Wilt Chamberlain's 1961-1962 Game-by-Game stats

[32Dayz]

During that year, the entire league shot 42.6fg%. Bellamy lead the league in fg% at 51.9%. 50.5% at that time is very impressive.

Dominant Big's tend to shoot a stable % even with league fluctuations.

He was able to shoot a much higher % later in his Career when he curtailed his shot attempts.

I see no reason he shouldn't have been shooting at worst 55%+ from the field during those years.

[D-Wade316]

Dominant Big's tend to shoot a stable % even with league fluctuations.

He was able to shoot a much higher % later in his Career when he curtailed his shot attempts.

I see no reason he shouldn't have been shooting at worst 55%+ from the field during those years.

Not really. George Mikan, the first dominant big, shot 41.6% in his career. We know the fact that if he played today, he'll shot higher than his career fg%. The 50s and 60s are incomparably different compared to other eras. Big men are no exception.

[32Dayz]

Yea.. but please explain to me what was stopping him from shooting a higher %?

It's not like defenses back then were better or more advanced then today's generation (opposite in my opinion) and with the size advantage he had he should have been much more efficient.

I respect your opinion bro but I disagree.

A man with his size advantage/athletic advantage and apparently "high quality" post skills shouldn't be held to such low %'s consistently imo.

Thats not a diss on Wilt either its just my opinion.

Maybe I am wrong and it was simply the style/pace of play that contributed to his lower %'s but its hard to say without video.

[julizaver]

I remember that Wilt considered his last game against Chicago Packers as his best of the year. I found an article about how observers count more than 20 blocks of Wilt in that game. According to his coach it was more than 20.
That's why I was wondering if this is the game, which Harvey Pollack mentioned of Wilt having 25 blocks. It is not clear however, because I have the impression that Wilt do this while in Sixers uniform. Also in that season Wilt blocked the first nine shot attempts of Walt Bellamy (holding him to 14 points) in their first meeting.

[D-Wade316]

Yea.. but please explain to me what was stopping him from shooting a higher %?

It's not like defenses back then were better or more advanced then today's generation (opposite in my opinion) and with the size advantage he had he should have been much more efficient.

I respect your opinion bro but I disagree.

A man with his size advantage/athletic advantage and apparently "high quality" post skills shouldn't be held to such low %'s consistently imo.

Thats not a diss on Wilt either its just my opinion.

Maybe I am wrong and it was simply the style/pace of play that contributed to his lower %'s but its hard to say without video.

Shot selection. The league as a whole shot poorly as well.

[Pointguard]

If I remember correctly he shot like 50% that year. Considering his 27 rebounds a game...how much of it had to be quick rebounds and putbacks? we see a lot of that in every game he plays.

Minus his gimme layups/dunks which were no doubt substantial....for him to shoot as low as 50%...he had to be shooting in the 40s if not 30s on shots he just set out to create.

That is hard to accept s the best he could possibly perform. Too many times ive seen him just get up for a posession or two and blow by guys for dunks or power over a guy for a layup. Then go back to fingerrolls and such. And this is later in his career before he stopped shooting jumpers.

He had to be throwing up some garbage(relative to what he could get) to possibly make only half his shots when hes probably getting 10 offensive rebounds a night and 4-5 dunks off them.

Wilt scored practically 40% more, per game, than the next player that year. Such separation does not exist in professional sports. Shaq was one of the most dominate players in the game and several players were superior scorers to him in his prime. And Shaq was primarily a scorer. He wasn't the top rebounder (he was getting half the rebounds Wilt was getting) and he wasn't blocking shots like Wilt either (he was probably getting like a third of what Wilt was getting but we don't know this). Jordan was the greatest scorer we seen, and was getting about half that percentage when he tried his hardest. And, btw, Jordan had off nights when he got that 37ppg too.

Was Wilt supposed to be perfect? Like you wouldn't question him if he worked 60ppg and 32 rebounds per game. When does it stop? Maybe you will name me the other players that have the energy to shoot as much as he did and maintain 50 percent and proved they could get 25 rebounds per game, much less 27? Heck show me the player that could do either. Jordan scored 69 points in a game and said Wilt's scoring record is safe - he was referencing the exhaustion factor.

