GDHQNBA15_f-Records 6

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and an NBA Championship. The Lakers, who started the run at 6-3, had only one twogame losing streak prior to the run, only a pair of two-game skids after and lost only three games in the playoffs in bringing L.A. a long-awaited (see Boston’s 9 Championships in 10 Seasons) NBA Championship. It took Milwaukee’s scoring powerhouse and eventual MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scoring 39 points to end the streak on Jan. 9, 1972. Ending that streak was revenge of sorts for the Bucks, as the Lakers’ streak of 33 broke Milwaukee’s short-lived record 20-game win streak set the year before. The 33-game win streak has some recent challengers, specifically the 2012-13 LeBron James/Dwyane Wade/Chris Bosh Miami Heat that won 27 straight and the somewhat surprising 2007-08 Houston Rockets, who won 22 straight. No other team has won as many as 20 straight. With the balance throughout he League and coaches resting stars regularly on back-to-backs, it’s difficult to imagine 33 being in jeopardy. A.C. GREEN’S 1,192 CONSECUTIVE GAMES PLAYED Once you got A.C. Green on the court it was almost impossible to get him off. After missing three of the first seven games of the 1986-87 season, his second in the League, the 6-9, 220-pound power forward didn’t miss a game until his retirement at the end of the 2000-01 season. That included playing 83 games during the 1996-97 season, when he was traded from Phoenix to Dallas (which caused two extra contests due to scheduling), and taking the floor for Phoenix on Feb. 26, 1996, the night after taking a wicked elbow from Knicks forward J.R. Reid, that knocked out two of his teeth. Let’s not forget the small-and-large, chronic-and-nagging nicks, bumps, bruises, twists, and sprains that no NBA player is immune to. Nor should we overlook the germ-induced maladies from the flu to a common cold that coincides with the NBA season. Green was not just a specialist who played sparingly around the perimeter. Nor was Green a muscled rock that opponents bounced off of. Green toughed out games, mostly as an undersized forward playing big minutes mixing it up with the big boys in the paint. When Green was on a roster, you expected two things: he’d make an appearance in the game and his hair would be glistening with his the trademark jheri curls he wore throughout most his career. Green, who went well beyond Randy Smith’s streak of 906 games, shouldn’t expect his record broken anytime soon. The current NBA ironman is Houston center Omer Asik, who has played in 233 straight games. Asik, 28, would have to play more than 11½ seasons to make up the 959 games he trails Green. STOCKTON’S 15,806 ASSISTS Stockton-to-Malone may have been the most efficient delivery service in the history of mankind. For 18 seasons, 1985-86, when Malone arrived in Salt Lake City—one year after Stockton—through 2002-03 the duo pick-and-rolled the Utah Jazz to elite status. Utah never had a losing season with Stockton at the helm, recorded its only 60-win season and twice reached the Finals. The 6-1, 170-pound point led the League in assists nine straight years (1988-96), averaging 13.1 apg during that run, while amazingly committing only 3.7 turnovers. Stockton wasn’t fancy about it— he saved the no-look and behind-the-back wizardry for Magic Stockton Johnson—after all, the definition of an assist is to help another score. What better way than a crisp chest or bounce pass in stride or in perfect shooting position? Stockton did it with little fanfare, but he also set the record with longevity. In his 19 seasons, Stockton completed the 82-game grind 16 times (17 if you count the lockout-shortened 50-game season in 1998-99), including his final season as a 40-year-old starting point guard. He’s racked up more 1,000-plus assist seasons than anyone else (seven times). For good measure, Stockton was just as good taking away from opponents as he was helping teammates—he’s the all-time leader in steals with 3,265, almost 600 more than the runner up (Jason Kidd) and more than 1,350 than the active leader (Kobe Bryant). The nearest active assister to Stockton are L.A. Lakers’ point Steve Nash (10,335), who will miss 2014-15 with a back injury and will likely retire. Andre Miller (8,153), who is playing a backup role in Washington. A possible candidate to watch is L.A. Clippers guard Chris Paul. Paul began the season with 6,112 dimes. While he’s 9,694 assists away, Stockton’s record could be within reach. But in order to catch Stockton, Paul would have to clock the 688 assists he has averaged during his first nine seasons for the next 14 years, which would mean Paul would be still throwing lobs as a 42-year-old point guard—not likely. And with the game leaning towards more ball movement and less dominance of the ball by one player, this record might stand for a while. Kent Horner/NBAE/Getty Images


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