the celtics dominated the lakers. it isnt like wilt was shutdown. in fact he tended to play right around his normal level against russell. the rest of the lakers got outplayed and therefore the celtics would win. my father watched these two all the time and has said as much.
Will there ever be a player that dominated his sport like Wilt did?
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the celtics dominated the lakers. it isnt like wilt was shutdown. in fact he tended to play right around his normal level against russell. the rest of the lakers got outplayed and therefore the celtics would win. my father watched these two all the time and has said as much.
ColumbusHawk
Well-Known Member
Again, a young person who doesn't know history. Their were many fine centers in the NBA during Wilt's time. He played against many fine centers in his career like Walt Bellamy, Willis Reed, Bill Russell, Nate Thurmond & Jabbar, just to name a few. Many of them like Bellamy, Thurmond & Jabbar were 7-footers. I would argue that the center play in Wilt's time was much better than it is today.
The NBA widen the lane for the '64-'65 season, so Wilt played most of his career with the wider lane. True on the night in scored 100-points it was only 12-feet.
Also, the article is incorrect about goal tending. Defensive goal tending has been around since the 40's & the NBA adopted offensive goal tending for the '58-'59 season. So, contrary to the article, goal tending was not a response to Chamberlain.
FalseMirage
Well-Known Member
ColumbusHawk
Well-Known Member
The Lakers with Wilt only faced Bill Russell & the Celtics once in the playoffs. It was Wilt's first season in Los Angeles & Russell's last season. The Celtics beat the Lakers in seven games for the '69 NBA title.
Now before that, the Lakers & Celtics played some legendary NBA finals. West was phenominal, but the Celtics had more talent. What your Dad probably was talking about were the tremendous playoffs between the Celtics & 76ers when Wilt was in Philadelphia.
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1hawkeye1
Well-Known Member
Tiger not only dominated the game like Wilt, but he dominated females like Wilt too.
ColumbusHawk
Well-Known Member
No doubt about it, Gretsky was about as dominating in his sport as anyone. When he broke the single-season scoring record it was like the equivalent of ninety-six home runs, unbelievable. Fifty goals in thirty-nine games.
Have you ever seen the "Great One" in person. I was fortunate to meet him once. He is about the scrawniest, littlest, most unathletic guy you will ever meet. You walk away thinking that person can't be the greatest hockey player.
Of course, nobody will do what Ruth did. One year he hit more home runs than the rest of the Yankees & American League combined. Now that is incomprehensible.
bcl20
Well-Known Member
Never saw him live or in person, just on TV but I do know his lack of size was almost as legendary as his skill was. Ok, maybe not, but he was far from physically imposing. As for Ruth, his ability to get on base combined with his power was pretty much unmatchable (without 'roids of course).
Bonds in his later years would be on here to if it weren't for the whole cheating thing. Actually his 2004 season was staggering even when considering he was all roided up.
tm3308
Well-Known Member
Are we seriously counting Kareem? His first four years in the league were Wilt's last four. That's hardly Wilt's prime.
Reed and Russell are both among the greatest, but they were also just 6'9".
As far as the rule/court dimensions changes go: The mound in baseball was shortened because pitchers were dominating the game too much. That doesn't mean those pitchers are the greatest of all time. Were they perhaps more dominant in their time than pitchers of today are? Sure. That doesn't make them better.
tm3308
Well-Known Member
This is the final answer. No player outside of Wilt comes close to the Great One. The point records he set were unbelievable. Hell, it takes me creating a super-player on a video game to break those records.
Tmoney12
Well-Known Member
tm3308
Well-Known Member
Tork u drinking tonight??? Starting to back pedal like Herby
I'll admit I totally spaced and forgot Gretzky lol.
Tmoney12
Well-Known Member
I'll admit I totally spaced and forgot Gretzky lol.Tork u drinking tonight??? Starting to back pedal like Herby
But won't admit to drinking??? Smart man!!! Not gonna lie I forgot about him completely too and I actually kinda followed hockey towards the end of his career.