If you put the points and rebounds together as units, Wilt would have a 25% increase on the next great center. Blocks would add to an outrageous separation from the other greatest in the sport. What Wilt averaged for 7 years of 550 games would be on par with best all around game from Shaq, Kareem, Akeem, Moses and Robinson in their careers.

You think Wilt shouldn't have taken short cuts here and there? After all, 80 games at a level nobody could approach for 2 games should account for something? I wonder if a player outside of Wilt ever got 50 and 27 in a game.
But hey, look out for that 13/38 game!!!

[Pointguard]

Yea.. but please explain to me what was stopping him from shooting a higher %?

It's not like defenses back then were better or more advanced then today's generation (opposite in my opinion) and with the size advantage he had he should have been much more efficient.

I respect your opinion bro but I disagree.

A man with his size advantage/athletic advantage and apparently "high quality" post skills shouldn't be held to such low %'s consistently imo.

Thats not a diss on Wilt either its just my opinion.

Maybe I am wrong and it was simply the style/pace of play that contributed to his lower %'s but its hard to say without video.

He usually lead the league in FG% and breaking records with it as well. Fouling, cold arenas, bald balls, hot arenas, no practice time, all affect your shooting percentage. That's not factoring attrition, getting tired and lack of shooters.

[32Dayz]

Wilt scored practically 40% more, per game, than the next player that year. Such separation does not exist in professional sports. Shaq was one of the most dominate players in the game and several players were superior scorers to him in his prime. And Shaq was primarily a scorer. He wasn't the top rebounder (he was getting half the rebounds Wilt was getting) and he wasn't blocking shots like Wilt either (he was probably getting like a third of what Wilt was getting but we don't know this). Jordan was the greatest scorer we seen, and was getting about half that percentage when he tried his hardest. And, btw, Jordan had off nights when he got that 37ppg too.

Was Wilt supposed to be perfect? Like you wouldn't question him if he worked 60ppg and 32 rebounds per game. When does it stop? Maybe you will name me the other players that have the energy to shoot as much as he did and maintain 50 percent and proved they could get 25 rebounds per game, much less 27? Heck show me the player that could do either. Jordan scored 69 points in a game and said Wilt's scoring record is safe - he was referencing the exhaustion factor.

If you put the points and rebounds together as units, Wilt would have a 25% increase on the next great center. Blocks would add to an outrageous separation from the other greatest in the sport. What Wilt averaged for 7 years of 550 games would be on par with best all around game from Shaq, Kareem, Akeem, Moses and Robinson in their careers.

You think Wilt shouldn't have taken short cuts here and there? After all, 80 games at a level nobody could approach for 2 games should account for something? I wonder if a player outside of Wilt ever got 50 and 27 in a game.
But hey, look out for that 13/38 game!!!

Terrible post.

Shaq is one of the 3 best scorers of all time and the 2nd best of this generation after Jordan.
He was always one of the Top 1-3 Rebounders in the game during the majority of his Career and is #3 All-Time when it comes to Playoff Rebounds and #1 All-Time in Playoff 0ffensive-Rebounds also is #3 in Playoff Blocked Shots.

The pace and level of play was different back then I highly doubt Wilt was a much better defender then Shaq certainly not if your referring to simple M2M Defense or shot blocking/protecting the paint/rim.

You think Wilt is a better scorer then Shaq or Jordan?
Very few people share your views or opinions.

Outside of maybe 1-3 Years Wilt never approached Shaqs level of 0ffensive dominance/production in the playoffs and that's with a much bigger size advantage then Shaq had and facing in general smaller defenders and facing far less double/triple teams.

Bolded part is probably the dumbest thing I have ever heard.
Prime/Peak Shaq was the greatest scorer in the history of the game with only Jordan and "maybe" Prime Kareem being in that same Tier

You seem to think the Game/Level of competition was the same back then.

It wasn't.

Give Shaq/Jordan or Kareem 40-50 FGA's every night and they will easily be scoring in the 50+ range.

Put Shaq or Kareem or Duncan in a game with 150+ possessions and with a league shooting such low %'s and they also will be close to or above the 20 rebounds per game mark.

