Wilt Chamberlain- A Los Angeles Dilemma (SI Article from 1969)

[Stringer Bell]

Interesting article on the 1968-69 Lakers, with the Wilt/Van Breda Kolff feud, trying to balance out West/Baylor/Wilt on the team. Kind of sucks how the fans were to Wilt.

I always like going back and reading on how some of the views were at certain times.


[QUOTE]
ON TOP

[Stringer Bell]

[QUOTE]When he was coaching Chamberlain last year, Alex Hannum suggested this possibility, and Wilt promptly went out and scored more than 50 points in each of the next three games. Perhaps he needs a challenge, for nothing else has served to make him go to the basket, even though van Breda Kolff and his teammates keep urging him to and he acknowledges to them that he should.

He still wants the ball and moans when he does not get it, but he seldom shows any inclination to shoot. In pregame practice he throws up desultory 30-foot hooks and long one-handers. The Lakers watch him and shake their heads.

Opponents agree that the Lakers are tougher to defend against when Chamberlain is working to score. "His man, Zelmo Beaty in our case, has to concentrate on him then," says Atlanta Coach Richie Guerin, "so Zelmo can't step back and help anybody else

[FKAri]

wow. great find

[coin24]

He couldn't carry the load, too tired from all those sweet di.cks

[LAZERUSS]

He couldn't carry the load, too tired from all those sweet di.cks

Check the date on that article (I'll help... it hit the newstands on 1/27/69)...

It was written before 1/27, but hit the newstands on 1/27...

In one of the biggest blunders ever printed...

[QUOTE]The main problem on the court is not that Chamberlain, Baylor and West do not get the ball enough. [B]It is that Chamberlain will not

[LAZERUSS]

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/sho...5&postcount=69

Ok, now on to game four, and the pivotal PLAY that ultimately cost the Lakers a title in 1969 (albeit, there were several other's, as well.)

https://books.google.com/books?id=b7...bryant&f=false

The Celtics proved that again in Game 4 as Sam Jones hit a dramatic off-balance, game-winning shot with a second to play to lift his team to a wild 89-88 victory over the Lakers. "I thought Sam's shot was going to miss when he put it up, "Russell confessed, "I said to myself__'Oh damn!" But the ball looked like it had fingers and just crawled in. To Lakers coach Bill van Breda Kolff, the basket represented a nightmare come true. "I've lost tough one's before," he sighed, "but never any tougher." Elgin Baylor concurred: "It was a lucky shot. But [Jones] made it. And that's what counts. He slipped, went off-balance and still put the ball in the hoop."

An improbable series of events set the stage for the victory shot, starting with a nondescript out-of-bounds play iniated by Baylor under the Los Angeles basket with 14 seconds remaining. Protecting an 88-87 Lakers lead, Baylor passed the ball to Johnny Egan, who promptly had it stolen away from him by Boston's Emmette Bryant. "He slapped me right on the arm and knocked the ball loose," Egan said. "It was the key play in the game and [the officials] didn't call it." Bryant immediately flicked a pass to Jones, who launched a 15-foot jumper from the right of the key. The ball bounced off the front of the rim, but the Celtics retained possession, and called time-out with 7 seconds to play. While contemplating his options in the huddle, player-coach Russell was successfully lobbied by Havlicek and Siegfried to use a play straight out of their old Ohio State playbook. "There's just enough time for it," said Havlicek, who had introduced the play to his teammates at an earlier practice session during the Philadelphia series. The play call for the use of a triple screen to give the intended shooter, in this case Jones, a clean look at the basket. "We walked through it one time in the huddle, just to make sure everyone would be sure of what he had to do," said Jones, who had 16 points and 4 rebounds. When play resumed Bryant inbounded the ball to Havlicek, who then "broke" to form a defensive barrier along-side Bailey Howell and Don Nelson near the free-throw line. While this was taking place, Jones wheeled around the screen on the right to receive the anticipated pass from Havlicek. After momentarily stumbling on the parquet floor, Jones tossed up a prayer that hit both the front and back rims before finally dropping.

"I didn't think the ball was going in," said Jones. "In fact. I didn't think it was going in the right general direction and I didn't think it was going to even make the front rim. I slipped as I tried to plant my foot."

ONE DAMNED LUCKY PLAY won the series.

But, think about this. Why didn't VBK call a time-out after the made Celtic free-throw had cut the lead to 88-87? Furthermore, what was Baylor thinking inbounding the ball to EGAN? Where was WEST?

