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There's something special about the first time -- no matter the activity.
Shaquille O'Neal and Yao Ming greet each other for the first time Friday night. Which got us to thinking: how were the first impressions of some other great centers?
The comparisons are not always flattering or fair: Some of the greats were at the beginning of their careers; some were near the end. Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain combined for 52 points and 63 rebounds in their epic first meeting 43 years ago in Boston. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar threw down 50 in his first meeting with fellow UCLA Bruin Bill Walton back in 1975. Kareem also dominated Moses Malone, who had only four points in their first encounter.
O'Neal, for his part, got the better of Patrick Ewing in their first meeting in 1992, but was outscored by Hakeem Olajuwon (22-12) and David Robinson (23-19) in their first get-togethers.
Shaq vs. Yao? We'll see tonight.
Russell vs. Chamberlain
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| Russell |
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| Chamberlain |
First meeting: Nov. 7, 1959 (at Boston)
Final score: Boston 115, Philadelphia 106
Regular-season meetings: 94
Russell won 57, Chamberlain 37
Postseason meetings: 49
Russell won 29, Chamberlain 20
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First meeting
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Russell: 22 pts. (36.8 FG%), 35 Reb.
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Chamberlain: 30 pts. (31.6 FG%), 28 reb.
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Reg. season (head-to-head)
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Russell: 14.2 PPG, 22.9 RPG
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Chamberlain: 30.0 PPG, 28.2 RPG
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Postseason (head-to-head)
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Russell: 14.9 PPG, 24.7 RPG
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Chamberlain: 25.7 PPG, 28.0 RPG
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Abdul-Jabbar vs. Chamberlain
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| Abdul-Jabbar |
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| Chamberlain |
First meeting: Oct. 24, 1969 (at Los Angeles)
Final score: L.A. Lakers 123, Milwaukee 112
Regular-season meetings: 17
Chamberlain won 9, Abdul-Jabbar won 8
Postseason meetings: 11
Abdul-Jabbar won 6, Chamberland won 5
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First meeting
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Abdul-Jabbar: 23 pts. (42.9 FG%), 20 Reb.
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Chamberlain: 25 pts. (64.3 FG%), 25 Reb.
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Reg. season (head-to-head)
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Abdul-Jabbar: 31.8 PPG, 15.8 RPG
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Chamberlain: 16.3 PPG, 17.6 RPG
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Postseason (head-to-head)
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Abdul-Jabbar: 29.7 PPG, 17.9 RPG
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Chamberlain: 15.9 PPG, 19.1 RPG
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Walton vs. Abdul-Jabbar
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| Walton |
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| Abdul-Jabbar |
First meeting: Jan. 19, 1975 (at Milwaukee)
Final score: Milwaukee 122, Portland 108
Regular-season meetings: 26
Abdul-Jabbar won 16, Walton won 10
Postseason meetings: 9
Walton won 6, Abdul-Jabbar won 3
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First meeting
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Walton: 7 pts. (40.0 FG%), 6 Reb.
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Abdul-Jabbar: 50 pts. (60.0 FG%), 15 Reb.
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Reg. season (head-to-head)
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Walton: 15.3 PPG, 12.0 RPG
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Abdul-Jabbar: 24.4 PPG, 9.8 RPG
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Postseason (head-to-head)
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Walton: 9.2 PPG, 7.1 RPG
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Abdul-Jabbar: 26.1 PPG, 10.8 RPG
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Malone vs. Abdul-Jabbar
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| Malone |
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| Abdul-Jabbar |
First meeting: Dec. 10, 1976 (at Los Angeles)
Final score: L.A. Lakers 109, Houston 99
Regular-season meetings: 34
Abdul-Jabbar won 20, Malone won 14
Postseason meetings: 7
Malone won 6, Abdul-Jabbar won 1
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First meeting
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Malone: 4 pts. (33.3 FG%), 9 Reb.
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Abdul-Jabbar: 18 pts. (70.0 FG%), 16 Reb.
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Reg. season (head-to-head)
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Malone: 25.4 PPG, 15.2 RPG
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Abdul-Jabbar: 22.0 PPG, 7.9 RPG
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Postseason (head-to-head)
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Malone: 28.1 PPG, 17.9 RPG
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Abdul-Jabbar: 24.9 PPG, 11.4 RPG
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Ewing vs. Olajuwon
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| Ewing |
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| Olajuwon |
First meeting: Jan. 18, 1986 (at Houston)
Final score: Houston 104, New York 95
Regular-season meetings: 28
Ewing won 14, Olajuwon 14
Postseason meetings: 7
Olajuwon won 4, Ewing won 3
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First meeting
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Ewing: 25 pts. (50.0 FG%), 8 Reb.
