The Wilt Double Standard

[millwad]

I have long maintained that Chamberlain had to deal with the most impossible EXPECTATIONS of any all-time great basketball player. I call it the "Wilt Double Standard."

The "anti-Wilt" clan has repeatedly bombarded this board with absolute nonsense, like Chamberlain was a lumbering "Frankenstein" that dunked on 6-6 helpless white centers. Or that Wilt was a "stats-padder", who could put up huge games against far inferior competition, but when he had to face a HOF center, he went into hiding. Or that Wilt was a perpetual "loser." Or that Wilt "choked" in his biggest games. He wasn't even cut any slack with injuries. Even Bill Russell ripped Wilt for pulling himself out of a game seven, even though it was for only a matter of a couple of minutes.

Yet, when other "greats" have done FAR worse, they are forgiven.

"Stats-padder?" In Wilt's 50.4 ppg season, he was asked by his COACH to score. Why? Because his COACH looked at that putrid roster, much of it the older remains of the same LAST PLACE roster that Wilt joined in his rookie season two years earlier, and realized that the ONLY chance they had, was for Wilt to SHOOT. And how much did Wilt's "stats-padding" hurt that team? They went 49-31, and lost a game seven against the 60-20 Celtics, and their SEVEN HOFers, by two points. And Wilt shot .506 that season, while his teammates collectively shot .402. Oh, and his teammates collectively shot .354 in their 12 post-season games, too. Just how in the hell did that "stats-padding" Wilt get that cast of clowns that far?

But, the pundits claim, Wilt was playiong every minute of every game, even in blowouts. Clearly, that is "stats-padding." How about his 62-63 season, then, with arguably the worst roster in NBA history, Chamberlain played 47.6 mpg. True, that team was so awful, that not even a dominany Wilt could get them past a 31-49 record. Still, they lost 35 games by single digits, and were only involved in eight 20+ point games (going 4-4.) Hell, they went 1-8 against the Celtics, and their NINE HOFers, and SIX of them were decided by single digits. And all Wilt could do was put up FIVE 40+ point games against Russell that season, including a 50 point game, en route to averaging 38.1 ppg against him. All in a season in which Wilt LED the NBA in FIFTEEN of their 22 statistical categories, including ppg (by a margin of +10.8 ppg), rebounding, and setting a then FG% record of .528. He even led the NBA in Win Shares, and by a huge margin. And his PER rating of 31.84 is the all-time NBA record.

And, just how bad was that roster? The very next season, Wilt's new coach, Alex Hannum, conducted a pre-season scrimmage involving the roster, sans Wilt, and playing against draft picks and scrubs...and guess which team won the game? Hannum was shocked at how little those veteran players knew how to play the game. They had become so dependant on Wilt, that they had basically become worthless NBA players. Futhermore, Wilt then took that cast of clowns to a 48-32 record, and a trip to the Finals, where they lost to Russell's Celtics, and their EIGHT HOFers, 4-1. And two of those losses were in the waning seconds.

And even clowns like Dickwad try to point out that Wilt's scoring didn't lead to success. Yep...like his 65-66 season, when Wilt agains led the NBA in scoring at 33.5 ppg, rebounding at 24.6 rpg, and yes, set another FG% mark of .540...and in the process, he led his TEAM to the BEST RECORD in the league. Oh, and in his regular season H2H's against Russell, he averaged 28.3 ppg and 30.7 rpg. Then, in the ECF's, and again against Russell, Wilt averaged 28 ppg and 30.2 rpg (on .509 shooting), but his teammates collectively shot .352 in that series. Who gets the blame, though?

The FACT was, in Wilt's "scoring" seasons, covering six post-season series, he took that last place roster to a game six, two point loss against the Celtics in the '60 ECF's. He took essentially that same roster to a game seven, two point loss against the Celtics in '62. He took what was essentially the same team that had gone 31-49 in '63, to a 48-32 record, and a trip to the Finals in '64. And he then took a 40-40 Philly team (which had gone 34-46 the year before he arrived) to a game seven, one point loss against the 62-18 Celtics, and in a series in which he averaged 30 ppg and 31 rpg.

And even Wilt's 100 point game gets ripped by the "Chamberlain-bashers." It came against a lousy Knick team, and with only centers like Phil Jordan and Darrell Imhoff (two average centers in that era, but neither were awful.)


Ok, how come Hakeem gets praised here for winning two rings (and no one ever says, "only two" either), despite playing 18 seasons to Wilt's 14? Or that he only played on four teams that even won 50+ games (and a high of 58), while Chamberlain played on FOUR that won 60+, including two that went 68-13 and 69-13. Or that Wilt took TWELVE teams, in 14 seasons, to at least the Conference Finals. Meanwhile, Hakeem took FOUR teams as far as the Conference Finals, and only three to the Finals (Wilt went to SIX Finals.) Not only that, but Hakeem took his team's down in flames in EIGHT FIRST ROUND SERIES, and none of even those were close.

Or Bird only winning three rings, despite playing on stacked rosters his entire career. Here again, no one ever mentions "only three" either. Or that Bird took teams with HCA edge down in SEVEN post-season series, including one in which they were swept.

Or Kareem, playing with talented rosters throughout the 70's, and in the weakest decade of NBA champions in NBA history, and only going to TWO Finals, and only winning ONE ring.

Continued...

[millwad]

In Wilt's 100 point game, he chewed up the THREE Knick centers. Furthemore, as he came closer to the 100 point mark, the Knicks were SWARMING Chamberlain, or deliberating fouling his teammates, and were slowing the ball to a crawl...all in a desperate attempt to prevent him getting to the century mark.

In any case, many dismiss Wilt's 100 as a blatant "stats-padding" effort.

