Let's not forget that those guys also had some disadvantages that today's players didn't have:
1. The pre-expansion era - the league was much smaller, which meant only the best made it into the game, rather than the talent pool being diluted.
2. Sports and nutrition science - while we criticize players for being less athletic, keep in mind we knew less about the body and fitness, and what needed to be done to maximize athleticism. Look at how thin guys like Russell and Gervin and Kareem were, even Shaq early in his career. We also knew less about treating and recovering from injuries.
3. Fundamentals - maybe they weren't guarding guys that had 40 inch verticals but they were playing against guys that had solid fundamentals and could shoot and played hard.
4. Luxuries - players back in the day made way less money, didn't have team charters and would take trains and buses, back-to-back-to-back games, etc.
It was a different era. Not better or worse, just different.
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Destiny rides again!
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