Wilt Chamberlain's 100 Point Game

Some sports achievements are so infamous; they can and will be forever remembered. The problem with these is the achievement is remembered, yet the place, time, and actions that make the achievement are not passed down in memories and stories. Nearly every sports fan is aware of Wilt Chamberlain's historic 100 points in one game, but have you heard the setting, final score, or strategy of the opposing team?

The setting for this historic game was in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The game was between the Philadelphia Warriors and the New York Knicks. At the time, this game set the record for most combined points in a game, with the game ending 169 to 147. Along with the points in one game, Wilt broke five other scoring records, four of which are still standing strong.

This was not televised, and there was no evidence this would be a good game. Chamberlain was actually performing well. During the 1961-1962 season, he scored 60 points seventeen times, including a then-record 78 points against the Lakers. This game was a normal, meaningless late season game.

Reports have said that Chamberlain was hung over. He barely slept that night, as he had a female companion accompany him in the night. He met friends for lunch, where he nearly missed the bus to Hershey, thus almost missing the game.

This Friday game had a little over 4,00o spectators, less than average during that time. The Knick's center Phil Jordan was injured. Therefore, backup Darrall Imhoff was assigned the task to guard Champerlain.

From the start of the game, Chamberlain dominated. The game started on a 19-3 run, with Chamberlain responsible for 13 points. The first quarter ended with the Knicks up 16 and 23 points in the books for Chamberlain. By halftime, the score was 79 to 68. Although Chamberlain had 41 points, this was not a surprising or alarming total. It was a common occurrence that he would enter the locker room with at least 30 points. During halftime, Warriors Coach Frank McGuire ordered his team to pass to Chamberlain.

Constantly being triple teamed did not slow Chamberlain down. He quickly passed the 50 point barrier and finished the third quarter with 69 points, only eight points away from tying his single game record.

In the fourth quarter, Chamberlain scored his 79^th point with 7:51 remaining. This officially set the single game scoring record. Desperate to avoid embarrassment, the Knicks consistently fouled the Warriors. This was countered by the Warriors bring in bench players to foul the Knicks back. This would allow the Warriors to get the ball after the Knicks shot free throws and allow them to get the ball to Chamberlain. The last five minutes was spent fouling each other.

With the clock counting down, Chamberlain had 94 points with less than three minutes to go. Soon, he scored a jump shot and a layup and with less than a minute left to play, he had 98 points.

Chamberlain then went into the low post and was quadruple teamed. Guy Rodgers passed to Chamberlain, who missed an easy close shot. Luckenbill rebounded, passed back to Chamberlain, who missed another easy shot. The Warriors reset the offense, passing the ball back to the point guard Ruklick. He drove, and instead of laying the ball up, he lobbed the ball up for Chamberlain, who easily dunked the alley-oop. With 46 seconds left, Chamberlain scored his 100^th point. The stadium erupted, as hundreds of fans ran onto the court. It was reported that Ruklick sprinted to the scorer's table to ensure he was credited with the assist.

The last 46 seconds were confusion as to what exactly happened. Some reports have said the play ended and the game never resumed. Other journalists have reported that, after a nine-minute celebration, the game resumed. In all reports that say the game resumed, reports also say that Chamberlain simply stood in the middle circle of the court, waiting for the clock to run out. While this cannot be confirmed by video, an audio broadcast does support this theory.

The game ended 169 to 147. Chamberlain scored 100 points, shooting 36 of 63 field goals and making 28 of 32 free throws. He also had 25 rebounds. Guy Rodger's accomplishment of twenty assists is commonly overlooked. Al Attles was also perfect from the field, hitting all seven shots and one free throw. Later in the season, Imhoff received a standing ovation when he limited Chamberlain to 54 points in a game.

The disappointing part of this event was it was not a "hot topic". While it was mentioned in the newspaper, it was not printed on the front page of any newspaper. In today's society, this game is commonly known and referred to as the best single game performance in basketball history. Some, including me, go as far as to say this game was one of the greatest achivements in any sport.

Reference:

Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game, Wikipedia.com