60 y/o Wilt Chamberlain highlights went viral yesterday and held modern fans in awe

[PHILA]

or if he has the ability to spin baseline and powerjam it going through Tyson Chandler.

He did it to 6'10 Darrall Imhoff. This was one of his signature moves.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjwkiXiwzCY#t=2m54s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNw0c19DhIU#t=34m46s

He's Dwight Howard, period.

Dwight (this past year) can barely even bring the ball down to gather himself without getting stripped. He is not as strong as you would think looking at his chiseled shoulders. I don't know how big his hands are but he cannot keep bringing the ball down low like Wilt, Shaq, or Barkley did to gather themselves, since his grip and overall strength is weak compared to them. You would never see any of them get stripped under the basket like that.

Dwight's problem is not his so called lack of moves. We have seen him make a few nice moves before, but the problem is he doesn't know how read the defense and incorporate the moves into game situations. He really has regressed since 2011, and his offensive awareness really seems to be below par. When the Lakers were eliminated we saw Barkley and Shaq criticizing him on the post game show, and they understand. Both of them developed into tremendous passers out of the post over the years. Their entire game offensively was based on drawing help defense to open the game up for others. I get the idea that Dwight is going to Hakeem's sessions to improve his repertoire, but the fact is he will never be anywhere near that agile and deceptive. Hakeem should be sitting in the film room teaching him how to read the defense, if he is not already. If Wilt were still alive today, that is who I would tell Dwight to go work with. He is another one who developed into a tremendous passer as well from his early years with the Philadelphia Warriors.



The video below shows excellent ball movement in a game of "keep away" with Walker, Greer, & Wilt in a triangle setup where the Bullets defense dictates the Sixers quick passes, and big Luke Jackson comes from the weak side to clean up Greer's miss and clinch the Eastern Division Championship. Look closely at the Bullets defensive movement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngg3owcJl1g&t=49s


Below shows two fake passes to cutters followed by a power move to the basket, drawing four defenders and finding Billy C unguarded in front of the rim.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Np29MW_XN8&t=3m28s




Wilt's best season was 1967, and the Sixers offense that year would set up with splits and cutters moving off him, not unlike how Portland played off Bill Walton 10 years later, though Walton played in the high post more than Wilt. He could play high as well as low, but in the footage I have seen preferred the mid-post area a step or two off the block, to open up some room for the baseline cutters while also remaining a scoring threat. In this style of play, he is holding the ball high and constantly looking for cutters, who seldom stopped moving. In this action it is defense who is at Wilt's mercy if they don't hard double him, seeing as any of the other 4 players is a potential threat to score. The modern teams (2001-present) are not accustomed to defending anywhere near this kind of constant player movement, they are more used to defending zones or specific areas on the floor, which will also leave them prone to giving up offensive rebounds.

Remember there was no incentive to shoot from distance back then (3 point line), so there was a lot of cutting and player movement. On the baseline handoffs for instance, not only is Wilt acting as a playmaker, but he is also acting as a screen. In the splits, he is acting as a pick for both players as well. Here is an example in the All Star Game, where there is a defensive error and Wilt hands it off to Big O for the basket.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Phho8i6rj0Y&t=45s


The defensive objective for most teams would be to try and emulate what the Celtics and Russell did, which was full court press the guards and try to make them eat up a good chunk of the shot clock. Once in the front court, they will shade Wilt with another man to try and prevent the entry pass. Basically they have to try and limit his touches, which will probably open up some opportunities for others like Greer or Walker. But no fronting, that would almost be equal to surrendering two points.

Two examples of Russell fronting Wilt:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wEzEHPZi3w&t=4m4s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJjBDUhbBcs&t=4m42s


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngg3owcJl1g&t=17m21s (Celtics shading excessively on Wilt's preferred (left) side of the floor, leaves Wali Jones wide open.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwCmKvHJNoQ&t=23m08s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwCmKvHJNoQ&t=11m44s



I don't know about others here, but I am seeing almost an arrogance in the way this Sixers team played offensively. They were very methodical & deliberate, not fast breaking as much as the other teams of the era. But they were also quick and very powerful on both backboards. Even Luke Jackson at 6'10, 260 lbs was agile enough to play a two man game with Wilt like this.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngg3owcJl1g&t=2m39s

Above we can see 3 specific plays I am talking about. In the first play, Cunningham fakes Gus Johnson out and instead hits Wilt, then cuts right to the basket with Johnson out of the play. In the 2nd clip, Walker hits Wilt in the low post, who feeds Greer cutting along the baseline for a layup. In the 3rd clip, the Celtics have K.C Jones shading Wilt off the ball, so they make an extra pass to have a proper angle for the entry pass, where the ball goes into him. All the while Russell is heavily leaning on Wilt to try and force him out of position, to no avail. Then he fake passes the ball twice including a fake handoff to Walker, subtly getting Russell off balance, and hits a quick turnaround bank shot. This is a play meant to force the switch, and Bob Ferry does not switch in the 2nd clip. Whoever is guarding Wilt will have to switch or try and cut off and trap that cutter along the baseline.