NewMexHawk
Well-Known Member
The difference with Wilt is that yes he was way before his years as far as 7' centers are concerned. But it is WHAT he did whle he played and the records he set regardless of the opposition. For instance, Bill Russell was 6'10" and Abdul Jabbar was over 7'0" and they did not set records like Chamberlain. Who was the big guy from LSU...he was a freak of nature and could not dominate the NBA. Would he have dominated in the 60s? Did he have the skill set? Chamberlain was basically a one man team. Would he do now what he did then--probably not. For one thing he would be surrounded by better players.
Jabbar was a freak of nature for his time and he could not dominate like Chamberlain did.
These kind of arguments are futile. Many will say that tiger woods is the greatest golfer EVER if he breaks Jack Nicolson's record. Is Woods a freak of nature? Woods will only hold that one record and perhaps a couple of others. Using the same set of standards that people use for Woods...breaking one record, Wilt is the greatest player ever because of the 90 records that he has, SOME of which will NEVER be broken. Heck some even want to king Woods as the best player ever and he HASN'T broken the record. What makes that one record SO special that ONE record makes him the greatest? That is like a batter breaking the 56-game hitting streak and saying HE is the greatest player ever.
Wilt has 90 records. Many of you never saw him play and just say he was a freak therefore he doesn't deserve to be called the greatest. Yet you want to name players that YOU have watched and followed to be called the greatest, as if playing in the past couldn't possibly make you the best. Matter of perspective iMO>
Jabbar was a freak of nature for his time and he could not dominate like Chamberlain did.
These kind of arguments are futile. Many will say that tiger woods is the greatest golfer EVER if he breaks Jack Nicolson's record. Is Woods a freak of nature? Woods will only hold that one record and perhaps a couple of others. Using the same set of standards that people use for Woods...breaking one record, Wilt is the greatest player ever because of the 90 records that he has, SOME of which will NEVER be broken. Heck some even want to king Woods as the best player ever and he HASN'T broken the record. What makes that one record SO special that ONE record makes him the greatest? That is like a batter breaking the 56-game hitting streak and saying HE is the greatest player ever.
Wilt has 90 records. Many of you never saw him play and just say he was a freak therefore he doesn't deserve to be called the greatest. Yet you want to name players that YOU have watched and followed to be called the greatest, as if playing in the past couldn't possibly make you the best. Matter of perspective iMO>
FalseMirage
Well-Known Member
Dan Gable.
thejumper5
Well-Known Member
Tiger Woods and MJ are obvious answers, but there are two others that I think come close to Wilt.
I know it was enhanced, but from 2001-2004 Barry Bonds was the most dominant team-sport athlete of all time.
I think it's fair to say that the times Usain Bolt has dropped are stunningly dominant.
I know it was enhanced, but from 2001-2004 Barry Bonds was the most dominant team-sport athlete of all time.
I think it's fair to say that the times Usain Bolt has dropped are stunningly dominant.
thanks for correcting me on that. but it still holds true that wilt put up great numbers on russell so the thought that russell individually dominated wilt is wrong.
ColumbusHawk
Well-Known Member
To me, the 76ers with Wilt were like the Brooklyn Dodgers of the late 40's to the mid-50's. The Dodgers were a truly great team with ball players like Roy Campanella, Don Newcombe, Pee Wee Reese, Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, etc. However, they were unfortunate to play at the same time as the most dominate team in the history of baseball. The fact that they won only one World Series doesn't diminish the greatness of those teams & players.
Likewise, the 76ers were a great team with players like Billy Cunningham, Hal Greer, Luke Jackson, Wally Jones & Wilt. However, the Celtics were in the midst of winning ten NBA titles in eleven years. Like the Dodgers with the Yankees, the 76ers only beat the Celtics once in the playoffs.
The Dodgers & 76ers were great teams. They were unlucky to be competing against the most dominating teams in the history of their respective sports, the Yankees under Stengel and the Celtics with Russell.l
