for the people who discredit Wilt's achievements

[s0lefunk]

Originally Posted by dmxfury

You can only compare one to the era they played in. It is unfair and absurd to downplay ones accomplishments because of what players become physically in the future. Are we going to discredit Mike in 20 years since all guards may be LeBron's size and speed and he wouldn't be able to compete in 2030? I don't think we should...

Sure it's "unfair" but it is what it is and that is a terrible example.  Mike wasn't a physically dominant freak of nature.  He was dominant on the skill side of things.  LeBron's physique isn't necessarily dominant in today's era.  Put it like this, neither Mike or Lebron could post up ANY and EVERY player in the league ANYTIME they wanted.  Wilt could, can, and did and could also shoot.  (Of course this is all to my understanding and of what little footage I've seen of him)

Wilt was a big man that was skilled in an era where he didn't need to be skilled.  All he had to do was stand under the basket, catch, and shoot.  

 

[dmxfury]

Shaq may have been a better example for me to use, though I do disagree a but about LeBron and his physical dominance, I think that is a big key to his success bu I don't think it should be used against him

 

[dmxfury]

Sorry for errors I'm on my phone

 

[chrisphreezy]

http://lh6.ggpht.com/__vP...%E4%BC%AF%E4%BC%A639.jpg

 

[fro b giant]

Bottom line is nobody here actually lived then and saw him play so people are speaking on what they do not know. They are also speaking on what they have read or heard from other people which are gonna mostly be biased.

 

[westcoastsfinest]

Originally Posted by Fro B Giant

Bottom line is nobody here actually lived then and saw him play so people are speaking on what they do not know. They are also speaking on what they have read or heard from other people which are gonna mostly be biased.

this

growing up my next door neighbor (RIP)...he considered wilt the GOAT

i think it really depends on what certain era you grew up in to consider how good a player is...that is why IMO there is no undisputed GOAT

whoever said that brook lopez is the current wilt should really log off ASAP...i dont care what the rules were back then and who the opponent was...scoring 100 points in a single game is an incredible feat...brook lopez is a speck of dust compared to wilt

  

 

[carlos tevez]

He probably would've been a great C in the 80's and beyond but his numbers were really inflated due to the lack of competition and lack of people his size.

 

[noreasonabledoubt]

Originally Posted by doctorshoes

He would have been a superstar, but he would not be averaging 50/25. I don't even know why people rate him so high but refuse to say Lebron is the best player in the NBA because he has no rings. Wilt only won one ring didn't he? And he needed a few other hall of famers to finally win it, he could not win while throwing up his insane numbers, but of course no one cares about his championships when saying he's a top 5 player.

Why you bringing up Lebron?? Anyway, Wilt the Stilt was a great player. Brook Lopez...no. I think he would be atop the Centers of today, but back when Shaq was at his peak, I would love to see the battles then, freakishly strong athletic 7 footers going at it, every play.

 

[SplinterMatic319]

 

[buc em]

Originally Posted by Carlos Tevez

He probably would've been a great C in the 80's and beyond but his numbers were really inflated due to the lack of competition and lack of people his size.

yup.
i honestly don't think it's fair to compare though. alot of the things he said such as bench pressing 500 pounds and such were exaggerated, but the difference is that wilt actually cared about basketball unlike most of the big man nowadays that are forced in because of their size. BUT throw in any one of the elite athletic players today and  they would throw up insane numbers back then with just their athletisicm alone. just look at some of the pg's today...westbrook, d-rose, wall, jennings, d-will, eric gordon, beabouis, rondo, lou williams....each of those guys can run the full court in about 3.5 seconds and dunk on somebody. there's barely anybody that can keep up with them now, imagine back then going against pg's with 10 inch verticals. same goes if you threw amare, shaq or dwight in that time

 

[persiafly]

All from the book Tall Tales.

