1961–62 Philadelphia Warriors season
1961–62 Philadelphia Warriors season | |
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Head coach | Frank McGuire |
Arena | Philadelphia Civic Center |
Results | |
Record | 49–31 (.613) |
Place | Division: 2nd (Eastern) |
Playoff finish | Division Finals (Lost to Celtics 3–4) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Local media | |
Television | WPTZ/WCAU/WFIL |
Radio | WIBG (Bill Campbell) |
The 1961–62 Philadelphia Warriors season was the sixteenth season for the National Basketball Association franchise in Philadelphia, and the last before their relocation to San Francisco, California, for the following season.
Wilt Chamberlain had the most statistically dominating season in NBA history. Chamberlain led the league with an NBA record 50.4 points per game.[1] In one eight-day stretch in January, Chamberlain participated in three games, where he scored at least 63 points.[2] On March 2, 1962, the Warriors played the New York Knicks in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Chamberlain had one of the most dominating performances in NBA history as he notched 100 points before 4,124 fans.[2] The game was actually played at the Warriors training facility. Despite his high scoring, Wilt would not win the NBA MVP. The award was given to Bill Russell. The Warriors finished 2nd behind Russell's Boston Celtics with a 49–31 record.[2] In the playoffs, the Warriors would defeat the Syracuse Nationals in five games. Russell and Chamberlain would meet in the Eastern Division Finals. The series would go seven games. In Game 7, Sam Jones would hit the winning shot with 2 seconds remaining.[2]
Roster[]
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Regular season[]
Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game, named by the National Basketball Association as one of its greatest games,[3][4] took place between the Philadelphia Warriors and the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962, at Hersheypark Arena in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
The Warriors won the game, 169–147, setting what was then a record for the most combined points in a game by both teams. But the game is most remembered for the 100 points scored by Warriors center Wilt Chamberlain, who set the NBA single-game scoring record. The next leading scorer for Philadelphia was Al Attles with 17 points.[5] The Knicks leading scorer was Guerin with 39 points. In that game, Chamberlain also broke five other NBA scoring records, of which four still stand.
Season standings[]
Eastern Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Neutral | Div |
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x-Boston Celtics | 60 | 20 | .750 | – | 23–5 | 26–12 | 11–3 | 26–10 |
x-Philadelphia Warriors | 49 | 31 | .613 | 11 | 18–11 | 19–19 | 12–1 | 18–18 |
x-Syracuse Nationals | 41 | 39 | .513 | 19 | 18–10 | 11–19 | 12–10 | 17–19 |
New York Knicks | 29 | 51 | .363 | 31 | 19–15 | 2–23 | 8–13 | 11–25 |
Record vs. opponents[]
1961–62 NBA records | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | BOS | CHI | CIN | DET | LAL | NYK | PHI | STL | SYR |
Boston | – | 9–1 | 7–1 | 5–3 | 6–3 | 8–4 | 8–4 | 7–2 | 10–2 |
Chicago | 1–9 | – | 1–9 | 3–7 | 2–8 | 6–4 | 0–10 | 4–6 | 1–9 |
Cincinnati | 1–7 | 9–1 | – | 6–6 | 5–7 | 5–4 | 3–5 | 9–3 | 5–4 |
Detroit | 3–5 | 7–3 | 6–6 | – | 4–8 | 5–4 | 1–7 | 7–5 | 4–5 |
Los Angeles | 3–6 | 8–2 | 7–5 | 8–4 | – | 6–2 | 6–3 | 10–2 | 6–2 |
New York | 4–8 | 4–6 | 4–5 | 4–5 | 2–6 | – | 4–8 | 4–4 | 3–9 |
Philadelphia | 4–8 | 10–0 | 5–3 | 7–1 | 3–6 | 8–4 | – | 6–3 | 6–6 |
St. Louis | 2–7 | 6–4 | 3–9 | 5–7 | 2–10 | 4–4 | 3–6 | – | 4–4 |
Syracuse | 2–10 | 9–1 | 4–5 | 5–4 | 2–6 | 9–3 | 6–6 | 4–4 | — |
Season schedule[]
Player stats[]
Note: GP= Games played; MIN=Minutes; FG= Field Goals; FT= Free Throws; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; PTS = Points; AVG = Average
= Indicates team leader |
Player | GP | MIN | FG | FT | REB | AST | PTS |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wilt Chamberlain | 80 | 3882 | 1597 | 835 | 2052 | 192 | 4029 |
Paul Arizin | |||||||
Tom Meschery | |||||||
Al Attles | |||||||
Tom Gola | |||||||
Guy Rodgers | 80 | 2648 | 267 | 121 | 348 | 643 | 655 |
Playoffs[]
1962 playoff game log | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Division Semi-finals: 3–2 (Home: 2–1; Road: 1–1)
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Division Finals: 3–4 (Home: 3–0; Road: 0–4)
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1962 schedule |
Awards and honors[]
- Wilt Chamberlain, NBA All-Star Game
- Paul Arizin, NBA All-Star Game
- Tom Gola, NBA All-Star Game
- Wilt Chamberlain, NBA scoring champion
- Wilt Chamberlain, All-NBA First Team
- Wilt Chamberlain, NBA Leader, Rebounds, 2,052
- Wilt Chamberlain, NBA Leader, Points per Game, 50.4
- Wilt Chamberlain, NBA Record, Most Points in One Game (see Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game)
Relocation to San Francisco[]
Following the season, the Warriors moved west to San Francisco. Edward Gottlieb sold the team to a Bay Area Credit Card company.[2] Despite the loss, Philadelphia would only be without pro-basketball for just that one season. The Syracuse Nationals, who challenged the Warriors in the playoffs for many years had moved to the city the Warriors vacated in 1963, becoming the Philadelphia 76ers.[2]
References[]
- ^ Numbelievable!, p.20, Michael X. Ferraro and John Venziano, Triumph Books, 2007, Chicago, Illinois, ISBN 978-1-57243-990-0
- ^ a b c d e f Philadelphia Warriors (1946–1962)
- ^ "Wilt Scores 100!". ESPN.com. 2007-02-14.
- ^ Bork, p. 33-35
- ^ Numbelivable!, p.23, Michael X. Ferraro and John Veneziano, Triumph Books, Chicago, Illinois, 2007, ISBN 978-1-57243-990-0
- ^ "1961-62 Philadelphia Warriors Roster and Stats".
- Golden State Warriors seasons
- 1961–62 NBA season