lol Two people out the whole NBA? and Wilt was almost done by the time kareem came into the league....you cant compare the talent of the whole league as to when Jordan played! so many all time greats played during jordans era that its ridiculous! And Jordan is the G.O.A.T nobody was on his level at guard!
To suggest that chamberlain got monster numbers because the game was faster or that there weren't other competitors on his level is just ridiculous.
First, if the game was faster, then hypothetically everyone could get the same numbers. Point is, no one did. Russell and Nate Thurmond could match his rebounding but that's it.
As for "no competition", it's true that when Wilt scored a hundred points in a game he had no one to guard him as the Knicks' starting center Phil Jordon was hurt. Darrall Imhoff used up his fouls (and jokes that the next time he faced the Knicks he "held" Chamberlain to "only" 45 points").
He HAD competition. Bill Russell. Nate Thurmond, Bob Lanier, Wes Unseld, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Walt Bellamy, were all hall of famers who chamberlain had to face at different times in his career.
Chamberlain was able to get these stats for the following REAL reasons:
a) he was a physical marvel, with great endurance (more amazing than the 50 ppg was the fact that he averaged 48.5 minutes per game in 1962, that means he would play entire 48 minute games plus overtimes!, he also ran track and field) and was ridiculously strong. Several ex players would try to grab his arms to prevent him from shooting and he could STILL dunk the ball WITH THE PLAYERS HANGING ON TO THEIR ARMS. He did this to Jim Barnett and John Havlicek. This also destroys the theory that he got more stats because of the faster pace. Imagine playing 48 minutes at that faster pace!
b) Unlike Shaq, he had awesome skills. His favorite move from the left was a fadeaway bank shot and his favorite move from the right was a finger roll. That's why he sucked at the free throw line because he needed a slight angle to score. But think about it, he scored 50 ppg while sucking at the free throw line...
c) In those days, the NBA didn't suck up to superstars and call fouls on the defenders just for breathing on the superstar. They would hack, push, and pull wilt's arms and he would STILL score. Look at Kobe Bryant. Look at Michael Jordan. They'd get fouls called in their favor all the time. Ditto for Tim Duncan and all of today's "stars".
Wilt put up those numbers DESPITE being doubled and triple teamed.
So... yes, the game was different then. If wilt played now he'd average 70 ppg easily.
from wiltfan.tripod.com
According to Sixer stat man Harvey Pollack, Wilt and Russell squared off 142 times. Wilt averaged 28.7 points and 28.7 rebounds in those games. Russell averaged 23.7 points and 14.5 rebounds against Wilt (Russell's career average was 22.5 and Wilt's was 22.9, so it sure looks like Russell wasn't controlling the boards in those games!) Wilt had a 62 point game on January 14, 1962, in Boston and had 6 other games of 50 points against Russell. The most Russell ever scored against Wilt was 37, and he had only two other 30-point games.
Wilt grabbed an NBA-record 55 rebounds against Russell on November 24, 1960, and had six other games of at least 40 rebounds against Russell. When the Sixers beat the Celtics in the 1967 playoffs, Wilt averaged 22 points, 32 rebounds, and 10 assists -- a triple double-- against Russell! In the clinching game 5, he had 29 points, 36 rebounds, and 13 assists.
- SO... the argument that when wilt faced real competition his stats were lower is SHOT DOWN.
Most teams then didn't have a superstar. they had two or three..
Oscar Robertson, Jerry Lucas of the Royals.
Elgin Baylor and Jerry West of the Lakers.
The whole friggin Celtic team.
Hal Greer and Chet Walker of the Sixers (pre-wilt)
Tom Gola, Rick Barry and Nate Thurmond of the Warriors.
Earl Monroe and Wes Unseld of the Bullets.
Walt Bellamy and Willis Reed of the Knicks.
And these were the GREAT players, I'm not even mentioning the all-stars with second-rate ability like Adrian Smith.
Hmmm 81 is great, but it is 100? Has Kobe gone close to 81 since? Wilt has scored 78, 73.. and to quote
"We'd go into a dressing room and see a box score from the night before where Wilt had 55 or 60 points. No one would think twice about it. Getting 50-some points, or even 60-some, wasn't news when Wilt did it."
--Kevin Loughery, Tall Tales (by Terry Pluto) p. 326
Wilt only dunking?
[Carl Braun said] "He [Wilt] disorganizes you under the basket the same way [as Bill Russell, on defense]. With Wilt, of course, there's that offense on top of it, which is better than Russell's. He hit on all those jumpers."
"Yes, Wilt hit on those jumpers...Wilt did come into the league with a good touch from the outside, which made his early scoring that much more significant. He wasn't just dunking the ball then."
--Red Holzman. A View from the Bench. P.70
"I would talk to Wilt about all the players pounding on him. Sometimes, he said he didn't notice it--he was so strong. But I also believe that there were two sets of rules. By that, I mean because Wilt was so strong, the officials let the man guarding him get away with more--almost trying to equalize the game. I also believe that Wilt just took it because he didn't want to get thrown out, and because ithad always been like that with him. But I'd watch it and I'd get mad. It takes me a while to get my temper going, but when it does--look out. I'd see what the other players were doing to Wilt and what the officials were allowing, and I'd get more upset than if it were happening to me. So I jumped in there. It wasn't that Wilt couldn't defend himself. If he ever got really hot, he'd kill people, so he let things pass. But I didn't have to worry about that. I was strong for my size, but I was not about to do anything like the kind of damage would."
--Al Attles, Tall Tales (by Terry Pluto) p. 242
Just read this. Credit, yahoo answers