There was plenty of blame to go around, including Wilt. Chamberlain had scored 8 points, on 3-8 from the field, and 2-11 from the line (in a one point loss), BUT, he had STILL managed to outplay Russell, who was even worse. Russell was ghastly. He scored 6 points, on 2-12 from the field, and 2-4 from the line. On top of that, Chamberlain outrebounded him,m 31-29. Of course, it was BAYLOR who REALLY blew chunks in that game. He scored FIVE points, on...get this... 2-14 from the field. BUT, it gets even worse...he also went an unfathomable, 1-5 from the line...in a ONE POINT loss!

That one stupid play, (and subsequent miracle shot) cost the Lakers a 4-1 series romp. Because, in game five, back in LA, the Lakers, behind Wilt finally just beating the stuffing out of Russell (outscoring him 13-7, and outrebounding him by a massive 31-13 margin)...pounded Boston, 117-104.

ONE PLAY.

Continued...

[Gileraracer]

LAZERUSS still trying to defend Wilt, the definition of a choker, himself.

[LAZERUSS]

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/sho...0&postcount=71

Chamberlain VERY SELDOM played a truly poor game in his entire post-season career. Hell, in his 160 playoff games, he had at least 20 rebounds in 124 of them. And a 20-20 game was a BAD game for a PRIME Wilt.

Furthermore, in their 49 post-season H2H games, Russell almost never outplayed Chamberlain.

However, both occurred in game six of the '69 Finals. With Wilt playing poorly, the Celtics built a 17 point lead going into the 4th quarter, and coasted to a 99-90 win. Russell outscored Wilt, 9-8, outshot Wilt, 3-8 to 1-5 (and 3-3 to 6-10 from the line), and outrebounded Wilt, 19-18. Obviously, the difference wasn't much, but had Chamberlain just put up even a near normal game, the series would have been over.

Instead, the series was now tied, 3-3. Still, game seven was back in LA, where the Lakers would be favored. Their owner was so confident that his Lakers would win, that he had a ton of balloons hanging from the ceiling, the USC marching band in attendance, and champagne on ice in the locker room. None of which sat well with Russell and his proud Celtics.

Boston immediately jumped out a 24-12 lead, and slowly took control of the game. Late in the third period, the margin was up to 15, and even worse, Wilt picked up his 5th personal foul. However, he remained in the game, and in fact, was a defensive factor for the rest of his time in the contest.

Early in the 4th quarter, it was now Russell who picked up HIS 5th personal foul, but, unlike Wilt, who was still contesting shots, Russell completely went into hiding. Right after that foul, the Lakers inbounded the ball into a low-post Wilt, and he went right around the "statue" Russell for an easy lay-in. However, and mainly do the the incompetence of Van Breda Kolff, Chamberlain never got another low-post touch again.

With ten minutes remaining, Boston had extended their lead to 17 points. It was then that the Lakers started mounting a furious rally. Aided by Sam Jones fouling out shortly thereafter, LA stormed back and cut the margin to 11 with over six minutes remaining. BUT, Chamberlain, while grabbing a rebound, came down awkwardedly, and injured his knee. He still threw an outlet that led to another Laker basket, and the lead was now only nine points. He stayed hobbled at the defensive end, and then grabbed yet another rebound (BTW, those two rebounds, on successive possessions, equaled Russell's entire total in his 4th quarter), and his outlet led to a play in which West was fouled. Wilt HAD to come out. The Lakers called time-out, and VBK sent in Mel Counts to replace Chamberlain. West subsequently hit both FTs, and the lead was now down to seven, with about five-and-a-half minutes remaining.

After the game, there were rumors that were circulating that Wilt had "feigned" his injury. However, even Van Breda Kolff, who absolutely despised Wilt, defended Wilt's injury. Furthermore, if Wilt were somehow trying to protect his image, why wouldn't he have "faked" it late in the 3rd quarter, and after his 5th foul, and with his team trailing by 15 points? And why would he pull himself out of the game, when the Lakers had chopped a full 10 points off of a 17 point margin, and in a little over four minutes, and with over five minutes left in the game?

In any case, the Celtics were running on fumes, and were slowly dying. LA continued to cut into the deficit, and with a little over two minutes left, the margin was now 103-102. That is when Wilt, now feeling well enough to play, asked VBK to go back in. Van Breda Kolff refused, and that decision basically cost not only the city of Los Angeles their very first title, but it basically ruined VBK's coaching career.

