There is no doubt the game has changed. Wilt however would still dominate if he was in his prime today. He simply would have grown up in the same environment that today's players do. There have been a lot of great players in the NBA. I'm a fan of them all. The idea that people started chasing people on the break to block a shot started in the 2000's is one of the strangest things I have ever heard.
Very Sure... wrote:
Greased Lightning wrote:Wilt had...
Even considering the generation gap... Wilt was in a completely inferior game then.
Nowadays, Westbrook flies through the lane for a tomahawk dunk. Even in the 80's-90's, Isiah didn't do that.
Bigs now, even centers like Howard (not a toothpick either, but a bruiser), Noah, etc.. run up 23 feet feet to guard the pick-roll. PF Bosh blocks 3-pt shots. Ever see Kareem do either of these?? Ever see a big consistently trot slowly down the court like Kareem?
Players now with the ball 20+ feet out have a defender in their mug. In Wilt's era, you could do a set shot from 15 feet. In the 80's/90's, I never saw Magic or Bird go on top of a screen 23 feet out, like players today do.
How many times did you see any 80's/90's player fly the length of the court, chasing an offensive player & block his breakaway layup, like LeBron does routinely?
These differences outpace the generation-gap 'handicap'.