Wilt Chamberlain Archives discovered three newspaper recaps of games where Wilt pulled off mind-blowing instances:

• 1967 EDF GM1 vs the Celtics: 24 points, 32 rebounds, 12 assists, 12 blocks
• 1967 NBA Finals GM2 vs the Warriors: 10 points, 38 rebounds, 10 assists, 10 blocks
• 1970 WDSF GM6 vs the Lakers: 12 points, 26 rebounds, 11 assists, 12 blocks

During the 1968 season, when Wilt led the league in assists, he had a game with 22 points, 25 rebounds, 21 assists and 12 blocks! We only know about the 12 blocks in this game because his 20 x 3 accomplishment is so known. So who knows how many quadruple-doubles Wilt really had during all those countless games where not even a local newspaper writer was in attendance.

As for his nemesis Bill Russell, in 1961, the man with 11 rings pulled off one of the most shocking quadruple doubles ever and it was against Wilt: 15 points, 25 rebounds, 13 blocks and 15 steals...not assists but steals. Since the official NBA record for steals is 11, that means Russell's unknown quadruple-double also contains an unknown NBA record. I'm positive Russell also had a few with assists but the only possible proof out there are some old next day newspaper write-ups that have never been scanned ?and uploaded to the internet.

NATE THURMOND (1974)

One year after the NBA started recording blocks, Nate Thurmond, in his first game as a Chicago Bull, started the season with the first official quadruple-double: 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists and 12 blocks vs the Atlanta Hawks. The late Nate The Great did have an OT period to pick up a few extra apples but I'm assuming he had at least 10, 10, 10, 10 before the extra session.

ALVIN ROBERTSON (1986)

The less you know about Alvin Robertson's personal life the better. On the court, he was pretty crazy too and if you ever heard the line "punch you in the face like that kid from Detroit" from Shaq's song "Where Ya At" with the late Phife Dawg, it's Robertson he's talking about.

Anyways, 12 years after Nate did it with blocks, Robertson pulled off the first and only official quadruple-double with steals: 20 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals against the Phoenix Suns. This accomplishment also came during the year Robertson won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award.

HAKEEM OLAJUWON (1990)

On March 3rd of 1990, The Dream?racked up 29 points, 18 rebounds, 11 blocks and 10 assists against the Golden State Warriors. Or did he? Although most websites will tell you this was the 3rd instance, the league disagreed.

Here's what happened via MentalFloss.com

It’s not clear whether Olajuwon knew or even cared how close he’d come to the arbitrary milestone, but Rockets coach Don Chaney and team media-relations director Jay Goldberg sure did.

The pair reviewed the game tape immediately after the final buzzer and “found” what seemed to be an uncredited assist for Olajuwon in the first quarter. The team quickly issued a revised box score that credited Olajuwon for 29 points, 18 rebounds, 10 assists, and 11 blocks. Bingo! Quadruple-double achieved!

The NBA gives its statisticians a bit of latitude when it comes to determining what exactly counts as an assist thanks to the inherently subjective nature of the stat. Having team officials review game tapes and revise box scores goes well beyond “l(fā)atitude” and right into “chicanery” territory, though. When the league caught wind of the revision, director of operations Rod Thorn asked if he could take his own peek at the tape.

That’s where the quadruple-double got a little less quad-y. Three days later, Thorn announced his findings. On further review, Olajuwon didn’t deserve 10 assists, and the original box score that gave him credit for nine dimes would remain the official record of the game. Thorn didn’t think much of the Rockets’ shenanigans; he publicly said, “A box score should not be changed after the fact for the purpose of achieving a statistical milestone.”

Three weeks later, against Alvin Robertson and the Milwaukee Bucks,?Hakeem dropped 18 points, 16 rebounds, 11 blocks and 10 assists Rod Thorn approved of. We now had our 3rd official quadruple-double and finally one for The Dream.

DAVID ROBINSON (1994)

Four years after The Dream, the underrated David Robinson -- a man who used to have nightmares about The Dream -- recorded the last official instance, when he had 34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 blocks against the Detroit Pistons.

Unlike his embarrassing 71-point performance (The Spurs, up by 2o in the final minutes, were fouling the other team so The Admiral could get more shots and win the scoring title over Shaq) in 1994, this statistical accomplishment deserved praise. Also worth praising was how amazing Robinson's streak was when he had the quadruple-double.

