45th Anniversary of the NBA's greatest individual performance
| 10
|
by user Kelsdad
Today is the 45th anniversary of the greatest individual record in NBA history, and aruguably in all of sports.
On March 2, 1962, Wilt Chamberlain set the NBA single-game scoring record by tallying 100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors in a 169-147 victory over the New York Knicks.
Chamberlain was a dominant offensive force, unstoppable on his way to the basket, yet he was also a fine all-around athlete who took pride in developing the all-around skills to compete with players a half-foot shorter.
He certainly was unstoppable that night in Hershey, Pa., where the Warriors played a few of their "home" games in order to attract additional fans. With New York's starting center, Phil Jordan, sidelined by the flu, Chamberlain could not be contained by Darrall Imhoff and Cleveland Buckner. He scored 23 points in the first quarter and had 41 by halftime, then tallied 28 in the third quarter.
Increasingly aware of what was happening, the Warriors began feeding Chamberlain the ball at every opportunity in the fourth quarter. The Knicks tried fouling other Philadelphia players to keep the ball away from Chamberlain, but the Warriors countered by committing fouls of their own to get the ball back.
Chamberlain scored his 100th point on a tip-in of his own missed shot with 46 seconds left. In obliterating his previous NBA scoring record of 78 points set less than three months earlier, Chamberlain shot 36-for-63 from the field and 28-for-32 from the foul line, a remarkable feat for a man whose career free throw percentage was a weak .511.
Chamberlain went on to average an NBA-record 50.4 ppg in the 1961-62 season and became the only player to surpass 4,000 points in one season with 4,029. He also led the league in rebounding with 25.7 rpg and was second in field goal percentage at .506.
The arena in Herhey, PA is still in use today as part of HersheyPark, USA. Conventions, park activities, even a minor league hockey team call the arena home, and as one walks through the main doorway, a large display is still prominent recognizing Chamberlain and his accomplishment.
I'm off on vacation for the next few days, spending my yet to be received tax return on my daughter's 5th birthday. I will return (hopefully) to Armchair on March 13th or so, and will hit it hard, team and league previews for the upcoming baseball season, and maybe a little NCAA hoops thrown in as well. Wishing everyone a good week, and Play Ball!!
