Great post Anon..... the record keeping of his assists serious dilutes the greatness of the old school players like Magic, Stockton and Isiah who had to actually earn every one.
I was interested to see that allegedly 25% of his assists over the 5 game period studied were incorrectly credited.... does not surprise me.
Actual NBA definition of an Assist:
"An assist is a pass that directly leads to a basket. This can be a pass to the low post that leads to a direct score, a long pass for a layup, a fast break pass to a teammate for a layup, and/or a pass that results in an open perimeter shot for a teammate. In basketball, an assist is awarded only if, in the judgement of the statistician, the last player's pass contributed directly to a made basket. An assist can be awarded for a basket scored after the ball has been dribbled if the player's pass led to the field goal being made."