• Vs Pacers: 34pts 10rebs 9asts
• Vs Pistons: 34pts 10rebs 10asts 10blks
• Vs Heat: 19pts 12rebs 7asts
• Vs Twolves: 50pts 9rebs 6blks
• Vs Jazz: 25pts 16rebs 9asts

CLYDE DREXLER, SO CLOSE...

Two years after the last instance, Hakeem's Houston teammate (college and pro), Clyde Drexler, was involved in another Houston Rocket quadruple double controversy and yes it involved an assist. His final line in the official box score would say 25 points, 10 rebounds, 10 steals and 9 assists. If he would have been credited for a 10th assist, Drexler would also have the honor of being the oldest player to ever pull it off.

Just as forgotten as this performance was?a decade earlier, Drexler had 26 points, 9 rebounds, 11 assists and 10 steals against the Bucks.

THE DROUGHT

In the two-decade drought since Robinson's instance, a few (surprising) players have flirted with the accomplishment.

In 2015, Ricky Rubio (seriously) had 9 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists and 8 steals. It was the closest anybody has come?to a quadruple-double since AK-47 in 2006 (15 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, 8 blocks). Earlier in 2015, Anthony Davis had arguably the most impressive game during the drought with at least 7 in each category (36 points, 14 rebounds, 7 assists and 9 blocks).

Also during this time, Tim Duncan and Shaquille O'Neal had two close ones during the NBA Finals.

• Tim Duncan (2003) 21 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists, 8 blocks
• Shaq (2001) 28 points, 20 rebounds, 9 assists, 8 blocks

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Here's a list, compiled by Dan Feldman of NBC Sports, with a list of players who had at least 8 in four of the five major cats over the past 30 years. ?Not included is Michael Sugar Ray Richardson, who in 1985 had 38 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists and 9 steals in a game.

The post NBA Quadruple Doubles: The Ones You Know About And The Ones You Don't appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

• Hakeem Olajuwon (March 29, 1990): 18 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists, 11 blocks
• David Robinson (February 17, 1994): 34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, 10 blocks
• Nate Thurmond (October 18, 1974): 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists, 12 blocks
• Alvin Robertson (February 18, 1986): 20 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, 10 steals

The quadruple-double has only been accomplished, or should I say recognized, four times in NBA history. I said "recognized" because Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell have done it plenty of times before blocks were being recorded and Hakeem Olajuwon had two in the same month but the league took the first one away, accusing the Houston Rockets of stat-padding.

What many people don't know is Hakeem's Houston teammate, Clyde Drexler, also almost pulled off the milestone in 1996 but was "robbed" of an assist. The assist in question comes at the 2.26 mark of the above video. Without the assist, the 34-year-old Clyde was left with the petty line of just 25 points, 10 rebounds, 10 steals and 9 assists. Just retire Clyde!

What many people also don't know is that a decade earlier, a high(er)-flying Drexler was just one rebound away from a quadruple-double in a game against the Bucks. His final stat line on that night was 26 points, 11 assists, 10 steals and 9 rebounds! Pretty impressive for a guy who never looked up while dribbling the ball.

And impressive are these flirting with quadruple-double lines?

• 25 PTS, 10 REB, 9 AST, 10 STL
• 26 PTS, 9 REB, 11 AST, 10 STL
• 42 PTS, 5 REB, 9 AST, 8 STL
• 30 PTS, 7 REB, 8 AST, 7 STL
• 24 PTS, 13 REB, 7 AST, 7 STL
• 17 PTS, 8 REB, 9 AST, 8 STL

And how impressive are some of these dunks?

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After winning the Naismith and Wooden College Player of the Year awards and even having a sandwich named after him at the Chapel Hill Four Corners restaurant (crab salad on a pita?), Michael Jordan decided to skip his senior year at UNC and join his teammate Sam Perkins in the 1984 NBA Draft. That Draft would become infamous for a historic “blunder,” but that “blunder” is arguably one of the biggest misconceptions in sports

Looking back, the two common questions people ask are, "Why did two teams pass up on Jordan?" and "Why was Sam Bowie picked before him?"

It may sound crazy now, but it made perfect sense for Houston and Portland to pass on him, and the Chicago Bulls only drafted Jordan because they couldn't get a big man.