Ok, how about Shaq's 61 point game on his birthday in 2000? He faced the awesome threesome of Olowokandi (14 minutes), Chilcutt (19 minutes), and even Piatkowski in the remainder. And just watching footage of it, the 12-48 Clippers did not even attempt to guard Shaq for much of the game. And, those 61 points came in 45 minutes in a game in which the 50-11 Lakers won 123-103.

And how about the accounts of Bird's lone 60 point game? The OPPOSING players were CHEERING him on.

"Stats-padding?" Wilt gets accused of "stats-padding" in his scoring seasons because he was playing nearly every minute of every game. BUT, Wilt did that his ENTIRE career. Even in his LAST season, and when he had long since was interested in scoring titles, he played 43.2 mpg (and he then played 47.1 mpg in the post-season.)

How often have you ever read a post in which Kareem was labeled a "stats-padder?" Then, think about this. In his 71-72 season, Kareem averaged a career high 44.2 mpg, and scored 34.8 ppg on .574 shooting. His Bucks went 63-19, and had a scoring differential of +11.1 ppg.

Ok, so what happened in Kareem's 75-76 season, when he played for a 40-42 Laker team? He "only" played 41.2 mpg, and could only average 27.7 ppg on .529 shooting, on a team that desperately needed him to elevate his game.

Here again, Wilt was a "stats-padder" on a 31-49 team, in which he played 47.6 mpg (and in very few "blowouts"), on a team that lost 35 games by single digits. Obviously, he must have declined right? Hell no, Wilt stepped up with a 44.8 ppg, 24.3 rpg, .528 (at the time an NBA record) season. He could easily have just folded his tent, much like Kareem probably did in his 75-76 season. Instead, he played out of the world, despite getting absolutely no help.

And does anyone rip MJ for scoring 37.1 ppg on a 40-42 team? Or Kobe for scoring 35.4 ppg on a 45-37 team? Nope, but Wilt scoring 50.4 ppg on a 49-31 team (that he would carry to a game seven, two point loss against the 60-20 Celtics) was a "stats-padder."

Continued...

[millwad]

How about injuries?

Has there ever been a "great" player who was more ridiculed for an injury, than Wilt in game seven of the '69 Finals? Charley Rosen completed blew the REAL occurances of that game seven, in his book on the '71-72 Lakers, claiming that Wilt pulled himself out of the game, when he picked up his fifth foul in the third quarter, and with his Lakers AHEAD by a big margin.

Other's claimed that Wilt could see the end coming, in the 4th quarter, and "feigned" his injury to perhaps minimize the imminent bashing he would take after the game.

Even Bill Russell ripped Chamberlain, claiming that nothing short of a broken leg would have kept him out the game. (To his credit, Russell later apologized, albiet, some 20 years later.)

In any case, here were the FACTS surrounding that injury. One, LA was BEHIND, and big, early in the 4th period (17 points down with a little over 10 minutes remaining.)

Two, the Lakers began a furious rally from that ten minute mark, and with a little over six minutes remaining, Wilt grabbed a defensive rebound, and his outlet led to a fastbreak basket, which cut the deficit to nine points. However, he landed awkwardly on that leg, (incidently, it would be the SAME leg that he would shred in game nine of the very next season.) He still stayed in the game, though, and pulled down yet another defensive rebound, and the subsequent pass led to two FTs by West, which then cut the margin down to seven points. BUT, he HAD to come out. He could barely stand.

Three, why would Wilt "fake" an injury at that juncture of the game? The old, but proud Celtics, were on their last fumes, and in a manner of about four minutes, LA had cut the deficit from 17 to 7 points, and with a little over 5 minutes remaining. If anything, that could have been among Wilt's finest hours, had he been able to engineer a comeback from that big deficit, and in a game seven.

Four, Wilt sat for about TWO MINUTES, and then asked to go back in. The Lakers had continued to cut into Boston's lead, too. His incompetent COACH, who absolutely hated Wilt from day one, declined. Instead, he put his faith in Mel f***king Counts. Counts subsequently missed a wild shot late, and then had committed a disasterous turnover in the last minute. Oh, and BTW, while Chamberlain had shot 7-8 from the floor in that game, Counts finished 4-13 from the field.

Five. Where was the "clutch" Russell in that period? He went 1-3 from the floor, and had two rebounds. Meanwhile, Chamberlain, missing the last five minutes, went 1-1 (on an easy basket over Russell, who had five fouls..and WHY didn't the Lakers take advantage of that the rest of the game?), and also grabbed seven rebounds. So, Wilt, in his seven minutes, matched Russell's scoring in his 12, and outrebounded him, 7-2.

And six. I found it insteresting that Russell would blast Wilt after that game. Why? Because how about Russell in his '58 Finals, in a series in which his team lost to the Hawks, 4-2? Russell sustained a chip fracture in the third game, and missed games four and five of that series. And, BTW, no one ever mentions this, but Boston WON BOTH games withOUT Russell. In any case, he tried to make a go of it in game six, but could only play 20 minutes. I am not questioning the severity of Russell's injury, but he also had no right to question the most durable player of all-time either.

Why is Chamberlain ripped, for taking himself out of a game for TWO minutes, and then asking to go back in, and being denied? In a game in which his team would lose by TWO points?

Continued...

[millwad]

Continuing...

Of course, I already mentioned Wilt tearing that same knee up in game nine of the very next season. He subsequently underwent major knee surgery, and even the most optomistic medical opinion had him done for at least the rest of the season. Keep in mind, too, that Baylor had a similar injury, in the '65 playoffs, and was basically a shell for a year-and-a-half. In fact, he was never the same after it.

However, does anyone ever mention that Wilt CAME BACK in time for the playoffs? And he did so, solely because he wanted to help his teammates win a title. And not only did Chamberlain play, at well below 100%, he played EXCEPTIONALLY well.

