Wilt Chamberlain Blocked 26 Shots Against the Pistons?

[HomoSapien]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwvdsi6gLl8#t=65[/youtube]

He did according to this video (1:04).

That's a stat that I had never heard about. Just as impressive as the 55 rebound game in my opinion. I haven't been able to find any record of that 26 block game, but found this:

The NBA did not start counting blocked shots as a stat until the 1974 season. However, NBA historian Harvey Pollack claims he counted a game in the playoffs where Wilt blocked 25 shots.

If anyone out there does not believe that happened, than you will have to accept 23 blocks as a career high for Wilt, because he blocked 23 shots on a nationally televised game on Christmas Day in 1968, while playing for the Los Angeles Lakers vs the Phoenix Suns. Wilt had just joined the Lakers in 1968.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwvdsi6gLl8

There's some amazing clips there.

Also came across this interesting story:

Of all his memories of Wilt Chamberlain, the one that stood out for Larry Brown happened long after Chamberlain's professional career was over.

On a summer day in the early 1980s at the Men's Gym on the UCLA campus, Chamberlain showed up to take part in one of the high-octane pickup games that the arena constantly attracted. Brown was the coach of the Bruins back then, and Chamberlain often drove to UCLA from his home in Bel Air, Calif.

"Magic Johnson used to run the games," Brown recalled Tuesday after hearing that Chamberlain, his friend, had died at the age of 63, "and he called a couple of chintzy fouls and a goaltending on Wilt.

"So Wilt said: 'There will be no more layups in this gym,' and he blocked every shot after that. That's the truth, I saw it. He didn't let one (of Johnson's) shots get to the rim."
Chamberlain would have been in his mid-40s at the time, a decade removed from one of the greatest careers any basketball player ever produced. But the advancing years meant little to Chamberlain in terms of physical conditioning.

http://static.espn.go.com/nba/news/1999 ... 10842.html

[RSCD3_]

Everyone talking about embiids fluidity while wilt was even more fluid, explosive and quicker. Wilt nowadays would be a beast, I actually think while his stats might have been higher back then, he could have been a more effective player to a championship later on.

I think when he came out, coaches didnt have that much power over their stars while later on, he wouldnt be so worried about stats and he could have developed better habits

Sent from my SCH-I800 using RealGM Forums mobile app

[I beg to differ]

23 blocks (at 32 years old) is amazing enough.

And maybe he blocked 26 shots once, but he definitely didn't cockblock 20 thousand guys.

[theFireBlanket]

His blocks on Kareem's skyhook, in the video posted in the OP, a bit after the 1:06 mark would be considered goaltending in the current system.

[co_laper]

Did nba have goaltending back then? A lot of those blocks in that clip are clear goaltendings.

[RayBan-Sematra]

Not sure about the goal-tending issue (could be legit) but I think it was much easier for C's to rack up blocks back then (especially athletic freaks like Wilt & Russell) because perimeter players were generally far less athletic and the run & gun style of that era encouraged players to take bad quick shots.
Offenses obviously advanced over the years & decades.

Some people say Wilt averaged 8bpg back then but he certainly wouldn't be anywhere near that in this era.
3-4 would probably be a realistic max for him.
Even the best shot blockers of this generation like Hakeem & Robinson generally maxed around around 4 and I don't see Wilt being any better then them in that regard let alone significantly better.

Is it possible Wilt blocked 26 shots in a game? Considering the era I think it is possible.
Shaq once blocked 15 shots in a game.

[Sixerscan]

Did nba have goaltending back then? A lot of those blocks in that clip are clear goaltendings.

It was a much more relaxed rule. I guess it could be comparable to traveling today. I watched one of his 60 point games a month or two back and at least 20 of the points were off of clear offensive goaltending.

Still amazing though.

[HomoSapien]

Not sure about the goal-tending issue (could be legit) but I think it was much easier for C's to rack up blocks back then (especially athletic freaks like Wilt & Russell) because perimeter players were generally far less athletic and the run & gun style of that era encouraged players to take bad quick shots.
Offenses obviously advanced over the years & decades.

