pacers squad to the top of the eastern conference. Daniels took advantage of the faster-paced, less physical league by utilizing his combination of size and athleticism, scoring 24ppg (3rd overall) and bringing down a league-best 16.5 rebounds. Indiana was easily the best defensive team in the east with Daniels in the middle, despite playing at a faster pace. He averaged 18.6 in a 7-game first round win over Kentucky, 21.6 in the eastern finals against his old Minneapolis club, now relocated to Miami, to reach the finals. Despite the accomplishment, Indiana was no match for the smaller, quicker Oakland Oaks, undoubtedly the ABA's best team in 1969 (albeit without injured all-world forward Rick Barry), as the Pacers were run off the court in 5 games by the only team in the league that played even faster than they did. Despite that, Daniels was rewarded for engineering the turnaround of the Pacers with the ABA's MVP award.
Reigning belt holder: Wilt Chamberlain (3X)
NBA Champion: Boston Celtics
ABA Champion: Oakland Oaks
NBA MVP: Wes Unseld
ABA MVP: Mel Daniels
NBA Finals MVP: Jerry West
NBA Scoring champ: Elvin Hayes (28.4)
ABA Scoring champ: Larry Jones (28.4)
NBA PER champ: Jerry West (22.3)
ABA PER champ: Connie Hawkins (29.7)
The candidates:
Wilt Chamberlain: following his 4th quarter metldown in game 7 of the 1968 eastern conference finals, Wilt was dealt yet again, this time to the LA Lakers, who had been searching for an answer to Bill Russell for ten years. No longer the athletic freak he was in his prime, Wilt none the less was still the NBA's dominant center, averaging 20 points, a league-best 21.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists and shot just under 60% from the floor, leading the league in FG% for the 7th time in 10 seasons. The Lakers also benefited, vaulting to 55 wins and winning the top seed in the west for the first time since 1966. Wilt took a backseat to west and baylor in the playoffs, focusing on being a playmaker, and LA easily return to the finals to face the Celtics for the 7th time in 11 seasons. Wilt did not have the type of performance against Russell perhaps the Lakers were hoping for,though he averaged 25 rebounds, he paired that with just 11 points despite shooting 50% from the field. The Lakers blew series leads of 2-0 and 3-2 to face a winner-take-all game 7 in the forum. Ironically, Wilt would have his finest performance of the series in game 7, with 18 points and 27 rebounds on 88% shooting, before a leg injury forced him out for the 4th quarter with the lakers trailing hopelessly by 15 points. In a cruel twist of fate, The Lakers suddenly came back to life with Wilt off the floor, cutting the lead to just one point with 3 minutes remaining. When Wilt tried to re-enter the game, coach Butch Van Breda Kolff, who believed Wilt had loafed through the series, refused to let him back in the game. Wilt had to watch his last, best hope to beat his chief rival go to waste from the bench, as Boston held on to win by 2 points.
Jerry West: The addition of Wilt in 1969 had a profound effect on Jerry West. with more open looks than he'd seen in years, West averaged 25.9 points and just under 7 assists, on 47% shooting. He was easily the NBA's most efficient offensive player as well as one of its best defenders. He led the Lakers in scoring in the first and 2nd round series, and really turned up the heat against Boston, throwing down a 53-point salvo in a game 1 win, and followed that up with 41 more in game 2, another Lakers victory. Despite his pyrotechnics, the Lakers couldn't shake Boston. With things looking hopeless in game 7 and West limping around with a bad hamstring, West went to work in the 4th quarter, slicing a 17-point Celtics lead through sheer force of will, fouling out Sam Jones in the process. Without Wilt to control the paint however, LA could not get enough stops to pull ahead. West would finish game 7 on a heavily bandaged leg with 42 points, 12 assists and 13 rebounds, one of the greatest game 7 performances of all time. Jerry West earned himself the Finals MVP for his performance, to this day the only member of a losing team to receive the award.
John Havlicek: With player/coach Bill Russell focusing less on staying in shape and more on being more player than coach entering his final season, the role of Celtics best player unquestionably shifted to John Havlicek. Leading the team with 21.6 points and 5.4 assists, Hondo carried the 48-34 defending champs back to the postseason, this time as the east's #4 overall seed. Facing off against the 55-win sixers, Havlicek ripped through them for a 27.2 average, as Boston won easily in 5 games. The conference finals against the Knicks were tougher, but Havlicek led Boston in scoring again, including 28 points in the clinching game 6. He carried that momentum into the finals and tore into Elgin Baylor with 80 points in the first two games, plus 34 more in a must-win game 3. While the historic 1969 NBA finals is remembered more for West's individual performance and Wilt's coach turning on him, Havlicek quietly played every single minute, averaged 28 points, 11 rebounds and 4.4 assists, and led his team in game seven with 26 as Boston won its 11th championship in 13 years, and 6 out of 7 with Havlicek on the roster.
Mel Daniels: Native Detroiter Mel Daniels was drafted in 1967 by the Royals. Thought to be their missing piece in the middle, he shunned Oscar and co. to join the Minneapolis Muskies of the ABA, and was that league's rookie of the year instead. Nearly bankrupt, they solid his contract to the Indiana Pacers the following season, and Mel took a mediocre Pacers squad to the top of the eastern conference. Daniels took advantage of the faster-paced, less physical league by utilizing his combination of size and athleticism, scoring 24ppg (3rd overall) and bringing down a league-best 16.5 rebounds. Indiana was easily the best defensive team in the east with Daniels in the middle, despite playing at a faster pace. He averaged 18.6 in a 7-game first round win over Kentucky, 21.6 in the eastern finals against his old Minneapolis club, now relocated to Miami, to reach the finals. Despite the accomplishment, Indiana was no match for the smaller, quicker Oakland Oaks, undoubtedly the ABA's best team in 1969 (albeit without injured all-world forward Rick Barry), as the Pacers were run off the court in 5 games by the only team in the league that played even faster than they did. Despite that, Daniels was rewarded for engineering the turnaround of the Pacers with the ABA's MVP award.
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