I’m talking about when he was with the Bullets down at Winston-Salem Stadium… before that game, with 42 points a game the whole season; 41.6 the whole season. But the Knicks, they put the shackles on him, man, you know, on his whole game. The 2008 NBA Finals were held June 5 through June 17, 2008, to decide the champion of the 2007–08 NBA season, and conclude the season's playoffs.The Boston Celtics, top-seeded champions of the Eastern Conference, defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, top-seeded champions of the Western Conference, four games to two in a best-of-seven series.This was Boston's first title since 1986 during … Nov 15, 2015 - Explore My Info's board "Earl the Pearl" on Pinterest. He wasn’t just some streetball sideshow, he was an effective performer who could add polish to simple plays while still being incredibly effective. By Kurt Helin Sep 17, 2011, ... My all-time favorite ballplayer was Earl Monroe. His he-must-have-eyes-in-the-back-of-his-head passing. Hanging in the air, twisting, dodging, and then laying it in. He ran the floor and played above the rim unlike any big man to that point besides perhaps Barkley and Tom Chambers. No. It’s hard to compare what he could do with a basketball to a modern player. Earl Monroe. 34 of 100. 2,206 likes. I just shot it on the way down.". Minutes played - … Right from the start though, Bird put perceptions aside and people in the stands. That’s what they called him — Jesus. When he cupped the ball it looked like he was holding an apple. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Ricky Rubio, but only if he had a world class jumpshot and even better court vision). Back then, many players didn't even jump when they took shots. What separates him from other guards is the fact that he did it night in and night out while winning games. He wasn’t just some dude with a big afro who could dunk the ball. 1968. I still hear people saying things like: “Did you see that time he shot it from behind the backboard,” or “What about that pass where he was just dribbling along and then batted it on the money to McHale?”. Seriously, it’s shameless how they use obscure excuses to run a five minute tribute to His Airness. Mar 21, 2021 - Baltimore Bullets basketball. Like Dominique, he didn’t do anything revolutionary, but he finished with such flair that he could shift a game’s momentum with one play. Just his nicknames alone show how exciting his game was to people. Does anyone have more SportsCenter highlight reels still run about them from plays that happened 20 years ago? He was an idol to generations of ballers from all walks of life. See more ideas about earl monroe, basketball players, nba players. His amazing court vision, clutch shooting, and pithy one liners made him an absolute must follow. There have been dunkers who are on or near his level: Nique, Kemp, Drexler, one or maybe even two modern players in their prime, but nobody was a better or more creative finisher. Like Earl Monroe, Maravich has a grass roots, loyal legion of fans who still whisper … Nobody had seen anything quite like him. How does Earl Monroe compare with other great NBA players? He didn't have a huge vertical, but he had a way of using his body to block off defenders in the air and make it seem like he was hanging there, like he turned off gravity for a moment until everyone else had come back to earth. Earl Monroe Comparisons: ( players sorted by last name ) - A-Earl Monroe … Monroe was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1990. Career information head-to-head including championships won, season and playoff stats, honors and awards and more. When he was in the streets of Philly, the playgrounds, you know what they called him? Nobody ran a fast break quite like Magic, and you could always count on him making a pass that seemed impossible. Monroe tells tales of growing up in Philadelphia with Patti LaBelle, a brush with porn star Linda Lovelace in a New York bar, chance meetings with the KKK and hoops tales … He and Bird were so exciting that they ushered in a new Renaissance of NBA popularity. Others had dunked before, but nobody used the vertical game to their advantage like Baylor. Like one typically corny ‘70s headline would say, “Julius will operate on your nerves and deliver the excitement.” Sounds like he deserves his place on the list. When you watch Elgin Baylor tapes, it doesn't really seem all that exciting. Enjoy a little Earl the Pearl to start off your weekend. 1969. Position: Guard. Earl Monroe, left, and Walt Frazier talk about the 1973 NBA Finals as they watch it at Frazier's restaurant on Monday in Manhattan. Earl Monroe was a maestro of the hardwood orchestrating a dazzling show in front of thousands of fans every night. ... Career Highlights. 