Rate Wilt Chamberlain's FREE THROW SKILLS (video)

[millwad]

Wilt is an all-time great, maybe the greatest offensive force the league ever saw and seen.

Wilt had problems though, he had an extremely low FT%, the guy during his career shot 51% from the line, which is even worse than Shaq. During the playoffs he was even worse only making 46% of his shots.

What did the mighty Wilt do wrong, how could he have done better? He clanked most FT's in league history but at the same time he shot a hell alot of them..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITxDdnzpnU8

[28renyoy]

Wow..it's like he didn't even care. He just throws them up there without even looking.

[Scoooter]

You can see how strong he was. The ball is just flying out of his hands.

With some guys it's just a mental. At the point shown in that clip, Wilt looked like he just didn't give ****. Especially in an All-Star game.

[jlauber]

While Wilt was never a good FT shooter, he was decent coming into the NBA. At KU, in his two years there he shot .627 and .608. He also shot .613 in his 61-62 season.

Still, you can't deny his IMPACT from the line. Chamberlain currently ranks 17th ALL-TIME, in FTs MADE. Just as matter of reference, Chamberlain ranks ahead of players like David Robinson, Rick Barry, and Hakeem (who played FOUR more seasons, and made 600 LESS in his career.) How about these numbers? Chamberlain MADE over 1000 FTs than Duncan. 1200 more than Stockton. 1500 more than Garnett. And then there is this staggering differential...Wilt MADE 6057 FTs in his career, while Bird MADE 3960. AND, while Kareem made 6712, his came over the course of 20 seasons. Chamberlain AVERAGED 432 MADE per season, while Kareem was at 335.

Furthermore, Chamberlain's 835 MADE in his 61-62 season, is the second highest SEASON in NBA HISTORY, and just behind Jerry West's 840 in '65. And find a player who made MORE in a GAME, than Chamberlain, whose 28-32 game...which is tied with Dantley as the MOST MADE in one game.

Of course, the REAL impact of Wilt's FT shooting came in a variety of examples. First of all, Wilt, and possibly Shaq, probably made the most "and-one's" in NBA history. These were BONUS FTs in addition to their baskets. Secondly, Wilt not only got his opposing center(s) in foul trouble, he got ENTIRE TEAMS into foul trouble....which ultimately benefitted not only himself, but his teammates, as well. Opposing defenders either were replaced, or had to play a more lax defense. And finally...how many EXTRA FTs did Chamberlain's teammates receive because of the EARLY penalty situations that Wilt put opposing team's in? Chamberlain's teams were first in FTAs THREE times, including a HUGE differential in '67. And they were second MULTIPLE times, including his last two seasons ('72 and '73) Interesting, too, is that his Lakers finished first in '69, and in '70 they were 11th (in a 14 team league)...when he missed nearly the entire regular season.

[PHILA]

With some guys it's just a mental.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsRO2xQG8pY#t=1m57s



The Spokesman-Review - Feb 3, 1999




[COLOR=Black]
Daily News of Los Angeles - Nov 21, 1991

[/COLOR][COLOR=Black] Wilt Chamberlain once visited a psychiatrist to help him with his poor foul shooting. "All that happened," said Chamberlain[/COLOR][COLOR=Black], ''was that after two months, that sucker, the psychiatrist, was a great foul shooter, and there I was, doing my same [/COLOR][COLOR=Black]thing.[/COLOR]



Sports Illustrated - October 07, 1974

Free throws are something I'll always be sorry about. How can you make 80 or 90 of 100 in practice and not be able to make 45% in a game? Even though, I'll bet my clutch free-throw shooting percentage is as high as most. Ike Richman, a friend of mine with the 76er organization, paid for me to talk to a psychiatrist about foul shots. I don't think I'm a schizo. I think I'm fairly stable. But I'd go in there and see this analyst, and come out shooting worse. He talked to me about all the things you would talk about to a disturbed patient. I enjoyed it because I guess we all think we're a little bit of an amateur psychiatrist. I surely do. I wanted to see how the professionals did it. Unfortunately, and not to demean the guy, I don't think he found out a thing about me. I got to psychoanalyzing him. So after about 13 weeks I quit. And now I'm qualified in psychiatry—but still a lousy foul shooter.

[iamgine]

It's pretty clear what his problem is if you look at how he throw the ball.

[purplch0de]

most overrated center of all time

[Bring-Your-Js]

Shaq would destroy him.

[Rysio]

one of the greatest stat padders of all time. right up there with lebrick.

[z14h]

He was too busy banging chicks to practice his FTs.

[purplch0de]

Brian cook >>>>> Wilt

[Simple Jack]

It's pretty scary to think what he could have done had he been even a decent FT shooter considering he already beasted despite being sub-par from the line.

[Texas Chili Dog]

He clearly didn't give a **** because he knew he was just gonna score the next time down the court.

[jlauber]

one of the greatest stat padders of all time. right up there with lebrick.

Let's take a closer look shall we...

Wilt came to what had been a last place team in his rookie season, and IMMEDIATELY led the them to a then best-ever W-L record (49-26.) Two years later, in his 50 ppg -26 rpg season, he took that same basic last place roster to a game seven, two-point loss against the 60-20 Celtics, and their SEVEN HOFers...and with EVERY teammate shooting .397 or LESS in the post-season.

The next season, in a year in which he was arguably saddled with the worst roster in NBA history, he LED the NBA in 15 of 22 statistical categories...including leading the league in scoring, rebounding, and setting a then-record FG% mark. Keep that achievement in mind...as I will be bringing it up again. Despite his individual brilliance, that team went 31-49 (losing a ton of close games BTW.)

