Minnesota Timberwolves' Kevin Love ties Moses Malone’s NBA record of 51 double-doubles in a row
Kevin Love tied Moses Malone’s record of 51 consecutive double-doubles during Minnesota Timberwolves’ matchup game on 8th March, 2011, at the Target Centre, Minneapolis.
A double-double consists of double-digit achievements in at least two categories, like 10 points and 10 rebounds. Kevin Love, the rebounding NBA machine clinched 23 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in the game to become the king of rebounds.
At 22, Love is already one of NBA’s top players and has now tied Malone’s all-time record for most consecutive double-doubles in the National Basketball Association’s history. What makes the achievement even more amazing is that Malone made the record at
the zenith of his career, but Love has levelled it in just three years since his debut. The 22-year-old has done a commendable job before becoming a free agent in 2012. He recorded his name in history by tying a record that had remained unbeaten for 30 years.
Showing up in every game and playing with the same consistency every night is not that easy a task and Love deserves a salute for it.
Although double-doubles were not an official record back when Malone pulled his 51 consecutive double-doubles in the 1978-79 season, but being an official record now, gives Love an edge over the former star.
Malone, the NBA hall of famer, when questioned about how he felt about his record being broken, responded in a very unexpected manner. He said he did not even know he held the record until very recently. “I did not even know that was [a] record until somebody
told me the other day. Really, when I played, no one ever said double-double. If you were a big guy, you just did your job, got your rebounds inside, played defence and scored when you could. Nobody was talking about double-doubles,” he said.
The situation now is very different. The league is already after the top rebounder. He is at the top in rebounding in the league. He has recorded a 23.7 rebounding percentage in his games and has the potential to push ahead further. This testifies his offensive
spirit and his passion to get the ball. What else does a basketball player need to be at the top.
The player has clinched 60 double-doubles in 75 games he has played this season. His double-double streak started after Timberwolves’ loss against the Los Angeles Lakers on November 19, 2010. The player had not pulled a single point in that game and had
seven rebounds. Something changed drastically after that game. Since then, the number 42 player has recorded a double-double in every game he has played. The Wolves are 11-39 despite the player’s tenacious rebounding.
Love grabbed his first rebound of the 51st double-double at the very beginning of the game. His 10th rebound came half a minute before his 10th point and to add a touch of perfection, he clinched a three-pointer at the 7:45 mark in the third quarter. The
player was not that excited about the record as he could have been had his team won because the Wolves lost to the Dallas Mavericks 108-105. When asked about how he felt, the player said, “I’d be jumping for joy if we were winning and everybody was playing
great, including myself. I’m just going out there and playing hard and it is just kind of happening for me. But it is kind of an afterthought because we aren’t winning.”
The audience cheered and gave the superstar a standing ovation after he sealed the historic moment and Love smiled, knowing a bright future awaits him.
Tags: