Interbasket

With the Boston Celtics blowing out the Lakers 131-92 last night, they went on to win their 17th championship for the franchise.  Not only that, the Celtics became just the second team in the last 15 seasons to win the NBA title without one international player on their roster.

And that’s not counting Sam Cassell as foreign.

Ok, sorry that was a cheap shot.

Outside of the 1998-99 San Antonio championship team that brought Australian legend Andrew Gaze a championship ring (despite being injured the majority of the season), the other twelve championship teams from 1992-2008 have had international players on their roster that have played significant roles in their respective playoff runs.

Whether they were the main guy (Hakeem Olajuwon), X-factor (Manu Ginobili), third-option, (Toni Kukoc), or bad guy (Rick Fox), foreign-born players have contributed to most all NBA championships since the early-1990s.

The 2008 Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat of 2006 were the only championship teams that won the title without a foreign national on their playoff roster.

On the other side of the coin, the two NBA championships previous to the this year’s Celtics and the 2006 Heat were won by the San Antonio Spurs, the complete opposite when it comes to drawing other country’s basjetball talents.

The Spurs won the trophy in 2003, 2005 and 2007 with NBA all-stars Manu Ginobili (Argentina) and Tony Parker (France).  These two were huge parts of those championships, working as second-options behind Tim Duncan.  And It didn’t end with Manu and Parker either with Fabricio Oberto (also of Argentina), Rasho Nesterovic (Slovenia), and Franciso Elson (Netherlands) all playing supporting roles for the Spurs in either the 2005 or 2007 playoffs.

Now had the Lakers won this year, they would have tied the San Antonio Spurs of last season with the most international players on their championship rosters with five - Pau Gasol (Spain), Sasha Vujacic (Slovenia), Vladimir Radmanovic (Serbia), Ronny Turiaf (France), and DJ Mbenga (Congo).

Check out the list below for the list of the last 15 NBA Champions and the international players that played a role in their title run.

The Last 15 NBA Championship Teams:
2007-08	Boston Celtics	No international Players
2006-07	San Antonio Spurs	(5) Francisco Elson, Manu Ginobili, Fabricio Oberto, Tony Parker, Beno Udrih
2005-06	Miami Heat	No international Players
2004-05	San Antonio Spurs	(4) Manu Ginobili, Rasho Nesterovic, Tony Parker, Beno Udrih
2003-04	Detroit Pistons	(2) Darko Milicic, Mehmet Okur
2002-03	San Antonio Spurs	(2) Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker
2001-02	Los Angeles Lakers	(2) Rick Fox, Slava Medvedenko
2000-01	Los Angeles Lakers	(2) Rick Fox, Slava Medvedenko
1999-00	Los Angeles Lakers	(1) Rick Fox
1998-99	San Antonio Spurs	(1) Andrew Gaze
1997-98	Chicago Bulls	(3) Toni Kukoc, Luc Longley, Bill Wennington
1996-97	Chicago Bulls	(2) Toni Kukoc, Luc Longley
1995-96	Chicago Bulls	(3) Toni Kukoc, Luc Longley, Bill Wennington
1994-95	Houston Rockets	(3) Hakeem Olajuwan, Carl Herrera, Zan Tabak
1993-94	Houston Rockets	(2) Hakeem Olajuwan, Carl Herrera

Kobe Bryant surpassed the 20,000 point mark the other night making him the youngest player to meet that milestone at 29 years, 122 days.

His mark beat Wilt Chamberlain by almost two weeks (Chamberlain was 29 years, 134 days old). Michael Jordan, the only other player to reach the mark before turning 30, was 29 years, 326 days old.

Rounding out the top-five in the youngest-to-20,000 is Oscar Robertson at 30 years and 97 days old, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (30 years, 342 days).

Sounds cool, but what does it really mean?
With all this talk about this youngest-to-20,000-record has left me scratching my head. I know it’s a nice-sounding record, and a cool news item, but what does it mean?

Being a stats-kinda-guy, it’s really just a title with no real basis for real comparisons. Perhaps if all NBA players entered the league at the same age, then the record would have some weight with me, but that’s not the case - making all this hype about Kobe being the youngest to hit 20,000 just that, hype.

And with all that hype, I don’t want anyone thinking that youngest equals fastest.

As far as which players were the quickest to 20,000 points, we looked at it with an apples-to-apples comparison. By looking at the amount of games-played to get to 20,000 points as our measure - Wilt, Jordan, Big-O, Kareem and ten other players reached that plateau faster than Kobe Bryant.

With games played as our gauge, Kobe fell to 15th on that list.

So it comes as no surprise that Wilt Chamberlain got there first with his gaudy scoring averages; the Stilt achieved 20,000 points in only 499 games - that’s an amazing average of 40.1 points/per game.

By comparison, it took Kobe Bryant 811 games at his 24.7ppg career average. That means it took him 312 more games than Wilt Chamberlain to reach 20,000, but that’s nothing to get down about, no other player is even close to Wilt’s mark.