How bad was that roster? Chamberlain shot .528...and his teammates collectively shot .412. Even more importantly, the very next season, his new coach, Alex Hannum, conducted a pre-season scrimmage, without Wilt, with that roster going up against draft picks and undrafted players. Guess which team won the game? Despite that cast of clowns, Chamberlain LED that team to a 48-32 record. In the post-season, he averaged 34.7 ppg, 25.2 rpg, and shot .543 (in a league that shot .433), en route to taking them to the Finals, where they lost to Russell's Celtics, 4-1. Of course, Russell had an 8-2 edge in HOFers (and Wilt's lone HOF teammate was rookie Nate Thurmond, who was playing part-time, out of position, and shooting .395 from the field.) And, Wilt was dominant in the Finals, averaging 29 ppg to Russell's 11 ppg, and outrebounding Russell, per game, 27-25. Not only that, but Chamberlain shot .543 in the playoffs, while Russell shot .356...and Wilt faced Russell in five of hios 12 playoff games, while Russell faced Chamberlain in five of his ten.

A year later he was "traded" (out of panic when it was thought he had a heart problem), and he IMMEDIATELY took that team, which had been 34-46 the year before, to a 40-40 record. But even more importantly, he took that average roster, to a game seven, one-point loss against Russell's 62-18 Celtics (and their 6-2 edge in HOFers)...in a series in which he recorded the ONLY 30-30 playoff series in NBA history (30 ppg and 31 rpg...and that included a game seven of 30 points, on an 80% FG%, with 32 rebounds.)

He then led that Sixer team to the BEST record in the league THREE straight seasons. Included in that was his '66 season, when ONCE AGAIN, he LED the NBA in scoring, rebounding, and set a new FG% record (shooting .540 in a league that shot .433.) Once again...he did the SAME thing in '63, and his team went 31-49. So what changed? How come this team went 55-25?

Also included in that three-year run was his 66-67 season, when he averaged 24.1 ppg, 24.2 rpg, 7.8 apg, and shot an incredible .683 from the field (which came in a league that shot .441...and which was an eye-popping .162 better than runner-up Walt Bellamy's .521.) Oh, and BTW, that "stats-padder" LED that Sixer team to a then best-ever 68-13 mark. In fact, that W-L record is STILL a Philly team record. In the playoffs he crushed the Royals with a 28 ppg, 26.5 rpg, 11.0 apg, and .612 series. Then he pounded Russell his eight-time defending champion Celtics, 4-1...in a series in which he outscored Russell, per game, 22-11; outrebounded Russell, per game, 32-23; outassisted Russell, 10-6; and outshot Russell, .556 to .358. In the clinching game five, all Chamberlain did was outscore Russell, 29-4; outshoot Russell, 10-16 to 2-5; outassist Russell, 13-7; and outrebound Russell, 36-21. Then, in the Finals, he led his Sixers to a 4-2 romp over the Thurmond-Barry tandem. And he outscored Thurmond, per game 18-14; outrebounded Thurmond, per game, 29-27 (outrebounding him in five of the six game....inclyding one game of 38); and outshot Thurmond by a .560 to .343 margin.

After leading those Sixer teams to the BEST record in the league in his three full seasons, he engineered a trade to the Lakers. He then took those Laker teams to FOUR Finals in FIVE seasons (losing two game seven's.) He also LED the Lakers to a 69-13 record in his 71-72 season, which included 33 straight wins, and a dominating world title. And that 69-13 record is still a team record. By virtually EVERY account he outplayed a prime Kareem in the WCF's, and then won the Finals MVP ...which included a clinching game five performance of 24 points, on 10-14 shooting, with 29 rebounds (and the entire Knick team had 39 BTW), and nine blocks...all while playing with one badly sprained wrist, and the other BROKEN.

EVERY team he joined would set a then best-ever TEAM W-L record (and TWO of them are STILL team record.) Every team he left dropped dramatically (even when TRADED for MULTIPLE players.) He played in TWELVE Conference Finals in his 14 seasons. He played on SIX Division winners. He played on SIX Conference champions. He played on SIX teams that went to the FINALS. He played on FOUR teams with the best record in the league. He played on SIX 50+ win teams. He played on FOUR 60+ win teams. And he anchored TWO dominating title teams that went 68-13 and 69-13.

In his first seven years (his "scoring" seasons) , and in six post-seasons, he averaged 34 ppg and 27 rpg. In his first nine seasons, which covered eight post-seasons, all he did was averaged 29.3 ppg, 26.6 rpg, 4.8 apg, and shot .518 (in leagues that shot between .410 to .446...and averaged about .430.) He had THREE playoff series in which he averaged 37 ppg, 37 ppg, and 39 ppg. He also averaged 30+ ppg against Russell in FOUR playoff series (including that 30-31 series in '65.) In the '70 Finals, and on ONE leg, he averaged 23.2 ppg, 24.1 rpg, and shot .625...which is the ONLY 20-20 .600 Finals in NBA HISTORY. He had FOUR 50+ point games in the post-season, including a 50 point, 35 rebound game against Russell in an "elimination" game. And, he also had a 56-35 game in a clinching game five win in a best-of-five playoff series. Just against Russell alone, he had FOUR 40-30 games. He had NINE 20-20 post-seasons....which included SIX of 28 ppg or higher, and FOUR 30-20 post-seasons. He also had a 28 ppg, 30.2 rpg post-season (on .509 shooting...in a league that shot .433.) He NEVER had a post-season of LESS than 20.2 rpg. And he had EIGHT post-seasons of 24.7+ rpg...including 27 rpg, 27 rpg, 29 rpg, and 30 rpg. Even in his LAST post-season, covering 17 games, he averaged 22.5 rpg (in a league that averaged 51.6 rpg.) AND, in his 160 post-season games, he averaged 47.2 MPG!

THAT was Wilt the "stats-padder."

[zay_24]

most overrated center of all time

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