In the first example below, Imhoff steps up leaving Elgin alone with Wilt under the basket. In the 2nd clip, Russell stays back, and still cannot prevent the dunk.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjwkiXiwzCY&t=1m43s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJjBDUhbBcs&t=8m56s






Below is a clip of this attempted trap of Hal Greer by Havlicek and Embry, and Wilt makes himself available to Greer for the pass and dunk, unlike Dwight in the Miami game. You may have to watch in slow motion to really see the whole play.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Np29MW_XN8&t=27m53s


A couple more examples of failed baseline traps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwCmKvHJNoQ&t=17m29s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwCmKvHJNoQ&t=22m13s



Below Gus Johnson leaves Luke Jackson wide open under rim to try and steal the ball from Wilt's blind side, like Jordan did to Malone in the Finals. But that doesn't work here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCnrD94U-20&t=1m29s

athletes who can jump just as high as he can.

Look at how high his release point is on this hook shot. It doesn't look like much until you notice where the rim is. He is almost shooting it down into the basket. In the screenshot the ball is just a split second from leaving his hand. If he was getting the ball up high enough to dunk on his hook shots, it's no wonder he had a near unblockable shot. You had to rely more on timing than the challenging his vertical game.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wsEE9oivvM&t=14m38s

[jongib369]

He did it to 6'10 Darrall Imhoff. This was one of his signature moves.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjwkiXiwzCY#t=2m54s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNw0c19DhIU#t=34m46s





Dwight (this past year) can barely even bring the ball down to gather himself without getting stripped. He is not as strong as you would think looking at his chiseled shoulders. I don't know how big his hands are but he cannot keep bringing the ball down low like Wilt, Shaq, or Barkley did to gather themselves, since his grip and overall strength is weak compared to them. You would never see any of them get stripped under the basket like that.

Dwight's problem is not his so called lack of moves. We have seen him make a few nice moves before, but the problem is he doesn't know how read the defense and incorporate the moves into game situations. He really has regressed since 2011, and his offensive awareness really seems to be below par. When the Lakers were eliminated we saw Barkley and Shaq criticizing him on the post game show, and they understand. Both of them developed into tremendous passers out of the post over the years. Their entire game offensively was based on drawing help defense to open the game up for others. I get the idea that Dwight is going to Hakeem's sessions to improve his repertoire, but the fact is he will never be anywhere near that agile and deceptive. Hakeem should be sitting in the film room teaching him how to read the defense, if he is not already. If Wilt were still alive today, that is who I would tell Dwight to go work with. He is another one who developed into a tremendous passer as well from his early years with the Philadelphia Warriors.



The video below shows excellent ball movement in a game of "keep away" with Walker, Greer, & Wilt in a triangle setup where the Bullets defense dictates the Sixers quick passes, and big Luke Jackson comes from the weak side to clean up Greer's miss and clinch the Eastern Division Championship. Look closely at the Bullets defensive movement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngg3owcJl1g&t=49s


Below shows two fake passes to cutters followed by a power move to the basket, drawing four defenders and finding Billy C unguarded in front of the rim.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Np29MW_XN8&t=3m28s




Wilt's best season was 1967, and the Sixers offense that year would set up with splits and cutters moving off him, not unlike how Portland played off Bill Walton 10 years later, though Walton played in the high post more than Wilt. He could play high as well as low, but in the footage I have seen preferred the mid-post area a step or two off the block, to open up some room for the baseline cutters while also remaining a scoring threat. In this style of play, he is holding the ball high and constantly looking for cutters, who seldom stopped moving. In this action it is defense who is at Wilt's mercy if they don't hard double him, seeing as any of the other 4 players is a potential threat to score. The modern teams (2001-present) are not accustomed to defending anywhere near this kind of constant player movement, they are more used to defending zones or specific areas on the floor, which will also leave them prone to giving up offensive rebounds.

