Bernard King had one of the most unique and analytical approaches to scoring
Bernard King shares how he viewed the game differently
Bernard King had one of the most unique approaches to offense you'll ever hear about, and he saw the game a bit different than your ordinary player.
Analytical approach to the game
One of the most prolific scorers in NBA history, without a doubt, is Bernard King, who made a name for himself as one of the league's biggest stars in the '80s. His most productive years came in a Knicks uniform, but he played for a few teams in his HOF career before ending his career in 1993.
In an interview for the New York Knicks Forever show, King shared a fascinating insight into how he viewed the game and approached offense. King was a versatile scorer with numerous tricks in his bag that he used depending on what the defense allowed him on each possession. He viewed the game and his shots as a pattern he followed meticulously.
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"I had a system for scoring, and I was not creative like Spree or even Earl. So I had an analytical approach to the game. I had nine spots on the left, nine spots on the right. Four spots from the front of the rim to the top of the key constituting 22 spots and that's where I wanted to get my shots every single night. So when I see the court, I don't see the baseline, I don't see the foul line. I don't see the top of the key; that's what you may see. But what I see is a grid, and that was my grid. My game was built within that grid pattern, and that's how I scored my points."
Nobody was able to stop him
On top of that, King had several counter moves he would use on each of those spots on the floor based on how the defense was playing him at a specific time.
"Based on those nine spots on each side of the floor, four spots there. And then there's only five ways you can be defended if you on the left-wing, only five. Send me right, send me left, play me tight, give me the jump shot or overplay me. That's the only five ways you can play me, you can defend me. So I have five counters to do five different ways you're going to defend me. That was my game every single night, and that's how I played the game, and you are not going to stop me."
We've heard numerous great scorers on how they approach the game, but this has to be one of the unique ways someone explained his way of getting buckets. King obviously saw the game differently than his peers, which has to be the main reason why he was so successful and almost unstoppable to guard in his prime. His best year in the league was with the Knicks during the 1984/85 season when he averaged 33 points per game, shooting exceptionally well from the field. So I guess when you view the game in such a way, and you are so studios and meticulous in your approach, there is no way you can be stopped, which King can attest to considering he was the go-to guy on offense for any team he played for in his HOF career.
