Last Night, Joakim Noah Messed Around
Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2013 5:49 pm
Got a triple double.
http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/ ... er-sixers/You knew going in to Thursday night’s nationally televised contest between the Bulls and the Sixers that it was going to be a rough one to watch. Thankfully, Joakim Noah gave us a performance worth seeing.
While the teams played a slower-tempo game that was low-scoring by design, Noah was seemingly everywhere, and posted a historic triple-double statistical line of 23 points, 21 rebounds, and 11 blocked shots to lead Chicago to a 93-82 victory to snap the team’s two-game losing streak.
Noah joined some elite company with his performance. Since blocked shots began being recorded officially in the 1973-74 season, he became only the sixth player to score at least 20 points and grab at least 20 rebounds while blocking at least 10 shots. Shaquille O’Neal, Shawn Bradley, and Elvin Hayes each did it once, while only Hakeem Olajuwon and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did it twice.
That’s rarified air to be sure, but Noah also staked claim to a level where he alone has been the only player to reach it in NBA history.
Noah is the first player to score more than 20 points and haul down more than 20 rebounds while shooting at least 65 percent from the field, according to Elias Sports (via ESPN Stats & Information).