(EDITOR’S NOTE: This is part of a series of articles by Times News writer Rich Strack. After previously writing about the “Greatest Games” and “Greatest Comebacks” in sports history, Strack will now give his thoughts on the “Greatest Individual Performances.” Today’s topic is the NBA)

By Rich Strack

tnsports@tnonline.com

Almost every sport, from the professional and college ranks down to high school and youth leagues, has recently seen their season suspended or canceled.

With the process of starting up sports again still in its infancy, there remains a void for the athletes and fans alike.

If you’re like me, with many years of devotion to athletic competition, some of the greatest events from the past are still being played in your memory rewind.

So sit back and let me distract you from public concerns for just a moment with Part 3 of a series on the “Greatest Individual Performances” that will remain forever in my personal Hall of Fame.

Today I give you three of the best single-game NBA player performances of my lifetime.

1962 Finals - Game 7,

Bill Russell vs LA Lakers

The Boston Celtics were seeking their fourth consecutive NBA championship when they met the Western Division champion Los Angeles Lakers in the 1962 NBA Finals. After falling behind 2-1 and 3-2 in the best-of-seven series, the Celtics forced a Game 7 at the Boston Garden on April 18.

Faced with the challenge of guarding the Lakers’ Elgin Baylor, the Celtics also were undermanned in the game when Tom Heinsohn, Jim Loscutoff, Frank Ramsey and Tom Sanders all fouled out late in the contest.

But it didn’t matter because Bill Russell elevated his game to will his team to another title. The 6-foot-9 center scored 30 points, but made his greatest impact on the boards by grabbing an incredible 40 rebounds, the most in NBA Finals history. He also had 22 assists in the Celtics’ 110-107 overtime win. Boston went on to win another six titles over the next seven years.

Feb. 18, 1985

Larry Bird vs Utah Jazz

Quadruple-doubles are hard to come by in the NBA. There have only been four recorded in history. However, blocks and steals have only been tracked since 1973, so there have been some that have gone unrecorded.

On Feb. 18, 1985, Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird came one steal shy of a quadruple-double against the Utah Jazz. Being one number shy is not the most impressive part of this game, even though that accomplishment has only been done eight times. It was the fact that Bird did it without playing in the fourth quarter. On that night in Salt Lake City, Bird scored 30 points, pulled down 12 rebounds, assisted on 10 of his teammate’s baskets, and stole the ball nine times, leading the Celtics to a 110-94 win.

Bird also came close to a quadruple-double the following season when he recorded 21 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, and eight steals against the New Jersey Nets.

1976 Finals - Game 6,

Bill Walton vs Philadelphia 76ers

The Portland Trailblazers were leading the series 3-2 and arrived back home for Game 6 in the middle of the night to a crowd of 5,000 fans waiting at the airport. With just 48 minutes separating the Blazers from their first championship, “Blazermania” had spread throughout the city.

Philadelphia kept the game close in the first quarter, but was down by 15 at halftime after the Blazers netted 40 points in the second session. Philly’s Julius Erving tried in vain to force a Game 7 for his team, scoring 40 points, but Bill Walton’s Superman efforts won him the MVP and the title for Portland. He scored 20 points, grabbed 23 rebounds, had seven assists, and blocked eight shots in the Blazer’s 109-107 series win.

Following the loss, Erving called Walton, “an inspiration,” and Maurice Lucas said that if he had caught Walton’s jersey thrown into the crowd after the final horn, “I would have eaten it. Bill’s my hero.”

Final thoughts

OK, let me hear it, readers! How could I have left out Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game vs. the New York Knicks in 1962 or Kobe Bryant’s 81 points against the Raptors in 2006? And where’s Michael Jordan?

I considered complete game efforts that included offensive and defensive excellence.

Wilt the Stilt overwhelmed a shorter and a bad Knicks team. Kobe still missed 18 of his 46 shots and played little defense.

On the other hand, Russell’s 40 rebounds and 30 points in Game 7 was a herculean performance in my book.

Bird scored 40 or more points 48 times in his career. Even though he only had 30 that night against the Jazz, his 12 rebounds and nine steals proved this phenomenal star played hard on both ends of the court.

Walton scored over 6,000 points in his NBA career, and only 20 in his title clinching effort, but his 23 rebounds and eight blocked shots were significant reasons why Portland beat Philadelphia.

When adding the three players’ game statistics together, it comes out to 80 points scored, 75 rebounds, 22 assists, at least 8 blocked shots and at least nine steals.

Call me old school, but NBA games are mostly unwatchable today. Everybody shoots. Nobody defends. The three-point score is too easy. All this makes for boring basketball.

Russell, Bird, and Walton were complete players. They could take over a game on the defensive side of the court. And, when they scored their points, they most likely had someone closely guarding them, unlike now when shooters are often left uninhibited when they shoot the rock.

Playing both ends of the court requires effort, and also challenges the stamina of a player

Russell, Bird, and Walton were all about winning, and a large part of their game was preventing their opponents from scoring by stealing the ball, blocking the lane on layup attempts and causing turnovers.

Those are statistics that don’t often show up on paper, but to witness great scorers playing great defense is to have seen excellence in NBA basketball.