Michael Jordan was second, no surprise there, needing only 620 games to reach 20,000 points (at 32.3ppg). Oscar Robertson (671, 29.8ppg), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (684, 29.2ppg), Elgin Baylor (711, 28.1ppg) fill out the top-five in this list.

Allen Iverson, whom came into the league the same year as Kobe, was sixth on the list and accomplished the 20K point mark in 713 games, almost 100 games less than Kobe.

Going through some internet-research and using basketball-reference.com, I was able to determine that Kobe’s best friend, Shaquille O’Neal reached 20,000 points faster, needing only 727 games. Dominique Wilkins (763) and Kobe’s former teammate Karl Malone did it quicker (772 games). So did Larry Bird, albeit by a hair (809). Other players that Kobe would find himself behind in this list are Jerry West, George Gervin, and Bob Petit.

Check out the list I compiled:

List of Players to Reach 20,000 with games played:

1. Wilt Chamberlain (499 games) during the 1965-66 season (7th NBA season)
2. Michael Jordan (620) January 08, 1993 vs Milwukee Bucks (9th)
3. Oscar Robertson (671) during the 1968-69 season (9th)
4. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (684) during the 1976-77 season (9th)
5. Elgin Baylor (711) during the 1968-69 season (11th)
6. Allen Iverson (713) January 23, 2007 vs. Denver Nuggets (11th)
7. Jerry West (~720) during the 1970-71 season (11th)
8. Shaquille O’Neal (727) March 20, 2003 vs. Sacramento Kings (11th)
9. George Gervin (~745) during the 1985-86 season (10th)
10. Bob Petit (~760) November 13, 1964 (11th)
11. Dominique Wilkins (763) November 05, 1992 vs New York Knicks (10th)
12. Karl Malone (772) Jan 20, 1995 vs Cleveland Cavs (10th)
13. Adrian Dantley (775) December 11, 1987 vs. Washington Bullets (12th)
14. Larry Bird (809) Nov 20, 1990 vs Washington Bullets (12th)
15. Kobe Bryant (811) December 23, 2007 vs New York Knicks (12th)

• Hakeem Olajuwon (833) November 11, 1995 vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (12th)
• Moses Malone (837) April 12, 1987 vs. Detroit Pistons (11th NBA season)
• Charles Barkley (858) February 08, 1996 vs New Jersey Nets (12th)
• Alex English (903) January 06, 1988 vs. New Jersey Nets
• Clyde Drexler (967) November 24, 1996 vs Los Angeles Lakers (13th)
• Kevin Garnett (*975) *projected games (13th)

For several of the older players (~), individual boxscores weren’t available and information was hard to find, but I was able to deduce enough to get an approximate games played. Anyone have exact numbers, please let me know.

Yes, it’s definitely great company. Yes, Kobe Bryant is an awesome player. And Kobe did reach the milestone before players like Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Mitch Richmond, Clyde Drexler, and Kevin Garnett, but I wanted to make sure we took a look at this on a fair and quantifiable level.

Predicting LeBron’s Run to 20,000: If LeBron James stays healthy, all of Kobe’s “youngest to reach xxxxx points” records are going to be annihilated. In LeBron James’s first four seasons he accumulated 8439 points in 316 games, which equals 26.7 points per game. James is about to turn 23 years old (in 6 days) so he’s not even close to reaching his prime yet.

In predicting when LeBron will hit 20,000, let’s be conservative and say he averages 28 points over the next 6 seasons with an average of 74 games played. That means he’ll score ~2072 points in each of those seasons. This means that LeBron will reach 20,000 points in his 10th season, around his 730th game. Going with this prediction, LeBron James will just have turned 28 years old.

God I’m old.

Keep in mind that the above is a pretty conservative estimate. If LeBron stays injury-free, he is likely to average more than 28ppg in three of those seasons, for every point he goes over 28ppg in the next six season will bring him higher up on the list. Conservatively, we can say he’ll get to 20,000 in 730 games (good for #9 on the list), but I bet it’ll be closer to 700 games, which will put him #5 on the list behind Oscar Robertson and Kareem but above Elgin Baylor, Allen Iverson and Jerry West. And he’ll reach the 20,000 plateau at 27 years of age which is 2 years younger than Kobe.

Wow. I think it’s much more amazing when youngest records jibes with fastest records.