Remember there was no incentive to shoot from distance back then (3 point line), so there was a lot of cutting and player movement. On the baseline handoffs for instance, not only is Wilt acting as a playmaker, but he is also acting as a screen. In the splits, he is acting as a pick for both players as well. Here is an example in the All Star Game, where there is a defensive error and Wilt hands it off to Big O for the basket.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Phho8i6rj0Y&t=45s


The defensive objective for most teams would be to try and emulate what the Celtics and Russell did, which was full court press the guards and try to make them eat up a good chunk of the shot clock. Once in the front court, they will shade Wilt with another man to try and prevent the entry pass. Basically they have to try and limit his touches, which will probably open up some opportunities for others like Greer or Walker. But no fronting, that would almost be equal to surrendering two points.

Two examples of Russell fronting Wilt:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wEzEHPZi3w&t=4m4s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJjBDUhbBcs&t=4m42s


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngg3owcJl1g&t=17m21s (Celtics shading excessively on Wilt's preferred (left) side of the floor, leaves Wali Jones wide open.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwCmKvHJNoQ&t=23m08s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwCmKvHJNoQ&t=11m44s



I don't know about others here, but I am seeing almost an arrogance in the way this Sixers team played offensively. They were very methodical & deliberate, not fast breaking as much as the other teams of the era. But they were also quick and very powerful on both backboards. Even Luke Jackson at 6'10, 260 lbs was agile enough to play a two man game with Wilt like this.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngg3owcJl1g&t=2m39s

Above we can see 3 specific plays I am talking about. In the first play, Cunningham fakes Gus Johnson out and instead hits Wilt, then cuts right to the basket with Johnson out of the play. In the 2nd clip, Walker hits Wilt in the low post, who feeds Greer cutting along the baseline for a layup. In the 3rd clip, the Celtics have K.C Jones shading Wilt off the ball, so they make an extra pass to have a proper angle for the entry pass, where the ball goes into him. All the while Russell is heavily leaning on Wilt to try and force him out of position, to no avail. Then he fake passes the ball twice including a fake handoff to Walker, subtly getting Russell off balance, and hits a quick turnaround bank shot. This is a play meant to force the switch, and Bob Ferry does not switch in the 2nd clip. Whoever is guarding Wilt will have to switch or try and cut off and trap that cutter along the baseline.

In the first example below, Imhoff steps up leaving Elgin alone with Wilt under the basket. In the 2nd clip, Russell stays back, and still cannot prevent the dunk.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjwkiXiwzCY&t=1m43s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJjBDUhbBcs&t=8m56s






Below is a clip of this attempted trap of Hal Greer by Havlicek and Embry, and Wilt makes himself available to Greer for the pass and dunk, unlike Dwight in the Miami game. You may have to watch in slow motion to really see the whole play.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Np29MW_XN8&t=27m53s


A couple more examples of failed baseline traps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwCmKvHJNoQ&t=17m29s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwCmKvHJNoQ&t=22m13s



Below Gus Johnson leaves Luke Jackson wide open under rim to try and steal the ball from Wilt's blind side, like Jordan did to Malone in the Finals. But that doesn't work here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCnrD94U-20&t=1m29s






Look at how high his release point is on this hook shot. It doesn't look like much until you notice where the rim is. He is almost shooting it down into the basket. In the screenshot the ball is just a split second from leaving his hand. If he was getting the ball up high enough to dunk on his hook shots, it's no wonder he had a near unblockable shot. You had to rely more on timing than the challenging his vertical game.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wsEE9oivvM&t=14m38s

[Euroleague]

This entire thread is a joke.

[Dr.J4ever]

Nice stuff, Phila. You've seen those legendary Sixer teams? Grew up in Philly area, but was just a boy during the Dr.J years in the 80's.

[Dr.J4ever]

I used to be enthralled by modern basketball also. As a boy watching the great 1982-83 Sixers, I heard Sonny Hill talk about how great Wilt was comparing him to Moses Malone. I thought then, c'mon this is 1983, and that was 1967. Basketball must have grown a lot in 15 years, which is a lifetime when you're just a boy.

Today though, 15 years is like nothing. Heck, 15 years or so ago, MJ was dominating the NBA. No one today will even argue that Jordan would not be
the dominant player in the game today, if he were still playing, right?

I just think Wilt has to be considered the single most dominating big man, ever. If your fair, it's really not close. Even Russel might agree that as a single individual playing for himself, Wilt produced more dominating moments than
any other single player ever.

[PHILA]

You've seen those legendary Sixer teams?

