Throughout his career, George Gervin was a 12-time All-Star and led the San Antonio Spurs to the playoffs eight times (and that was after his time in the ABA). He’s a Hall-of-Famer. But he never won the MVP award. However, according to David Kenyon of Bleacher Report, Bill Walton’s 1978 MVP “went to the wrong person,” and Gervin was one of the guys who should have won it.
“Applying modern rules to a past era isn’t necessarily fair,” Kenyon wrote. “For comparison, though, award eligibility in 2023-24 includes a minimum requirement of playing in 65 games. Bill Walton entered 58 contests in 1977-78. Again, today’s regulation is not the driving force here. The point is that Walton appeared in 71 percent of the 82 games.
“Without question, the Portland Trail Blazers posting an NBA-high 58 wins aided his case. He collected 18.9 points, 13.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.5 blocks per outing. George Gervin and David Thompson each scored a league-high 27.2 points per game, though. Both the Gervin-led San Antonio Spurs and Thompson’s Denver Nuggets won division titles as the former appeared in all 82 games and the latter checked in at 80. Walton was excellent. Availability should have mattered, too.”
Should Gervin have taken home the MVP in 1978?
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