3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – vs. Boston Celtics, December 10, 1971
Beating the Boston Celtics is always a big deal. In the 70s and 80s, it was a real feather in a team’s cap though. Coming off the back of winning a championship, that was a more common occurrence, as Milwaukee’s confidence was sky high and Kareem’s sky hook was at its most effective.
Although they were some more experience and a couple of key cogs away from winning the title again in 1974, led by John Havlicek, the Celtics were still far from a pushover in ’71. When Abdul-Jabbar was at his best, there was very little anybody, never mind the Celtics, could do though.
This was Kareem at his most imperious during his time in Milwaukee too. His incredible scoring from this night set a mark that remained the franchise record for almost 35 years.
Kareem made 23 field goals on the night, along with nine of his 11 free throw attempts, as The Captain posted a remarkable 55 points.
Very simply, Boston’s center Dave Cowens had no answer, as at 6’9″ he was simply outmatched by Kareem’s exceptional size and length. Much like what could be said for most of the league’s centers of that era too.
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