If a player scored 100 points in a game today...

[Andrew]

...be it Wilt Chamberlain's feat transplanted into the current era or a contemporary player equalling or besting the record, what do you think the reaction would be? Would it be hailed as a glorious, once-in-a-generation accomplishment or would it be subject to scathing criticism?

With today's sporting culture, I believe that as much recognition and acclaim scoring 100 points in a single game would receive, it would also be a much maligned achievement. It would be just as popular to bemoan the record as marvel at it, if not moreso, given the current approach to sportsmanship and our love of cynicism.

Consider the accounts of Wilt's 100 point game. His Warriors teammates have been described as giving up easy shots and actively trying to get him the ball when it became clear a remarkable record could be set. The final minutes are remembered for back and forth fouling to either try and get the ball out of Wilt's hands or get the ball back so that he could score again. Despite the game having already been decided, Wilt also remained on the court while the rest of the Warriors' starters were pulled and as we know, finished the game with 63 field goal attempts and 32 attempts from the free throw line.

That's not to take anything away from the accomplishment. He still knocked down 36 of those shots and 28 of those free throws, the latter being especially impressive given his career numbers. Still, some of the circumstances that facilitated his 100 point game would be unlikely to happen today and if they did I believe there would be a backlash against the record.

If Kobe Bryant's 81 point game isn't immune to criticism despite his amazing scoring outburst carrying the Lakers to a come from behind victory, a player scoring 100 points in a blowout game, remaining in the game long after the white flag has gone up no less, while taking 63 shots along the way is sure to offend basketball purists. The staggering achievement would be pushed aside because the method in which it was accomplished just isn't the done thing these days.

Epiphanny Prince also serves as a fine example with her 113 point game in high school competition. Depite making history, not everyone was impressed. I remember other columns at the time expressing similar sentiment and criticism of her record setting performance. The way professional athletes are held to a higher standard I'm sure it would be more of the same if the record had been set or is broken in today's NBA, at least if it wasn't seen as being on the level.

Of course, that could speak volums about the way we look at sports (or the world in general) these days and suggest an inability to appreciate the amazing without putting it into a certain context or requiring it to conform to a certain standard. Still, it's interesting to think that one of basketball's greatest achievements being ripped to shreds if it happened today.

[benji]

The average team scores 99.6 points a game today. You'd need what...a 149 point game to match it? Kobe's 81 came out of 122 points.

You'd need a meaningless game, with someone who could handle 60 plus field goal attempts. If a player got close to 70 before the fourth quarter, as Wilt did, I bet the other team would back off and let him have it.

[shadowgrin]

the other team would back off and let him have it.

and have the unfortunate distinction of not being able to defend a player to reach 100 pts in this era?

Even if the outcome of the game is already decided before the 4th quarter, the opposing team/players would still try to stop that certain player from having his way to 100 pts. maybe out of pride or to avoid further embarassment.

Unless of course the opposing team is the current New York Knicks.

[Andrew]

But the question is, would his coach leave him in the game and what would be the reaction if he did? Kobe scored 62 points against in the Mavericks in just three quarters the same year he scored 81 against the Raptors but didn't return as the Lakers had the game in the bag and the fourth quarter was almost a formality. If he'd been left in to score 70+ in that game, what would the reaction have been? Even putting aside the response from the anti-Kobe following, I imagine it would have been criticised as poor sportsmanship.

[grusom]

I remember how there was some criticism of Phil Jackson after he pulled Kobe from the lineup in a blowout against the Mavericks a few weeks or so before the 81 point game. Kobe had a lot of points after the 3rd quarter, and the fans wanted to know how many he could have gotten.

I think there is a difference between showboating an pursuing a personal- or an NBA record. The fans love to see records be broken, so if a player is in reach of something big (a 100-point game, 30-30 game or whatever), I think he is in his good right to try get it for the fans.

[Andrew]

You're right, there certainly were people who would have preferred to see him play in the fourth and push his total higher. But given the current approach to sportsmanship, the "blowout code of honour" if you will, Phil Jackson did the right thing and I believe that while a lot of fans would have enjoyed seeing him go off for 70 or more in that Mavericks game, the criticism and backlash would be just as strong.

[Sauru]

if someone broke 100 in todays game they would be labeled a ball hog forever. you would get both sides of the coin, some people calling him the best ever and others saying he just hogs the ball endlessly. personally if it was a close game and the man was just completly on fire i would say its ok. i have always played by giving the hot hand the ball as much as he wants it, if the game is out of hand then let everyone else have thier time. kobe's 81 was a great game as they needed it to get the win but if someone went for 100 i think i gotta agree with benji in thinking that if anyone even gets close the other team will back off and let him have it. kinda like how david robinson went unguarded the final game to win the scoring title

[Martti.]