If you can really just ignore all that and just say Wilt 50+ points 20+ rebounds was by far the greatest basketball player and Kareem, Shaq, Kareem, Duncan, Jordan were literally scrubs compared to him then your simply an idiot.

Wilt is the GOAT scorer of his generation and one of the best ever but All-Time he doesn't crack the top 3
(Jordan, Kareem, Shaq).

Wilt might be the GOAT Rebounder but its impossible to say (its best to just say he is one of the best ever).
(I personally dont mind calling him the best ever in this regard)

Wilt is a GOAT player (in my Top 4-5) but your making him out to be some god and are overrating him.

[Pointguard]

Terrible post.
Shaq is one of the 3 best scorers of all time and the 2nd best of this generation after Jordan.
He was always one of the Top 1-3 Rebounders in the game during the majority of his Career and is #3 All-Time when it comes to Playoff Rebounds and #1 All-Time in Playoff 0ffensive-Rebounds also is #3 in Playoff Blocked Shots.

You are comparing him to Wilt, clown. Allen Iverson was the best scorer after Jordan left and during Shaq's best years. Wilt had a 20 ppg lead on the next scorer (Shaq might have gotten a tenth of that one year) and a 3 or 4 rebound lead on the next rebounder. Shaq never lead the league in both and never lead the league in rebounding. Rodman six inches smaller practically a 100 lbs lighter was getting 4 or 5 rebounds per game more than Shaq for five years straight.

The pace and level of play was different back then I highly doubt Wilt was a much better defender then Shaq certainly not if your referring to simple M2M Defense or shot blocking/protecting the paint/rim.

WOW! What are you doing? Reciting lines from a bimbo convention?

You think Wilt is a better scorer then Shaq or Jordan?
Very few people share your views or opinions.

Over the course of a season, or the course of seven seasons, (take your pick) Wilt maintained a level... untouchable.

Outside of maybe 1-3 Years Wilt never approached Shaqs level of 0ffensive dominance/production in the playoffs and that's with a much bigger size advantage then Shaq had and facing in general smaller defenders and facing far less double/triple teams.

Sorry, Shaq never got much separation from other scorers, despite being in one of the weakest eras of scorers. All things are relative and Shaq didn't get separation.

Bolded part is probably the dumbest thing I have ever heard.
Prime/Peak Shaq was the greatest scorer in the history of the game with only Jordan and "maybe" Prime Kareem being in that same Tier

Wow, Bimbo Coles, has spoken. Want to compare scoring titles, scoring records, season records, game records? Please pick a weapon. Its the dumbest thing you heard because you live in a reverse universe.

You seem to think the Game/Level of competition was the same back then.

It wasn't.

Give Shaq/Jordan or Kareem 40-50 FGA's every night and they will easily be scoring in the 50+ range.

Jordan is the energizer bunny of the modern era. He said Wilt's scoring record is safe because he was exhausted after scoring 69 points in one game. Only Jordan has the energy to imagine 40ppg much less 50ppg. Shaq would break down from his own weight. Kareem just didn't have the energy point blank.

The best defense for a center are men of strong will and determination to play the post - if the first defender is weak willed the defense is weak. Back then, men were way more determined, proud and of strong will than they are now - ask your father or grand father. They were allowed to get away with much more back then as well. They fouled Wilt like crazy and they did double him and play him as a team back then as well.

Put Shaq or Kareem or Duncan in a game with 150+ possessions and with a league shooting such low %'s and they also will be close to or above the 20 rebounds per game mark.

If you can really just ignore all that and just say Wilt 50+ points 20+ rebounds was by far the greatest basketball player and Kareem, Shaq, Kareem, Duncan, Jordan were literally scrubs compared to him then your simply an idiot.

Study physics and get back at me. You can't go to the moon without fuel. The feat Wilt did is so far beyond your comprehension you're not understanding simple basics. Shaq and Kareem don't have more rebound titles because they didn't have the energy to go after more rebounds. Its that simple. They could never score 40ppg because they didn't have the energy or endurance. You must have energy reserves or it can't be done.

Sorry to break it to you but its a battery problem. Its not the toy itself. Get a Duracell this Holiday season and you'll notice a difference.

