Lex Nihil Novi - Hondo's 33 Lead Celtics Past Braves

Hondo's 33 Lead Celtics Past Braves



January 16, 1973








bob
MY NOTE:  Randy Smith with 27.  He held the record for most consecutive games played, 909, for two decades (finally broken by Laker A.C. Green, probably better known for his faith-based call for celibacy.  Who knows?  Maybe women really do weaken legs? Seems like a small price to pay, to me, but then I'm not a professional athlete).  Randy Smith passed away at age 60 in 2009 from a heart attack while working out.






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I remember Bob Kauffman.  Six foot eight block of granite with whom Dave Cowens got into a couple of fist fights.  I seem to recall one game when both guys sat on their benches after punches were thrown with towels pressed against the gashes on their bleeding faces.  No suspensions of course.  Those were the days when men were men.

That Braves frontline of Kauffman, Bob McAdoo and Elmore Smith must have been, with the exception of McAdoo, one of the most ponderous in league history.  

No way could any of them even dream of covering Hondo.

Randy Smith--RIP-- I recall as one of the early super athletic small guys.  People were blown away back then when he dunked on much larger players.

Quick trivia question: who holds the record for most blocks in an NBA game. (the league didn't keep track of blocks until the 73-74 season).

It could be argued that, in this game, the difference was Paul Silas.  The Celtics bench beat the Braves bench, 22-10, and Silas essentially WAs the Celtics bench.

Sam

Sloopjohnb wrote:Quick trivia question: who holds the record for most blocks in an NBA game. (the league didn't keep track of blocks until the 73-74 season).

first guess Manute Bol
then Mark Eaton
then Shaun Bradley

beat

At least I got the guy that was second, and also had the most games with 10 or more blocks....

CLOSE!!

Sloop, I think I got it and posted it, but I deleted the post because it's a great question and I hope many people will take guesses.  I'll only say that the fifth letter in his or her first name is an "r."

Sam

Elmore Smith is an amazing guy.  When not swatting shots away he makes a helluva BBQ sauce.

From his company's website:

Hello, my name is Elmore Smith. During my time in the NBA I developed a passion for blocking shots - seventeen (17) blocks in one game alone - an NBA record that stands to this very day.

This passion for excellence lives on in my all-natural gourmet BBQ Sauces. These are sauces born from my own personal trial and error over many, many years of barbecuing. The ingredients are first rate, hand selected and offer these sauces the most flavor and texture available. Each of these sauces features a rich smoky flavor punctuated by subtle variations in texture and of course heat settings. Choose my ultra-tangy MILD when you don't know what your guests will like. Choose ORIGINAL STYLE for the full package-flavor, texture and spice or go SPICY STYLE and light a fire under your BBQ! No matter which sauce you try, you will be rewarded with unrelenting flavor and a share in my passion! These are true over-achievers in a world of so-so sauces!

NOW AVAILABLE AT THE 'Q'.

http://www.elmoresmithbbqsauce.com/company.html

Any guy who can block 17 shots in a single game can serve me up his BBQ sauce any day of the week.

Elmore Smith can be deservedly proud of blocking that many shots in a game, but it really is too bad they didn't keep stats for blocked shots back in the golden age of NBA centers. Russell, Wilt, and Nate Thurmond were prodigious shot blockers, and they undoubtedly had games of more than 17 blocks.

Russell literally introduced shotblocking to the NBA. He was so quick and agile that he could block shots all over the court. Sportswriters called his blocks "Wilsonburgers" because he made opponents eat the ball (the NBA used balls made by Wilson).

Blocks weren't kept as an official stat, but reporters often kept track of them for certain players. Reporters in attendance said Wilt had 17 blocks in his first game as a rookie.

Wilt likely had more blocks over his career than Russell because he would try to block every shot while Russell would pick spots. Russell had an intellectual approach to the game, and he introduced doubt into the shooter's mind, making the shooter wonder whether this was the time that Russell would block his shot, allowing him to affect shots even when he didn't attempt to block them.