Only in limited video footage. Many who saw them will rank them as the best single season team. Though it is unfair to compare to modern teams, who are limited by the salary cap. Even back then they were fortunate not only getting Wilt basically for cash, but also drafting Chet Walker, Luke Jackson, & Billy Cunningham to join veterans Hal Greer, Larry Costello, and Dave Gambee. In fact Chet was drafted back when they still were in Syracuse. Also the Wali Jones acquisition in 1965. Most of these moves were made under owner Ike Richman, who passed away in Dec. 1965. If he had lived I'm pretty sure Wilt stays instead of leaving in 1968 and they don't break the team up. The co-owner Irv Kosloff refused to acknowledge the unofficial agreement Wilt had in place with Richman that he would get part ownership of the franchise.

[f0und]

the most impressive thing about that video is his acceleration and speed. that *hit looks unreal given that he's 7'2".

[Psileas]

He did it to 6'10 Darrall Imhoff. This was one of his signature moves.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjwkiXiwzCY#t=2m54s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNw0c19DhIU#t=34m46s





Dwight (this past year) can barely even bring the ball down to gather himself without getting stripped. He is not as strong as you would think looking at his chiseled shoulders. I don't know how big his hands are but he cannot keep bringing the ball down low like Wilt, Shaq, or Barkley did to gather themselves, since his grip and overall strength is weak compared to them. You would never see any of them get stripped under the basket like that.

Dwight's problem is not his so called lack of moves. We have seen him make a few nice moves before, but the problem is he doesn't know how read the defense and incorporate the moves into game situations. He really has regressed since 2011, and his offensive awareness really seems to be below par. When the Lakers were eliminated we saw Barkley and Shaq criticizing him on the post game show, and they understand. Both of them developed into tremendous passers out of the post over the years. Their entire game offensively was based on drawing help defense to open the game up for others. I get the idea that Dwight is going to Hakeem's sessions to improve his repertoire, but the fact is he will never be anywhere near that agile and deceptive. Hakeem should be sitting in the film room teaching him how to read the defense, if he is not already. If Wilt were still alive today, that is who I would tell Dwight to go work with. He is another one who developed into a tremendous passer as well from his early years with the Philadelphia Warriors.



The video below shows excellent ball movement in a game of "keep away" with Walker, Greer, & Wilt in a triangle setup where the Bullets defense dictates the Sixers quick passes, and big Luke Jackson comes from the weak side to clean up Greer's miss and clinch the Eastern Division Championship. Look closely at the Bullets defensive movement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngg3owcJl1g&t=49s


Below shows two fake passes to cutters followed by a power move to the basket, drawing four defenders and finding Billy C unguarded in front of the rim.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Np29MW_XN8&t=3m28s




Wilt's best season was 1967, and the Sixers offense that year would set up with splits and cutters moving off him, not unlike how Portland played off Bill Walton 10 years later, though Walton played in the high post more than Wilt. He could play high as well as low, but in the footage I have seen preferred the mid-post area a step or two off the block, to open up some room for the baseline cutters while also remaining a scoring threat. In this style of play, he is holding the ball high and constantly looking for cutters, who seldom stopped moving. In this action it is defense who is at Wilt's mercy if they don't hard double him, seeing as any of the other 4 players is a potential threat to score. The modern teams (2001-present) are not accustomed to defending anywhere near this kind of constant player movement, they are more used to defending zones or specific areas on the floor, which will also leave them prone to giving up offensive rebounds.

Remember there was no incentive to shoot from distance back then (3 point line), so there was a lot of cutting and player movement. On the baseline handoffs for instance, not only is Wilt acting as a playmaker, but he is also acting as a screen. In the splits, he is acting as a pick for both players as well. Here is an example in the All Star Game, where there is a defensive error and Wilt hands it off to Big O for the basket.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Phho8i6rj0Y&t=45s


The defensive objective for most teams would be to try and emulate what the Celtics and Russell did, which was full court press the guards and try to make them eat up a good chunk of the shot clock. Once in the front court, they will shade Wilt with another man to try and prevent the entry pass. Basically they have to try and limit his touches, which will probably open up some opportunities for others like Greer or Walker. But no fronting, that would almost be equal to surrendering two points.

