Common Denominator

"Played for the NBA's St. Louis Hawks in 1964/65 (Bob Pettit's last season) and with Rick Barry on the 74/75 Golden State Warriors."

That would be Jeff Mullins and Bill Bridges (Who just passed away last September). Mullins and Bridges would see Pettit average just 11.5 points per game against Baltimore in the 1965 playoffs. Bridges fared a little better, being good enough for 13.0 ppg. Mullins did little, however. He played less than six minutes per game, averaging just 4.0 ppg and 3.0 rpg. The Bullets won the series over the Hawks, three to one.

Mullins and Bridges took a different times to meet up with Barry. Mullins was on San Francisco (As they were called) in 1966/67. They made it all the way to the finals. Now, normally that meant facing the Boston Celtics (Who'd beaten the Warriors in the '64 finals). But now, Wilt Chamberlain and his Philadelphia 76ers had beaten the Celtics in just five games in the Eastern Conference Finals. Long before it was MJ and his Bulls vs. Isiah and his Pistons, it was always Wilt vs. Bill (Russell). Russell's team's had Chamberlain's number. But not in '67.

However, the 76ers still had to beat the Warriors. Rick Barry and Nate Thurmond were ready for Wilt and his great team. Having swept the Los Angeles Lakers (Who failed to win an NBA crown in the 1960s despite six trips to the finals) and taken six to dispose of St. Louis, they too had a chance. Just in case Wilt and co. thought they'd seen the last of the tough times, it was San Francisco with a surprising win in game three. The 76ers had taken the first two contests at home, then looked to have it in the bag when they against beat the Warriors, right there in San Fran, 122-108. Barry had 43 points. Mullins 14. However, Jeff fouled out. The Warriors then stunned 'em in game five in enemy territory, before the 76ers finally wrapped it up with a close 125-122 win in the sixth game.

In 1971/72, the Warriors became the Golden State Warriors. In a very competitive decade, it didn't matter what your name was (Individual or team), there we no easy playoff matchups. And things weren't about to get any easier for them in 1974/75. In September of '74, before the start of the NBA season, Nate Thurmond was traded to the Chicago Bulls for Clifford Ray. But as a team, it was the Warriors that could trade baskets with anyone.

They won only 48 games that year, but it only seemed to make them tougher when it all counted. They beat the Seattle Supersonics in six, got past the tough Bulls in seven, then came up against the Washington Bullets. It turned out to be Barry easy.

Rick averaged 29.5 points per game in the series. And 5.0 assist per game. It was a dominating performance that stats can't even explain. Mullins averaged 8.0 ppg. But it was Bridges that didn't do much. He barely played and averaged just 1.0 ppg. When he walked off the court on May 25th, 1975, his career was over. Mullins played one more year before hangin' 'em up. Ironically, they went out winners against the very team that had ended Bob Pettit's career ten years earlier. Golden State, meanwhile, would have to wait. Until 2014/15, to be exact, to win again.


References

Sports Reference LLC. Basketball-Reference.com - Basketball Statistics and History. http://www.basketball-reference.com/. 26 Apr. 2016

Sure Could Have Fooled Me!

Steve Kerr had the top field goal percentage of any Chicago Bull in the 1995/96 season. The Bulls won a then-record 72 games that year. Year later, Kerr the Golden State Warriors' coach, won 73 games in the 2015/16 season. But we are getting off topic.

Kerr, who was also a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1991/92 (Starting a career high 20 games), arrived in Chicago for the 1993/94 season and averaged 8.6 points per game. Steve took 577 shots from the field. Both marks were a career high.

But the Bulls only made it to the second round in 1994. The next season, Orlando beat them. It was time, in 1995/96, to get back to winning. As in winning it all.

But the Bulls might not have been so dominant without Steve. He did no start any game, but was fifth on the team in minutes played, 1919. That meant he played 23.4 minutes per game. While Chicago had Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman (Not to mention such forgotten contributors as Ron Harper, Luc Longley, and Toni Kukoc), they needed some of their reserves to step it up should foul trouble or other should some unforeseeable event arise.

I actually saw one of Kerr's best games. 1995/96 was also the year the NBA expanded north of the border. The Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzles came to play ball on the hardwood floor that year. Toronto had an interesting first year, winning 21 games. And one of them was against Chicago.

The Raps edged the Bulls 109-108 on March 24th of that season. Rodman did not play. Kerr, however, played a huge role. In 21 minutes (So below his normal time), all he did was go seven for ten from the field, three of those from three-point land. In fact, Kerr did not miss from two point range in the entire game. Oh, MJ? Well, he was pretty good, too. He shot 14-22. But despite hit 36 and Kukoc's 23, it was not enough.

