Kings center sets consecutive double-double record (sort of)

The Kings big man put up an 11-point, 13-rebound performance in Sacramento's 108-96 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. It was the 54th game in a row that Sabonis achieved double-digit totals in two statistical categories, and thanks to his 10 assists, he also recorded his 25th triple-double of the season on Monday.

That's the most double-doubles since the NBA-ABA merger of 1976. Kevin Love had a streak of 53 double-doubles in the 2010-11 season, the previous longest stretch of double-doubling.

However, that pales in comparison to the pre-merger record of 227 straight double-doubles, held by Wilt Chamberlain. Wilt the Stilt has the four longest single-season, double-double streaks and seven of the ten longest single-season streaks of all time.

Lakers broadcaster Mychal Thompson took issue with calling Sabonis' accomplishment a record, citing his own "Mychal Math."

Why is there a cutoff at the merger? It's not due to any rules changes made when four ABA teams joined the league, since the NBA didn't adopt the three-point shot until the 1979-80 season. Rather, it's a quirk of statistical record-keeping.

While the ABA always tracked statistics like blocked shots, steals, turnovers and distinguished between offensive and defensive rebounds, the NBA didn't do it until the merger. That's why there's no record of Chamberlain's shot-blocking, which would likely have given him even more double-doubles, not to mention triple-doubles and quadruple-doubles.

It's not like separating out pre-1900 statistics in baseball, excluding from the record games where home plate wasn't yet five-sided, pitchers stood only 50 feet from home plate and bats didn't have to be round. The "since the merger" disclaimer on the hardwood limits Sabonis' achievement to an era in which getting double-doubles is arguably easier.

It's still quite an accomplishment to do something no player has for 47 years. Sabonis is having a great year and leading the NBA in triple-doubles. But it's fair for one to argue that his achievement isn't really a record. It falls into the wide range of fantastic basketball accomplishments that still have to be qualified as things no one has done "besides Wilt Chamberlain."