Two examples of Russell fronting Wilt:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wEzEHPZi3w&t=4m4s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJjBDUhbBcs&t=4m42s


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngg3owcJl1g&t=17m21s (Celtics shading excessively on Wilt's preferred (left) side of the floor, leaves Wali Jones wide open.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwCmKvHJNoQ&t=23m08s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwCmKvHJNoQ&t=11m44s



I don't know about others here, but I am seeing almost an arrogance in the way this Sixers team played offensively. They were very methodical & deliberate, not fast breaking as much as the other teams of the era. But they were also quick and very powerful on both backboards. Even Luke Jackson at 6'10, 260 lbs was agile enough to play a two man game with Wilt like this.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngg3owcJl1g&t=2m39s

Above we can see 3 specific plays I am talking about. In the first play, Cunningham fakes Gus Johnson out and instead hits Wilt, then cuts right to the basket with Johnson out of the play. In the 2nd clip, Walker hits Wilt in the low post, who feeds Greer cutting along the baseline for a layup. In the 3rd clip, the Celtics have K.C Jones shading Wilt off the ball, so they make an extra pass to have a proper angle for the entry pass, where the ball goes into him. All the while Russell is heavily leaning on Wilt to try and force him out of position, to no avail. Then he fake passes the ball twice including a fake handoff to Walker, subtly getting Russell off balance, and hits a quick turnaround bank shot. This is a play meant to force the switch, and Bob Ferry does not switch in the 2nd clip. Whoever is guarding Wilt will have to switch or try and cut off and trap that cutter along the baseline.

In the first example below, Imhoff steps up leaving Elgin alone with Wilt under the basket. In the 2nd clip, Russell stays back, and still cannot prevent the dunk.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjwkiXiwzCY&t=1m43s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJjBDUhbBcs&t=8m56s






Below is a clip of this attempted trap of Hal Greer by Havlicek and Embry, and Wilt makes himself available to Greer for the pass and dunk, unlike Dwight in the Miami game. You may have to watch in slow motion to really see the whole play.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Np29MW_XN8&t=27m53s


A couple more examples of failed baseline traps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwCmKvHJNoQ&t=17m29s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwCmKvHJNoQ&t=22m13s



Below Gus Johnson leaves Luke Jackson wide open under rim to try and steal the ball from Wilt's blind side, like Jordan did to Malone in the Finals. But that doesn't work here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCnrD94U-20&t=1m29s






Look at how high his release point is on this hook shot. It doesn't look like much until you notice where the rim is. He is almost shooting it down into the basket. In the screenshot the ball is just a split second from leaving his hand. If he was getting the ball up high enough to dunk on his hook shots, it's no wonder he had a near unblockable shot. You had to rely more on timing than the challenging his vertical game.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wsEE9oivvM&t=14m38s

TLDR, so it doesn't matter. To hell with what footage shows. "Short white guys" is all that matters...

[CavaliersFTW]

He did it to 6'10 Darrall Imhoff. This was one of his signature moves.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjwkiXiwzCY#t=2m54s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNw0c19DhIU#t=34m46s





Dwight (this past year) can barely even bring the ball down to gather himself without getting stripped. He is not as strong as you would think looking at his chiseled shoulders. I don't know how big his hands are but he cannot keep bringing the ball down low like Wilt, Shaq, or Barkley did to gather themselves, since his grip and overall strength is weak compared to them. You would never see any of them get stripped under the basket like that.

Dwight's problem is not his so called lack of moves. We have seen him make a few nice moves before, but the problem is he doesn't know how read the defense and incorporate the moves into game situations. He really has regressed since 2011, and his offensive awareness really seems to be below par. When the Lakers were eliminated we saw Barkley and Shaq criticizing him on the post game show, and they understand. Both of them developed into tremendous passers out of the post over the years. Their entire game offensively was based on drawing help defense to open the game up for others. I get the idea that Dwight is going to Hakeem's sessions to improve his repertoire, but the fact is he will never be anywhere near that agile and deceptive. Hakeem should be sitting in the film room teaching him how to read the defense, if he is not already. If Wilt were still alive today, that is who I would tell Dwight to go work with. He is another one who developed into a tremendous passer as well from his early years with the Philadelphia Warriors.



The video below shows excellent ball movement in a game of "keep away" with Walker, Greer, & Wilt in a triangle setup where the Bullets defense dictates the Sixers quick passes, and big Luke Jackson comes from the weak side to clean up Greer's miss and clinch the Eastern Division Championship. Look closely at the Bullets defensive movement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngg3owcJl1g&t=49s


Below shows two fake passes to cutters followed by a power move to the basket, drawing four defenders and finding Billy C unguarded in front of the rim.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Np29MW_XN8&t=3m28s




Wilt's best season was 1967, and the Sixers offense that year would set up with splits and cutters moving off him, not unlike how Portland played off Bill Walton 10 years later, though Walton played in the high post more than Wilt. He could play high as well as low, but in the footage I have seen preferred the mid-post area a step or two off the block, to open up some room for the baseline cutters while also remaining a scoring threat. In this style of play, he is holding the ball high and constantly looking for cutters, who seldom stopped moving. In this action it is defense who is at Wilt's mercy if they don't hard double him, seeing as any of the other 4 players is a potential threat to score. The modern teams (2001-present) are not accustomed to defending anywhere near this kind of constant player movement, they are more used to defending zones or specific areas on the floor, which will also leave them prone to giving up offensive rebounds.

