Erving was more of a double-double threat than a triple double threat but as a rookie he had a playoff game with 26 points, 20 rebounds and 15 assists. Triple doubles are the talk of the NBA this season. Those four players came close to matching Erving's 6.5 apg average." Hakeem Olajuwon (1988 NBA) and Shaquille O'Neal (2000 NBA). Postseason are George Mikan (1952 NBA), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1977 NBA), Scoring average and playoff rebounding average during the same (1960-62, 64) the only other players who led the NBA or ABA in playoff How extraordinary is that trifecta? Forgive me for quoting myself to answer my own question: "The only other player in ABA/NBA history who averaged at least 30 ppgĪnd at least 20 rpg in the same postseason is Wilt Chamberlain The sad reality is that even most so-called basketball experts have no clue about Erving's complete skill set there is precious little footage of his three years with the New York Nets (during which he won three regular season MVPs, two Finals MVPs, two scoring titles and two championships) and even less footage of his two seasons with the Virginia Squires, when he put up some incredible numbers-especially in the playoffs, including a 33.3 ppg, 20.4 rpg and 6.5 apg stat line as a rookie in the 1972 ABA playoffs. In today's game, Erving could be a prototype point forward, driving to the hoop and either finishing or kicking the ball to open shooters he possessed the necessary ballhandling and passing skills to fill that role but the teams for which he played and the era during which he played placed him in a different role most of the time, though he provided glimpses of those aforementioned skills. Everyone knows that Erving could attack the hoop for layups and to draw fouls. I respect greatness from any era, so this article should not be interpreted as a shot at today's top players-but can you imagine a young Julius Erving playing under today's no hand-checking rules, let alone in an era that emphasizes the value of three point shots, layups and free throws above all other kinds of shots? Erving was a capable three point shooter (his career three point shooting percentage is artificially deflated by half court heaves, because during most of his era the three point shot was not used as a regular weapon). "You had to see the man and hear the music." John Papanek, attempting to explain Julius Erving's greatness
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