The Rockets had the first pick and no second doubts about drafting Akeem (before the H). The Blazers had the second pick, and unlike most bad teams that needed a big man to win games, they were a winning team that needed a big man to win a championship and Sam Bowie was the most talented big man available: He was the American version of Sabonis, but the red flag on him was his broken leg and if it could hold up in the NBA. The Blazers did run tests on Bowie and his legs, and in a 2012 documentary called "Going Big," Sam Bowie admitted to lying to the Blazers about the pain in his knee. If they knew Bowie's tibia was still hurting him, I'm sure they would have reconsidered. But also consider the Blazers had All-Star Jim Paxson and Clyde Drexler, who was a star in the making, so it didn't make much sense to draft a player like Jordan who was arguably no better at the time than the existing player playing the same position on a team.

"We haven't made a decision, but it is likely we will take someone else," Portland Coach Jack Ramsay said of Jordan before the draft. "That isn't to say that we don't like Michael Jordan. You won't find anybody saying that; it's just that we more desperately need a center."

The 3rd pick belonged to the Bulls, and this is where "the biggest blunder in draft history" almost happened. The Bulls only selected Jordan because the top two big men were gone, and they were unable to trade the pick that would be Jordan for centers Jack Sikma or Tree Rollins. Jack Sikma (If you don't know who the very underrated center is, watch this?hilarious Inside The NBA prank video?of Shaq finding out Sikma was a "better center" than him). There was even a 3-way trade involving the Bulls' pick going to the LA Clippers for Terry Cummings, which fell through a week before the draft. And if that wasn't crazy enough, some writers even predicted big man Mel Turpin of Kentucky going 3rd and MJ landing in Dallas! Now try explaining those blunders to historians as Michael Jordan becomes the best Maverick and player ever.

HAKEEM, DREXLER & JORDAN TOGETHER?

Now there was also a very interesting trade rumored around that time which is my favorite all-time "What If?" trade. No, not Jordan going to the 76ers for Dr. J or a package with the great Andrew Toney, Clemon Johnson, and the 5th pick (which became Charles Barkley), although those are on my honorable mentions list. According to Hakeem in his biography, the Blazers offered the Rockets the #2 pick and Drexler for Ralph Sampson. The Rockets declined and the birth of the “Twin Towers” happened, but what if the Rockets would have accepted the trade and for some reason taken Jordan with that pick? Hakeem, Clyde Drexler, and Michael Jordan on the same team?! I'm not sure Air and Glide would have been able to co-exist back then but I'm sure it would have been pretty exciting to watch them try.

In early 2016, I had the honor of interviewing Hakeem and I asked him about this trade. He smiled, downplayed it and just said, "What if? What if?"

What combo eventually did happen with great results is the combo of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen in Chicago. So yeah, I don't think the Bulls have any regrets about what they ended up with on June 19th of 1984.

1984 NBA DRAFT DOCUMENTARY

The post Remembering When The Chicago Bulls drafted (but didn't want to draft) Michael Jordan with the 3rd pick appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

First lets take a look at one of the greatest NBA post men to ever play, Kevin McHale. Kevin stood 6"10 in his playing days and had ridiculously long arms which definitely helped out his post game. Sure McHale was known to be bit of a black hole when it came to possession of the ball, but his moves in the post where about one thing, patience. Take a look at his post move clinic highlight video with McHale's patented up and under.

Next move on the list is the Killer Crossover, the UTEP 2-Step by none other than the crossover godfather, Tim Hardaway.  Sleight of hand and a change in direction, that's all it took. Tim Hardaway just wanted to reach the rim for a layup without traveling in a straight line, and figured the best way was to go left, then right. Or right, then left. "My whole purpose was to confuse the defenders" said Hardaway, and it worked.

This is the first signature move on the list from this generation is the Tony Parker spin-cycle. We could've easily went with his devastating floater, but his spin move is way too effective to leave off. Tony first starts has move with a simple cross dribble to get his defender leaning towards the side he wants to spin away from, spins, takes a huge gather step and he's right there for an easy dish or a layup.

The last move on the on the list for this week is one of the most beautiful moves in basketball,  George Gervin's finger roll. Gervin was a smooth operator on the court with a dangerous mid range game and super lanky (think KD's body). The finger roll is probably not the most effective for most players, but it was sure effective for the Iceman. Take a look at beautiful montage.

Honorable Mention: Clyde "the Glide" Drexler had a MEAN fingeroll too

We'll be back next week with the Smitty half-spin, Connie Hawkins palming and  MUCH more signature moves, so stay tuned!

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