Here I am with another Installment of "History Rewritten", where I will look back on history from my perspective, and do my own reevaluations. This is coming from the world of my views, as I crown who I feel deserved to win certain awards, especially MVP Awards. This time, I will revisit the 1969 and 1970 NBA MVP Awards. This award was even more suspect than the 1962 MVP Race. Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson each had the strongest cases for that year's Award. Russell was the Centerpiece (pun intended) for a Celtics Juggernaut, as he reigned supreme to win his second straight out of three MVP's at that point in his career. Bill dominated in his typical fashion, as the Defensive Architect and Consummate General. Wilt Chamberlain poured in an Astronomical 50/25 that season while shooting roughly 51% from the floor. The Big O also did the unthinkable when he recorded a full-fledge Triple Double. Never seen before, and never seen since. In the end, I had to revisit and crown Wilt as my MVP that season.
That race was more respectable, despite the favoritism that went in Russell's favor. However, the next MVP race that I will cover was even fishier than that. That is the 1969 MVP Race. The winner of the MVP that season was also the Rookie of the Year:
Wes Unseld:
Unseld's Season Statistics: (13.8 ppg/18.2 rpg/2.6 apg/47.6% FG/60.5% FT)
Don't get me wrong. Wes is a Hall of Famer and a Basketball legend, but there is no way that you could convince me that he was the Most Valuable Player of the entire league. He is in the history books next to Wilt Chamberlain as the ONLY two players to win both ROY (Rookie of the Year) and MVP (Most Valuable Player) in the same season. Wilt, I could understand. From the start, Chamberlain was an Unstoppable Beast on the court. You don't need metrics or analytics to determine how obviously great a player that Wilt was. On the other hand, Unseld did not come across to me as someone on that level that could win MVP as a rookie. I might be wrong, but there were players more compelling than him to win the MVP.
Here are the stats for Unseld's rivals that season:
Willis Reed: (21.1 ppg, 14.5 rpg, 2.3 apg, 52.1% FG, 60.5% FT)
Billy Cunningham: (24.8 ppg, 12.8 rpg, 3.5 apg, 42.6% FG, 74.7% FT)
Bill Russell: (9.9 ppg, 19.3 rpg, 4.9 apg, 43.3% FG, 52.6% FT)
Elgin Baylor: (24.8 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 5.4 apg, 44.7% FG, 74.3% FT)
Unseld won the MVP with 310 voting points and 53 first place votes.
Unseld's Competition:
Willis Reed: 137 (18 first place votes)
Billy Cunningham: 130 (15 first place votes)
Bill Russell: 93 (11 first place votes)
Elgin Baylor: 89 (6 first place votes)
With all things considered, my MVP choice for that season would be none other than the future MVP for the next season:
The Knicks were a team on the verge of breaking the glass ceiling to win their first NBA Championship. Reed was a major player during that season, and his production is proof of that. The Knicks were on the doorstep, but were held from going inside because the Celtics still held the key in Bill Russell's final season. Speaking of Russell, it is a testament to how special he was to even be considered as a candidate. At this point, I would not have voted for him but interesting. Billy Cunningham took on a new load after Wilt Chamberlain left the 76ers to go to Hollywood and play for the Los Angeles Lakers. That season, Cunningham played at a level worthy of MVP Consideration. The Kangaroo Kid was a very significant part of the Sixers Championship Season in 1967. He was very much in his prime, so it made perfect sense. Elgin Baylor had a great season with still something left in the tank to offer even though his knees would start to betray him. Jerry West and Wilt would have been nice considerations as well. Reed would win my MVP Award, with Cunningham in second place and Unseld in third.
1970 Season:
Now, time to move into the very next season. As we know, Willis Reed enjoyed a storybook season. He became the first player in NBA History to win All-Star, Regular Season and Finals MVP in the same season. Along the way, the Knicks would win their first of two NBA Championships in Franchise History.
After doing some homework, I have come to realize how tough the 1970 MVP Race was. The 1969 Race was a bit of a throwaway season that is not the most memorable or exciting in league history.
Reed's Seasonal Statline: 21.7 ppg/13.9 rpg/2.0 apg/50.7% FG/75.6% FT
Reed had another exceptional season, as it mirrored the previous season. His production was practically identical, but with a major increase in his free throw shooting. Willis was certainly the catalyst for the Knicks success. Collectively, the Knicks enjoyed the best campaign in team history. However, there were also some other players that were giving Reed a run for his money. Like with Russell, I believe that Reed received extra favor from the media.
Here are the other Candidates from that season:
Jerry West: (31.2 ppg/4.6 rpg/7.5 apg/49.7% FG/82.4% FT)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar/Lew Alcindor: (28.8 ppg/14.5 rpg/4.1 apg/51.8% FG/65.3% FT)
Walt Frazier: (20.9 ppg/6.0 rpg/8.2 apg/51.8% FG/74.8% FT)
Billy Cunningham: (26.1 ppg/13.6 rpg/4.3 apg/46.9% FG/72.9% FT)
Connie Hawkins: (24.6 ppg/10.4 rpg/4.8 apg/49.0% FG/77.9% FT)
Jerry West was the league's leading scorer that season, as he and Reed were separated by a difference of 10 votes between them. Kareem was also in consideration, as he would finish the season with the Rookie of the Year. He also had a very strong case for the award. If anything, Kareem had a better overall stat line than Willis except in FT %. Reed's very own teammate Walt Frazier was even in the running. Frazier had a higher field goal percentage than Willis, even though he played the point. Billy Cunningham was very impressive in his own way, but his Sixers were struggling. That hurt his case. Same with Connie Hawkins in Phoenix. He was one of the ultimate "What If?" stories in Basketball History.
Willis Reed won MVP with 498 votes and 61 first place votes. Here are the votes for his opponents:
Jerry West: 457 (51 1st place votes)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: 335 (30 1st place votes)
Walt Frazier: 50 (4 1st place votes)
Billy Cunningham: 27 (2 1st place votes)
Connie Hawkins: 27 (2 1st place votes)
Reed beat West for the Award with 41 extra voting points. With everything considered, the Most Valuable Player of that time frame and my MVP will be, Jerry West:
West was without question the MVP for his team, and the MVP for that span of time in NBA History. Wilt Chamberlain was injured that season, and longtime teammate Elgin Baylor was breaking down even more. Jerry carried the largest load for the Lakers. Behind Chamberlain, Russell, and Robertson, West was the biggest star of his era. Now that Russell was out of the way, West took the time to excel even more. Unfortunately, the string of losses in the Finals are what kept The Logo from winning MVP in the eyes of the writers who were part of the voting panel. Jerry's constant shortcomings to Boston clearly had to be taken into consideration, regardless of how great he was as a player. West also had more Win Shares than Reed (West: 15.2, Reed: 14.6). Even Walt Frazier had more Win Shares than Willis (15.0). West and Frazier also had more Win Shares/Per 48 Minutes than Willis. (Frazier: 236, West: 234). The Logo was without question the Alpha Dog of the NBA, as he averaged 31.2 ppg. Jerry went from not even being in the race the previous season to being second place in voting. This season was an even better case for Mr. Clutch to win the honor. I would consider moving Kareem to second place, Frazier and Reed would be in 3rd and 4th place. Sadly, Mr. Clutch would suffer more heartbreak in the Finals as the Lakers ironically lost to the Knicks in 7 games. If only the three point line existed in those days. Jerry's legacy would be seen in a better perspective. The fact that Wes Unseld has an MVP instead of Jerry West, to me is absurd. With that being said, this is my chance to rewrite history in my own way. Jerry West is Mr. Clutch and Mr. MVP.
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