3: Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe, New York Knicks 48 of 50 While Gail Goodrich and Jerry West were lighting up the West Coast, Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe were shining in New York City. Due to his on-court success and flashy style-of-play, Monroe was given the nicknames "Black Jesus" and "Earl the Pearl". Because MJ had an amazingly fan friendly game. Like Monroe, he played in an era when the NBA was not as visible, and some of his best plays have been lost to posterity. He really did revolutionize the guard position and brought in a whole new, “Hey, maybe this basketball sport might be fun to watch” excitement. (Can you imagine if he was a real doctor and he walked around the hospital palming babies like he palmed basketballs, freaking all the parents out? Like Earl Monroe, Maravich has a grass roots, loyal legion of fans who still whisper stories about him. (The closest example? That the NBA's best player was also it's most exciting shows one of the main reason why pro basketball's popularity soared to still unmatched during Jordan's regime. He bounced around the lane like a pinball, and when he would get knocked over he would just pull himself right back up. Jesus. Everyone has seen Jordan clips where he takes off from a distance, seemingly changes direction in midair, avoids several defenders, and then lays it in on the opposite side of the rim. Which players brought in fans because they just had to see them play? Classic Confrontations: Walt Clyde Frazier vs Earl The Pearl Monroe Name: Earl Monroe Height: 6' 3" Weight: 190 pounds. Earl Monroe. The “Bob Cousy couldn’t play in today’s NBA" sentiment has been ongoing since the late ‘70s, but it shouldn’t be forgotten that The Houdini of the Hardwood was a trendsetter and a fan favorite in his day. He was perhaps the best in traffic dunker the game has ever seen. Along came Baylor, and it all changed. You could make a legitimate argument for Kemp as the greatest dunker of all time. All-NBA 1st Team. When you have three different nicknames, and those nicknames are "The Pearl," "Magic," and "Black Jesus," there is a pretty good chance people enjoyed watching you. Earl the … Here you have the answers. We've seen so many great jumpers that it's hard to remember what a shock it had to have been in the late '50s. ‘Cause he was the truth. 1968. He was a charismatic, well spoken showman who made the coked out, too black (that was the unfair perception) NBA fun to watch again. When he played for the 76ers, the Spectrum was a rowdy Mecca of pro hoops excitement. —Jake Shuttleworth, He Got Game Monroe would go on to play 9 season with New York, however when the Hall of Fame came calling for his induction in 1990, there was only one jersey he wanted to wear. NFL – 1979 – NFL Films – Battle Of Champions – Super Bowl XIII – Dallas Cowboys Vs Pittsburgh Steelers – With John Facenda April 17, 2020. Earl the Pearl, a legend of the 70's with a million nicknames, and even more dazzling movies. The way he used his apparent hang time to create space. Okay, I’m done.) Unfortunately, secondhand stories are all we have to appreciate the best of The Pearl’s highlights, and that has hurt him historically. Just listening to old timers passing along Black Jesus stories is exciting. Some of his highlight plays are still impressive to watch (which is saying more than you think considering we live in a post And 1 Tour world that is routinely flooded with flashy young point guards). When he played at a park fans flocked from blocks around to see what he might do. They called him "The Godfather of Hang Time" but he would just mutter, "I didn't hang in the air any longer than anybody else; that's impossible. Enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1990, Monroe was a four-time NBA All-Star guard and became a cult hero thanks … Pete Maravich. He redefined the dunk as a weapon, and for better or worse, ushered in a new dunking is hip era. Who were the masters of the jaw dropping, talked about three days afterward, better call a timeout to settle down their fans kind of play? Maravich never won much, and that has hurt him historically, but to be fair, it’s important to remember he spent the majority of his career toiling away on untalented basement contenders. Lockout Friday night video highlights: Earl the Pearl Monroe. 67. Mista Midwest Musichttps://jlrthatruth.bandcamp.com/Datpiff Profile Names: MistaMidwest1 JLRthatruth Watch the highlights of a legendary NBA player during his years at the Baltimore Bullets and the New York Knicks. All-Rookie 1st Team. Keep in mind that his no looks and behind the back passes were absolutely cutting edge stuff back in the ‘50s and ‘60s. "Gymnopedie No. What he did wasn’t exactly new, but he put his own stamp on the dunk and was incredibly memorable. NFL – 1979 – NFL Films – Highlights Of Houston Oilers Playoff Run To The AFC Championship Game April 18, 2020. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. They locked him up, like in a straitjacket or something. He could jump off two feet, bring the ball up to dunk, get bumped by a defender, bring the ball back down, and then slam the ball through so violently that the defender would get knocked over. Vernon Earl Monroe (born November 21, 1944) is an American former professional basketball player. I mean, it’s not like people were calling him “Big Baby,” they were nicknaming him after: A: a rare treasure, B: someone with supernatural abilities, and C: a messiah! He was a highlight machine in an era when highlights weren’t shown every night. As a player, his size may have been a hindrance, but in highlights it’s amazing to behold. His unmatched fast break, no look passes. Follow the action on NBA scores, schedules, stats, news, Team and Player news. Regardless of the physics, Baylor was a true pioneer. NBA News. See, everybody remember him from the Knicks, you know, when he helped win that second championship and everything like that. Watch any Dr. J highlight and you can see how he used those monstrosities of human appendages to great effect. He played the role of the finisher on the most prolific alley