Hell, he even brought his team back from the brink of elimination in the first round of the playoffs, (down 3-1 to the Suns), with a marvelous three straight games, including two 30+ point games, and in the clinching game seven, he put up a 30 point, 27 rebound, 11 block game.

Still, compare footage of Wilt in the '70 Finals, and then again two years later in the '72 Finals. He is clearly more mobile, more agile, and more athletic in the '72 Finals.

In any case, after sweeping the Hawks in the WCF's, Chamberlain took his 46-36 Lakers into the Finals, and against a deep Knick team that had gone 60-22 during the regular season, and then wiped out Kareem's 56-26 Bucks, 4-1 in the ECF's (more on that series later.)

And in the first four games of the Finals, a Chamberlain, who was nowhere near 100%, and facing a much more mobile Willis Reed, battled Reed to a statistical draw, and the series was tied 2-2 (here again, a healthy Kareem was wiped out by Reed's Knicks in five games.)

In the 5th game, Wilt was pounding Reed, when Reed sustained a tear in his quad (and his Knicks were down by TEN points when it happened.) Reed would miss the rest of that game, all of game six, and then stumble out for a game seven. In the meantime, in that fifth game, even the NY TIMES writer covering the series, claimed that officials aided the home team Knicks (West and Wilt combined for FIVE shots in the entire second half, and were mauled for much of it.) NY came back to win game five, 107-100.

In game six, virtually no one recalls Chamberlain destroying the Knicks with a 45 point, 20-27 shooting, 27 rebound game. True, Reed did not play, but why do so few acknowledge that Wilt played HUGE in a "must-win" game?

And virtually everyone knows what transpired in that game seven. Reed hobbled out, and hit his first two shots (one of them a miracle), and his teammates just exploded. NY hit 15 of their first 21 shots, and were never challenged. As for Wilt, he was the ONLY Laker to play well in the first half (he had 11 points, on 5-10 shooting, albeit 1-8 from the line, and with 12 rebounds.) His teammates collectively shot 33%, and even the usual clutch West (albeit nursing injuries himself) was butchered by Walt Frazier.

Reed is still hailed for his performance in that Finals to this very day. I believe there is an article (I won't look it up now), which claims that it was a top-10 Finals GAME in NBA history.

Yep...a Reed, who played like a statue, and would received help from a swarming defense, and who scored four points, on 2-5 shooting, and with three rebounds, was hailed as "heroic." Meanwhile, a Chamberlain, only four months removed from major knee surgery, and nowhere near 100%, took the brunt of the blame for the loss. And all Wilt did in the last three games of that Finals, was outscore the Finals MVP Reed, 88-11, outrebound Reed, 71-3, and outshoot Reed, .710 to .400.

Oh, and BTW, Chamberlain put up the ONLY 20-20 .600 Finals in NBA history (23.2 ppg, 24.1 rpg, and on .625 shooting.)

Continued...

[millwad]

Continuing on the injury aspect of the Wilt "Double Standard."

We know that Reed was a shell in the '70 Finals, after he sustained a muscle tear in his quad. He missed one half of one game, three quarters of another, and even an entire third game.

And with all of that, he goes on to win the FMVP, with a game seven of four points, 2-5 shooting, and 3 rebounds.

Ok, how about Chamberlain in the '68 ECF's? It is well documented that he played with an assortment of injuries in that series. Cherry wrote that in game three of the '68 ECF's, Wilt was being treated for numerous aliments, including a strained hamstring behind his knee, arthritis in his other knee, a bum toe, and, a partial tear in his right calf...or a similar injury to what Reed had sustained in the '70 Finals. And, Cherry continued..."all of which had him NOTICEABLY LIMPING."

Then, think about this...Chamberlain not only played from game three thru the seventh game with those injuries, he played EVERY MINUTE of them. Some posters here ridiculed Wilt's game six, in which he shot 6-21 from the floor, and 8-23 from the line, BUT, Wilt PLAYED (and he grabbed 27 rebounds, too.) In game seven, Chamberlain's teammates ignored him completely in the second half, and the injury-decimated Sixers lost to Boston, 100-96. Even in that game, Wilt out up a 14-34 game (Russell had a 12-26 game.) For the entire series, and against the great Russell (who played his best series against Wilt IMHO), Chamberlain averaged 22.1 ppg and 25.2 rpg. To his credit, Russell did comment after that series, that "a lessor man would not have played."

Now, we know that Reed was reduced to a virtual spectator in his last three games of the '70 Finals, with his muscle tear, and was STILL hailed as a hero. Yet, Wilt with a similar injury, and several more, and not only playing, but playing well, gets ripped for his TEAM "choking" away a 3-1 series lead. Of course, those that actually followed that series, KNOW that Philly was just decimated by injuries. BUT, it was WILT who took the blame.

Continued...

[millwad]

Back to the OP, and continuing with the injury "double standard"...

Reed's game seven in the '70 Finals, in which he was a statue, who did nothing than foul Chamberlain, and watch as his teammates completely shelled Chamberlain's (even the usually clutch West was awful), is somehow regarded as one of the greatest games in Finals history.

Now, fast forward to the '72 Finals. In a pivotal game four, in NY, and with LA leading the series, 2-1, Wilt not only came up HUGE in OT (and playing all 53 minutes...even with five fouls for much of the last portion), he FRACTURED his wrist in a fall late in that game. Of course, he continued to play, and his clutch play in the OT, saved the game for the Lakers.

If the fractured wrist wasn't bad enough, he also badly sprained his other wrist in a playoff game against the Bulls earlier. And with BOTH wrists swollen, there was some doubt if Wilt could even go in game five.

Ok, fast forward to Kareem in TWO separate seasons in the 70's. Kareem suffered a broken wrist in two separate years, and missed CHUNKS of games in each (16 in one.)

