[VIDEO] Oscar Robertson Highlights - THE LEGEND IN HIS PRIME

So why didn't anyone in that era achieve the same stats? I have always said that you cannot compare players between eras. It's like asking if John Rockefeller was richer than Bill Gates, or if Aristotle was smarter than Einstein.

 

dude could ball !!

 

I'm not sure why I'd need to come up with excuses. You pretty much made the argument for me: the Big O lost to teams with Hall of fame players. What's the shame in that? Did he predict he would win 7 rings? If you find Robertson's accomplishments unimpressive, so be it. What I find amusing is that you're using this thread as an angle to defend Lebron. That's all.

 

And the South would have won the Civil War if someone supplied the AK47 to the Confederates through a time machine.

 

He didn't lose to other players...it didn't even make it to the playoffs. There is no excuse for that. He wasn't that good.

 

I really care that much for Lebron. What makes you think I'm defending Lebron? You're the one who keeps mentioning Lebron.

 

^ meant to type "I really don't care that much for Lebron."

 

Lots of people achieved ridiculous stats in that era due to the insane pacing, with poitns rebounds assists being the main beneficiaries, and rebounds being especially cheap. Why do you think Walt Bellamy is in teh hall of fame? Hell just looking at Cleveland's Roster in 1963 - they had 8 of 11 players average over 10 rebounds/36 minutes. Their successor, the 2012 Sacramento kings had 1 player do that (plus Hassan Whiteside in barely 100 minutes) out of 15.

 

As far as "nobody else" achieving waht Oscar did, putting aside the arbitrariness of choosing double digits as some real milestone instead of an arbitrary one, Wilt, Bellamy and Elgin Baylor all put up better PER's that year...so....

 

Mr Fisher, you stated earlier that the Big O is a "great player". If not for his stats and his playoffs history, what are you basing his greatness on?

 

His career. His stats should be discounted (to a level that effectively puts him in the ranks of an all star) not disregarded.

 

Sorry, i'm with alaskan...I got bored from all his stopping and popping over shorter white guys I couldn't keep watching after 5 mins...I guess today's NBA game has spoiled me.

 

Oscar Robertson was a heck of ball player during his era. Emphasis on the "during his era". You simply can't compare players today with players that played nearly half a century ago. Matter of fact, I would argue it's difficult to compare players now and players from 2 decades ago. The game was played differently and there have been a myriad of rule changes (in the NBA) in accordance with how the game and it's players have evolved.


However with that being said, you have to assume players today are more than likely "better" than they were half a century ago. Not only are players, bigger, faster, and more athletic than they were back in the day, the sport of basketball has also grown with players continually tinkering (and improving) with the game is being played. The evolution of the dribble, dunk, post moves, etc. provide evidence that the sport and its athletes have evolved. This isn't limited to simply basketball, but every sport that exists today. It's only natural that the game of basketball and its players evolve.

Oscar Robertson was a heck of a ball player and many would argue that his play was "ahead of his time", but I wouldn't doubt that a player of LeBron's physical prowess and talents would make Robertson's play and stats look like "child's play" if he took his talents to the 60's. Just my opinion.

 

Read this people. Definitely worth reading that Simmons excerpt link.

 

Why the comparison between oscar and lebron?

The game have evolved, those "highlights" just prove it.
Inflated stats or not, the fundamentals shown in those clips are something a lot of PGs now need to work on.

 

I'll admit I did not watch the whole clip, and ill also state that it is almost impossible to compare players from different eras, but I must say that from what I saw, the defense in those clips were almost non existence. I also did not see him get doubled once. Not ONCE! I'm no Lebron lover, but I am positive that if teams in todays league did not double Lebron at all, he would put up 35+ a game, with ease! Add that to the fact that the game in the 60s had 33% more possessions (as stated in this thread) and I could EASILY see Lebron averaging 35-10-10..

 

I guess it is because Oscar was considered as the greatest of his era and lebron is being considered one of, if not, the greatest of his? The greatest players are always the ones who are compared to each other.

I also agree with your point - A lot of fundamentals have been lost in the age of athleticism which we see today..