oop team that the NBA has ever seen. Seeing him zip in and out of a lane stuffed with taller defenders and then gracefully lay it in never got old. See more ideas about nba, baltimore, basketball. The official site of the National Basketball Association. Nicknames “Earl the Pearl”, “Black Magic”, “Black Jesus”. If you have ever watched Maravich on tape, you realize how unique a player he was. Hard to believe that a slow, unathletic, self described hick, who sported a Spencer Pratt style blonde ‘stache could be one of the most entertaining athletes in sports history. Think what you want of Iverson the person, but as a player he was incredibly fun to watch. He was a born showman, and was the first point guard since Cousy to remind people that you can win championships AND put on a show for fans. He was a street legend, and a corporate friendly spokesman. His crossover was just disgusting, (even if that Michael Jordan play has been vastly overrated) and his quickness and tenacity was freakish. Earl the Pearl Monroe helped integration even before Martin Luther King did -- anyway, to tell you the truth, at just about the same time. In our modern era it’s really hard to get our head around what the doctor meant to America and the NBA in the ‘70s and early ‘80s. He may have been slow, and he may have had some Joe Dirt style facial hair, but he had a surprisingly electric game. ... He’s a fantastic passer and excellent scorer, and a YouTube search for highlights of KG in his prime should be … Yeah, he was nice. Monroe was an All-Star in 1975 and 1977, but the Knicks fell into decline, missing the playoffs entirely in 1979 and 1980, Monroe’s last two seasons. Earl, Earl, best in the world," they chanted, and he averaged 41.5 points and led his team to the NCAA small-college title. His twisting, spinning, faking, double-pump, and dribbling exploits made him a cult hero and earned him the nickname "The Pearl." I’m taking some liberties here because Iverson may very well play in the NBA this year …but he is not on an NBA roster, and thus he’s eligible for the list. He wasn’t an athletic specimen, but his decision making and court awareness made him a highlight factory. Report this video. The Shorts, Unfortunately, Do Not Add to the Excitement, listening to old timers passing along Black Jesus stories, wheelchair or teammates to carry him off the court, he-must-have-eyes-in-the-back-of-his-head. Read up on Earl Monroe's biography, career, awards and more on ESPN. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Flipboard (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window). He may not have dunked with the ferocity of Nique or Kemp, nor did he have the devastating Iversonian cross over, but his in-air body control was unmatched. The Baltimore Bullets acquired Riordan (and Dave Stallworth and cash) from the Knicks for Earl Monroe in 1971. My all-time favorite ballplayer was Earl Monroe. Earl "The Pearl" Monroe Bartram (Philadelphia, Pa.) '62 Monroe was a late-bloomer to the high school game; he started at center his final year at Bartram and averaged 21.7 ppg. He was a prototype for countless hall of famers (Magic, Maravich, and Steve Nash to name a few) and a true champion. He played for two teams, the Baltimore Bullets and the New York Knicks, during his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Kemp didn’t have the longevity or career impact that others on the list enjoyed, but in his short prime he was a force of nature that was fun to watch. Career highlights with the franchise: Games played - 418. During his hall of fame induction week, ESPN showed more MJ highlights than the Discovery Channel shows Great Whites chewing seals during Shark Week. Rookie of the Year. Vernon "Earl" Monroe. He was the master of the spin and the hesitation. Earl The Pearl Monroe as you've never seen him. Other highlights include profiles of David Bromberg and Nato Lima, a look at Carr Amplifiers and much, much more… Though largely unknown in the United States, Fylde Guitars are among the instruments of choice for a bevy of impressive players from the U.K.: Ian Anderson, Nic Jones, Eric Bibb and Gordon Giltrap, to name a few. He had smooth changes of direction that just embarrassed defenders. Who are the most exciting players the NBA has ever seen? Cousy doesn’t get as much love as he should. He never needed a wheelchair or teammates to carry him off the court, he was just a ferocious competitor, and it was fun to watch. Vernon Earl Monroe Twitter: EarlThePearl_15 (The Pearl, Black Jesus, Black Magic, Einstein, The Lord’s Prayer, Thomas Edison, The Magic Man) Position: Shooting Guard and Point Guard Shoots: Right 6-3, 185lb (190cm, 83kg) Born: November 21, 1944 in … They’re stories full of outlandish tall tale flair, things like: The Pistol throwing a full court pass behind his back to a teammate in stride, how he got kicked out of a movie theater because he wanted to practice his mesmerizing dribbling during a film, and how he obliterated college records with his legendary jumper. Both teams have retired Monroe's number. Magic was the maestro of “Showtime” and the master of the fast break. He wasn’t the first one to shock the crowd with his gravity defying play (that was Baylor), he wasn’t the first to excite the nation with his dunks, (that was Dr. J), and he wasn’t the first high scoring, no defense small forward (they were all over the place in the ‘80s). 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