How Good Was Anthony Davis' Near Quadruple-Double Sunday Night?

Thanks in large part to superhero Russell Westbrook and his quest to conquer the universe, we hoops fans have been spoiled with killer stat lines as of late.

But on Sunday night, fellow NBA mutant Anthony Davis gifted us with one of the most gorgeous stat lines...ever.

Davis' near quadruple-double of 36 points, 14 boards, seven assists, and nine blocks against the Nuggets was the only stat line of its kind since forever.

Mouth-watering stat stuffing is nothing new from Brow, but his latest output takes the cake. While his regular production is often compared to that of David Robinson and Hakeem Olajuwon, not even those Hall of Famers can say they've done what Davis did in New Orleans.

So what made his night so historic? Even as the only player to ever record at least 36/14/7/9 in a game, what set apart Davis' near quad-double from the close encounters of guys like the Admiral, the Dream, and Shaq?

The blocks.

For example, if we use Davis' stat line as minimum criteria, but change the number of blocks from nine to zero, our results suddenly include 42 games -- with some repeat performers -- including Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Tim Duncan, as well as fun surprise visits by Amar'e Stoudemire, David Lee, and Vince Carter.

If we then increase the number of blocks from zero to, say, three, the list chops from 42 to just nine, including Davis' most recent feat, and that awesome Vinsanity explosion against the Wizards in 2007 (46/16/10/3).

And if we again increase the blocks total -- this time from three to five -- your list whittles down to just three (Davis, O'Neal, and Duncan).

On an unfortunate side note, Davis becomes just the 17th player (and amongst greats, of course) to record at least 36 points, 14 boards, and seven assists, yet still lose the game. Those pesky Nuggets.

Is recording a triple-double while scoring nearly 40 points impressive? You betcha. But when keeping all else the same, changing a unique stat such as blocks will ultimately provide the most volatility in terms of how long or short your list is.

And what does that all mean? Nothing, aside from the fact that Anthony Davis is really, really good. As in, like, maybe O'Neal, Duncan, Olajuwon, and Robinson good -- especially considering he's only 22 years young (and is the best player by age 22 ever).

Stat lines like these aren't just friendly reminders for hoops nerds that Monstars (Space Jam reference) really do exist, but also to all hoops fans that players who have a skill set as special as Davis are memorable and hard to come by.