1968 finals collapse the worst ever?

[GrayGoat]

1968 Sixers had a 3-1 series lead over the Celtics after winning 3 games in a row. Led by Chamberlain, they managed to lose the next 3 games in a row, costing them the series and a potential repeat championship. Here are Wilt's stats in Games 6 and 7.

1968 EDF vs Boston

Game 6 (L 106-114)

20 points
6-21 FG
8-22 FT

Hall of Fame teammate Hal Greer scored 40 points.
Sixers missed 19 freethrows, with 14 of them being missed by Chamberlain.

Game 7 (L 96-100)

14 points
4-9 FG
6-15 FT

Hal Greer scored 22, Chet Walker scored 19, Wali Jones 18, Luke Jackson 15, Wilt was the fifth leading scorer for his team and 9th leading scorer in the game.
Sixers missed 16 freethrows, with 9 of them being missed by Chamberlain.

Wilt Chamberlain had a combined total of 10-30 FG and 14-38 FT in Games 6 and 7.

From 1968-1970 Wilt Chamberlain's seasons came to an end by losing in a Game 7. In 1968 blowing a 3-1 series lead over the Celtics, in 1969 blowing a 2-0 and 3-2 series to Boston in the Finals, and in 1970 losing to the New York Knicks in the Finals.

[coastalmarker99]

1968 Sixers had a 3-1 series lead over the Celtics after winning 3 games in a row. Led by Chamberlain, they managed to lose the next 3 games in a row, costing them the series and a potential repeat championship. Here are Wilt's stats in Games 6 and 7.

1968 EDF vs Boston

Game 6 (L 106-114)

20 points
6-21 FG
8-22 FT

Hall of Fame teammate Hal Greer scored 40 points.
Sixers missed 19 freethrows, with 14 of them being missed by Chamberlain.

Game 7 (L 96-100)

14 points
4-9 FG
6-15 FT

Hal Greer scored 22, Chet Walker scored 19, Wali Jones 18, Luke Jackson 15, Wilt was the fifth leading scorer for his team and 9th leading scorer in the game.
Sixers missed 16 freethrows, with 9 of them being missed by Chamberlain.

Wilt Chamberlain had a combined total of 10-30 FG and 14-38 FT in Games 6 and 7.

From 1968-1970 Wilt Chamberlain's seasons came to an end by losing in a Game 7. In 1968 blowing a 3-1 series lead over the Celtics, in 1969 blowing a 2-0 and 3-2 series to Boston in the Finals, and in 1970 losing to the New York Knicks in the Finals.

no, it is not the worst collapse ever as the 1968 76ers were An injury-plagued team in the playoffs. When they faced the Celtics, 4 out of their 5 most impactful players were hurt (Cunningham didn't even play). Knowing that this series still went to 7 games and that 3 of their 4 losses were close, it's pretty easy to assume that a healthy Sixers team (or, at least, a Sixer team equally healthy to the Celtics) could still have won the series.

[coastalmarker99]

1968 Sixers had a 3-1 series lead over the Celtics after winning 3 games in a row. Led by Chamberlain, they managed to lose the next 3 games in a row, costing them the series and a potential repeat championship. Here are Wilt's stats in Games 6 and 7.

1968 EDF vs Boston

Game 6 (L 106-114)

20 points
6-21 FG
8-22 FT

Hall of Fame teammate Hal Greer scored 40 points.
Sixers missed 19 freethrows, with 14 of them being missed by Chamberlain.

Game 7 (L 96-100)

14 points
4-9 FG
6-15 FT

Hal Greer scored 22, Chet Walker scored 19, Wali Jones 18, Luke Jackson 15, Wilt was the fifth leading scorer for his team and 9th leading scorer in the game.
Sixers missed 16 freethrows, with 9 of them being missed by Chamberlain.

Wilt Chamberlain had a combined total of 10-30 FG and 14-38 FT in Games 6 and 7.

From 1968-1970 Wilt Chamberlain's seasons came to an end by losing in a Game 7. In 1968 blowing a 3-1 series lead over the Celtics, in 1969 blowing a 2-0 and 3-2 series to Boston in the Finals, and in 1970 losing to the New York Knicks in the Finals.