Then there's my favorite center, Nate Thurmond (not that I think he's the best, but he's my favorite). In his 12th season, once blocks were an officially recorded stat, he became the first player to record a quadruple-double with 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists and 12 blocks. He averaged only 2.4 blocks per game that season, but the quadruple-double game showed what he was capable of, even that late in his career. (For comparison, he had only 11.3 rebounds per game that season compared to a high of 22.0 rebounds per game in 1967-68.)

For all three, their blocked shot numbers, if they had been kept, would have benefited from the nature of play in that era -- a fast pace, with far more shots attempted (and available to block) during a game; relatively simple offensive and defensive schemes that made it easier to switch off your man to block a shot from another player; plus the fact that these guys were ironmen who rarely came out of the game.

I have no doubt -- none -- that if stats were kept for blocks during their careers, Russell, Chamberlain, and Thurmond would blow everyone else away, just like they do in rebounding.

Here's some observations from Thurmond about his quadruple-double game that shed light on the subject:

And as I look back on it now, it feels a little strange to be known as the first person ever to get a quadruple-double in an NBA game.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m truly honored. It’s certainly a rare accomplishment. It took 12 years before the feat was ever accomplished again, and only three guys have posted a quadruple-double since I had mine.

But you know and I know and any good basketball fan knows that there were plenty of quadruple-doubles back in the 1960s. When I first came into the league, I played alongside with Wilt Chamberlain, and there were nights he and I were playing volleyball out there on the floor, blocking shots, deflecting passes, tipping rebounds. So it’s fairly obvious that Wilt had plenty of chances to get double figures in four categories; think about after he was traded from the San Francisco Warriors back to Philadelphia—Wilt led the league in assists with the 76ers! Or what about his move to the Los Angeles Lakers, when he was less a scorer and more a complementary player?

Bill Russell could also fill the stat sheet and was a threat for a quadruple-double on a nightly basis. He was a great shot-blocker and passer, besides being a tremendous overall defender.

Another guy people don’t often think much about in terms of quadruple-doubles is Mr. Triple-Double himself, Oscar Robertson. I’m sure the Big O had games of 10 or more steals.

And hey, don’t forget about me. You think I never had a quadruple-double before 1973-74, when the NBA first started recording blocks and steals? Let me put it this way: I had 12 blocks in my quadruple-double game, and it was my 12th year in the league. That’s with two bad knees and more than 30,000 minutes pounding NBA floors, night after night. You bet I had plenty of quadruple-doubles before 1974.

I’m not trying to brag, but there were games where it was ridiculous the number of shots I blocked. When I was young, there were nights when guys couldn’t come close to getting shots off on me. Only Russell could have blocked more in his career.

I’d really like to know where I stand with blocks for my entire career. When you look at the list of career blocked shots leaders today, Russell and I are nowhere to be found. Quite frankly, that list is filled with pretenders to the title, all because the NBA didn’t record blocks for any of Bill’s and the majority of my career. Sure, I could put up points, but my game was really defense, so I’m a little disappointed that most of my blocks were never recorded.

I found this picture of Thurmond while I was looking around for information about blocks. Think you'd want to drive down the lane on him?

Nate Thurmond.  One of the forgotten greats.  He had the misfortune of playing in the same league with Russell and Chamberlain in their primes so as a result he was never named to All-NBA teams (there were only 1st and 2nd team then not like today where there's a 3rd All-NBA).

I only saw him in the twilight of his career when he was playing limited minutes with Clvd.  But even then he was a defensive octopus, long, strong, smart and agile.  I recall he gave Cowens a real hard time.

Abdul Jabbar said Thurmond guarded him better than anyone.

Look at that body. The guy was cut to shreds in a era where few players weight trained.

While we will never know, I agree with Outside that Wilt may have blocked more shots than Russell.

But I think that this was primarily due to their different approaches to the game. I've heard Russ say that you do not do something just to prove that you can do it (no way would Wilt ever say that!!!).

Rather everything you did was within an overall plan to win the game.

Thus, there were shots that Russell could block but he would intentionally NOT block them because a worthy opponent would adjust and find a shot that Russell could not block.

So the last thing Russ wanted was for the player to stop taking a blockable shot, especially when the game was on the line, when, of course, Russell would flick it away.