Basketball from a fan’s perspective

I missed the date again

The historic date was the night of March 2, 1962, Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in the game against the Knicks. Chamberlain was playing for the Warriors while they called Philadelphia home, although it was a home game it was in Hershey Pennsylvania the event occurred. Back then a few NBA teams for a variety of reasons would “farm out” home games and that was the case that night. For those like me our desire is to determine the location of Hershey in relation to Philadelphia, the town is located 100 miles northwest of Philadelphia. There are several highly unusual events besides the 100-point game, the first was attendance. The box score indicates only 4,124 fans were in attendance for the game, no television or any sort of video exists of the game.

Years later a radio description of the 4th quarter was discovered, in 2016 the audio was added to the National Recording Registry in the Library of Congress. The Warriors PR Director indicated years later up to 40,000 people claimed to have attended the game, some even implied it was played in Madison Square Garden. As for the specifics Chamberlain played 48 minutes of the game, he took 63 shots from the floor sinking 36 of them (.571). The portion of this game most amazing to me was free throw shooting, Chamberlain a poor shooter from the line sank 28 of the 32 attempts he made that evening. The NBA didn’t track blocked shots back then but as proof Chamberlain wasn’t just scoring he pulled down 25 rebounds in the game. Looking quarter by quarter uncovers these facts, he only scored 18 points in the 2nd quarter but it would be 31 in the 4th. The final score read Philadelphia Warriors 169 New York Knicks 147. Once again this lookback on a historic NBA game is presented for your reading.

Defensive Player of the Year

When writing another piece on Victor Wembanyama I stated he would receive votes as Defensive Player of the Year…I would be shocked if he wins the award. The complete criteria for winning the award were unknown to me so I decided to uncover the portion with which I was unfamiliar. Using a voting system where 1 is low and 5 being high allow me to apply numbers to what is listed below:

 Individual defense: The player’s ability to defend their own man and prevent them from scoring. 4

 Team defense:  The player’s ability to contribute to their team’s overall defense, including communicating with teammates, helping on defense, and protecting the rim. 4

Statistics: The player’s defensive statistics, including blocks, steals, rebounds, and defensive wins. 5

 Impact on team success: The player’s impact on their team’s overall success, including how their defensive play contributes to the team’s ability to win games. 2-3

Overall defensive ability: The player’s overall defensive ability, including their versatility, quickness, and ability to defend multiple positions. 4

The one area in my view Wemby comes up short is item 4, Impact on team success. As you are aware this Spurs team has one of the worst win-loss records in the NBA. In this instance, unlike his counterpart Chet Holmgren, Wemby is handicapped by playing on such a poor team. With only 13 wins as this is written it would be extremely difficult to award him the trophy. If item 4 is raised in the future and I see no reason that couldn’t occur there is no doubt in my mind I could see Wemby named DPOY one year.

Bits n Pieces 

Bill Self hasn’t forgotten how to coach, despite my statement this might be the worst KU team he’s ever coached. As this is written the Jayhawks are three games behind conference leader Houston. There is not enough time remaining in the season for KU to continue its winning streak. I certainly have no intent to be a harbinger of unwelcome news but folks in Jayhawk Nation might be end for a rude awakening. I pointed to the fact that with the conference additions this year and those coming up next season KU might find itself no longer conference dominate as it once was. KU should get back on the winning track tonight facing Kansas State.

Sometimes I’m unsure if a person in the sports media is expressing their true belief or is there something else. The latest is veteran Chris Broussard now with Fox Sports, he covered the NBA while employed by ESPN. I understand entitlement however I’m unsure what Broussard was saying. He appeared to be concerned regarding American NBA players and their feelings of privilege. My confusion, was Broussard stating those from across the ocean approach the game in a different manner over American players?

The actual draft order never approaches what is seen on mock draft sites. Although I realize that is the case if the Spurs draft at three I will make the selection. That pick should be Nikola Topic, he’s a 6-6 200-pound point guard from Serbia. Right now you are probably asking me can he play? My response, I don’t have an answer. This part I do know, he is the highest rated point guard on all three of the mock sites I use. After watching a number of Spurs games it’s my belief the Spurs need a floor general. Inserting Tre Jones into the starting lineup helped improve the flow of the offense, the only issue is Jones the answer for the future of the franchise?