Sources: Bryant becomes youngest NBA player to reach 20,000 points (AFP), Kobe Bryant Reaches 20,000-Point Plateau (Nba.com), Jordan records 20,000 career points 2nd fastest (FindArticles), Basketball-Reference’s Individual Game Results (Basketball-reference.com), Kobe Youngest to 20,000 NBA Points (IBN Forum)

Ray Allen hopes NBA expands into Europe - I didn’t know Ray Allen spent a lot of time growing up in England and Germany  “People all over the world are now watching basketball. People in the United States don’t realize that there are cities over here with 4-5 million people. Those market shares would be great,”  Allen said “The league is making so much money, you’ve got to think how it’s going to grow to the next level.”  The Celtics are currently in Italy for the NBA Europe Live tour, which also features the Toronto Raptors, Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies.  Source: Celtics’ Ray Allen likes idea of NBA expanding overseas. (Yahoo News)

Tony Parker taking two-year hiatus from international competition - Tony Parker, the 2007 NBA finals MVP, is taking time off from the French National Team and will be back in Poland for the 2009 Eurobasket tournament “It has been many years that I am playing more than 120 games a year,” Parker said. “In the end, my body is at risk.” — not really big news to anyone familiar with the international basketball schedule.  France won’t be competing in any major competition until 2009 anyways.  They finished 6th in this year’s Eurobasket, failing to qualify for the pre-Olympic tournament, thus making them ineligible for the 2008 Olympics.  Parker won’t be missing any major international tournaments.  Source: Parker will take 2-year hiatus from French national team. (Yahoo News)

Dikemebe Mutombo Signs with Rockets for his final season - Listening to the advice of his family and Rocket’s legend Hakeem Olajuwan, Dikembe Mutombo, the oldest NBA player last season has decided to return for one final NBA season with the Houston Rockets.  “I don’t know what I’ve got left in my tank. But I want to enjoy this year.”  Mutombo said.  The 7-2 Congalese center’s career has spanned six NBA teams and over his 17-year career has averaged 10.1 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks.  Last season, the 7-2 Mutombo posted 3.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.0 block per game in 75 matches and played at a level counter to what anyone believed when Yao Ming went down with an injury midway through the season.  My question is, would Hakeem have advised  Mutombo to return for one more season if Mutombo seriously-threatened Olajuwan’s all-time NBA record in blocks?  (Mutombo is second all-time and is 600 blocks away from tying Hakeem’s 3830)  Source: Mutombo Heeds Advice from Hakeem (Houston Chronicle)

In a farewell ceremony held this past weekend in Belgrade, Vlade Divac closed-out his basketball career as only Divac could, with a huge three-day party.

But it wasn’t only a farewell party, it was three days full of activity around the Serbian capital; an auction, a basketball tournament, a fundraiser, a carnival, a concert, an museum-inauguration, and finally, the ceremony.

It all started on Friday, September 21st at the palace of Serbia’s royal family, Prince Aleksandar and Princess Katarina Karadjordjevic. And by the end of the weekend, there was a new Vlade Divac museum open in his hometown of Prijepolje. Needless to say, it was a good weekend for Divac.

Stars from all over the world were present to wish Divac well including Serbian basketball legends Aleksandar Djordjevic, Dejan Bodiroga, Predrag Stojakovic, Predrag Danilovic, Zoran Savic, Zarko Paspalj as well as current NBA players Chris Webber, Scot Pollard, and Glen Rice. The guest-list also included former Yugoslavian teammates Toni Kukoc and Dino Radja from Croatia.

The ceremony also featured a short film for players/celebrities that couldn’t make the ceremony. Well-wishers included Magic Johnson, Bobby Jackson, Yao Ming, coach Phil Jackson, rapper Snoop Dog, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, actor Billy Crystal and others.

In international play, Divac was much-accomplished. He was a two-time Olympic Silver Medalist, three-time EuroBasket champion (1989, 1991, 1995), and a gold-medalist in the 1990 and 2002 FIBA World Championships.

In 1989, Divac traveled to the United States to join Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers. The Showtime Lakers were coming to an end, but not before Divac made his mark. In game 3 of the 1991 NBA Finals against the Chicago Bulls, Divac made a layup with 10.9 seconds left in the game and drew a foul. It would give the Lakers a 92-90 lead.  Immediately after the basket, Divac showed such disbelief at what he had just done, found Magic Johnson and hugged him with such genuine emotion — and as important as the shot was at that moment, it was even more memorable because it was one of the first times Americans witnessed the European celebration and emotion en masse.

Divac, along with the late Drazen Petrovic, Arvydas Sabonis, Sarunas Marciulionis, Rik Smits, Manute Bol, Dino Radja, and Detlef Schrempf are considered the first crop of international NBA players that not only showed up in games, but contributed significantly.  Divac and his peers helped pave the way for future international superstars such as Dirk Nowitzki, Peja Stojakovic, Yao Ming, Tony Parker and Andrei Kirilenko.

Vlade Divac started and finished his career with the Los Angeles Lakers. Ironically the player Divac was traded away from LA for way back in 1996, was the player he would finish out his Laker career with (Kobe Bryant). Divac’s career averages of 11.8 pts, 8.2 rebs, 3.1 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.1 steals in 1,134 games played were worthy of mention because those numbers makes him one of only three players in NBA history to have amassed 13,000 points (13,364), 9,000 rebounds (9,294), 3,000 assists (3,522) and 1,500 blocks (1,630) - the other two players being Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Hakeem Olajuwon.

Thanks for the great memories, Vlade.

source: Fiba