Kerr got a season-high 19 points on February 23rd. He had also scored 17 again on January 30th and February 15th. When the season was over, however, Kerr had shot .506 from the field. What did MJ shoot, you ask? Why .495. Pippen shot only .463 and Kukoc .490. No one else besides Kerr shot better than .483 coming off the bench. As a team, the Bulls shot .478. That was still well above the league average, which was only .462. Chicago, as a team, finished seventh in the league.

But Kerr watched as Jordan and co. got it all going in the playoffs. Kerr played a little less and didn't contribute as much as I'm sure he would have liked. But he had his moments. Against Orlando in the conference finals, he went off for 14 points, including an amazing 4-5 performance from downtown. That was in game one, and sent the message of superiority to the Magic. In the fourth and final game, Chicago complete the sweep and Kerr had 9 points.

In the finals against Seattle, Kerr needed a bit of time to get untracked. He failed to score a point in twelve minutes of game one. In the second contest, Steve Kerr managed only three points. He finally had a good game in the third contest, scoring 8 points in 25 minutes (Equaling the total him he'd played in games one and two combined). The Bulls routed the Supersonics at home to go up 3-0. But was Kerr needed?

Seattle snapped 'em back to reality with back-to-back wins at home to sent the finals back to where it all began. Kerr scored only five in the fourth game. He missed six of his seven attempts from three-point range in game six, one of the reasons Chicago lost 89-78. They'd lost game four pretty badly, 107-86.

Back at the United Centre for the sixth game, Kerr helped. The Bulls didn't shoot well. Jordan, 5-19. Pippen, 7-17. Rodman, 4-9. Harper, 3-11. Only Longley salvaged some pride among the starters as he shot 5-6. But Kerr, limited to just 17 minutes, came to play, hitting 3 of his four attempts from the field, including a three-pointer. Steve had no intentions of letting an upstart team like Seattle ruin a strong, record-setting year (And probably ditto for this season!). The Bulls went on to win 87-75 despite shooting just .397 from the field.


References

Sports Reference LLC.  Basketball-Reference.com - Basketball Statistics and History. http://www.basketball-reference.com/. 25 Apr. 2016.

The (Nearly) Constant Reliever, Baumgartner

Stan Baumgartner is another surprise to this list. Why, look at the ERA? However, viewed in proper perspective, it isn't so bad. The American League gave up it share of hits in 1925, even with a rare off-season by Babe Ruth himself, the poor junior circuit saw hurlers post an ERA of 4.39. But this Philadelphia Athletic without some of that.

So Stan's isn't too bad. This was really his only good season out of the bullpen when Baumgartner hopped in more than 20 times. Worse still, he wasn't even the regular closer. That job belonged to Rube Walberg. Of Baumgartner's six wins, only two came as a relief pitcher.

That doesn't detract from the fact that Stan was used out of the bullpen for 22 straight appearances spanning June 15th to September 10th of '25.