Back to game five. Chamberlain not only played (and with both wrists heavily wrapped), he DOMINATED the game. Unlike Reed, who was nothing more than a casual observer in his part-time effort in that game seven, Wilt overwhelmed the Knicks. He scored 24 points, on 10-14 shooting, with nine blocks, and grabbed 29 rebounds (out of a TOTAL of 106...and with the entire Knick team having 39!)

Where does that game rank in these "all-time" lists. I believe I read in one of them,, that had Reed's game near the top, Wilt's dominating game five was somewhere in the top-50 range.


It amazes me that Kareem misses a critical game six of the '80 Finals, with an ankle sprain, BUT, Magic steps up and leads the Lakers to a win on the road with one of the greatest Finals games in NBA history (a 42-15-7 game), and virtually no one ever criticizes Kareem.

Or that Reed could miss nearly half of a Finals, and be nowhere near as dominant as a Wilt, who was, himself, only four months removed from a major knee surgery (a similar one to the one that shelved Baylor for six months, and then limited him to a shell for a full season afterwards), and yet, Reed is labled as the "hero", and Chamberlain is once again, branded as a "choking loser."

Or that Russell would rip Chamberlain, for taking himself out of a game seven for TWO MINUTES, and yet, he himself missed TWO FULL GAMES and half of a clinching game six loss, in the '58 Finals, with a chipped bone in his ankle.

Wilt comes back WAY AHEAD of schedule after a horrific knee injury and major operation, and plays brilliantly (even thoroughly outplaying Reed in the last three games of a seven game series), and yet, he was the "failure."

Or Wilt PLAYING in roughly FIVE straight games, and in EVERY minute of them, in the '68 ECF's, with multiple injuries, including a similar one to the one that left Reed a statue in the '70 Finals (in the portions of the games in which he did play), and guess what, it was WILT who supposedly "choked" away a 3-1 Sixer lead.

Next...the Wilt who "wilted" in his post-seasons..

[millwad]

Back to the Wilt "Double Standard"...

If you were to poll the posters on this site, as to who were more "big game" players in their careers, I suspect that the majority would claim that Larry Bird, or Kareem, were considerably more "clutch." And I'm not talking about taking the last shot, but in terms of overall play in a BIG GAME.

I have already covered Wilt's post-season play many times, but here we go again. First of all, let's quickly dispense with this crap that Wilt "wilted" in his post-season play.

The "Simmonites" always point to Wilt's scoring drop in the post-season as the "evidence" that Wilt did indeed "flop" in his post-season play. You can look the numbers up for yourself, but Wilt's regular season scoring average was 30.1 ppg, and his post-season scoring was at 22.5 ppg.

BUT, there were many factors at play here. One, and it is seldom mentioned, is that Wilt basically had his "scoring" seasons in the first half of his career. Look it up for yourself, but in his career, he averaged 39 ppg in his first seven seasons, and then 20 ppg in his last seven seasons. Not only that, but in Wilt's 62-63 season, he averaged 44.8 ppg on .528 shooting...BUT, his teammates were so awful, that his team didn't make the playoffs. That was his second greatest scoring season of his career.

The result? In his first seven seasons, and covering six post-seasons, he played in 52 of his 160 post-season games. And the main reason for that? The Celtic Dynasty. He met the Celtics in the second round of the playoffs in '60, '62, '64 (the Finals, but he only had one playoff series before that), '65, '66 (it was the second round, but they had a first round bye), '67, and '68.

Then, let's give credit where credit is due. Bill Russell. For instance, everyone here knows that Wilt averaged 50.4 ppg on .506 shooting in the '62 regular season. Then, they look at his playoff scoring... 35.0 ppg on .467 shooting, and immediately jump up and say "see!" But, here were the facts. Wilt faced Russell 10 times in the regular season (Russell missed two other games, so I won't post Wilt's average in those two games), and in them, Chamberlain averaged 39.7 ppg on .471 shooting. In the ECF's, Wilt averaged 33.6 ppg on .468 shooting. A drop to be sure, but not a HUGE drop. And, BTW, in the playoffs, scoring and shooting dropped across the board.

In any case, in Wilt's "scoring" seasons, his team played 52 playoff games...and 30 of them were against the Celtics.

STILL, here were Wilt's numbers in his first six post-seasons (covering his first seven seasons...again, he didn't get an opportunity to play in the playoffs in '63):

32.8 ppg, 26.3 rpg, .505 shooting (in league's that shot .426 in that time frame.)

In those six post-seasons, Wilt had entire post-seasons of 28.0 ppg, 29.3 ppg, 33.2 ppg, 34.7 ppg, 35.0 ppg, and 37.0 ppg. He also had playoff series of 37.0 ppg, 37.0 ppg, 38.6 ppg (on .559 shooting BTW), and 38.7 ppg. He also had FOUR 30+ ppg playoff series just against Russell, including a seven game series of 30 ppg and 31 rpg.

He had FOUR 50+ point games in those six post-seasons, too, including THREE in "must-win" elimination games (and one of them, a 50-35 game against Russell.) He also had FOUR 40-30 games just against Russell.

If you include Wilt's '67 playoff run, in which his team won the title, and went 11-4 in the process, here are Wilt's numbers in his first seven post-seasons:

67 games. 30.4 ppg. 27.0 rpg. .515 FG% (in league's that shot .428). 4.5 apg.

Think about that...he AVERAGED 30-27-5 .515 COMBINED, in his first 67 post-season games.

Go thru Wilt's '68 playoff's, and the numbers look like this:

80 games. 29.3 ppg. 26.6 rpg. 4.8 apg. .518 FG% (again, in league's that shot .430.)

In HALF of his post-season career, he AVERAGED a 29-27-5 .518 game. Now, give me a list of the NBA players who averaged that in ONE series. In fact, you would be hard-pressed to find very many single GAMES, in all of the NBA's playoff HISTORY which would match what Wilt put up in HALF of his 160 post-season games....COMBINED.