Wilt is a GOAT player (in my Top 4-5) but your making him out to be some god and are overrating him.

Re-read the post. I didn't hype him once in that post. I asked questions and demonstrated the differences.

[L.Kizzle]

Hey guys, check out all the back-2-back-2-back games he played. I also founf a 5 games in 5 nights run in their ... stop crying.

[jlauber]

If I remember correctly he shot like 50% that year. Considering his 27 rebounds a game...how much of it had to be quick rebounds and putbacks? we see a lot of that in every game he plays.

Minus his gimme layups/dunks which were no doubt substantial....for him to shoot as low as 50%...he had to be shooting in the 40s if not 30s on shots he just set out to create.

That is hard to accept s the best he could possibly perform. Too many times ive seen him just get up for a posession or two and blow by guys for dunks or power over a guy for a layup. Then go back to fingerrolls and such. And this is later in his career before he stopped shooting jumpers.

He had to be throwing up some garbage(relative to what he could get) to possibly make only half his shots when hes probably getting 10 offensive rebounds a night and 4-5 dunks off them.

Chamberlain was SWARMED and BRUTALIZED that season. Do you honestly believe that opposing teams just LET Wilt shoot????

[QUOTE]What kind of defenses did Wilt face in his NBA career?

http://biography.jrank.org/pages/233...lain-Wilt.html


Quote:
Several of the rules of college basketball had to be changed as a result of Chamberlain's talents, which simply dwarfed those of previous players. Opposing players double-and triple-teamed him and played a slowed-down game rather than attempt to confront Chamberlain's offensive skills head-on. These techniques helped the University of North Carolina defeat Kansas 54-53 in triple overtime in the 1957 championship game.

Such tactics also frustrated the rapidly developing Chamberlain, who startled the basketball world by turning professional rather than returning to Kansas for his senior year. NBA rules forbade him from joining the league until the year in which he would have graduated from college, so Chamberlain played for the razzle-dazzle touring professional team the Harlem Globetrotters during the 1958-59 season. He joined the Philadelphia Warriors in 1959, having already collected a large bonus for signing.

Individual Triumphs in NBA
Chamberlain was an NBA star from the beginning, leading the league in scoring and rebounding, and taking home honors not only for Rookie of the Year but also for Most Valuable Player. Frustrated by defensive tactics similar to those he had faced in college, and by what he considered biased officiating, he threatened to leave the league and return to the Globetrotters in 1960. But he did not follow through on his threat, and soon learned to outmaneuver his tormentors through sheer size, speed, and skill.






http://www.nba.com/home/history/lege...ain/index.html


Quote:
In Chamberlain's first year, and for several years afterward, opposing teams simply didn't know how to handle him. Tom Heinsohn, the great Celtics forward who later became a coach and broadcaster, said Boston was one of the first clubs to apply a team-defense concept to stop Chamberlain. "We went for his weakness," Heinsohn told the Philadelphia Daily News in 1991, "tried to send him to the foul line, and in doing that he took the most brutal pounding of any player ever. I hear people today talk about hard fouls. Half the fouls against him were hard fouls."





http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...940232,00.html


Quote:
He stood there, just to the right of the basket, a placid. 7-ft. 1 1/16-in, giant watching impassively as his teammates maneuvered the ball in backcourt. The New York Knickerbockers tried to box him in; they clutched at his jersey, leaned against his chest, stepped on his toes. Then Wilt Chamberlain came alive. With the aplomb of a cop palming an apple, he reached out one massive hand and plucked the basketball out of the air. Spinning violently, he ripped clear of the elbowing surge, took a step toward the basket and jumped. For an instant, he seemed suspended in midair, his head on a level with the 10-ft.-high basket. Slowly, gently, the ball dribbled off his fingertips, through the net, and the San Francisco Warriors went on to a 142-134 victory. New York Coach Ed Donovan sadly shook his head. "He's phenomenal." he sighed. "How does anyone stop Wilt Chamberlain?"




http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...940232,00.html


Quote:
Most basketball stars have one great talent: Russell's is defense, Elgin Baylor's is shooting, Bob Cousy's is setting up plays and passing. Chamberlain does almost everything, better than anyone else. He is the pros' fiercest rebounder, and his shooting repertory includes such inimitable specialties as the "Dipper Dunk" (in which he simply stretches up and lays the ball in the basket), the "Stuff Shot" (in which he jumps up and rams the ball through the net from above), and the "Fadeaway Jump"

[jlauber]

This...

