![]() The 6’9” power forward and center from Baton Rouge, Louisiana retired with career averages of 26.4 points and 16.2 rebounds per game. His statistics, which have to be taken with a rather large grain of salt due to the difference in the early years of the NBA and the modern era, are even more impressive. Not only that, but he was also the NBA’s first MVP back in 1956 and then added a second MVP to his collection in 1959. He made the All-Star roster in each of his 11 seasons while earning berths on 10 All-NBA First Teams and one All-NBA Second Team for good measure. Pettit was clearly a highly regarded player back in his day even during seasons less successful than that memorable 1957-1958 campaign. Hell, even Adam Morrison has two NBA Championships. If it was, we’d be looking at Robert Horry in an entirely different light. ![]() Now although championships are the ultimate goal of every player, save maybe Wilt Chamberlain, they are not the be all, end all when it comes to evaluating a player’s overall greatness. In 1957, the Celtics actually needed double-overtime in the seventh game to go home victorious. One of the most dominant teams of all time, the Celtics ruffled the Hawks’ feathers in three separate Finals appearances over a five-year stretch from 1957-1961, once in five games and twice in seven games. In fact, I think it’s safe to say that Pettit would have led the Hawks to quite a few more championships if it hadn’t been for Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics. Pettit’s 50-point performance in the decisive game six of the 1958 Finals remains one of the most impressive individual performances of all time and was a playoff record at the time of its occurrence. Moreover, when I say that Pettit led the Hawks to the title, I really do mean that it was his individual effort that put the team over the top. ![]() Nique’s hands however remain devoid of any jewelry, save the pieces that he has bought for himself. Interestingly enough, that one title in 1958 allowed rings to be fitted on the hands of every member of a Hawks squad led by none other than Pettit himself. That number represents the number of championships that the Hawks have won in franchise history, dating all the way back to their inaugural 1949 season as the Tri-City Blackhawks. The most obvious reason comes in the form of a simple number: one. “Pettit had three go-to moves: a don’t-leave-me-alone 18-footer, a leaning jumper coming off screens and a reliable turnaround that Bob Ryan once called ‘monotonous.’ He couldn’t dunk unless a donut and coffee were involved.”īut at the end of the day, regardless of playing style, Pettit simply experienced more success in his career. In fact, Bill Simmons described Pettit’s offensive style as follows: On the other hand, Pettit, whose most prominent nickname was the far less exciting “Dutch,” played a much more simple, almost boringly efficient brand of basketball. You will never once catch me trying to argue that Pettit was more entertaining than the man who many refer to as simply “The Human Highlight Film.” One of the greatest dunkers in The Association’s history, Wilkins enjoyed putting on a show, essentially making Atlanta Hawks fans feel like they were at a highlight factory long before Phillips Arena became known as The Highlight Factory.
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