Some people say Wilt averaged 8bpg back then but he certainly wouldn't be anywhere near that in this era.
3-4 would probably be a realistic max for him.
Even the best shot blockers of this generation like Hakeem & Robinson generally maxed around around 4 and I don't see Wilt being any better then them in that regard let alone significantly better.

Is it possible Wilt blocked 26 shots in a game? Considering the era I think it is possible.
Shaq once blocked 15 shots in a game.

I agree that it was certainly a lot easier, but even then. 26 blocks is a jaw dropping stat in any era, and in any league.

[HarthorneWingo]

Wilt was a beast. Averaged over 50 points and 27 rebounds per game one year. And he played in an era with some really good/great big men. Most years he averaged well over 30 pts and 20 reb per game. One year he averaged 8.6 assists when the scorers we're not nearly as generous as they are today with it.

[old rem]

Everyone talking about embiids fluidity while wilt was even more fluid, explosive and quicker. Wilt nowadays would be a beast, I actually think while his stats might have been higher back then, he could have been a more effective player to a championship later on.

I think when he came out, coaches didnt have that much power over their stars while later on, he wouldnt be so worried about stats and he could have developed better habits

Sent from my SCH-I800 using RealGM Forums mobile app

Being an old fart..I saw Wilt often on TV..and once live from a close up seat. What mostly got me was his huge,amazing hands. The way he'd catch or handle the ball...one hand was like it was a grapefruit. He had long legs, quite a stride and could sort of cil up, then cover a lot of ground with one dribble and a giant step.

Wilt had a great sense of timing, quite a wingspan. When he started..there were NOT a lot of real good guys who were close to 7ft. He had a sense...instincts. Wilt pretty much INVENTED the post moves big men used afterward. Nothing much would surprise me. Hell... he OFTEN had 30+ pt, 20+ rebounds and ...had blocks been an "official" stat...likely 10+ blocks too. There was a season where he played EVERY minute... every game...including overtimes. Wilt never fouled out of a game. Pretty rare stuff.

[GMATCallahan]

Chamberlain was an amazing athlete. For a guy that big and long to be that fluid, graceful, and dynamic ...

[stjf]

So many moments in that video where you just want to say: beast mode. Wilt was what Shaq could have been, if Shaq kept himself in shape.

The year Wilt won his first title and ended Russell's streak of 8 straight, Wilt's playoff averages were 21.7 points, 29.1 boards, and 9.0 assists, in 47.9 minutes per game. Out of 15 playoff games, he had 7 official triple doubles; i've read that in at least two of these triple doubles he actually had a quadruple double with 10+ blocks (against Russell and Nate Thurmond).

[Roscoe Sheed]

You could make a good argument that Wilt was the best player ever. A very strong argument in fact. What an outright freak. However, for some reason people always want to degrade legends of yesteryear. Quite shameful actually.

[Johnlac1]

You could make a good argument that Wilt was the best player ever. A very strong argument in fact. What an outright freak. However, for some reason people always want to degrade legends of yesteryear. Quite shameful actually.

I've got nothing against younger fans who are skeptical of older players's records. But I do chuckle at their apparent belief that all great athletes were born within the last 20-30 years. Many of them are obsessed with the ballhandling (or lack of it) skill of oldtime players as if those same players would not improve that skill if thrust into the modern game. If the 25 yrs old Wilt who averaged 50 ppg was thrust into today's game say with the Sixers, he'd easily average 30+ ppg and 15-18 rbds, Plus block 3-4 shots per. No center today could stop him.

[Johnlac1]

Everyone talking about embiids fluidity while wilt was even more fluid, explosive and quicker. Wilt nowadays would be a beast, I actually think while his stats might have been higher back then, he could have been a more effective player to a championship later on.