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Olajuwon: 24 pts. (55.6 FG%), 6 Reb.
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Reg. season (head-to-head)
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Ewing: 18.1 PPG, 8.9 RPG
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Olajuwon: 20.7 PPG, 10.8 RPG
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Postseason (head-to-head)
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Ewing: 18.9 PPG, 12.4 RPG
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Olajuwon: 26.9 PPG, 9.1 RPG
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Robinson vs. Olajuwon
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| Robinson |
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| Olajuwon |
First meeting: Dec. 14, 1989 (at Houston)
Final score: San Antonio 104, Houston 100
Regular-season meetings: 42
Robinson won 30, Olajuwon won 12
Postseason meetings: 6
Olajuwon won 4, Robinson won 2
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First meeting
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Robinson: 19 pts. (40.0 FG%), 9 Reb.
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Olajuwon: 15 pts. (29.4 FG%), 16 Reb.
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Reg. season (head-to-head)
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Robinson: 19.6 PPG, 11.2 RPG
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Olajuwon: 21.9 PPG, 11.3 RPG
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Postseason (head-to-head)
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Robinson: 23.8 PPG, 11.3 RPG
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Olajuwon: 35.3 PPG, 12.5 RPG
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Robinson vs. Ewing
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| Robinson |
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| Ewing |
First meeting: Jan. 13, 1990 (at New York)
Final score: New York 107, San Antonio 101
Regular-season meetings: 19
Robinson won 30, Ewing won 7
Postseason meetings: None
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First meeting
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Robinson: 27 pts. (60.0 FG%), 6 Reb.
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Ewing: 18 pts. (57.1 FG%), 9 Reb.
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Reg. season (head-to-head)
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Robinson: 23.2 PPG, 9.3 RPG
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Ewing: 19.8 PPG, 10.4 RPG
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O'Neal vs. Ewing
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| O'Neal |
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| Ewing |
First meeting: Nov. 21, 1992 (at New York)
Final score: New York 92, Orlando 77
Regular-season meetings: 26
O'Neal won 15, Ewing won 11
Postseason meetings: None
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First meeting
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O'Neal: 18 pts. (38.9 FG%), 17 Reb.
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Ewing: 15 pts. (43.8 FG%), 9 Reb.
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Reg. season (head-to-head)
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O'Neal: 28.7 PPG, 12.0 RPG
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Ewing: 21.4 PPG, 10.8 RPG
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O'Neal vs. Olajuwon
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| O'Neal |
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| Olajuwon |
First meeting: Nov. 24, 1992 (at Orlando)
Final score: Orlando 107, Houston 94
Regular-season meetings: 20
O'Neal won 14, Ewing won 6
Postseason meetings: 8
Olajuwon won 5, O'Neal won 3
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First meeting
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O'Neal: 12 pts. (50.0 FG%), 13 Reb.
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Olajuwon: 22 pts. (40.9 FG%), 13 Reb.
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Reg. season (head-to-head)
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O'Neal: 22.1 PPG, 12.4 RPG
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Olajuwon: 18.4 PPG, 9.1 RPG
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Postseason (head-to-head)
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O'Neal: 28.8 PPG, 11.4 RPG
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Olajuwon: 23.0 PPG, 9.4 RPG
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O'Neal vs. Robinson
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| O'Neal |
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| Robinson |
First meeting: Feb. 28, 1993 (at San Antonio)
Final score: San Antonio 94, Orlando 90
Regular-season meetings: 22
O'Neal won 11, Robinson won 11
Postseason meetings: 11
O'Neal won 7, Robinson won 4
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First meeting
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O'Neal: 19 pts. (44.4 FG%), 13 Reb.
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Robinson: 23 pts. (45.0 FG%), 16 Reb.
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Reg. season (head-to-head)
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O'Neal: 25.9 PPG, 12.1 RPG
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Robinson: 19.1 PPG, 10.0 RPG
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Postseason (head-to-head)
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O'Neal: 24.4 PPG, 12.8 RPG
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Robinson: 11.6 PPG, 8.2 RPG
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