He started fast with 23 points in the first quarter and was 9-for-9 on free throws. He also made his first six jump shots as his team jumped to a 19-3 lead. to reach the century mark, Chamberlain scored 31 points in the fourth quarter, 12-for-21 from the field and 7-for-12 from the the foul line. He played all 48 minutes in the Warriors' 169-147 win. While Chamberlain took 63 shots, the rest of his teammates combined for 52. Chamberlain's 63 shots and 21 in a quarter are both NBA records. In NBA history, there have been eight games in which an NBA player has scored at least 70, and six of those eight belong to Chamberlain.

By the fourth quarter, the Knicks were waiting until the 24-second shot clock was about to expire before they shot. When we had the ball, they were fouling everyone except Wilt so he wouldn't get 100. So we would take the ball out-of-bounds and throw high lobs directly to Wilt near the basket. When Wilt wanted the ball, he was big enough and strong enough to go get it. Guys were hanging on his back, and he was still catching the pass and scoring. I knew it was going to happen when with about five minutes left Wilt dunked one and nearly threw two New York players into the basket with the ball, and Dave Zinkoff yelled over the PA, "Dipper Dunk for 86!"

they can complain about us fouling people, but Frank McGuire sent some subs into the game and they were fouling us immediately to get the ball back and give Wilt some more chances.

Frank McGuire told Wilt, "You bring the ball up the court." Wilt liked to think he could play guard, so he loved it. But Frank did that down the stretch so that if New York wanted to foul someone, it had to be Wilt.

Darrell Imhoff started at center against Wilt, but he fouled out and played only about half the game. By the end of the game, all of their big men had fouled out.

[Chamberlain was guarded by Cleveland Buckner, who was listed as 6-foot-9 but was closer to 6-foot-7. Chamberlain scored his 98th point with 1:19 left]

But that game was not played as it should have been played. The second half was a travesty. I don't care what the Philly people say, I'm convinced that during the half they decided to get Wilt 100. He took nearly every shot. In the normal flow, Wilt would have scored 80-85 points which is mind-boggling when you thing about it. I'm sorry, this may be basketball history but I always felt very bad about that game. I got so sick of it that I intentionally fouled out.

All from the book Tall Tales.

 

[xtapolapacetl]

The game was just too different for him to be compared to modern players.


He had 3-4 inches on every good player who was guarding him.. And the first years of his career the 3 second area was significantly smaller. He could plant himself right under the basket as much as he wanted and overpower his weaker opponents.

He was a worse free throw shooter than Shaq (and that's saying something).

EVERY single time he was in the playoffs in his career, his playoff scoring average was lower than his regular season average. His regular season career ppg average was 30.1 ppg, while his playoff average was 22.5. That's almost an 8 ppg average. I don't think any superstar player in league history has a negative difference between his playoff career ppg and his regular season ppg. It just proves that his stats were boosted when he was playing against 6'7 centers and as soon as he met some proper opposition he wasn't as dominant.

 

[xtapolapacetl]

Originally Posted by blacktopking319

This:



> that

 

[royster]

For the people who say "he played small, below average competition", I hope you know the game played back then was 20x diff than the game played now.

Fouls and hand checking were less accounted for and the beating wilt took when he played compares to no one nowadays sheesh. Y'all give him no credit dude was getting teeth busted out and dropping 50 a game....

The people who discredit him, never saw him play.

 

[s0lefunk]

Originally Posted by Fro B Giant

Bottom line is nobody here actually lived then and saw him play so people are speaking on what they do not know. They are also speaking on what they have read or heard from other people which are gonna mostly be biased.

This goes unsaid but in Wilt's case I feel the argument against him isn't bias but simple logic.  If you are that much bigger than your competition in a game that fundamentally favors the bigger/taller players then you should perform.  That clip shows how much bigger he was than EVERYBODY on the court.  No one here is questioning his athleticism or skills.  He had those but it was just overkill.

How would he perform in this era?  Who knows.. Yea he'd have to train, get used to the new rules, etc.  The point is aint no way in hell is he going to drop 100 in this era as easily as he did back then.  Thats all

 

[xtapolapacetl]

Originally Posted by royster


The people who discredit him, never saw him play.

As opposed to those who credit him, who have watched every minute of his career?

Exactly because I never saw him play other than highlight reels is the reason why I stay away from discussing him when it comes to GOATs. Not exactly denying that he's the GOAT, I just stay away from mentioning him all together.