Now, the pundits will jump in, and say, "OK, we know he could put up stats, but how did he play in the game's that REALLY MATTERED? Surely you will find that Wilt "choked" in the BIG GAMES in the playoffs, right?"

Wilt played in 35 post-season games in which his team either faced elimination (must win games), or it was a clinching game.

[millwad]

Continuing...

Here they are...all 35 of Wilt's "must-win" or "series clinching" games in his post-season career...

Quote:
Ok, here are the known numbers in Wilt's "must-win" playoff games (elimination games), and clinching game performances (either deciding winning or losing games), of BOTH Chamberlain, and his starting opposing centers in those games.

1. Game three of a best-of-three series in the first round of the 59-60 playoffs against Syracuse, a 132-112 win. Wilt with 53 points, on 24-42 shooting, with 22 rebounds. His opposing center, Red Kerr, who was a multiple all-star in his career, had 7 points.

2. Game five of the 59-60 ECF's against Boston, a 128-107 win. Chamberlain had 50 points, on 22-42 shooting, with 35 rebounds. His opposing center, Russell, had 22 points and 27 rebounds.

3. Game six of the 59-60 ECF's against Boston, in a 119-117 loss. Wilt had a 26-24 game, while Russell had a 25-25 game.

4. Game three of a best-of-five series in the first round of the 60-61 playoffs , and against Syracuse, in a 106-103 loss. Chamberlain with 33 points, while his opposing center, the 7-3 Swede Halbrook, scored 6 points.

5. Game five of a best-of-five series in the first round of the 61-62 playoffs, against Syracuse, in a 121-104 win. Chamberlain had 56 points, on 22-48 shooting, with 35 rebounds. Kerr had 20 points in the loss.

6. Game six of the 61-62 ECF's, and against Boston, in a 109-99 win. Wilt with 32 points and 21 rebounds. Russell had 19 points and 22 rebounds in the loss.

7. Game seven of the 61-62 ECF's, against Boston, in a 109-107 loss. Wilt with 22 points, on 7-15 shooting, with 21 rebounds. Russell had 19 points, on 7-14 shooting, with 22 rebounds in the win.

8. Game seven of the 63-64 WCF's, and against St. Louis, in a 105-95 win. Wilt with 39 points, 26 rebounds, and 10 blocks. His opposing center, Zelmo Beaty, who would go on to become a multiple all-star, had 10 points in the loss.

9. Game five of the 63-64 Finals, and against Boston, in a 105-99 loss. Chamberlain with 30 points and 27 rebounds. Russell had 14 points and 26 points in the win.

10. Game four of a best-of-five series in the 64-65 first round of the playoffs against Cincinnati, a 119-112 win. Chamberlain with 38 points. His opposing center, multiple all-star (and HOFer) Wayne Embry had 7 points in the loss.

11. Game six of the 64-65 ECF's, against Boston, a 112-106 win. Chamberlain with a 30-26 game. Russell with a 22-21 game in the loss.

12. Game seven of the 64-65 ECF's, and against Boston, a 110-109 loss. Wilt with 30 points, on 12-15 shooting, with 32 rebounds. Russell had 15 points, on 7-16 shooting, with 29 rebounds in the win.

13. Game five of a best-of-seven series, in the 65-66 ECF's, and against Boston, in a 120-112 loss. Wilt had 46 points, on 19-34 shooting, with 34 rebounds. Russell had 18 points and 31 rebounds in the win.

14. Game four of a best-of-five series, in the first round of the 66-67 playoffs, and against Cincinnati, a 112-94 win. Wilt with 18 points, on 7-14 shooting, with 27 rebounds and 9 assists. His opposing center, Connie Dierking, had 8 points, on 4-14 shooting, with 4 rebounds in the loss.

15. Game five of the 66-67 ECF's, and against Boston, in a 140-116 win. Chamberlain with 29 points, on 10-16 shooting, with 36 rebounds, 13 assists, and 7 blocks. Russell had 4 points, on 2-5 shooting, with 21 rebounds, and 7 assists in the loss.

16. Game six of the 66-67 Finals, and against San Francisco, in a 125-122 win. Chamberlain with 24 points, on 8-13 shooting, with 23 rebounds. His oppsoing center, HOFer Nate Thurmond, had 12 points, on 4-13 shooting, with 22 rebounds in the loss.

17. Game six of the first round of the 67-68 playoffs, against NY, in a 113-97 win. Wilt had 25 points, and 27 rebounds. His opposing center, HOFer Walt Bellamy, had 19 points in the loss.

18. Game seven of the 67-68 ECF's, against Boston, in a 100-96 loss. Wilt with 14 points, on 4-9 shooting, with 34 rebounds. Russell had 12 points and 26 rebounds in the win.

19. Game six of the first round of the 68-69 playoffs, against San Francisco, in a 118-78 win. Wilt with 11 points. Thurmond had 8 points in the loss.

20. Game four of the 68-69 WCF's, against Atlanta, in a 133-114 sweeping win. Chamberlain with 16 points. His opposing center, Zelmo Beaty had 30 points in the loss.

21. Game seven of the 68-69 Finals, against Boston, in a 108-106 loss. Chamberlain had 18 points, on 7-8 shooting, with 27 rebounds. Russell had 6 points, on 2-7 shooting, with 21 rebounds in the win.

22. Game five of a best-of-seven series (the Lakers were down 3-1 going into the game) in the first round of the 69-70 playoffs, and against Phoenix, a 138-121 win. Wilt with 36 points and 14 rebounds. His opposing center, Neal Walk, had 18 points in the loss.

23. Game six of the first round of the 69-70 playoffs, against Phoenix, in a 104-93 win. Wilt with 12 points. Jim Fox started that game for Phoenix, and had 13 points in the loss.