[QUOTE]Continuing...

http://samcelt.forumotion.net/t2803-...mmy-4000-words


Quote:
At 7

[jlauber]

Yea.. but please explain to me what was stopping him from shooting a higher %?

It's not like defenses back then were better or more advanced then today's generation (opposite in my opinion) and with the size advantage he had he should have been much more efficient.

I respect your opinion bro but I disagree.

A man with his size advantage/athletic advantage and apparently "high quality" post skills shouldn't be held to such low %'s consistently imo.

Thats not a diss on Wilt either its just my opinion.

Maybe I am wrong and it was simply the style/pace of play that contributed to his lower %'s but its hard to say without video.

Defenses may not have been as sophisticated back then, but there was NO DOUBT that Wilt took a POUNDING from opposing teams. He was SWARMED, and BRUTALIZED. Just read my above posts. NO other player in NBA HISTORY ever had to deal with what Wilt did.

And, I find it laughable that posters point to Wilt's "low efficiency." How about his '62-63 season, then, when he scored 44.8 ppg on .528 shooting, in a league that shot .441? In Hakeem's highest scoring season, when he averaged 27.8 ppg, he shot .517 (in a league that shot .466.) In Robinson's highest scoring season, when he averaged 29.2 ppg, he shot .507, (in a league that shot .466.)

Wilt also averaged 33.5 ppg, on .540 shooting (in a league that shot .433) in 65-66. And, BTW, he also led the league in rebounding, at 24.6 rpg, and even handed out 5.2 apg. Oh, and he LED his team to the BEST RECORD in the league. Incidently, EVERY one of those stats exceeded Hakeem's BEST single season marks.

Of course, Wilt also had a 24.1 ppg season, on a staggering .683 FG%, in a league that shot .441 (or an outrageous .244 above the league average.) And, again, in the process, he LED the league in rebounding, at 24.2 rpg, as well as finishing THIRD in assists, at 7.8 apg. Oh, and BTW, he LED that team to a 68-13 record, and an overwhelming title.

You want pure efficiency? How about his LAST season, when he set the all-time record of .727, in a league that shot .456, or a LIGHT YEARS record differential of .271.

Most posters here don't realize that when Wilt came into the league, he was shooting a ton of shots from the outside. To shoot .506, .510, .524, and .540, while taking a considerable amount of OUTSIDE shots was a testament to his EFFICIENCY.

BTW, one can only wonder what kind of numbers Wilt would have put up in his 69-70 season, had he not shredded his knee in game nine of that season. He was leading the league at 32.2 ppg, and on 60% shooting (as well as 20 rpg), when he went down. In those nine games, he scored 33, 35, 37, 38, 42, and 43. He also POUNDED Kareem with a 25-25 game, and on 9-14 shooting (while holding Kareem to 23 points and on 9-21 shooting, and outrebounding him, 25-20.) He had a 37 point game against 7-0 Tom Boerwinkle, a 38 point game against reigning MVP Wes Unseld, and a 42 point game against Bob Rule, who was a star in the league at the time.

[Brunch@Five]

only 8 games with fewer than 30 FGAs. Astonishing.

[Kblaze8855]

Wilt scored practically 40% more, per game, than the next player that year. Such separation does not exist in professional sports.

And? Its not like its really a totally unheard of rate of scoring. Jordan peaked at over 44ppg spread over the minutes Wilt played that season. And he was a worse scorer when he did it than he was when he scored less in the early 90s. And im sure wilt polished his scoring as well even though he scored less later. he wasnt just incapable. So why am I worried about the number? The numbers on it are suggestive but thats about it. That 50ppg season is a combo of insane attempts, a coach request to score 50 a night even if it meant playing every minute when up or down any margin(you dont think they ever won or lost a blowout? He played every minute anyway), and of course...talent.