Stat Set 1

Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Crandall	1913	35	27	0.771	97.2	4	4
Wolfgang	1914	24	12	0.500	119.1	9	5
Mays	1915	38	27	0.711	131.2	6	5
Danforth	1917	50	26	0.520	173.0	11	6
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Baumgartner	1925	37	9	0.243	113.1	6	3
Marberry	1926	64	47	0.734	138.0	12	7
Haid	1928	27	14	0.519	47.0	2	2
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Quinn	1932	39	29	0.744	64.1	5	4
Russell	1933	50	31	0.620	124.0	12	6
Brown	1938	51	32	0.627	132.2	15	9
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Beggs	1940	37	27	0.730	76.2	12	3
Murphy	1941	35	31	0.886	77.1	8	3
Adams	1943	70	52	0.743	140.1	11	7
Heving	1944	63	38	0.603	119.2	8	3
Maltzberger	1944	46	41	0.891	91.1	10	5
Page	1949	60	48	0.800	135.1	13	8
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Konstanty	1950	74	62	0.838	152.0	16	7
Wilhelm	1952	71	32	0.451	159.1	15	3
Paige	1952	46	35	0.761	138.0	12	10
Kinder	1953	69	52	0.754	107.0	10	6
Mossi	1954	40	18	0.450	93.0	6	1
Narleski	1955	60	36	0.600	111.2	9	1
Freeman	1956	64	47	0.734	108.2	14	5
Farrell	1957	52	32	0.615	83.1	10	2
Zuverink	1957	56	37	0.661	112.2	10	6
Hyde	1958	53	44	0.830	103.0	10	3
Duren	1959	41	29	0.707	76.2	3	6
Staley	1959	67	37	0.552	116.1	8	5
Face	1959	57	47	0.825	93.1	18	1
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
McDaniel	1960	63	47	0.746	104.1	12	4
Arroyo	1961	65	54	0.831	119.0	15	5
Fox	1961	39	25	0.641	57.1	5	2
Radatz	1963	66	58	0.879	131.1	15	6
Perranoski	1963	69	47	0.681	129.0	16	3
Lee	1964	64	39	0.609	137.0	6	5
Ellis	1964	52	32	0.615	122.1	10	3
Miller	1965	67	55	0.821	112.1	14	7
Regan	1966	65	48	0.738	116.2	14	1
Abernathy	1967	70	61	0.871	106.1	6	3
Wood	1968	88	46	0.523	159.0	13	12
Tatum	1969	45	33	0.733	86.1	7	2
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Williams	1970	68	36	0.529	113.1	10	1
McMahon	1970	61	44	0.721	94.1	9	5
Sanders	1971	83	77	0.928	136.1	7	12
Giusti	1972	54	44	0.815	74.2	7	4
Hiller	1973	65	60	0.923	125.1	10	5
Borbon	1973	80	36	0.450	121.0	11	4
Marshall	1974	106	83	0.783	208.1	15	12
Gossage	1975	62	49	0.790	141.2	9	8
Eastwick	1976	71	59	0.831	107.2	11	5
Lyle	1977	72	60	0.833	137.0	13	5
Sutter	1977	62	48	0.774	107.1	7	3
Blair	1978	70	56	0.800	100.1	7	6
Stanley	1978	52	35	0.673	141.2	15	2
Tekulve	1979	94	67	0.713	134.1	10	8
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
McGraw	1980	57	48	0.842	92.1	5	4
Fingers	1981	47	41	0.872	78.0	6	3
Caudill	1982	70	64	0.914	95.2	12	9
Hernandez	1984	80	68	0.850	140.1	9	3
Lamp	1985	53	11	0.208	105.2	11	0
Eichhorn	1986	69	38	0.551	157.0	14	6
Henke	1987	72	62	0.861	94.0	0	6
Burke	1987	55	30	0.545	91.0	7	0
Henneman	1988	65	51	0.785	91.1	9	6
Lancaster	1989	42	15	0.357	72.2	4	2
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Eckersley	1990	63	61	0.968	73.1	4	2
Thigpen	1990	77	73	0.948	88.2	4	6
Henry	1991	32	25	0.781	36.0	2	1
Ward	1992	79	35	0.443	101.1	7	4
Rojas	1992	68	26	0.382	100.2	7	1
Wetteland	1993	70	58	0.829	85.1	9	3
Harvey	1993	59	54	0.915	69.0	1	5
Hoffman	1998	66	61	0.924	73.0	4	2
Urbina	1998	64	59	0.922	69.1	6	3
Williamson	1999	62	40	0.645	93.1	12	7
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Rhodes	2001	71	16	0.225	68.0	8	0
Smoltz	2003	62	55	0.887	64.1	0	2
Timlin	2005	81	27	0.333	80.1	7	3
Nathan	2006	64	61	0.953	68.1	7	0
Putz	2007	68	65	0.956	71.2	6	1
Rivera	2008	64	60	0.938	70.2	6	5
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Bell	2010	67	57	0.851	70.0	6	1
Cook	2012	71	23	0.324	73.1	6	2
Chapman	2012	68	52	0.765	71.2	5	5
Johnson	2012	71	63	0.887	68.2	2	1
Davis	2014	70	11	0.157	72.0	9	2
Rondon	2015	72	47	0.653	70.0	6	4
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L

