All Things Basketball with GD - Week 5 Roundup & Player Spotlight: Julius Erving

Week 5 roundup (00:29)

TEAM OF THE WEEK:

MIL 3-0 (EAST), GSW 4-0 (WEST), PHO 4-0 (WEST)

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Giannis Antetokounmpo

runner up: Stephen Curry

HIGHLIGHTS:

GSW travels to BKN & soundly beats them 117-99, fans chanting MVP for Steph Curry

Stephen A. Smith of First Take scolds Kevin Durant for decision going to BKN (Kyrie Irving vaccine fiasco)

LAL pretty much a .500 team without LeBron

LeBron back on Friday; has altercation with Isaiah Stewart (DET); suspension or a fine?

Luke Walton fired as SAC coach; Alvin Gentry takes over

INJURIES:

TOR: OG Anunoby (hip pointer) out "for a while" CHI: according to coach Nick Nurse

CHI: Nikola Vucevic (COVID) no return date yet; already missed 5 games

GSW: Klay Thompson (knee) practicing 5-on-5 drills; could be back before Christmas; James Wiseman (knee) could be back even sooner

DEN: Nikola Jokic (wrist) out "a while" according to coach Mike Malone

CLE: Collin Sexton (meniscus tear) out for the season; rookie Evan Mobley (elbow) out 2-4 weeks; Lauri Markannen (COVID) due back Monday

ATL: De'Andre Hunter (wrist) out for 2 months

BOS: Jaylen Brown (hamstring) available to play Monday; Robert Williams II (knee) missed last week's games

NYK: Mitchell Robinson in the concussion protocols; will miss some games

DAL: Luka Doncic (knee, ankle) out all last week; may be back Tue

LAL: LeBron James (abdomen strain) back this past Friday; missed 8 games prior

PHI: Joel Embiid (COVID) still out; missed past 7 games (went 1-6 over that span)

HIGHLIGHTED UPCOMING GAMES:

NYK vs LAL (Tue), BOS vs BKN (Wed); NYK vs PHO (FRI), GSW vs POR (Fri), BKN vs PHO (Sat); ATL vs NYK (Sat), CHI vs MIA (Sat), LAC vs GSW (Sun)

FANTASY ADDS:

Lauri Markkanen (CLE), Kevin Huerter (ATL), Jalen Brunson (DAL), Aaron Gordon (DEN), Scottie Barnes (TOR)

Player spotlight: Julius Erving (21:07)

Born in Roosevelt, NY (Feb 22 1950)

A regular playing in Rucker Park in Harlem delighting the crowd

College: UMass, 3 years

Left UMass early to sign with Virginia Squires of the ABA (1971)

Drafted: Milwaukee Bucks (NBA - 1st rd, 12th pick overall)

Although drafted by MIL, tried to link up with Atlanta Hawks but to no avail thanks to VAS filing court injunctions against him signing there

Goes back to VAS to play his 2nd season with them 4 games in

Dealt to NY Nets (ABA) after season

In 1st season with NYN he, along with young players like Larry Kenon & Billy Paultz, led the team to an ABA title & his first of 3 MVP awards

His dunking prowess helped revolutionize both leagues; influenced by Connie Hawkins

Participated in 1st ever dunk contest (ABA) beating David Thompson, George Gervin, Kenon & Artis Gilmore

After the 1975-76 season the ABA folded with NBA taking in NYN, SAS, DEN & IND

In a salary dispute with NYN leading them to trade him to PHI for $3 million

Rumor: wanted to play for the NY Knicks; coach Red Holtzman didn't think he'd be a good fit

Lead them all the way to the NBA FInals in his 1st season with players like George McGinnis, Lloyd B. Free & Doug Collins; ended up losing to POR 4 games to 2 after a 2-0 lead

PHI mgmt decided to build winning team around Erving; traded for defensive stalwart Bobby Jones & later Moses Malone

Acquisition of Malone was the catalyst that would take the Sixers over the top to help Erving get his lone NBA championship beating their rivals BOS & then LAL

Decided that 1986-87 season would be his last as a player; teams paid tribute to the beloved legendary star on his farewell tour

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993

Before Michael Jordan's Space Jam Erving had his own fiim in 1979, The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh

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