Remember there was no incentive to shoot from distance back then (3 point line), so there was a lot of cutting and player movement. On the baseline handoffs for instance, not only is Wilt acting as a playmaker, but he is also acting as a screen. In the splits, he is acting as a pick for both players as well. Here is an example in the All Star Game, where there is a defensive error and Wilt hands it off to Big O for the basket.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Phho8i6rj0Y&t=45s


The defensive objective for most teams would be to try and emulate what the Celtics and Russell did, which was full court press the guards and try to make them eat up a good chunk of the shot clock. Once in the front court, they will shade Wilt with another man to try and prevent the entry pass. Basically they have to try and limit his touches, which will probably open up some opportunities for others like Greer or Walker. But no fronting, that would almost be equal to surrendering two points.

Two examples of Russell fronting Wilt:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wEzEHPZi3w&t=4m4s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJjBDUhbBcs&t=4m42s


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngg3owcJl1g&t=17m21s (Celtics shading excessively on Wilt's preferred (left) side of the floor, leaves Wali Jones wide open.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwCmKvHJNoQ&t=23m08s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwCmKvHJNoQ&t=11m44s



I don't know about others here, but I am seeing almost an arrogance in the way this Sixers team played offensively. They were very methodical & deliberate, not fast breaking as much as the other teams of the era. But they were also quick and very powerful on both backboards. Even Luke Jackson at 6'10, 260 lbs was agile enough to play a two man game with Wilt like this.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngg3owcJl1g&t=2m39s

Above we can see 3 specific plays I am talking about. In the first play, Cunningham fakes Gus Johnson out and instead hits Wilt, then cuts right to the basket with Johnson out of the play. In the 2nd clip, Walker hits Wilt in the low post, who feeds Greer cutting along the baseline for a layup. In the 3rd clip, the Celtics have K.C Jones shading Wilt off the ball, so they make an extra pass to have a proper angle for the entry pass, where the ball goes into him. All the while Russell is heavily leaning on Wilt to try and force him out of position, to no avail. Then he fake passes the ball twice including a fake handoff to Walker, subtly getting Russell off balance, and hits a quick turnaround bank shot. This is a play meant to force the switch, and Bob Ferry does not switch in the 2nd clip. Whoever is guarding Wilt will have to switch or try and cut off and trap that cutter along the baseline.

In the first example below, Imhoff steps up leaving Elgin alone with Wilt under the basket. In the 2nd clip, Russell stays back, and still cannot prevent the dunk.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjwkiXiwzCY&t=1m43s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJjBDUhbBcs&t=8m56s






Below is a clip of this attempted trap of Hal Greer by Havlicek and Embry, and Wilt makes himself available to Greer for the pass and dunk, unlike Dwight in the Miami game. You may have to watch in slow motion to really see the whole play.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Np29MW_XN8&t=27m53s


A couple more examples of failed baseline traps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwCmKvHJNoQ&t=17m29s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwCmKvHJNoQ&t=22m13s



Below Gus Johnson leaves Luke Jackson wide open under rim to try and steal the ball from Wilt's blind side, like Jordan did to Malone in the Finals. But that doesn't work here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCnrD94U-20&t=1m29s






Look at how high his release point is on this hook shot. It doesn't look like much until you notice where the rim is. He is almost shooting it down into the basket. In the screenshot the ball is just a split second from leaving his hand. If he was getting the ball up high enough to dunk on his hook shots, it's no wonder he had a near unblockable shot. You had to rely more on timing than the challenging his vertical game.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wsEE9oivvM&t=14m38s

[TheTenth]

Now adjust Wilt's 22.5 points per game in the playoffs average to modern era basketball. I like how Wilt supporters always forget the playoffs.

Wilt's PER 36 min scoring average in the playoffs is 17.2 points per game....

Nice, you have little knowledge of how playoff statistics work! Playoff stats are based on luck of the draw competition of who you play against/how many times. Wilt unfortunately had the worst lot in comparing RS to Playoff statistics for a few reasons.

