"That's a high-percentage shot!" --- Bill Russell-as-commentator
Old-timers may recall NBA Analyst Bill Russell would often repeat that sentence when Wilt Chamberlain would jam another shot through the hoop. It got old.
That's my point. Wilt's 100-point explosion in March of 1962 when Chamberlain's Warriors took down the New York Knicks may never be eclipsed. Here's why.
"The Stilt", at 7'1" and 280 pounds, was a mismatch for any opposing center. Almost all of his scores came on dunks and close-in finger-rolls. The Knicks centers he faced in that contest were the immortal rookie Cleveland Buckner and the rather-average Darrall Imhoff. Buckner actually had a good offensive game in that outing with 33 points and eight boards, but Wilt had a field day against the 6'9', 210-lb. rookie. Buckner was out of the NBA after two seasons.
Sophomore Imhoff, at 6'10" and 220 pounds did no better against Goliath, fouling out of the game with only 20 minutes of floor time. Wilt had his way with both centers.
Goliath played all 48 minutes of the game and hit 36-of-63 from the field and an amazing (for him) 28-of-32 from the free throw line. The name of the game at the time was - "Get the ball to Wilt in the post". And that's what his Warrior teammates did.
They racked up 37 of the 39 team assists (Wilt had 2 assists), with Guy Rodgers handing out 20 dimes, most of them to the Big Guy. In the end, a big, powerful giant against two smaller, weaker, less skilled centers - Wilt hitting most of his freebies - and with the "get the ball to Wilt" as the battle cry of the day, it is doubtful if we NBA fans ever see 100-or-more points scored in the future.
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