Also It was deemed remarkable that they even got to the Division Finals vs. Boston with all the injuries. Luke Jackson was playing with a badly pulled hamstring. When Lakers star Magic pulled his hamstring in '89 Finals, he could not even play the final game at all & much of the third game. While the 1989 Lakers get excused due to injury, the '68 Sixers do not. Back in the old days they were expected to gut it out under worse playing conditions, as Jackson did when he played the entire 1966 season on a broken leg, casually shrugging it off as shin splints.

There were times during the NY series when the hobbled Sixers were getting killed on the boards, as Bellamy & Reed were feasting on the offensive glass. They played Games 4, 5, and 6 consecutively. No days off in between.



New York Times - Apr 18, 1968

But injuries have depleted the team that ended the Celtics' eight-year reign last season. Wally Jones, the jump-shooting Philadelphia guard with the game-breaking touch, is doubtful for Friday. He aggravated his right knee, first injured during the series with the New York Knickerbockers, early in the opening quarter and did not return.

Wilt Chamberlain, the 7-foot pillar of the 76ers, produced 20 points but was in obvious pain with an ailing right leg.




Williamson Daily News - Apr 10, 1968






DELAWARE COUNTY - April 13, 1968

Club Rated 'Most Courageous' By Hannum as Injuries Mount

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The Philadelphia 76ers could be billed as the best touring troupe In basketball. All they need is a doctor to complete the cast.

Going into the fourth game Sunday of their National Basketball Association playoff series with the Boston Celtics, the 76ers are hurting from head to toe.

So what's new? Injuries have plagued the defending NBA champions since the opening of the season.

"Alex Hannum says this is the most courageous team he's ever coached," says Harvey Pollack, the 76ers' statistician. "The locker room looks like a hospital ward every time I walk in."

Pollack ticked off some of the cases, which read like a medical diary:

-Wilt Chamberlain (partial tear of the calf muscle in his right leg, a strain in his right thigh and an injured right toe):

-Wally Jones (injured knee cartilage):

-Luke Jackson (pulled hamstring muscle):

-Hal Greer (bursitus in his right knee):

-And, Billy Cunningham (broken right wrist).

"That's not mentioning (rookie) Jim Reid who had a knee operation after injuring it the first game of the season," said Pollack, "and Larry Costello," the veteran guard who tore an ankle tendon after one-third of the season was gone.

The most recent injury was to Chamberlain in Friday night's Eastern Division playoff contest with the Celtics. The dipper was given whirlpool treatments for the calf muscle tear, but Pollack wasn't sure how he'd respond.

The 76ers have nine men in uniform for the best-of-seven playoffs, which they lead, two games to one. But whether they'll have anybody left for the finals against the Western Division winner is anybody's guess.

The team's troubles multiplied in the Eastern Division semifinals against the New York Knickerbockers. Cunningham broke his wrist, knocking him out for the season, Jones and Jackson suffered their injuries and Chamberlain aggravated his perennial toe injury.

And when Boston thumped the 76ers in the opening game of their playoffs here last Friday, some predicted a quick knockout of the injury-riddled champs.

But Philadelphia whacked Boston two straight, including Thursday where an injury actually helped the 76ers cause, points out Pollack.

How so?

"Well, Chamberlain was hurt and he couldn't turn around to score-so he kept feeding Greer, and he scored 31," explained the statistician.

[coastalmarker99]

1968 Sixers had a 3-1 series lead over the Celtics after winning 3 games in a row. Led by Chamberlain, they managed to lose the next 3 games in a row, costing them the series and a potential repeat championship. Here are Wilt's stats in Games 6 and 7.

1968 EDF vs Boston

Game 6 (L 106-114)

20 points
6-21 FG
8-22 FT

Hall of Fame teammate Hal Greer scored 40 points.
Sixers missed 19 freethrows, with 14 of them being missed by Chamberlain.

Game 7 (L 96-100)

14 points
4-9 FG
6-15 FT

Hal Greer scored 22, Chet Walker scored 19, Wali Jones 18, Luke Jackson 15, Wilt was the fifth leading scorer for his team and 9th leading scorer in the game.
Sixers missed 16 freethrows, with 9 of them being missed by Chamberlain.

Wilt Chamberlain had a combined total of 10-30 FG and 14-38 FT in Games 6 and 7.

From 1968-1970 Wilt Chamberlain's seasons came to an end by losing in a Game 7. In 1968 blowing a 3-1 series lead over the Celtics, in 1969 blowing a 2-0 and 3-2 series to Boston in the Finals, and in 1970 losing to the New York Knicks in the Finals.