Stat Set 2

Pitcher	Year	S	BS	S%	H	ERA	K	K/9	WHIP	WAR
Crandall	1913	6	?	?	?	2.86	42	3.9	1.290	0.5
Wolfgang	1914	0	?	?	?	1.89	50	3.8	1.073	1.8
Mays	1915	7	?	?	?	2.60	65	4.4	1.063	1.0
Danforth	1917	9	?	?	?	2.65	79	4.1	1.324	3.2
Pitcher	Year	S	BS	S%	H	ERA	K	K/9	WHIP	WAR
Baumgartner	1925	3	?	?	?	3.57	18	1.4	1.368	2.5
Marberry	1926	22	?	?	?	3.00	43	2.8	1.348	3.1
Haid	1928	5	?	?	?	2.30	21	4.0	1.064	0.4
Pitcher	Year	S	BS	S%	H	ERA	K	K/9	WHIP	WAR
Quinn	1932	13	?	?	?	2.66	24	3.5	1.383	1.1
Russell	1933	13	?	?	?	2.69	28	2.0	1.218	3.1
Brown	1938	5	?	?	?	3.80	55	3.7	1.500	0.4
Pitcher	Year	S	BS	S%	H	ERA	K	K/9	WHIP	WAR
Beggs	1940	7	4	0.636	0	2.00	25	2.9	1.161	2.2
Murphy	1941	15	7	0.682	0	1.98	29	3.4	1.397	2.2
Adams	1943	9	2	0.818	0	2.82	46	3.0	1.254	3.0
Heving	1944	10	?	?	0	1.96	46	3.5	1.228	1.9
Maltzberger	1944	12	?	?	?	2.96	49	4.8	1.095	1.8
Page	1949	27	11	0.711	0	2.59	99	6.6	1.315	4.2
Pitcher	Year	S	BS	S%	H	ERA	K	K/9	WHIP	WAR
Konstanty	1950	22	4	0.846	0	2.66	56	3.3	1.039	4.7
Wilhelm	1952	11	1	0.917	1	2.43	108	6.1	1.155	2.7
Paige	1952	10	5	0.667	1	3.07	91	5.9	1.254	3.4
Kinder	1953	27	8	0.771	4	1.85	39	3.3	1.140	4.5
Mossi	1954	7	0	1.000	0	1.94	55	5.3	1.022	3.3
Narleski	1955	19	2	0.905	6	3.71	94	7.6	1.281	2.5
Freeman	1956	18	3	0.857	2	3.40	50	4.1	1.344	2.6
Farrell	1957	10	3	0.769	0	2.38	54	5.8	1.320	2.4
Zuverink	1957	9	8	0.529	0	2.48	36	2.9	1.278	2.7
Hyde	1958	18	5	0.783	0	1.75	49	4.3	1.136	4.9
Duren	1959	14	7	0.667	1	1.88	96	11.3	1.200	3.8
Staley	1959	15	4	0.789	2	2.24	54	4.2	1.169	2.5
Face	1959	10	9	0.526	1	2.70	69	6.7	1.243	3.2
Pitcher	Year	S	BS	S%	H	ERA	K	K/9	WHIP	WAR
McDaniel	1960	26	6	0.813	1	1.29	95	8.2	0.863	6.0
Arroyo	1961	29	10	0.744	1	2.19	87	6.6	1.109	3.3
Fox	1961	12	2	0.857	3	1.41	32	5.0	1.012	2.6
Radatz	1963	25	3	0.893	0	1.97	162	11.0	1.096	5.7
Perranoski	1963	21	8	0.724	0	1.67	75	5.2	1.202	4.5
Lee	1964	19	8	0.704	1	1.51	111	7.3	1.058	4.3
Ellis	1964	14	2	0.875	1	2.57	125	9.2	1.054	3.1
Miller	1965	24	1	0.960	1	1.89	104	7.8	0.997	4.3
Regan	1966	21	7	0.750	1	1.62	88	6.8	0.934	5.0
Abernathy	1967	28	6	0.824	1	1.27	88	7.4	0.978	6.2
Wood	1968	16	5	0.762	7	1.87	74	4.2	1.006	5.4
Tatum	1969	22	1	0.957	2	1.36	65	6.8	1.042	4.3
Pitcher	Year	S	BS	S%	H	ERA	K	K/9	WHIP	WAR
Williams	1970	15	4	0.789	7	1.99	76	6.0	1.032	2.8
McMahon	1970	19	5	0.792	0	2.96	74	7.1	1.219	3.0
Sanders	1971	31	4	0.886	0	1.91	80	5.3	1.064	4.1
Giusti	1972	22	5	0.815	0	1.93	54	6.5	1.058	2.3
Hiller	1973	38	0	1.000	0	1.44	124	8.9	1.021	8.1
Borbon	1973	14	5	0.737	6	2.16	60	4.5	1.421	2.5
Marshall	1974	21	12	0.636	9	2.42	143	6.2	1.186	3.1
Gossage	1975	26	5	0.839	1	1.84	130	8.3	1.193	8.2
Eastwick	1976	26	9	0.743	1	2.09	70	5.9	1.115	2.8
