Whoever comes to the peak is sweeping? How did Moses Malone dominate the basket

In 1974, Moses Malone, who was only 19 years old, had just completed high school, but unlike most players, he did not go to the University of Maryland to report, but entered the ABA as a high school student. In the ABA Draft, Moses Malone was selected by the Utah Stars in the third round, and he became the first player in basketball history to go directly to the professional league from high school.

Two years later, with the merger of the ABA and the NBA, Moses Malone officially stepped onto the NBA arena. He was selected by the Trail Blazers with the fifth overall pick in the 1976 ABA disbandment draft. However, because he already had Bill Walton at this time, the team eventually sent him to the Buffalo Warriors (now the predecessor of the Clippers). After only two games, the team sent him to the Rockets again in exchange for two future first-round picks.

After coming to the Rockets, Moses Malone began to emerge and gradually became the top center in the league. In his third season of his NBA career, Malone won his first MVP. Two years later, Malone led the Rockets to the finals. Although he eventually lost to Bird's Celtics 2-4, since then, Malone has become a force that cannot be ignored in the era of "Demon Birds Battle".

"If anyone in NBA history can change the basketball landscape alone, it must be Moses Malone." This is the legendary coach Chuck Daley praises Malone.

How terrifying is Moses Malone's rebounding ability?

Looking back on his career, Malone averaged 12.3 rebounds per game, including 3.8 offensive rebounds, second only to the two big legends Chamberlain and Russell. He is one of the greatest rebounders in NBA history, and Malone ranked first in offensive rebounds since 1973-74 when the NBA began to use offensive and defensive rebounds as separate categories.

According to Barkley, "If you can't pass the ball to Malone, you can shoot directly, because Malone will always get offensive rebounds."

Compared with the center at the same time, Moses Malone's static talent is not outstanding. He is only 2.08 meters tall, and his wingspan is almost the same as his height, and he has no advantage in fighting for rebounds. Therefore, his rebounding ability comes more from his prediction of rebounding landing points and textbook-level positioning skills.

Whenever the opponent takes action, Malone will observe the shot angle and strength of the shooter, thereby judging the landing trajectory of the rebound and taking the lead in occupying a favorable position. Moreover, he has a very good sense of positioning and quickly carried someone on the other party's back as soon as the opponent takes action. When the opponent is about to take off, take a step towards the rebound and use his hips to hold the opponent's lower set, forcing the opponent to lose the best position to grab the board.

This way of positioning seems simple, but requires strong physical control and spatial perception.

After grabbing the offensive rebound, Malone will seize the "time difference", shake the opponent and complete the layup. If faced with an experienced opponent, Ma Long would use his shoulders to hold onto the opponent, complete the confrontation in the air, and send the ball into the basket with a soft feel. In the 81-82 season, Malone set an NBA record of 452 offensive rebounds in a single season, and no one has been able to break it yet. In the 82-83 season, the Rockets traded Malone to the Sixers in exchange for Caldwell Jones and the 1983 first-round draft pick. In the same year, Malone joined hands with Chicks and Julius Irving to win the championship with a playoff record of 12 wins and 1 losses. In the final, they swept the Lakers led by "Magics" and Jabbar 4-0. Malone averaged 26.0 points and 15.8 rebounds in 13 playoff games, winning the Most Valuable Player.

During the 4-year period of the 76ers, Malone was selected as the All-Star, and the team made it to the playoffs during this period, but due to injuries, Malone missed many of the team's playoffs, and the team failed to achieve the expected results. Shortly after the 85-86 season, Philadelphia traded Malone with Terry Catledge and two first-round draft picks to the Washington Bullets for Jeff Rulan and Cliff Robinson.

Marron's professional glory was dedicated to Houston and Philadelphia. Although he was still one of the league's best scorers and rebounds in the next four seasons, it did not match the outside world's expectations, resulting in Marron's displaced later in his career. After playing for two seasons with the Bullets and the Hawks, Malone also moved to the Bucks, the Sixers and the Spurs. In 1995, Malone ended his 21-year career.

Marron's honor resume is almost perfect. He has won almost all the honors of the NBA and created a record that his juniors can't match. But in the center position, his ability is often underestimated by many people.

When mentioning Malone, most people think first is the phrase "fo-fo-fo" in the championship season. Perhaps Ma Long never thought that this sentence became his most iconic prophetic bold statement.