He was a tremendous player. One of the stars of the 76'ers team that we beat for the title in '77. R.I.P.
Had he not been in that awful shooting slump in the first five games that series probably would have ended much differently. Great player. Gone too soon.
Really showing my age but...........things are SOOOOOO different now. I was fortunate to see McGinnis play during the 76/77 season. Back then smoking was totally acceptable (at least to smokers) and the old Coliseum was one big smoke filled room. You could hardly see the floor from the nosebleeds. Anyway, every time McGinnis would be substituted for, he would go to the end of the bench and fire one up while he waited to go back in. Even back in those days, it was bizarre as hell. As quickly as George's career tapered off, I always figured the cigarettes had to be a contributing factor......
That Sixers finals team was loaded and George McGinnis was a stud. Crazy looking shot but effective. Got to see him numerous times including the finals. RIP
I think Blazer fans over the age of 35 (or those who have listened to the final call of the 77 game enough times) know this mans name by heart. "It'll be Philadelphia ball, 5 seconds to go...Portland leading 109-107...Free will inbound. Here we go...in-bounds to McGinnis....drives stops pumps shoots short...no good! And the game is over". He had such a good career. Hopefully he went peacefully. Interesting fact: He only averaged 13 ppg in the finals in 77, coming off of averaging 21 a night during the regular season.
on the other hand Maurice Lucas scored 21/game in playoffs after 20/game in the regular season. Lucas dominated McGinnis in the matchup. It was Erving and Collins that kept Philly in the series
"Free will inbound. Here we go, they inbound to McGinnis, DRIVE, STOP, PUMP, SHOOT, SHORT, NO GOOD..... AND THE GAME IS OVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"