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Wilt Chamberlain's "Underrated" Nights odysee.com/@JonnyArnett:0/wilt-chamberlain%27s-underrated-nights:7?r=8T2xqWjtafHWYGxQBSsrbw1wQPm7sWRq

239 sats \ 13 comments \ @Undisciplined 22 Apr Stacker_Sports

I'm curious how you all think about Wilt.

Was he just putting up numbers against short plumbers, as ESPN talking heads maintain?

Or, was he actually as unfathomably dominant as the stats indicate?

I tend to thing about him as an even freakier Giannis. He was bigger, stronger, and faster than Giannis (although, perhaps less coordinated).

Basically, enhance Giannis by about 10% in those dimensions and play him all 48 minutes and that's Wilt Chamberlain.

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65 sats \ 1 reply \ @elvismercury 23 Apr

Aside from his stats, there's the additional confusion about how strong he was. Since Wilt is a chronic exaggerator (20k women) you can't just believe him, but there's moderate corroborating evidence that he was at the very least stupidly strong, if not inhumanly strong.

Do some youtube searching and you'll see what I mean. It was an era of limited video evidence, so it's not super satisfying, but enough to make you really think about it.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Undisciplined OP 23 Apr

That's right. Fortunately, he was an exhibitionist in addition to being an exaggerator, so there are lots of wild accounts of him showing off his strength, speed, and leaping.

I prefer the pseudo-mythical status of Wilt, over just having a bunch of documented combine numbers to reference.

50 sats \ 10 replies \ @grayruby 22 Apr

He was unfathomably dominant but yes against weaker competition. I don't hold that against him. Players play in the era they play.

90 sats \ 2 replies \ @Bell_curve 23 Apr freebie

Can we say the same about Bill Russell and Red Auerbach. ???

11 titles in 13 years in 8 team league with inferior players and very low ratings

I hate the Celtics especially Bill Russell and Red Auerbach and Heinsohn

Respect them but dislike them

I am a big fan of Jerry West and Elgin Baylor who should have beaten the Celtics at least twice

60 sats \ 1 reply \ @Undisciplined OP 23 Apr

I do think we should account for those titles being best of eight, which just isn’t the same as best of 30.

The playoffs were only a couple of rounds, also. That means those titles were more like winning the conference finals.

90 sats \ 0 replies \ @Bell_curve 23 Apr

https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/NBA_1962.html

Celtics played 2 rounds , 8 wins, 14 games

80 sats \ 5 replies \ @Bell_curve 23 Apr

Wilt generated the highest ratings for NBA at a time when league was considered small potatoes.

His 1962 season will never be replicated. 100 points in a game season. They almost beat the Celtics that year in the playoffs. 7 games.

Regarding inferior competition he played against Bill Russell.

He played against shorter players not unskilled

60 sats \ 4 replies \ @Undisciplined OP 23 Apr

I agree. The average height back then was actually pretty similar to today and the other starting centers were huge players. The exception was that 100 point game, when he was playing the third string center because of injuries and illness.

90 sats \ 3 replies \ @Bell_curve 23 Apr

No 3 point shot in 1962

100 points is still impressive in a professional game regardless of era

Has this happened in high school? Or college?

Maybe Frank Selvy scored 100 in college in the 1950s

90 sats \ 2 replies \ @Bell_curve 23 Apr

https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2019-02-13/frank-selvy-furman-ncaa-record-100-points-game

50 sats \ 1 reply \ @Undisciplined OP 23 Apr

I remember that, but for some reason I thought it was one of the Ball brothers.

90 sats \ 0 replies \ @Bell_curve 23 Apr

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Taylor_(basketball)

Division 3 Grinnell

40 sats \ 0 replies \ @Undisciplined OP 22 Apr

I think those numbers are just so stupefying that we get cognitive dissonance trying to put them in context.

I've seen a breakdown of how adjusting for pace and minutes played, Wilt's numbers aren't that far off from Giannis'. That's why I think he was basically a Giannis with the stamina to play more minutes at a faster pace.