A. Switched styles
- Played more playoff games when asked to score less
- changed style in playoffs (1962, 1969)
B. Played approximately 11.25% of his games after a career threatening injury (1970)
C. More % of his games were against HoF centers than any other center in history.
D. In each of his "scoring" seasons, except 2 (missed playoffs in 63, 61 played Nats) he went up against Bill Russell, greatest defensive center of all time.

I like how you take the playoffs which are incomparable numbers between two players and like to use them to suit your agenda.

The reality is, Player A cannot be compared to Player B in playoff averages in any situation. Playoffs restrict or inflate numbers based on who the best playoff contenders are. For instance, some positions have easier times scoring in playoffs due to the competition in those spots in playoff teams while other positions may have a harder time for the same reasons.

[millwad]

Nice, you have little knowledge of how playoff statistics work! Playoff stats are based on luck of the draw competition of who you play against/how many times. Wilt unfortunately had the worst lot in comparing RS to Playoff statistics for a few reasons..

Excuses.

A. Switched styles
- Played more playoff games when asked to score less
- changed style in playoffs (1962, 1969)

He was asked to score less for a reason, maybe you never realized why.

B. Played approximately 11.25% of his games after a career threatening injury (1970)
.

So tired of hearing about his "career threatening injury". You guys are blowing it out of proportion, the least amount of minutes he played in average after that injury was 42 minutes per game in the regular season and 46 minutes per game as an average in the playoffs.

Someone badly injured or someone who's busted up can't average that kind of minutes.

C. More % of his games were against HoF centers than any other center in history.

Really? He played in an era where double teams and defensive schemes barely existed. Why don't you mention the fact that he played against worse defense cpompared to the modern era centers?

D. In each of his "scoring" seasons, except 2 (missed playoffs in 63, 61 played Nats) he went up against Bill Russell, greatest defensive center of all time.
.

Who was undersized and who most of the times had to face Wilt one on one without modern era defensive schemes and without double and triple teams.

I like how you take the playoffs which are incomparable numbers between two players and like to use them to suit your agenda.
.

I like how you only think it's fun when people cherry pick Wilt's great numbers and not when someone actually compares something as important as playoff scoring average, the total of his career..

The reality is, Player A cannot be compared to Player B in playoff averages in any situation. Playoffs restrict or inflate numbers based on who the best playoff contenders are. For instance, some positions have easier times scoring in playoffs due to the competition in those spots in playoff teams while other positions may have a harder time for the same reasons.

Please, Wilt has the least excuses of any center in NBA history to not have a much more impressive scoring average.

1. He played in a much higher paced era.
2. He played against way worse defensive schemes and barely faced any double and triple teams.

I haven't seen you upset regarding Wilt fans cherry picking his statistical highs but you get butthurt over someone mentioning his playoff scoring average.

[juju151111]

Excuses.





He was asked to score less for a reason, maybe you never realized why.





So tired of hearing about his "career threatening injury". You guys are blowing it out of proportion, the least amount of minutes he played in average after that injury was 42 minutes per game in the regular season and 46 minutes per game as an average in the playoffs.

Someone badly injured or someone who's busted up can't average that kind of minutes.



Really? He played in an era where double teams and defensive schemes barely existed. Why don't you mention the fact that he played against worse defense cpompared to the modern era centers?



Who was undersized and who most of the times had to face Wilt one on one without modern era defensive schemes and without double and triple teams.



I like how you only think it's fun when people cherry pick Wilt's great numbers and not when someone actually compares something as important as playoff scoring average, the total of his career..




Please, Wilt has the least excuses of any center in NBA history to not have a much more impressive scoring average.

1. He played in a much higher paced era.
2. He played against way worse defensive schemes and barely faced any double and triple teams.

I haven't seen you upset regarding Wilt fans cherry picking his statistical highs but you get butthurt over someone mentioning his playoff scoring average.

I agree Wilt is a overrated playoff performer in terms of offense. His defense was crazy through

[PHILA]

I agree Wilt is a overrated playoff performer in terms of offense. His defense was crazy through

From his prime 1960-68 in 80 playoff games he was dominant, though not as good as his regular season.


Included are all playoff runs where the player has averaged at least 20 ppg. We will look at the "True Shooting" stat shooting efficiency relative to league average. He basically looks identical to Shaq, who are both highly efficient despite their poor foul shooting. Jordan is clearly the top scorer, and Oscar (despite popular belief here) is unbelievably dominant in both his scoring and efficiency.