Lyle	1977	26	8	0.765	1	2.17	68	4.5	1.197	3.7
Sutter	1977	31	9	0.775	0	1.34	129	10.8	0.857	6.5
Stanley	1978	10	5	0.667	1	2.60	38	2.2	1.242	4.1
Blair	1978	28	5	0.848	2	1.97	91	8.2	1.246	4.1
Tekulve	1979	31	6	0.838	8	2.79	75	5.0	1.176	3.2
Pitcher	Year	S	BS	S%	H	ERA	K	K/9	WHIP	WAR
McGraw	1980	20	5	0.800	0	1.46	75	7.3	0.921	4.7
Fingers	1981	28	6	0.824	0	1.04	61	7.0	0.872	4.2
Caudill	1982	26	6	0.813	0	2.35	111	10.4	1.045	4.4
Hernandez	1984	32	1	0.970	0	1.92	112	7.2	0.941	4.8
Lamp	1985	2	5	0.286	8	3.32	68	5.8	1.164	1.3
Eichhorn	1986	10	4	0.714	7	1.72	166	9.5	0.955	7.4
Henke	1987	34	8	0.810	1	2.49	128	12.3	0.926	3.3
Burke	1987	18	4	0.818	5	1.19	58	5.7	0.890	4.3
Henneman	1988	22	7	0.759	2	1.87	58	5.7	1.051	3.3
Lancaster	1989	8	3	0.727	7	1.36	56	6.9	1.032	3.9
Pitcher	Year	S	BS	S%	H	ERA	K	K/9	WHIP	WAR
Eckersley	1990	48	2	0.960	0	0.61	73	9.0	0.614	3.3
Thigpen	1990	57	8	0.877	0	1.83	70	7.1	1.038	3.4
Henry	1991	15	1	0.938	3	1.00	28	7.0	0.833	2.2
Ward	1992	12	4	0.750	24	1.95	103	9.1	1.135	3.1
Rojas	1992	10	1	0.909	13	1.43	70	6.3	1.043	3.9
Wetteland	1993	43	1	0.977	0	1.37	113	12.0	1.008	4.2
Harvey	1993	45	4	0.918	0	1.70	73	9.5	0.841	4.0
Hoffman	1998	53	1	0.981	0	1.48	86	10.6	0.849	4.1
Urbina	1998	34	4	0.895	0	1.30	94	12.2	1.010	3.2
Williamson	1999	19	7	0.731	5	2.41	107	10.3	1.039	2.8
Pitcher	Year	S	BS	S%	H	ERA	K	K/9	WHIP	WAR
Rhodes	2001	3	4	0.429	31	1.72	83	11.0	0.853	2.5
Smoltz	2003	45	4	0.918	0	1.12	73	10.2	0.870	3.3
Timlin	2005	13	7	0.650	24	2.24	59	6.6	1.320	2.9
Nathan	2006	36	2	0.947	0	1.58	95	12.5	0.790	3.3
Putz	2007	40	2	0.952	0	1.38	82	10.3	0.698	4.0
Rivera	2008	39	1	0.975	0	1.40	77	9.8	0.665	4.3
Pitcher	Year	S	BS	S%	H	ERA	K	K/9	WHIP	WAR
Bell	2010	47	3	0.940	0	1.93	86	11.1	1.200	1.9
Cook	2012	14	7	0.667	21	2.09	80	9.8	0.941	2.6
Chapman	2012	38	5	0.884	6	1.51	122	15.3	0.809	3.6
Johnson	2012	51	3	0.944	0	2.49	41	5.4	1.019	2.4
Davis	2014	3	3	0.500	33	1.00	109	13.6	0.847	3.7
Rondon	2015	30	4	0.882	8	1.67	69	8.6	1.000	2.2
Pitcher	Year	S	BS	S%	H	ERA	K	K/9	WHIP	WAR

Notes

Baumgartner appeared as a starter twelve times

Wolfgang appeared as a starter eleven times.

Danforth appeared as a starter nine times.

Paige and Mays appeared as a starter six times.

Marberry, Mossi, Lee and Ellis appeared as a starter five times.

Russell, Stanley and Adams appeared as a starter three times.

Brown, McDaniel, Wood and Crandall appeared as a starter two times.

Beggs, Quinn, Narleski and McGraw appeared once as a starter

Maltzberger, Hyde, Konstanty, Duren, Tekulve and Henke all wore glasses.



References

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 23 Apr. 2016