24. Game seven of the first round of the 69-70 playoffs, against Phoenix, and in a 129-94 win, which capped a 4-3 series win after falling behind 3-1 in the series. Wilt with 30 points, 27 rebounds, and 11 blocks. Fox had 7 points in the loss.

25. Game four of the 69-70 WCF's, against Atlanta, in a 133-114 sweeping win. Wilt with 11 points. Bellamy had 19 points in the loss.

26. Game six of the 69-70 Finals, against NY, in a 135-113 win. Wilt with 45 points, on 20-27 shooting, with 27 rebounds. Nate Bowman had 18 points, on 9-15 shooting, with 8 rebounds in the loss.

27. Game seven of the 69-70 Finals, against NY, in a 113-99 loss. Wilt with 21 points, on 10-16 shooting, with 24 rebounds. HOFer Willis Reed had 4 points, on 2-5 shooting, with 3 rebounds in the win.

28. Game seven of the first round of the 70-71 playoffs, against Chicago, in a 109-98 win. Wilt with 25 points and 18 rebounds. 7-0 Tom Boerwinkle had 4 points for the Bulls in the loss.

29. Game five of the 70-71 WCF's, against Milwaukee, in a 116-94 loss. Wilt had 23 points, on 10-21 shooting, with 12 rebounds, 6 blocks (5 of them on Alcindor/Kareem.) Kareem had 20 points, on 7-23 shooting, with 15 rebounds, and 3 blocks in the win. Incidently, Wilt received a standing ovation when he left the game late...and the game was played in Milwaukee.

30. Game four of the 71-72 first round of the playoffs, against Chicago, in a 108-97 sweeping win. Wilt had 8 points and 31 rebounds. Clifford Ray had 20 points in the loss.

31. Game six of the 71-72 WCF's, against Milwaukee, in a 104-100 win. Chamberlain with 20 points, on 8-12 shooting, with 24 rebounds, and 9 blocks (six against Kareem.) Kareem had 37 points, on 16-37 shooting, with 25 rebounds in the loss.

32. Game five of the 71-72 Finals, against NY, in a 114-100 win. Chamberlain with 24 points, on 10-14 shooting, with 29 rebounds, and 9 blocks. HOFer Jerry Lucas had 14 points, on 5-14 shooting, with 9 rebounds in the loss.

33. Game seven of the first round of the 72-73 playoffs, against Chicago, in a 95-92 win. Wilt with 21 points and 28 rebounds. His opposing center, Clifford Ray, had 4 points.

34. Game five of the 72-73 WCF's, and against Golden St., in a 128-118 win. Wilt with 5 points. Thurmond had 9 points in the loss.

35. Game five of the 72-73 Finals, against NY, in a 102-93 loss. Wilt with 23 points, on 9-16 shooting, with 21 rebounds. Willis Reed had 18 points, on 9-16 shooting, with 12 rebounds.

That was it. 35 "must-win" elimination and/or clinching post-season games.

Continued...

[millwad]

Continuing...

I have trashed the MYTH that Wilt's play declined in the post-season. He was DOMINATING his peers in nearly every one of his 29 post-season series. He was seldom outscored. He was only outshot in ONE series that I could find (Kareem in '72 WCF's, .457 to .452), BUT, Wilt only missed 20 shots in that series, while Kareem bricked 107. Not only that, but in the last four games of that six game series, Kareem shot .414. And in the clinching game six win, Wilt dramatically outshot Kareem, 8-12 to 16-37.

And, once again, Wilt was NEVER outrebounded in ANY of his 29 post-season series (EIGHT against Russell, THREE against Reed, THREE against Thurmond, TWO against Kareem, and TWO against Bellamy.) In fact, he was seldom outrebounded in SINGLE GAMES in his 160 post-season games. And in MANY, he just SHELLED his opposing centers.

And how about his DEFENSE in the post-season?

Red Kerr shot .392 in the '60 season. Against Wilt in the '60 playoffs? .296.

Kerr shot .443 in the '62 season. Against Wilt in the '62 playoffs... .376.

Embry in the '65 regular season... .456. Against Wilt in the playoffs? .438.

Russell in the '62 regular season... .457. Against Wilt in the ECF's... .420 (educated estimate...he shot .500 in seven games of the Finals, and shot .458 overall, including the seven games he faced Wilt.)

Russell in the '67 regular season... .454. Against Wilt in the ECF's... .358.

And, we don't know what Russell shot in the '64 Finals against Wilt, but overall, in his 10 playoff games, he shot .356...and half of them were against Chamberlain.

Bellamy in the '68 regular season... .541. Against Wilt in the playoffs... .421.

Thurmond in the '69 regular season... .410. Against Wilt in the playoffs... .398

Thurmond in the '73 regular season... .446. Against Wilt in the playoffs... .392

Thurmond in the '67 regular season... .437. Against Wilt in the Finals... .343.

Kareem in the '71 regular season... .577. Against Wilt in the WCF's... .481.

Kareem in the '72 regular seson... .574. Against Wilt in the WCF's... .457.


In fact, I could only find TWO entire playoff series, out of Wilt's 29, in which he surrendered a .500 FG%. One was against Zelmo Beaty in the '64 playoffs, in which Beaty shot .521 and scored 14.3 ppg (Wilt was at 38.6 ppg on .559 shooting BTW.)

And the other was Jerry Lucas in the '72 Finals. Lucas shot an even .500 (Wilt shot .600 BTW.) And even that was deceptive. Lucas was a great long range shooter, and he nailed 9 of his first 11 shots in that series. After that, he went 37-81, or .457.

Time-and-again, Wilt REDUCED his opposing centers to WAY below their normal shooting percentages. How come Simmons never mentions that FACT?

