Dr.J... The forgotten star

When I was a lad, I had a few sport heroes. I loved Reggie Jackson. He was bold, cocky, intimidating. He believed he could do no wrong. Even though he struck out a lot, I watched just to see if he could hit a home run. Before he became the most notorious criminal since Al  Capone, I loved the "juice". He was poetry in motion on the field. His teams stunk, but I would still watch to see if he could break a long one or make someone look foolish. Sports in the 70's was about to erupt with these individual talents that no one had ever seen before. Pele was still a stud. Yes I know teams were still the talk of all sports. The "big red machine" in Cincinnati was awesome. The dynasties of UCLA, Boston Celtics, New York Islanders were outstanding. But they were all dying out. Gretzsky was about to emerge. Magic and Bird were about to take over the NBA. Joe Montana was creating a legacy at Notre Dame. And then there was Doc.
Julius Erving was a playground legend. He is went to the University of Massachusetts and I could imagine what kind of playground games were being played at the shoe. He was must see television no matter what level of basketball he played. You did not care if he won or lost. You just had to see the Dr. The NBA should have gotten the doctor out of college but they had rules against players going hardship. So he went to ABA and blessed them with his playground antics. The ABA was ridiculed for its individuality on the court. It would be no surprise if games were in the 150's or 160's in regulation. Defense was an option but seldom played.  When both leagues merged, many old school NBA people thought that the way Doc played would not succeed in the league. Yes he did not win several titles but he was extraordinarily successful.
The Philadelphia 76ers were the lucky team to get Doc. He led them to the NBA finals four times. His first season in the NBA, Doc led the Sixers against Portland. They won the first two games but couldn't overcome Bill Walton. Doc was awesome in the series. He quieted most of his critics with his dazzling dunks and outstanding play. He has several posterising plays in that series that are still legendary. He next faced Magic Johnson and Kareem a couple times in the finals. Losing one and winning one in 1983. The final defeats keep him out of the best player conversation. Which is unfair because he could play against anyone and dominated them. His ABA career was ridiculous. He was a three time M.V.P., two time champion, and three time scoring champ in 5 years. As a rookie he averaged 29 points a game. His playoff numbers were better than his regular season numbers. He averaged over 30 points in each of his playoff seasons in the ABA.  He was the show. He did not play defense like Micheal or Lebron, but no one ever gave it to the Doctor. If he had won NBA titles like Bird or Magic, there would be no argument. He even did a movie . The Fish that Saved Pittsburgh was a must see for any Dr. J fan. He opened the door for all of the creative players that followed him. Connie Hawkins and David Thompson were spectacular as well but did not do it like the Doctor.
You all know how much I love Jordan. Dr.J is on that same mount Rushmore. The Milwaukee Bucks had a chance to have Oscar, Kareem and Doc. Can you imagine what kind of dynasty that would have been?  Doctor J should never be over looked in these best ever discussions. For my money Dr.J is still in the top 5 conversation. What do you think?

Floyd Mayweather.. Living legend?

As I watched Floyd Mayweather pick apart Senor Guerrero last night, the first thought in my head was is he that good or was Guerrero just not the right fighter for him. I thought about Mike Tyson. When Tyson was blasting all of his opponents, his conquests became verbs. His actions were all adjectives and his victories became a new vernacular. When Tyson lost to Evander Holy field, every accomplishment became belittled. Every victory was criticized because he "didn't really fight" anyone. The heavyweight division was filled with tomato cans and one sledge hammer. In fact if you hear sports radio today, the hosts frequently taunt the Tyson era as a soft one. Larry Holmes is another champ who gets no love even though he is the only fighter in 50 plus years to come close to tying Rocky Marciano for most wins in a career without a loss. (49-0). Holmes destroyed Ali and was a hated champion like Mayweather. He was cocky. He had a sick jab and could beat anyone in his prime with that one punch.  Mayweather is beyond cocky. Mayweather can box with speed,precision, and defend like no one ever has. He has made people look absolutely foolish. The destruction of Gatti, Rickey Hatton, Marquez, De La hoya, Shane Mosely have shown his prowess and extraordinary ability. Yet he is vilified and abhorred for his lifestyle.
He is mostly criticized these day because he had not fought Manny. Pac man was robbed in the Bradley fight and got the snot knocked out of him in the Marquez fight. Mayweather feels that he can destroy Pac man. He calls him the little guy because of Pac mans weight rise over the the past 15 years. It would be an interesting fight only to see if there is a strategy to defeat May weather. 44 fighters have had a plan and they have all left with a defeat and a sore face. Will we scrutinize Mayweather's wins forever like Tyson and Holmes if there is no Fight with Pac man? They are both approaching 40. Both f their careers are winding down. Neither have nothing to prove. I read somewhere that there is a cry for Mayweather to lose which could help his public appeal. As if Mayweather really cares about his public appeal.
He is a living legend no matter how it ends. I realize that we over analyze everything in sports, but some things need not be so difficult to see. Next we will criticize Tiger or Lebron for their dominance. We don't have to love our heroes. Ali lost. Babe Ruth didn't always get the game winning hit. Jordan didn't win a title every year. Tiger lost to Y.E. Yang at the pga's. If Floyd never loses, I will still put my pants on one leg at a time right. Admire what he has done. If you do, you will see that he truly is a legend...