Photo by Focus on Sport via Getty Images
Personal achievements: 9-time All-Star, 5-time First-Team All-NBA, 2-time Second-Team All-NBA, All-Star Game MVP
Career average: 26.2ppg, 4.6rpg, 2.8apg, 1.2spg, 0.8bpg, 51.1FG%
The closest he came to winning: Appeared in the Western Conference Finals twice, Eastern Conference Finals once
Iceman George Gervin He finished third in MVP voting for three consecutive seasons from 1977 to 1980 and led the league in scoring in those three seasons. However, he did not have much playoff success during that span. His San Antonio Spurs won only one playoff series during that span. To this day, Gervin is remembered more for his scoring ability than for his team’s success.
But that might be a little unfair, since Gervin only made it to two Western Conference Finals and one Eastern Conference Finals during his career, all with the Spurs (the Spurs moved to the Western Conference in 1980-81).
Gervin’s best chance to at least make it to the Finals came in 1978-79, when he and the Spurs faced the defending champion Washington Bulletin in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. In that series, Gervin was outstanding, averaging 31.0 points and 6.3 rebounds on 52.4 percent shooting.
Game 7 was another classic, with Gervin scoring 42 points on 16-of-31 shooting, grabbing six rebounds and three steals, but Washington held on for a 107-105 win to advance to the NBA Finals once again.
Hall of Fame Bob Dandridge Although he scored the game-winning goal late in that game, Gervin was unable to catch the ball for a final shot for San Antonio, giving Washington the win and the series.
Gervin was certainly a better playoff player than people remember him to be (not winning a title, that is). He made eight straight playoff appearances with the Spurs in 1976-77, averaging 27.9 points on 50.8 percent shooting in postseason NBA games.
He didn’t have enough help overcoming those obstacles to win a championship in his NBA career.
If NBA players were allowed to play for Team USA in the Olympics during their prime, Gervin would not be on this list. Unfortunately, that is not the case yet. He also had no luck in winning awards with the team during his time in the ABA, making it to the semifinals once in 1976, losing in seven games. Julius Irving And the New Jersey Nets. The two players who would eventually become NBA legends had a fierce rivalry in that series, with the Iceman averaging 27 and 9 points while Dr. J won the game with 32, 11, and 5 points.
