Klay Thompson may have set an NBA record last week by scoring 37 points in a quarter, but George Gervin does not feel that his record was broken.
Gervin, along with Carmelo Anthony, was the previous record holder with 33 points scored in a quarter. The big difference is that Gervin accomplished his feat in 1978 before there was a 3-point line, meaning he had to make a lot more field goals or free throws than Thompson, who made nine threes during the record-setting quarter (watch the Thompson highlights here).
Gervin told Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck that he was impressed by Thompson’s display but that he does not feel his record was broken.
“I don’t feel—and it’s funny, everybody laughs—I don’t feel he broke my record,” Gervin told Bleacher Report’s Beck over the phone. “I feel he set a new record. He set a new record for the new NBA.”
Gervin said he was initially awed by Thompson’s quarter but still thinks it deserves an asterisk.
“If you give a guy an advantage to break my record, it ain’t on the same playing level,” Gervin said. “So I’m saying, I ain’t going away that easy, by saying ‘Hey, he broke my record.’ Now, I don’t care what nobody say. I’m standing up for something that I’m real proud of, man…In the system that I played, my record will never be broken.
“I’m the one in the Guinness book,” Gervin said. “So if they put somebody else in the Guinness book for most points in a quarter, I’d like to see an asterisk by it.”
Unfortunately for Gervin, stats were not kept in the same way in 1978, so we do not know how many field goals and free throws he made during his record quarter. Still, his point is an excellent one. Just like today’s NFL passing records, it is hard to compare current statistics to ones from past eras because of vast differences in the game.
Thompson certainly deserves plenty of recognition for his incredible shooting display last week, we should not forget about the Ice Man, who scored 33 without a 3-point line. Some may consider him bitter for his remarks, but his point is relevant and important to note.