Wilt (1960-68): 29.3 PPG, 47.7 MPG, +4.2 TS% (*Excluding 1963)



A few examples from another forum below:


Playoffs when they averaged at least 20 PPG


Kobe 27.7 PPG, 41.5 MPG, +1.2 TS%
Jordan 33.5 PPG, 41.7 PPG, +3.1 TS%
Shaq 27.2 PPG, 40.4 MPG, +4.3 TS%
Hakeem 27.3 PPG, 40.7 MPG, +3.8 TS%
Barkley 25.5 PPG, 41.7 MPG, +5.5 TS%
LeBron 28.1 PPG, 43.1 MPG, +2.9 TS%
Oscar 28.6 PPG, 46.3 MPG, +8.0 TS%

[Clifton]

So, he's basically Javale McGee if he had Tim Duncan's BBall IQ.

3rd greatest of all time. Still can't put him over Kareem. With Kareem you have character and consistency - plus >30/15 - from your best player which I don't think Wilt really showed.

[TheTenth]

Excuses.

No. Its simple math.

He was asked to score less for a reason, maybe you never realized why.

I realize why, do you?

So tired of hearing about his "career threatening injury". You guys are blowing it out of proportion, the least amount of minutes he played in average after that injury was 42 minutes per game in the regular season and 46 minutes per game as an average in the playoffs.

Someone badly injured or someone who's busted up can't average that kind of minutes.

Regardless if it's blown out of proportion or not, it's still a factor. You have a double standard for Wilt, why?

Really? He played in an era where double teams and defensive schemes barely existed. Why don't you mention the fact that he played against worse defense cpompared to the modern era centers?

Because he didn't. "Cpompared" to other centers he faced much tougher defensive competition. Mathematically the Celtics had some of the best defenses in history, so I believe that is a relevant factor.

Who was undersized and who most of the times had to face Wilt one on one without modern era defensive schemes and without double and triple teams.

Except he had numerous double/triple teams and nearly all centers would be undersized against Wilt. Hakeem, Ewing, Howard were all undersized against Shaq. Michael Jordan had a larger wingspan than probably most of the defenders who guarded him. Size is irrelevant here.

I like how you only think it's fun when people cherry pick Wilt's great numbers and not when someone actually compares something as important as playoff scoring average, the total of his career..

You seem to think I apply some emotion to this...? Regardless, cherry-picking numbers requires proper context. If I pick his field goal percentage in his 73 season, which was positive or as many might say "great," one must have the proper context as to why it was so high. I don't exactly view it as his most efficient year so to speak. Should I believe that Wilt suddenly became a worse scorer and the best rebounder of all time when the playoffs began? No. That would be cherry-picking. I still hold the belief that playoff numbers are just a factor of competition.

Please, Wilt has the least excuses of any center in NBA history to not have a much more impressive scoring average.

1. He played in a much higher paced era.
2. He played against way worse defensive schemes and barely faced any double and triple teams.

I haven't seen you upset regarding Wilt fans cherry picking his statistical highs but you get butthurt over someone mentioning his playoff scoring average.

1. Is irrelevant to the point being made.
2. Is not true. I'm sure jlauber has pointed out the footage to you numerous times, yet you continue to write it off because a) you don't respect his opinion or b) you refuse to acknowledge the facts or c) haven't even watched any footage. Game footage in the posts above shows this. This isn't even mentioning the personal testimonies which report this fact, which I always hold as weightless in evaluations.

Look, I like debating subjects with people, but what you are stating is pure nonsense. Playoff numbers are irrelevant in player comparisons as is taking pointless numbers like Wilt's 100 point game against a backup center. What if Michael Jordan faced Gary Payton for nearly 1/3 of his playoff games, or Larry Bird faced Michael Cooper for 1/3 of his games? Of course their playoff numbers would go down! In fact Larry Bird's did!

I could care less about Wilt not getting his credit, I mainly care about the misuse of statistics. Statistics may be the only thing I am impartial to. My question is, why do you have so much disdain for a player that played so long ago? I really could care less about the name/player we discuss, I wouldn't care if some new player came and destroyed the league to a far greater degree than Wilt could. I admit frequently that my personal opinion should hold no weight but I know it may slip through in anyone's evaluation of players. This being said, since I know the effects of it, I try my hardest not to allow it to influence my opinion. Maybe you should try that too.

I guess I am being trolled?

and Oscar (despite popular belief here) is unbelievably dominant in both his scoring and efficiency.

These statistics are skewed to help Oscar/Wilt because you are using the nominal numbers (are you using nominal?). Inflated MPG/PPG allows a couple extra seasons of Oscar's/Wilt's to be on there.