[millwad]

Why is Wilt considered a "stats-padding" "loser" who "choked" in his post-season play?

Once again, go back a few posts. Chamberlain played in 35 "must-win" or "series clinchers" in his post-season career. You won't find any in which he was more than slightly outplayed, and then, in those few, it was less than a handful. BUT, you will find a TON in which he just WIPED OUT his opposing center. And no one mentions the fact that Wilt faced a HOF starting center in 105 of his 160 post-season games, and a multiple all-star in another 26. Or 131 of his 160 post-season games against a very good, to GREAT, opposing center.

In fact, aside perhaps his '69 Finals, in which his coach shackled him, Wilt did not have ONE poor series. And even in the '69 Finals, he still outplayed Russell (particularly in that game seven, despite playing 5 minutes less.) His WORST post-season rebounding series was 20.2 rpg. He routinely put up 20-20 post-seasons...NINE in his 13 post-seasons. He even had FOUR 30-20 post-seasons! And his DEFENSE was ALWAYS a constant in EVERY series.

Ok, how about MJ? His TEAM's went 1-9 in his first ten playoff games. He didn't get to the Finals until his sixth season. He only won a title when he had the loaded rosters (see his 92-93 team record, when he played, and his 93-94 team record when he did.) He even shot .455, .427, and .415 in his last three Finals.

Hakeem? The man hardly ever made it out the FIRST ROUND. And in those EIGHT, his team's were never even close in those series. He had a series of 18.5 ppg, 11.5 rpg, and on .443 shooting in a 3-1 loss. He was POUNDED by Shaq in the '99 playoffs (I mean just CRUSHED.) He also played with Barkley and Drexler for two seasons, and did not win a title.

And before someone claims that Hakeem's teammates were generally average, at best...yes, they were. BUT, how come that is NEVER considered in Wilt's behalf? Chamberlain not only played with HORRIBLE rosters in the first half of his career, they collectively shot .383, .380, .354, .352, .352, and .332 in his first six post-seasons. How many post-seasons did Hakeem's teammates shoot that poorly?

BTW, Hakeem shot .488 in his 17 Finals games (and was horribly outshot in one series, by Shaq, .595 to .483.) Meanwhile, Wilt shot .560 overall in his 35 Finals games, with a LOW series of .517 (against Russell in the '64 Finals, and in a series in which he outscored Russell, 29.2 ppg to 11.2 ppg.) And, Wilt outshot Thurmond in another Finals, .560 to .343. Wilt's also had Finals of .600 (on 19 ppg), and .625 (with 23.2 ppg.)

And again, BTW, Bird played in FIVE Finals, covering 31 games, and he shot collectively shot .455. His BEST Finals was .488, and his worst was .419.

So, let's go to Bird next. The man LOST with HCA in SEVEN playoff series. In one of them, his team was SWEPT 4-0. And back to his shooting... he shot .472 in his 164 post-season games, and in league's that shot about .485 on average. And once again, he shot .455 on his five Finals. He had as many games shooting .399 or worse, as he did .500 or better (ELEVEN), in his 31 Finals games. He had entire playoff seasons of .450, .444, .427, .422 and even .408. And in his greatest statistical season, 87-88, he shot .351 against the Pistons in the playoffs (BTW, Magic averaged 21.6 ppg on .550 shooting against the Pistons in the Finals that year.)

Kareem? Where to begin. Let's start with what some here claim was his BEST post-season, in 76-77. Yes, he and his 53-29 Lakers dominated the 46-36 Lakers in a tough seven game series. BUT, in the WCF's, and aside from ONE game, in which he poured in 40 points against Walton, the rest of those three games (a 4-0 SWEEP by the 49-33 Blazers), Walton battled him to s statistical draw, and played better in the clutch and 4th periods. And that was Kareem's best post-season, and only covering 11 games.

How about the fact that Kareem played with Nixon, Hudson, Wilkes (who won a title earlier in his career with Barry and a bunch of no-names), and a Dantley who came to LA after averaging 26.5 ppg, ...for TWO seasons. With all of that talent, they were wiped out by 47-35 and 50-32 Sonics teams that had ONE borderline HOF player in two straight post-seasons.

Kareem had a fantastic playoff series against Reed in the '70 ECF's. HOWEVER, in the deciding game five (of a 4-1 series loss), Reed outscored Kareem, 32-27, and in a 132-96 win.

The very next season, 70-71, when Kareem not only won the MVP, he also deserved won the FMVP. STILL, he was battled to a statistical draw by a 34 year old Wilt, and only a year removed from major knee surgery, and won kept LA in those games, despite not having BOTH West and Baylor. Inthe deciding game win, Kareem was completely outplayed by Wilt (Chamberlain outscored him 23-20, and outshot him, 10-21 to 7-23.)

Then, in the 71-72 post-season, a Kareem who again won the MVP, and who led the NBA in scoring at 34.8 ppg and shot .577 in the process, was OUTSCORED and OUTSHOT by Nate Thurmond. In the deciding win, Thurmond outscored Kareem, 26-23. In the series, Kareem shot an unbelieveable .405!

Kareem then took his defending champion and 63-19 Bucks up against Wilt's 69-13 Lakers, and after a blowout win in game one, the Lakers then won four of the next five, including a 25 point wipeout in game five, and a come-from-behind win in Milwaukee in the clinching game six. Overall, Kareem shot .457, which was way below his .574 seasonal FG%. Not only that, but over the course of the last four games, Kareem could only shoot .414. And he was badly outplayed by Wilt in the series clincher.

In his 72-73 playoffs, Kareem took his 60-22 team down in flames against the 47-35 Warriors in the first round, and in a season in which he averaged 30.0 ppg on .554 shooting, all he could do was average 22.8 ppg on ,428 shooting against Thurmond. BTW, Wilt then crushed Thurmond in the very next round, en route to leading HIS 60-22 Lakers to a 4-1 romp over that Warrior team.

