Post by eric on Jun 4, 2017 14:48:45 GMT -6
I decided to see how often MVPs have played each other in the playoffs. All told there have been 151 such matchups in NBA history involving 369 players who had been or would be NBA MVP at some point in their careers. Note: I only counted it as a matchup if the MVP actually played during the series, but I counted it regardless of how much they played.
The average is slightly above 50%, which tells us that having more MVPs than the other team is better. #analytics
Bill Russell #1. Not a surprise. Also not a surprise that the only two playoff rounds he ever lost were to teams with MVPs.
Wilt gets a lot of stick for losing to Bill Russell. I had never realized or thought about how much worse Oscar's record was. He was a combined 0 for 5 against Wilt and Russell on his own, then after he joined Kareem in Milwaukee went 1-1 against Wilt, 1-0 Unseld, 0-1 Cowens. Pretty extended run of futility iyam.
Kareem having a losing record is truly shocking given how much the Showtime Lakers won. But you try dragging Lanier up and down the court for 48 minutes a night.
Iverson never winning isn't a huge shock, that he only had three shots is a pretty big shock until you look at the conference alignments of his era. After MJ retired the second time there were eleven players who had or would have an MVP in their career. Iverson was the only one in the Eastern Conference. 10 to 1. Pretty amazing.
Duncan has by far the most matchups against MVPs, which makes his unparalleled post-Jordan team success even more astonishing. To be fair many of his early matchups came with MVP teammate David Robinson, and I think we all expect Kawhi Leonard to get there someday which will leave him with only 11 solo matchups... although to be even more fair that's still more than Jordan had his whole career.
.
So what inspired me to look into this was the idea of Finals rivalries. Let's look at those matchups that happened at least three times in the Finals:
Cousy and Russell vs. Pettit (3-1)
Kareem and Magic vs. Erving (2-1) (two matchups included McAdoo for the Lakers too and one had Moses)
Kareem and Magic vs. Bird (2-1) (two McAdoo, one Walton)
Duncan vs. LeBron (2-1)
Curry vs. LeBron (1-1, one tbd, one including Durant)
People have always said LeBron is more Magic than Jordan. Turns out that applies to having historic rivalries too.
.
Since the first such matchup in 1957, there have been only five years where there wasn't at least one.
There have been four years where an MVP vs. MVP series occurred in the Finals and both Conference Finals.
1971: Kareem/Oscar's Bucks over Wilt's Lakers, Unseld's Bullets over Reed's Knicks, Bucks over Bullets.
1977: Walton's Trailblazers over Kareem's Lakers, Erving's 76ers over Malone's Rockets, Blazers over 76ers.
2011: Dirk's Mavericks over Durant's Thunder, LeBron's Heat over Rose's Bulls, Mavs over Heat.
2012: LeBron's Heat over Garnett's Celtics, Durant's Thunder over Duncan's Spurs, Heat over Thunder.
There has been exactly one team with four past or future MVPs.
Your 1986 Philadelphia 76ers employed Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Charles Barkley, and Bob McAdoo.
Moses broke histablets orbital bone and the Sixers lost in the second round to the Bucks.
played won pct name
17 15 0.882 russell
7 6 0.857 cousy
6 5 0.833 walton
12 8 0.667 bird
9 6 0.667 jordan
29 18 0.621 duncan
13 8 0.615 reed
15 9 0.600 hakeem
20 12 0.600 kobe
15 9 0.600 lebron
14 8 0.571 karl
9 5 0.556 cowens
18 10 0.556 shaq
13 7 0.538 erving
13 7 0.538 magic
15 8 0.533 nowitzki
15 8 0.533 robinson
4 2 0.500 curry
15 7 0.467 kareem
9 4 0.444 durant
7 3 0.429 moses
15 6 0.400 nash
16 6 0.375 wilt
11 4 0.364 unseld
8 2 0.250 mcadoo
13 3 0.231 garnett
9 2 0.222 oscar
5 1 0.200 pettit
11 2 0.182 barkley
3 0 0.000 iverson
3 0 0.000 rose
11 2 0.182 barkley
12 8 0.667 bird
7 6 0.857 cousy
9 5 0.556 cowens
4 2 0.500 curry
29 18 0.621 duncan
9 4 0.444 durant
13 7 0.538 erving
13 3 0.231 garnett
15 9 0.600 hakeem
3 0 0.000 iverson
9 6 0.667 jordan
15 7 0.467 kareem
14 8 0.571 karl
20 12 0.600 kobe
15 9 0.600 lebron
13 7 0.538 magic
8 2 0.250 mcadoo
7 3 0.429 moses
15 6 0.400 nash
15 8 0.533 nowitzki
9 2 0.222 oscar
5 1 0.200 pettit
13 8 0.615 reed
15 8 0.533 robinson
3 0 0.000 rose
17 15 0.882 russell
18 10 0.556 shaq
11 4 0.364 unseld
6 5 0.833 walton
16 6 0.375 wiltThe average is slightly above 50%, which tells us that having more MVPs than the other team is better. #analytics
Bill Russell #1. Not a surprise. Also not a surprise that the only two playoff rounds he ever lost were to teams with MVPs.
Wilt gets a lot of stick for losing to Bill Russell. I had never realized or thought about how much worse Oscar's record was. He was a combined 0 for 5 against Wilt and Russell on his own, then after he joined Kareem in Milwaukee went 1-1 against Wilt, 1-0 Unseld, 0-1 Cowens. Pretty extended run of futility iyam.
Kareem having a losing record is truly shocking given how much the Showtime Lakers won. But you try dragging Lanier up and down the court for 48 minutes a night.
Iverson never winning isn't a huge shock, that he only had three shots is a pretty big shock until you look at the conference alignments of his era. After MJ retired the second time there were eleven players who had or would have an MVP in their career. Iverson was the only one in the Eastern Conference. 10 to 1. Pretty amazing.
Duncan has by far the most matchups against MVPs, which makes his unparalleled post-Jordan team success even more astonishing. To be fair many of his early matchups came with MVP teammate David Robinson, and I think we all expect Kawhi Leonard to get there someday which will leave him with only 11 solo matchups... although to be even more fair that's still more than Jordan had his whole career.
.
So what inspired me to look into this was the idea of Finals rivalries. Let's look at those matchups that happened at least three times in the Finals:
Cousy and Russell vs. Pettit (3-1)
Kareem and Magic vs. Erving (2-1) (two matchups included McAdoo for the Lakers too and one had Moses)
Kareem and Magic vs. Bird (2-1) (two McAdoo, one Walton)
Duncan vs. LeBron (2-1)
Curry vs. LeBron (1-1, one tbd, one including Durant)
People have always said LeBron is more Magic than Jordan. Turns out that applies to having historic rivalries too.
.
Since the first such matchup in 1957, there have been only five years where there wasn't at least one.
There have been four years where an MVP vs. MVP series occurred in the Finals and both Conference Finals.
1971: Kareem/Oscar's Bucks over Wilt's Lakers, Unseld's Bullets over Reed's Knicks, Bucks over Bullets.
1977: Walton's Trailblazers over Kareem's Lakers, Erving's 76ers over Malone's Rockets, Blazers over 76ers.
2011: Dirk's Mavericks over Durant's Thunder, LeBron's Heat over Rose's Bulls, Mavs over Heat.
2012: LeBron's Heat over Garnett's Celtics, Durant's Thunder over Duncan's Spurs, Heat over Thunder.
There has been exactly one team with four past or future MVPs.
Your 1986 Philadelphia 76ers employed Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Charles Barkley, and Bob McAdoo.
Moses broke his
