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To be sure, not all these players were on all 13 Finals teams. And I’m also aware that the playoffs were shorter back then, one less round, etc. But of the core group, six were age 30+. Also keep in mind, last season no Golden State Warrior player appeared in all 82 regular season games, and Golden State played just 4 more playoff games (22) in 2018-19 than did these Celtics, 50 years prior. Plenty of Hall of Famers on the Boston team. But were they superhuman? This is the part of the load management question the puzzles me. John Stockton of the Utah Jazz, at age 40, in his 19th season, STARTED all 82, and averaged 27.7 minutes per game. Dominique Wilkins played in over 1,000 NBA games and for his career averaged 35.5 minutes per game. He ruptured his Achilles at age 32 and came back to be an All-Star two more times. There are plenty of “old school” guys left. Bradley Beal stands out. The Wizards all-star guard last season was the only player who played in over 3,000 minutes. He remained a constant in the Washington lineup even after all playoff hopes were dashed. Hawks rookie Trae Young hated to come off the court. He started 81 games in his unanimous all-rookie 1st team season. Times have changed, players have changed, and attitudes toward minutes and the grind of an 82-game season have changed. Is it better? Worse? I’d like to hear from you on this. Pros? Cons? Email me bob@bobrathbun.com and we will discuss more next week. Plus, a look back at the Hall of Fame Induction ceremony.
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