Is it Teamwork? A History Lesson � The Wages of Wins Journal

Is it Teamwork? A History Lesson � The Wages of Wins Journal

The Blazers might have thought that teamwork and coaching was the key to their lone NBA title. The data, though, suggests that the key was Bill Walton. The Blazers had Walton, the most productive player on the court in the 1977 Finals. The 76ers had flashier players, but no one who could match the production of Walton. Consequently it was not a surprise that the Blazers won.

Walton was hurt in 1978, and missed the 1978-79 season and most of the next. In fact, he only played 259 more regular season games before calling it a career in 1987. When we look at Walton’s Win Score per-minute, we see that he was never quite the same player after 1978. Yes, he was still a key reason why the Celtics were able to win a title in 1986 (their last as a franchise), but he was never quite as dominant.