Continued...

[lilgodfather1]

Hey Jlauber Wilt was great, but nobody cares anymore. He's long since retired, and long since dead.

[millwad]

Continuing...

Kareem played well in the '74 Finals, no question. BUT, in the deciding seventh game, and on his HOME FLOOR, he was outscored, outshot, and outrebounded by the 6-9 Dave Cowens, in yet ANOTHER blow-out loss.

Kareem was traded to the Lakers after a disappointing 74-75 season in which he broke his hand and missed 16 games (remember the "choker" Wilt PLAYING with a BROKEN hand, and DOMINATING, in game five of the Finals?)

His 75-76 season is interesting. Remember, in his 71-72 season, Kareem played 44.2 mpg, and scored 34.8 ppg on .574 shooting, for a 63-19 Bucks team that had a +11.1 scoring differential. How come, in his 75-76 season, and with an average, at best, roster, he only played 41.2 mpg, and only scored 27.7 ppg on .529 shooting? BTW, Bob McAdoo averaged 31.1 ppg that season.

I covered the rest of the decade already. In any case, Kareem, playing with mostly STACKED rosters, and in perhaps the weakest decade for champions in NBA history (the '75 Warriors, with Barry and Wilkes and a bunch of no-names, going 48-34; the 49-33 Blazers; the 44-38 Bullets; and the 52-30 Sonics), went to TWO Finals, and won ONE ring. And, in that one ring season, his 66-16 Bucks beat a 41-41 Warrior team in the first round; a 48-34 Lakers team without BOTH West and Baylor in the WCF's; and a 42-40 Bullets team in the Finals.

After MAGIC arrived we all know what happened next. Kareem won FIVE rings, and was an integral part of four of them. BUT, in their first title together, while Kareem played brilliantly in the first five games of the Finals, he SAT OUT the clincher, and in a game in which MAGIC carried LA to a title. Here again, Kareem SAT OUT with a sprained ankle, and yet Wilt was ripped for sitting down for TWO MINUTES in a game seven. Just more of the Wilt "double standard."

And, Kareem was outplayed by Moses and his 40-42 '81 Rockets (Moses outscored him, and held him to .462 shooting) in a stunning loss. And in the '83 Finals, Moses just POUNDED Kareem. In the '84 Finals, Kareem shot .481 overall (in a league that shot .485), and in a pivotal game five, he went 7-25 from the floor.

In Kareem's 85-86 regular season, he averaged 33.0 ppg on .634 shooting against the Hakeem's Rockets in their five H2H's (going 4-1 against them.) Then, in the playoffs, he is outscored, outrebounded, and outshot by Hakeem...albeit by a slim margin (and Kareem was 39.)

In the '88 post-season, Kareem wins a ring, DESPITE his AWFUL play. He averaged 14.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg, and shot .464. It was even WORSE in the Finals, in which he averaged 13.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg, and shot .414 in his seven games. And, in the game seven win, and in 29 minutes, he scored 4 points, on 2-7 shooting, with 3 rebounds, and 5 PFs.

And, in his last season, albeit at the age of 42, he was basically worthless, and his team, without both Magic and Scott, were SWEPT by the Pistons.


OK, I know what is coming next...

Bird, Kareem, and certainly MJ, all played brilliantly too. And yes, they all had legitimate excuses for at least some of their post-season losses. For instance, in MJ's '86 playoffs, he averaged 43.7 ppg, but his 30-52 Bulls were swept by the 67-15 Celtics and their FIVE HOFers.

Kareem was a dominant player, even in losses, in many of his post-season games. And yes, Bird did other things well, even when he was shooting poorly.


BUT, why the DOUBLE STANDARD? Why does Wilt get no slack, when he was DOMINATING in nearly ALL of his post-seasons, and doing so with pathedtic teammates who generally played even WORSE in the post-season...and playing against HOF-LADEN teams year-after-year?????!!!!!

[millwad]

There you have it...

Wilt was a "stats-padder" despite leading his 49-31 team to a game seven, two point loss in the '62 ECF's, and against a 60-20 Celtics team with SEVEN HOFers, and the greatest defensive center in NBA history...in a season in which he averaged 50.4 ppg, 25.7 rpg, and shot .506 (in a league that shot .426.)

BUT, where is the criticism of MJ in his 86-87 season, when he averaged 37.1 ppg on a 40-42 team. Or Kobe's 05-06 season, when he averaged 35.4 ppg on a 45-37 team?


Wilt was a "loser" because he only won two rings in his 14 seasons, despite losing FOUR game seven's, by a combined NINE points (margins of 2, 1, 4, and 2 points), and in series in which he generally played brilliantly. And no one mentions that Wilt went to TWELVE Conference Finals in his 13 post-seasons (Bird went eight in his 12, and Hakeem went to 4 in his 18.) Or that Wilt played on SIX teams that were Conference champs. Or that Wilt went to SIX Finals, and was great in nearly all of them. Or that Wilt played on FOUR teams that had the best record in the league (Hakeem NEVER did.) Or that Wilt played on FOUR teams that won 60+ games (Russell played on THREE.) Or that Wilt played on TWO teams that went 68-13 and 69-13 (including a 33 game winning streak), that won dominating world titles.

Or that Wilt was a "choker" when I have CONCLUSIVELY proven that he was certainly among the GREATEST BIG GAME PLAYERS in NBA HISTORY (only MJ has a case over him.) A Wilt who not only played HUGE in nearly all of his 29 post-seasons, BUT, a Wilt who was generally the BEST player on the floor in the majority of them, and who played even GREATER in his 35 "must-win" and "series clinching" game

[atljonesbro]

[Dictator]

Old man's Jaulber

Anyway. Yes. Wilt is very disrespected and underrated on ISH.