George McGinnis flamed out fast, but at one point in his
career it was a serious question as to whether he was better than Julius
Erving.
While at Indiana, McGinnis became the first sophomore to
lead the Big 10 in scoring and rebounding in 1970-1971. McGinnis turned pro and
signed with the Indiana Pacers, the ABA’s most successful franchise. In his
first two seasons, he helped the Pacers win their second and third ABA titles,
including winning ABA Playoff MVP in 1973.
McGinnis’ best season was 1974-1975 when he led the ABA in
scoring, was named league MVP and led the Pacers back to the ABA Finals, where
they lost to the Artis Gilmore-Dan Issel Kentucky Colonels. McGinnis was at his
peak in those playoffs, nearly averaging a triple-double (32.3 points, 15.9
rebounds, 8.2 assists). His playoff score in my system for McGinnis in 1975 ranks
among the top 10 ever.
McGinnis jumped to the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA in
1975-1976 and made All-NBA First Team. In 1976-1977, the ABA folded and
McGinnis was joined by Erving. The two powered the 76ers to the NBA Finals, but
McGinnis struggled and Philadelphia lost to the Portland Trailblazers.
After the 1977-1978 season, Philadelphia traded McGinnis to Denver
for Bobby Jones, a trade that would help the 76ers for years to come. McGinnis
played well for Denver, making another all-star game, but he tore ligaments in
his ankle in his second season for the Nuggets and was never the same. Denver
traded McGinnis back to Indiana for Alex English – a great trade for Denver – and
McGinnis never averaged even 15 points again. He retired after the 1981-1982
season at the age of 31.
McGinnis was headed for a spot in the top 50 of these
rankings until the ankle injury. He’s a forgotten star now and for years was
upset because much of the blame for the 76ers losing in 1977 was placed on his
shoulders. It’s undeserved. His teams had winning records in nine of his 11
seasons. Two years before he joined Philadelphia, the 76ers had set the
all-time record for losses in a season. It was McGinnis who started the Philly turnaround.
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George
McGinnis bio info
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Career
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1971-1982
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Games
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842
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Points
|
20.2
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Rebounds
|
11.0
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Assists
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3.7
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FG Pct.
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45.8%
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All-Star Games
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6
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MVPs
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1
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ABA titles
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2
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Playoff seasons
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8
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Playoff games
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104
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Points
|
20.7
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Rebounds
|
11.8
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Assists
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3.9
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FG Pct.
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43.5%
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Hall of Fame
|
2017
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Top 100
rankings
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||
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Points
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Top 100 ranking
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1-year
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338.10
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48th
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5-year
|
1,381.57
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64th
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10-year
|
2,125.26
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90th
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Career
|
2,192.49
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Not in top 100
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George
McGinnis at his peak
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|||
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1974-1975
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McGinnis
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Top 5
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Points
|
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PER
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25.1
|
25.56
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Win Shares
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11.6
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15.42
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Box +/-
|
6.7
|
7.60
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VORP
|
7.0
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7.52
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Total Advanced Stats
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50.4
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56.11
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89.83
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Playoff PER
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27.1
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24.47
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Win Shares
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2.8
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2.79
|
|
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Box +/-
|
11.7
|
7.34
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|
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VORP
|
1.0
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1.24
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Total Advanced Stats
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42.6
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35.84
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118.87
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Reg. Season Win %
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51.90
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51.90
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Playoff Win %
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50.00
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50.00
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MVP Voting (75 points)
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11/30
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27.50
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Playoff MVP (25 points)
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0
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0
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Total Score (95%)
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338.10
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McGinnis’ 10 greatest seasons
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1974-1975
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338.10
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1972-1973
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320.14
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1973-1974
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247.00
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1977-1978
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246.77
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1976-1977
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229.55
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1975-1976
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227.95
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1971-1972
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226.80
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1978-1979
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127.99
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1980-1981
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88.19
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1979-1980
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72.76
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Career
winning percentage
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|||
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W
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L
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Pct.
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Regular Season
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458
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384
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54.39%
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Playoffs
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57
|
47
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54.81%
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