1969: Whose fault is this Game 7 defeat? Wilt had 18/27 on 7-8 FG's and also blocked 10 plus shots that game before he got injured, stepped outside for a couple of minutes and then his asshole coach refused to put him in as the Lakers were making their comeback I'm actually glad they lost, it proved he wasn't all that smart after all and that in the end he was nothing more then jackass who pure ego cost the Lakers and West from finally beating the Celtics after all those years of finals pain.



Also Baylor was way worse during the whole season, while having missed plenty of games along with West yet, nobody mentions that Wilt lead the Lakers that year to their best regular-season record ever despite all of that

1970:The case about Wilt is seriously unfair it is no his fault that the Lakers lost to New york that year as if he hadn't rushed back way ahead of time after suffering a serious career threatening knee injury then the Lakers wouldn't have even made it to the finals in the first place instead they would have lost in the first round Oh, and People fail to remember that year that Wilt won a series after being behind 3-1 (to the Suns), as well as sweeping a team without HCA. Or that Baylor, again, was unhealthy and performed way worse than Wilt during the whole season again. Or that Wilt was coming off an injury

[Manny98]

The GOAT choke that no one ever talks about

[Axe]

This happened in the finals?

[coastalmarker99]

The GOAT choke that no one ever talks about

Two disappointing performances from Chamberlain (by his legendary standards) for sure. But rather than evaluating impact over a series, you're taking two games; rather than posting full stats for Wilt you just post-shooting ones, ignoring his 34 rebounds in game seven and 10 plus blocks that game he had 14 blocks that game 7 which is outstanding even more so when you realise that he was playing despite being injured so rather than posting those stats in the context of his teammate's performances (shooting substantially worse than Wilt, despite less defensive attention) you post them out of context to put down Wilt's career and legacy which is just unfair.

[L.Kizzle]

I've read as much as 5 games in a row used to be played. Today's players barley want to play back to backs.
Imagine a game Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs and Friday.

[1987_Lakers]

I remember like a decade ago a hardcore Wilt fan had a website devoted to Wilt, he defended him to no ends, then one day he just totally turned on Wilt, saying he changed his stance on the Russell-Wilt debate, what happened in 1968 was a big part of it. He said he couldn't defend Wilt for that choke job.

[Horatio33]

coastal coastalmarker always has an excuse when it comes to Chamberlain's choking. Just like Jlauber and the other guy who spam posted like costal and and Jlauber. I think they are all the same person.

[GrayGoat]

coastal coastalmarker always has an excuse when it comes to Chamberlain's choking. Just like Jlauber and the other guy who spam posted like costal and and Jlauber. I think they are all the same person.

Yep Lazarus was his name I believe. Poor fella forgot his account password lol

[StrongLurk]

Yep Lazarus was his name I believe. Poor fella forgot his account password lol

It's pretty insane knowing you've probably made around 20 alts and posted on this board hundreds of thousands of times.

I wonder how you'll survive when Lebron retires? Ironically you'll most likely become the "3ball" version of a Lebron stan.

[GrayGoat]

It's pretty insane knowing you've probably made around 20 alts and posted on this board hundreds of thousands of times.

I wonder how you'll survive when Lebron retires? Ironically you'll most likely become the "3ball" version of a Lebron stan.

What’s funny is you think I’m wheels. How much are you mindfvcked by him?

[Manny98]

Two disappointing performances from Chamberlain (by his legendary standards) for sure. But rather than evaluating impact over a series, you're taking two games; rather than posting full stats for Wilt you just post-shooting ones, ignoring his 34 rebounds in game seven and 10 plus blocks that game he had 14 blocks that game 7 which is outstanding even more so when you realise that he was playing despite being injured so rather than posting those stats in the context of his teammate's performances (shooting substantially worse than Wilt, despite less defensive attention) you post them out of context to put down Wilt's career and legacy which is just unfair.

Laz?

[StrongLurk]

What’s funny is you think I’m wheels. How much are you mindfvcked by him?

Good job outing yourself even more. You brought up wheels, not me. I don't even know who that is but "wheels" is the first person you thought of? The only reason you'd do that is because you must be wheels (along with a large amount of the rest of those alts). Classic dumbass.