But all things considered its not that major. Wilt himself didnt consider it his best basketball. I mean really....if they told Oscar Robertson to take 39 shots...then 45...and 36...and 55...and 42...and 63...he would have been doing epic numbers himself(not that he didnt anyway). IT was just an odd situation. He didnt do that off just being more capable than anyone. He did it off being the only player ever asked to do it and played every minute for the express purpose of scoring a lot no matter how the game is going.

When you think about it....it was almost disrespectful.

Shaq was one of the most dominate players in the game and several players were superior scorers to him in his prime.

Several players scored more than Wilt in his prime too. He was never better than in Philly. His Warrior days were just....something else. Not the best basketball he could play. Just...a strange situation.

And Shaq was primarily a scorer. He wasn't the top rebounder (he was getting half the rebounds Wilt was getting)

By percentage of rebounds available...Shaq as a rookie got the equal of over 23 a game on Wilts 62 team. And thats in more than 10 fewer minutes per game.

and he wasn't blocking shots like Wilt either (he was probably getting like a third of what Wilt was getting but we don't know this).

Im not that worried about blocked shot numbers. If we put a 7'1'' 290 pound rookie Shaq(he was 283 pretty much off his natural build in school...before he was just musclebound) with his 7'8'' wingspan and athletic ability into the 60s hes gonna have some absurd blocked shot numbers too. Not sure it matters.

Jordan was the greatest scorer we seen, and was getting about half that percentage when he tried his hardest. And, btw, Jordan had off nights when he got that 37ppg too.

Everyone has off nights. But to miss 25 or so shots with those physical advantages is hard to do if you are setting out to get and make the easiest shots.

Was Wilt supposed to be perfect? Like you wouldn't question him if he worked 60ppg and 32 rebounds per game. When does it stop? Maybe you will name me the other players that have the energy to shoot as much as he did and maintain 50 percent and proved they could get 25 rebounds per game, much less 27? Heck show me the player that could do either. Jordan scored 69 points in a game and said Wilt's scoring record is safe - he was referencing the exhaustion factor.

**** outta here. Ive never hated on wilt or questioned his ability. Ive defended wilt here more than probably anyone ever. I was probably making a better case in his defense 10 years ago on here than you are now.

But fact is....and he would tell you himself...he did not set out to get the best shots. He wanted to prove he was skilled. he didnt want to play physical. He hadted the perception of him as just bigger and stronger than everyone else so he would fadeaway vs guys he could go by. He was so osessed with big guys not looking like unskilled giants he wrote in his book a view from above that he would let opposing 7 footers dribble when he could steal it.....just so they...and by association he...wouldnt look bad.

Im talking about his approach to the game. I knew everything about his numbers when I was 7.

If you put the points and rebounds together as units, Wilt would have a 25% increase on the next great center. Blocks would add to an outrageous separation from the other greatest in the sport. What Wilt averaged for 7 years of 550 games would be on par with best all around game from Shaq, Kareem, Akeem, Moses and Robinson in their careers.

You think Wilt shouldn't have taken short cuts here and there? After all, 80 games at a level nobody could approach for 2 games should account for something? I wonder if a player outside of Wilt ever got 50 and 27 in a game.
But hey, look out for that 13/38 game!!!

A short cut to rest and holding back due to a mental issue with being too dominant in the eyes of fans he wanted respect from...different things.

And you wonder if anyone did 50/27 in a game/ And you are telling me about the 60s?

I know just off the top of my head that Baylor had like 65/30 in the same game Wilt had 78/40 in this season. And the 78 Wilt scored broke Baylors own NBA record of 71. And the 60/30 wasnt even Baylors only 60/20 game. He had 61 and 20+ rebounds in the finals vs Boston. It was the playoff scoring record pre MJ.

Back in those days when a game might provide 140 missed shots a great player could go grab 30+ of them and not even be news worthy.

If sure you could look at Baylor, Pettit, Oscar, Russell, or Walt Bellamys game logs from 1962 it would be pretty crazy too.

Nobody is just....as good as the numbers being put up back then. And while they had great stamina to put them up...im not gonna just assume Elgin Baylor is more well conditioned than Jordan, Iverson, Lebron, KG, and Davd Robinson types.

The game simply changed. A lot.