George "The Iceman" Gervin was one of the league's best players during the 1970s. He was an unstoppable talent who played with a natural smoothness that made basketball look easy. His signature move was the finger roll layup, which perfectly captured Gervin's trademark smoothness throughout his career.
The Iceman's flair was not the epitome of his game because Gervin proved his excellence through his stats. The numbers don't lie for the San Antonio Spurs legend who averaged 26.2 points per game throughout his 14-year career in both the ABA and NBA. It made his opponents wary of him, including four-time All-Star Spencer Haywood .
"We're gonna play him tough. We're gonna beat him up a little bit, and he would just absorb all the punishment and smile and still have 30 at halftime and stuff, this is not working," Haywood said on Vintage NBA.
Gervin could score at will
Gervin was one of the most intriguing players to look back on, considering he had a unique style that would have fit the modern era. He is known for his finger roll and ability to get to the rim, but he was also a good shooter. The Iceman cited he wanted to use the finger roll rather than the dunk because the latter was painful for his hand.
Since he came up in the ABA, he was familiar with the three-point line from the jump and added that aspect of the game to his offensive repertoire. Throughout his 14-year career, The Iceman was one of the most challenging matchups because he had all the high-level skills at his disposal.
Gervin had good ball-handling skills and an uncanny ability to pull off that finger roll almost anywhere within the three-point arc. That was a big deal for George because it made him tough to defend, as players became warier of his finger roll.
His scoring ability deserves respect due to his 12 All-Star Game appearances, nine All-NBA/ABA Team nods, and four scoring championships. He did it for the Spurs, cementing himself as a legend for the organization, enough to get his jersey number #44 retired.
Stopping Gervin was the key to winning against San Antonio
Haywood spoke about stopping Gervin as a priority for teams playing against the Spurs. Slowing him down was vital, given that he was the most dangerous player on the Spurs roster.
Amidst losses, it was tough to blame Gervin because he still impacted the game. The rest of the Spurs roster was underwhelming during those years, as the team's peak was making it into the Western Conference Finals in 1979 and 1983. It was unfortunate for the legend to retire without a championship ring, but he still had accolades as a superstar scorer and an innovator for using the finger roll layup.
Gervin deserves his flowers for his contribution to the game and how good he was. The Iceman is a legendary player and a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame's Class of 2006.
Related: "Michael and Magic were not better players than me" - George Gervin on the reason why he never became a superstar
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