I think when he came out, coaches didnt have that much power over their stars while later on, he wouldnt be so worried about stats and he could have developed better habits

Sent from my SCH-I800 using RealGM Forums mobile app

Being an old fart..I saw Wilt often on TV..and once live from a close up seat. What mostly got me was his huge,amazing hands. The way he'd catch or handle the ball...one hand was like it was a grapefruit. He had long legs, quite a stride and could sort of cil up, then cover a lot of ground with one dribble and a giant step.

Wilt had a great sense of timing, quite a wingspan. When he started..there were NOT a lot of real good guys who were close to 7ft. He had a sense...instincts. Wilt pretty much INVENTED the post moves big men used afterward. Nothing much would surprise me. Hell... he OFTEN had 30+ pt, 20+ rebounds and ...had blocks been an "official" stat...likely 10+ blocks too. There was a season where he played EVERY minute... every game...including overtimes. Wilt never fouled out of a game. Pretty rare stuff.

I'm pretty old and a huge Wilt fan, but he did have one chink in his off. armor (other than foul shots).... his fadeaway. I would bet most of his misses were from his fadeaway which became increasingly inaccurate as he got older. By his later years, he rarely shot anything except dunks and fingerrolls. He had a good hook shot when he came into the league as well as a good jump shot. Through lack of practice or just getting too muscular (or both) he lost those skills. Too bad....if Wilt had just learned a jump hook, he would have been an off. force even in his later years.

[Sign5]

Why do people keep saying he'd dominate today's game as if there's any doubt? Dude was basically a taller, more fluid, skilled and athletic version of Dwight. Of course he'd be unstoppable.

[co_laper]

Why do people keep saying he'd dominate today's game as if there's any doubt? Dude was basically a taller, more fluid, skilled and athletic version of Dwight. Of course he'd be unstoppable.

Is anybody actually saying that Wilt would suck? I think it's not in doubt that he would still be great in this era. The issue is whether he'd be AS GREAT.

I'm with the thinking that the 60-70s era sucks. With that said, Wilt is in no way going to be as dominant to the degree of averaging 50 points and 25 rebounds a game in the 90s or in today's game. Max, I'm thinking 30-15. Shaq like numbers.

[Future Coach]

I understand this thread is about Wilt and his great blocking abilities, but a thread mentioning great block #s is incomplete without mentioning Russell and Nate Thurmond, who are really the two greatest shot blockers of all time. I mean in his 1st game of the 1st season they recorded blocks Nate got a quadruple-double (officially the 1st player to do so) and that was like his 12th year in the league and with some bad knees. There's an interview on NBA.com where he talks about it which I will find when I'm on my laptop, but make no mistake that those two are likely the best defensive big men the game has ever seen. I'd put Wilt as 3rd, and that's likely because he wasn't always fully motivated

And yes each of then would still be all-nba right now.

[pLutO oR bUst]

You would think that after the first 10 to 15 block shots the other team would learn not to get into the lane with Wilt around.

On a side note, Wilt would be Shaq on steroids in todays league.

[lorak]

There are some games with Wilt available. One realGM's poster even stat tracked them: viewtopic.php?f=64&t=1247724

list of games:
1964 NBA Finals Gm. 4 Celtics vs. Warriors (2nd Half)
1967 EDF Gm. 4 Sixers vs. Celtics (2nd Half)
1969 NBA Finals Gm. 7 Celtics vs. Lakers (4th Quarter)
1970 NBA Finals Gm. 5 Lakers vs. Knicks (Incomplete)
1970 NBA Finals Gm. 7 Lakers vs. Knicks
1971 WCSF Gm. 6 Lakers vs. Bulls
Jan 9, 1972 - Lakers vs. Bucks
1972 NBA Finals Gm. 5 Knicks vs. Lakers (Incomplete)

So three full games, two games with second halves only, one game with 4th Q only and two incomplete games, so equivalent of 5 full games or around 240 minutes of play. Wilt had only 22 blocks in this games, so 3.3 per 36 minutes in very high paced game (and probably with different rules regarding goaltending).