Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game
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Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game is a famous NBA basketball game which took place on March 2, 1962 at Hersheypark Arena in Hershey, Pennsylvania, between the Philadelphia Warriors and the New York Knicks, which ended in a 169-147 victory for the Warriors. Although the 316 combined points for the game was a record at the time, it is most remembered for Warrior's center Wilt Chamberlain achievement of scoring 100 points and demolishing the NBA single game scoring record. It is recognized by the NBA as one of the greatest games of all time.[1][2]
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[edit] The game
On a cold, rainy night, 4,126 watched while the Knicks had to start rookie center Darrall Imhoff, because regular pivot Phil Jordon was injured.[3]
From the opening tap, the Warriors outplayed the Knicks, going ahead 42-26 after the first quarter. Chamberlain, who scored an unbelievable 50.4 points per game during the 1961-62 NBA season, dominated in the low post against Imhoff in the early going, scoring 23 of his team's 42 points. Imhoff was soon benched in foul trouble [4], and by halftime, Chamberlain had already made 41 points. After three quarters, Chamberlain already had racked up 69 points, and scored three quick baskets to reach 75, three shy of the then-record 78 held by himself. Fans in the arena began a constant chant, "Give it to Wilt! Give it to Wilt."[3]
[edit] Frantic last period
Then, Chamberlain scored three quick baskets to start the fourth quarter. Then, according to him, the game became a farce: "The game was a farce in the last quarter. After I broke the record [78, which he had set earlier that season in triple overtime], the Knicks decided they didn't want someone to score 100 points against them. They started to do anything they could to prevent it. They'd foul my teammates intentionally so the ball wouldn't come to me. You should have seen [Warriors guard] Guy Rodgers. They couldn't even foul him, he was so fast."[5] This opinion was supported by Knicks centers Darrall Imhoff and David Budd; Imhoff compared Chamberlain to a wide receiver receiving a pass from a quarterback, and Budd reported the Knicks tried everything to prevent Chamberlain from scoring 100.[6]
[edit] The last five minutes
With five minutes remaining, Chamberlain had 89 points. Chamberlain then scored points 93 and 94 on a 12-foot bank shot, points 95 and 96 came on a lob pass from Rodgers, and points 97 and 98 came on an easy layup feed from York Larese. Nearing the century mark, Chamberlain stole New York's inbound pass but his shot went in and spun out. However, with 46 seconds left, he got a pass from Joe Ruklick who gave him the assist to points 99 and 100.[3]
[edit] Ending
In fact, it was reported that Chamberlain scored the pivotal basket with 46 seconds remaining in the game, but there was nothing that could be done to stop the relatively small crowd from completely mobbing the floor. The game was then ended. No video footage exists of this phenomenal achievement because the game was not televised, although there is an audio recording of the game's radio broadcast. At the end, Chamberlain made 36-of-63 field goals and 28-of-32 free throws; the latter is remarkable because Chamberlain made barely half his free throws during his career. He had no 3-point goals, since at the time, the three-point line had not yet been instituted. Chamberlain also grabbed 25 rebounds.[7]
Often forgotten is Guy Rodgers' role in feeding Chamberlain the ball throughout the game – Rodgers finished with a game high 20 assists. The most-overlooked performance of the game, however, was probably made by Warrior Al Attles, a defensive specialist whose offensive input was limited. In that game, he was perfect, going 8-8 from the field and hitting his single free throw. He later complained: "In the game where I literally couldn't miss, Wilt had to go out and score 100."[3]
[edit] Aftermath
As a side note, two weeks later, the Warriors and the Knicks squared off again, this time in the Madison Square Garden. This time, Imhoff played all 48 minutes and got a standing ovation -- because he had held Chamberlain to "only" 54 points.[8]
[edit] Controversy
The game was somewhat controversial because, by all accounts, by the fourth quarter both teams had ceased playing a normal game in which each team actually tries to win the game; rather, the efforts of both teams focused entirely on whether Chamberlain would score 100 points. Instead of trying to score quickly, as a trailing team would normally do in hopes of mounting a comeback, the Knicks began holding the ball to run out the clock. Some say the Knicks began fouling Chamberlain intentionally so that he would have to shoot free throws rather than get closer shots at the basket, and that they would also intentionally foul other Warrior players who had the ball, so that they would have no chance to pass it to Chamberlain. For their part, the Warriors also began fouling Knicks players intentionally, when the Knicks had the ball, in order to stop the clock (that again being the exact opposite of the usual strategy of a team that is leading) and get the ball back for Chamberlain.
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.hoophall.com/exhibits/chamberlain_exhibit.htm
- ^ http://www.nba.com/history/wilt100_moments.html
- ^ a b c d http://www.hoophall.com/exhibits/chamberlain_game.htm
- ^ http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/columnists/jeff_elder/16485991.htm?source=rss&channel=charlotte_jeff_elder
- ^ http://www.hoophall.com/exhibits/chamberlain_quotebook.htm
- ^ http://www.hoophall.com/exhibits/chamberlain_quotebook.htm
- ^ nba.com (2007-02-14). Wilt Scores 100!.
- ^ Sheridan, Chris (2007-02-10). Until his dying day, Wilt was invincible.