 

[letitshine24]

wilt would be a dwight howard. if he played during the 90s, his dominance would not be as much considering his opponents(shaq, hakeem,robinson,etc)

 

[SplinterMatic319]

Originally Posted by LetItShine24

wilt would be a dwight howard. if he played during the 90s, his dominance would not be as much considering his opponents(shaq, hakeem,robinson,etc)

dwight? wilt had a fadeway, a patented finger roll and can run the floor better than a guard................dwight doesnt have any of those skills

 

[antbanks81]

my mind was in the gutter, I thought you were referring to the 20k

My thought is that he did put the numbers up, but it was against inferior competition. I scored 50 against two smaller guys in a 2 on 2. No way does it mater when I did it. I still scored 50. I think we should just give him props b/c the effort and determination to dominate were there.

 

[mister friendly]

People are stupid they act as if sport was invented in the 1980s?

Nobody ever did anything athletic before then?

Wilt was a beast and if you put him in any era he would dominate.

Would he get 50/25? No but 30 PPG /15 RPG /5 APG /5 BPG? Yes.

 

[xtapolapacetl]

Originally Posted by Mister Friendly

People are stupid they act as if sport was invented in the 1980s?

In a way it was. Definitely reinvented. Modern basketball was created between 1976 and 1979 because of three factors:

1. NBA-ABA merger
2. Introduction of the 3-point line
3. Magic and Bird

And it went on to become a very different sport from the game of the early 60s when Wilt put up his monster numbers. The sport we today enjoy definitely has its roots in the 80s. The style of basketball in 2010 is most definitely closer to the style of basketball in 1985 than 1960 was to 1985.

 

[SplinterMatic319]

how come nobody talks about when wilt and kareem were playing at the same time and facing the same competition

wilt averaged 20,18,4 as a 34 year old man and kareem averaged 31,16,3 as a 23 year old

we all knew kareem stayed prevalent well into the 80's.........how do you think a prime wilt would have done in the 80's when even a old wilt could still match up with a young kareem

  

 

[mister friendly]

Originally Posted by Xtapolapacetl

Originally Posted by Mister Friendly

People are stupid they act as if sport was invented in the 1980s?

In a way it was. Definitely reinvented. Modern basketball was created between 1976 and 1979 because of three factors:

1. NBA-ABA merger
2. Introduction of the 3-point line
3. Magic and Bird

And it went on to become a very different sport from the game of the early 60s when Wilt put up his monster numbers. The sport we today enjoy definitely has its roots in the 80s. The style of basketball in 2010 is most definitely closer to the style of basketball in 1985 than 1960 was to 1985.

 

  Well the 3 things you mention all work in favor of Wilt.

1.The NBA-ABA merger would make the leauge more watered down then because you have more teams, making each team less stacked.

2.The 3 point line spreads the game out and makes its harder to double the post without suffering consequences.( a 33 pct increase in ponts given up for allowing an open 3.

3. And Magic and Bird have nothing to do with Wilt;s production. You been watching too many NBA Home videos. Maybe they got a few more people interested in Basketball but stars like Jordan,Barkley,Malone,Stockton,Isiah Thomas,Olajuwon,Ewing and Mullin were all playing the game before they came along

 

[u ttocs]

Originally Posted by blacktopking319

Yes, I know pace plays a big part of the stats but you have to be blind to not see that Wilt would still be a dominant center in any era of basketball. Think about it the guy 7 foot 1 considered by most to be the strongest of his era bar none and was ridicolously athletic (wilt was a high jumper in HS and college and also ran track).........if you watched taped you could see that he already had a fadeaway jumpshot and he has a ridiculous wingspan he OWN guys like howard


oh and if you still want to hate............he led the league in assists in a season........hows that for a center

discuss

did you even see wilt play?  how does anyone know if he would be dominant in any era.  he damn sure wouldn't score no 100 points or average 50 and 25 if he played today. 

 

[mister friendly]

I dont think anybody is saying he could score 100 points again or average 50 and 25 but he would dominant in this era too.