Is there a case to made about 1964 Wilt being better then 1967 Wilt.

[coastalmarker99]

Here is Wilt Chamberlain's incredible 1963-1964 Season

Regular Season
-36.9 PPG (League leader)
-22.3 RPG
-5.0 APG
-52.4% FG
-31.6 PER
-.325 WS/48 (Career-high and league leader)
-14.4 OWS
-10.6 DWS (Career high) *For reference, Olajuwon's career high was 8.7



Also in the playoffs for Wilt

Playoffs
-34.7 PPG (playoff leader)
-25.2 RPG
-3.3 APG
-54.3% FG (playoff leader)
-31.3 PER (Career high and playoff leader)
-.323 WS/48 (Career high and playoff leader)
-2.3 OWS (playoff leader)
-1.5 DWS


Finals (Against the greatest defender ever, Bill Russell)
-29.2 PPG
-27.6 RPG
-2.4 APG
-51.4% FG

His teammates shot a combined 34.8% and the Warriors lost in 5 through to his credit Wilt did make the games close.


Now as for Wilt's 1966-1967 Season.


Regular Season
-24.1 PPG
-24.2 RPG (League leader)
-7.8 APG
-68.3% FG (League leader)
-26.5 PER (League leader)
-.285 WS/48 (league leader)
-14.8 OWS (League leader)
-7.0 DWS


Playoffs

-21.7 PPG
-29.1 RPG (playoff leader)
-9.0 APG
-57.9% FG
-25.3 PER (playoff leader)
-.253 WS/48 (playoff leader)
-1.8 OWS (playoff leader)
-2.0 DWS (playoff leader)


1967 Finals (Against Nate.

-17.7 PPG
-28.5 RPG
-6.8 APG
-56.0 % FG



When you look at all the stats and context I do think there is a great case to be made that 1964 Wilt was better than his 1967 self.


As the mixture of scoring, passing, rebounding, and defence that 1964 Wilt provided was more impactful than his 1967 self.

I mean his series In the WDF in which he put up 38.6 PPG and 23.4 RPG on a +7.8 rTS% to send his team to the finals might be the best playoff series of his career.

As in that game seven against the Hawks he had 39 points to go along with 30 rebounds and 12 blocks on 19-29 shooting from the floor.

And in game 2 of that same series, he had 28 points to go along with 27 rebounds 5 assists and 15 blocks through he did stat pad his numbers in garbage time during most of the second half of that game.


I also believe it was Hannum who commented on Chamberlain's incredible '64 season, where he took one of the worst rosters in NBA history, to the Finals... "He has to play like Russell on the defensive end, and like Wilt on the offensive end."

[coastalmarker99]

I do really want to see footage of Wilt vs the Hawks in the 1964 playoffs as I know in game 1 of that series that the Hawks made a massive comeback to win that game once they started doubling and triple-teaming Wilt.

https://twitter.com/WiltStats/status/1443972689543131142/photo/1

It is most likely the best overall playoff series of Wilt's career when you consider how much he was dominating on both sides of the court especially with the weak roster he had.


Through his 1967 ECF series against Russell also deserves mention.

As his numbers in that series were crazy.

In-game 1 he dropped 24 points, 32 rebounds, 13 assists and blocked 12 shots.

https://twitter.com/WiltStats/status/1477998890590748676/photo/1


In-game 2 he dropped 15 points, 29 rebounds, 5 assists and blocked 5 shots.

https://twitter.com/WiltStats/status/1478134665613508611/photo/1


In-game 3 he dropped 20 points 41 rebounds, 9 assists and blocked 5 shots.

https://twitter.com/WiltStats/status/1478138512910082049/photo/1


In-game 5 he dropped 29 points, 36 rebounds, 13 assists and blocked 7 shots.

https://twitter.com/WiltStats/status/1478367418074288130/photo/1

[Psileas]

There's definitely such a case, since this was arguably Wilt's best combination of scoring, passing and defense. The 1967 season had more outlier results (smashing the wins record, smashing the FG% record, smashing the apg for a C record), but I don't think that either of this stuff would be impossible for earlier versions of Wilt to achieve, if playing for the correct team (aka, not the mid-60's Warriors, lol) and if convinced earlier that this type of playing would make them more unpredictable.

PS. I like that "that other board" seems to appreciate the value of the 1964 season. Unfortunately, as I saw in your 2 player combinations of seasons project, this and 1967 (maybe a bit of 1965 and 1968 as well) are Wilt's only seasons that you really seem to appreciate, while you crap on seasons like 1962 or 1972 (while, ironically, deifying Russell having inferior seasons to these) and totally ignore MVP campaigns like 1960 and 1966 and, obviously, 1961 and 1963 as well (but, at the same time, treat Kareem's 1976 as just about the best thing since the Big Bang). I wonder, especially for 1966, how much better it would be to have more teams/playoff rounds available, so that he'd be able to post more GOAT-level series, before dropping to "only" 28-30 ppg vs Russell's Celtics. Give 1966 Wilt a team similar to the 1964 Hawks (or similar to the 1977 Warriors for Kareem), and he'd have another 35+ ppg series that would boost that season's overall status and make it similar to 1964.