Boston extended the lead back to 105-102, and then Wilt's "replacement' mel Counts, missed a shot. Boston would get the ball to Don Nelson at the free-throw line, where he put up a shot that clanked off the back of the rim...went straight up, and came straight down into the basket, for an insurmountable 107-102 lead. Counts threw an errant pass with under a minute remaining, as well, to seal the loss... 108-106. BTW, Counts shot 4-13 from the floor in that game.

Was game seven WILT's fault? In his 43 minutes, he scored 18 points, on 7-8 from the floor (and admittedly, 4-13 from the line), with 27 rebounds. Meanwhile, his counter-part, Russell, had just been pathetic. Russell scored six points, on 2-7 from the field, and 2-4 from the line, with 21 rebounds.

Even more damning...remove Wilt's and Russell's FG/FGAs from that game...and Russell's teammates outshot Wilt's teammates from the floor by a staggering .477 to .360 margin! Even the brilliant West had his lapses. He missed more shots than he made (going 14-29 from the floor), and even missed two of his four missed free-throws down the stretch (going 14-18 overall.)

Unbelievably, the Lakers had lost a seven game series, including a game seven, two point loss, with a series of poor play, multiple miraculous game-winning shots from Boston, an injury to Wilt, and just a complete meltdown by a coach.

When West, and owner Jack Kent Cooke had learned that Wilt had asked to go back in, they were furious. But before Cooke could fire VBK, he quit. Again, the stubborn Van Breda Kolff put his own hatred for Wilt above even winning a world championship.

Chamberlain would eventually get Los Angeles their first ring a couple of years later. LA brought in Bill Sharman in the 71-72 season, and after he basically jettisoned Baylor following the ninth game, the Lakers immediately went on a 33 game winning streak, en route to a 69-13 record, and a dominating world title. Oh, and in the Finals, and with West just choking on his own puke the entire series, Chamberlain absolutely destroyed the Knicks, in a series in which he averaged 19 ppg, 23 rpg, and shot .600 from the field...which included a clinching game five performance of 24 points, on 10-14 shooting, with 29 rebounds (the entire NY team only had 39), and 8 blocked shots. All accomplished with one badly sprained wrist, and the other fractured.

Now, you know EVERYTHING you need to know about the '69 Finals.

Butch "the Butcher" Van Breda Kolff not only cost the city of Los Angeles their very first NBA title,...he basically cost himself his career. He would coach in the NBA for a couple of more seasons, then move the ABA where he coached for several more. But after his debacle in '69... a 180-269 record.

[LAZERUSS]

[QUOTE]Fans of Chamberlain point out that he is being criticized for doing the same thing that has brought glory to Russell

[90sgoat]

In a recent game on national television he blocked 23 shots against Phoenix.

[warriorfan]

Wilt isn't even a top 10 All Time Player

[LAZERUSS]

Everyone here probably knows by now that Chamberlain had the only 20-20-20 game in NBA history (22 points, 25 rebounds, and 21 assists), but he also had a game against Walt Bellamy in which the recap had him scoring 34 points, grabbing 33 rebounds, and having "at least 20 blocks."

Oh, and near the end of the '68 season, he had a game of 22 points, 27 rebounds, and 19 assists. In fact, it occurred in a stretch of 12 games in which he had 11 triple-doubles (an NBA record nine in a row), and the only game in which he failed to record 10+ assists, he had nine, to go along with 38 points, and 28 rebounds.

[ISHGoat]

How come he never did this in the playoffs?

[ClipperRevival]

The guy was missing that fire in his belly. The stuff Russell, MJ, Kobe, Bird, etc had. That willingness to dig deeper when it mattered most. Wilt was supposed to dominate. Besides Shaq, the league has never seen a true 7 footer with their size, strength and athleticism. He was one of the few humans who could tand next to Shaq and they look about the same in size. He was THAT freaken big. I just can't respect a guy who didn't pout his heart and soul into the game. I can't relate to that type of thinking. That is beta stuff. The mental side of the game is just as important as the skills/athleticism part.

[LAZERUSS]

How come he never did this in the playoffs?

Never did what?

FOUR playoff games of 50+ points, including the ONLY three by a GOAT caliber player in a "must win" game (and he had a Finals "must win game of 45-27 BTW.)

He had two straight triple-double SERIES in '67 (28-27-11 on a .617 FG%, and then 22-32-10 on a .556 FG% against Russell), which included two known QUAD doubles (24-32-13-12, and 10-38-10-10) and another triple double game of 16-30-19 in which he had an estimated 20 blocked shots.

I could list his MANY POST-SEASON records, but why bother? Needless to say, he has the ONLY FOUR 30-20 post-season runs, as well as NINE 20-20 playoff seasons.