Funny look at how nostalgia impacts fandom: Before writing his latest article for The Athletic “Why Bam Adebayo and the Heat should have stopped at matching Kobe Bryant’s 81 points”, Sam Amick’s most recent article was titled “Let’s appreciate SGA as he nears Wilt’s consecutive 20-point game record”
Bit of a funny observation I noticed when going to read Sam Amick’s article about why Bam and the Heat shouldn’t have broken Kobe’s scoring record. Literally the last article Amick wrote before that was about how we should appreciate that Shai is about to break a Wilt record that previously looked unattainable.
Here’s a screenshot proving that this was, originally, the article title. I can’t tell if it was just edited recently or if the article always had a different headline than what it looks like under his profile. Clicking into the article the title is “Shai Gilgeous-Alexander nears Wilt’s record, Kon Knueppel’s ROY case and more”
Here’s the portion of the article about SGA chasing Wilt’s record of most consecutive 20 point games:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is headed for the history books Monday night.
The Oklahoma City Thunder’s reigning MVP is on track to tie Wilt Chamberlain’s record of most consecutive games with 20-plus points (126) in a home tilt against the Denver Nuggets. And if last week was any indication, the way that SGA is officiated will continue to be a source of conversation and controversy.
First, ESPN’s Doris Burke spotlighted the topic, going viral on March 1 when she argued that the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards was whistled for an offensive foul that, in her view, would not have been called on Gilgeous-Alexander. Three days later, New York Knicks coach Mike Brown found the most polite way possible to say, in essence, the same thing.
“He does a great job of convincing the referees — probably better than anyone in the league — that he’s getting hit,” Brown told reporters after the Thunder’s 103-100 win at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.
Then came Steve Kerr. The Golden State Warriors coach couched his criticism Saturday by clarifying that SGA was merely exploiting the system.
“He’s incredibly clever, and he knows exactly how to draw contact, and it’s all within the rules,” Kerr told reporters. “I don’t have a problem with Shai; I have a problem with the rules. We, as a league … hardly allow the defense to do anything guarding the ball.”
Those viewpoints have merit, and there’s a worthy discussion to be had about Gilgeous-Alexander’s methods, but all that nuance and negativity should fall by the wayside in honor of his remarkable feat. After all, this is Wilt we’re talking about here. Any player who finds a way to topple one of his many mind-blowing marks deserves to be celebrated. And even SGA’s biggest detractors have to admit that he has become one of the most consistent and dynamic scorers in the history of the game.
As NBA.com’s Steve Aschburner highlighted here, Chamberlain and Gilgeous-Alexander are in a class of their own on this front:
“No one else in NBA history has had a streak of 20-point nights hit triple digits. Oscar Robertson got to 79 games. (Michael) Jordan and Kevin Durant maxed out at 72. (Kareem) Abdul-Jabbar reached 71; Kobe Bryant, 63; and LeBron James’ 49 rank 21st.”
That paragraph alone shows how difficult it is to match this record. For SGA’s part, this steadiness — night in and night out — is a direct reflection of his renowned work ethic and ethos. Or, as the kids say, his aura.
Remember that interview he did around this time a year ago, when he talked about consistency being the key to his entire life? This is that, only in box-score form.
A few more fun facts about SGA’s streak, in anticipation of him tying Wilt’s mark and quite possibly winning a second consecutive MVP this season. Assuming Gilgeous-Alexander ties Chamberlain against the Nuggets, he can break the record in a home game Thursday against the Boston Celtics — and their fifth-ranked defense.
• Gilgeous-Alexander last scored fewer than 20 points on Oct. 30, 2024, when he had 18 in a 105-93 home win against the San Antonio Spurs (shooting 7 of 20 from the field).
• In the seven games before this streak began, Gilgeous-Alexander scored fewer than 20 points three times. Before that stretch, he had scored 20-plus in 29 consecutive games (Jan. 18, 2024, to March 22, 2024).
• In this stretch of 125 consecutive games with 20-plus points, Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 32.4 points while shooting 53.4 percent from the floor, 38.2 percent from 3-point range (on 5.1 attempts per game) and 89.7 percent from the free-throw line (on 9.3 attempts). He won his first scoring title last season and is currently second behind the Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Dončić (32.5 to SGA’s 31.6).
Just a funny immediate whiplash from praising history for tying a record for somebody you weren’t old enough to watch into immediately clutching at nostalgia for somebody you did.