“People have always doubted whether I was good enough to play this game at this level. I thought I was, and I thought I could be. What other people thought was really always irrelevant to me.” - Steve Nash
#MJMondays
Michael Jordan defends Magic Johnson, up close and personal.
Apr. 14, 1997 - Allen Iverson set an NBA rookie record by scoring 40 or more points in his fifth consecutive game
Billed as “The Answer,” Allen Iverson arrived on the NBA scene and immediately became one of the league’s most exciting players. With unmatched quickness, Iverson wowed crowds at the new CoreStates Center with a spectacular crossover dribble and a seeming ability to score at-will. While he couldn’t save the Philadelphia 76ers from a disappointing 22-60 season, his play gave every indication that he is indeed the Answer to many of the Sixers’ struggles.
Iverson proved his worth under the national spotlight on All-Star Saturday, winning Most Valuable Player honors at the Schick Rookie Game. But the telltale sign of his explosiveness came in April, when he set an NBA rookie record by scoring 40 or more points in five consecutive games, highlighted by a 50-point outburst against the Cleveland Cavaliers on April 12. He was named the NBA’s Rookie of the Year.
Apr. 7, 1989 - John Stockton is the 1st NBA player to have back to back 1,000 assist seasons
John Stockton, a 10-time NBA All-Star, commandingly holds the NBA record for career assists with 15,806 (10.5 per game). Stockton also holds the record for assists-per-game average over one season (14.5 in 1990) and is one of three players who have logged more than 1,000 assists in one season, joining Kevin Porter (1,099 in 1979) and Isiah Thomas (1,123 in 1985) in the exclusive list. Stockton did this seven times, with season totals of 1,164, 1,134, 1,128, 1,126, 1,118, 1,031 and 1,011 assists.
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Media Mistake Mondays.
Quite the record setting performance by John Wall
Feb. 21, 2013 - Steve Nash passes Magic for 4th all-time in assists
Nash (10,142 assists) has a chance at catching Mark Jackson (10,344) at the #3 spot but it’s unlikely he will catch the still active Jason Kidd (12,006) and there’s no chance that anybody will ever come close to John Stockton’s record of 15,806 assists. Also worth noting is Nash played in 280 more games than Magic Johnson.
To help put into perspective Stockton’s assist record: Steven Nash would need to average 7 apg for 809 more games in order to pass Stockton. That’s 82 games per season for nearly another 10 full seasons.
Jan. 30, 1996 - Magic Johnson made his comeback with the Lakers
Four years after he last stepped on an NBA court (the 1992 All-Star Game), Magic Johnson donned the Lakers uni again on Jan. 30, 1996, against the Warriors. Coming off the bench and playing power forward, Magic posted 19 points, eight boards and 10 assists, including one memorable ball-fake on Latrell Sprewell that had Spree on Amber Alert. Magic averaged 14.6 points, 5.7 boards and 6.9 dimes in 32 games following his mid-season comeback, and the Lakers lost to the Rockets (Hakeem, Drexler, Horry, Cassell) in the first round of the playoffs. After that series Magic retired again, on his own terms.
Highlights from Magic’s comeback game vs Golden State Warriors:
“I’ve always believed no matter how many shots I miss, I’m going to make the next one.” - Isiah Thomas
re the return: “Man, I’m so ready.” - Derrick Rose
“Do your best when no one is looking. If you do that, then you can be successful in anything that you put your mind to.” - Bob Cousy
“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog.” - Magic Johnson
“If all I’m remembered for is being a good basketball player, then I’ve done a bad job with the rest of my life.” - Isiah Thomas
“Sports create a bond between contemporaries that lasts a lifetime. It also gives your life structure, discipline, and a genuine, sincere, pure fulfillment that few other areas of endeavor provide.” - Bob Cousy