I don't think it's possible to score 100 in todays game. If a player has like 50 at half-time, the opposite team will just make it too hard on him. Fouling or double-, even triple-teaming. This season's high is 27 free throw attempts, so 32 isn't far away like Wilt had. Getting up 50-60 shots is too hard.

If it will happen, only in a, let's say 4OT game, between bad defensive teams. Or just Kobe, Lebron against the Grizzlies or Sonics.

[benji]

I don't think it's possible to score 100 in todays game. If a player has like 50 at half-time, the opposite team will just make it too hard on him. Fouling or double-, even triple-teaming.

How is this different than how Wilt did it? I mean, aside from it only being triple and quadruple teaming. Double teams were for regular Wilt games.

The biggest limiting factor is simply the pace. And the fact that it is simply a fluke game in the end anyway. Breaking Wilt's 50.4ppg would be far more impressive.

[Mayerhendrix]

Given the current pace in the NBA, it simply shouldn't be done. To do so would be taking an unreasonably disproportionate amount of shots. It'd get a spark of short-term interest in the NBA from normal non-NBA fans but lose support of a lot of die-hard NCSLesque basketball addicts.

[BigKaboom2]

...be it Wilt Chamberlain's feat transplanted into the current era or a contemporary player equalling or besting the record, what do you think the reaction would be? Would it be hailed as a glorious, once-in-a-generation accomplishment or would it be subject to scathing criticism?

Like everything, it would be both praised and criticized by various sports columnists. Various forum posters would be swayed by these columns and thus adopt the opinions due to an utter absence of critical thought then start bouncing them off each other ad nausaeum.

Trying to score 100 points accomplishes absolutely nothing except for the pursuit of individual accolades. It will never happen in a meaningful game, and if people are saying it has to happen in a meaningless game, how can they then call that game meaningful once 100 points have been scored by one player? It's still just a pointless game where the primary goal became something other than winning.

[shadowgrin]

It'd get a spark of short-term interest in the NBA from normal non-NBA fans but lose support of a lot of die-hard NCSLesque basketball addicts.

I'm interested in this NCSL, where die-hard basketball addicts congregate.

[Skinnyman23]

There's no way anyone currently can score up to 100 pts in a single game not only because it's extremely unlikely for any player to be skilled enough, but the way the game is played today: you can't just relie on just one player to score most of the points (or in this case probably around 80% of the entire team's points per game). BTW, it's not entirely certain that Chamberlain accomplished the 100-point feat since there was no live TV broadcasting of the game back then, but during Chamberlain's time it seemed theortically possible unlike in today's NBA.

[benji]

Yeah, it was just a big conspiracy between all 4,000 people, especially the players on the two teams.

[Skinnyman23]

I didn't say it was conspiracy. I just said it was somewhat hard to believe the feat that Chamberlain accomplished even for his hayday.

[shadowgrin]

lol, the only conspiracy theory I read/heard about Wilt's 100-point game is that the points was supposedly more, like 106 or 105 pts, because the game wasn't supposedly over when Wilt reached 100. The people just went wild after 100 and the game resumed after everything settled down.

[benji]

We must have different interpretations of:

BTW, it's not entirely certain that Chamberlain accomplished the 100-point feat

Unless you were getting all pomo on us.

[Sauru]

in reality he only scored 37, but the score keeper was drunk and awarded most baskets to wilt cause it was just easier

[Andrew]

personally if it was a close game and the man was just completly on fire i would say its ok.

If a player somehow scored 100 points on ridiculously hot shooting and it was a performance that gave a team a come from behind victory or happened in a back and forth shootout you could say that it happened more organically so it would likely be looked upon more favourably. It's hard to imagine it happening without any force feeding though.

Like everything, it would be both praised and criticized by various sports columnists. Various forum posters would be swayed by these columns and thus adopt the opinions due to an utter absence of critical thought then start bouncing them off each other ad nausaeum.

I'm sure that would happen but putting aside folks who are easily swayed by the opinions of others, what do you think the general sentiment would be if someone scored 100 points in a manner similar to Wilt today? How would you feel about it? What would you say about that player?

Personally, I'd admire the accomplishment and consider it a historically significant performance since it's not every day an NBA player scores in triple digits but I would be somewhat bothered if the game became something of a farce with a frantic effort being made to set the record. It would take something away from the mystique of the event. As far as the widespread opinion, my feeling is that it would be much more cynical than the esteem in which Chamberlain's record is held.

Trying to score 100 points accomplishes absolutely nothing except for the pursuit of individual accolades. It will never happen in a meaningful game, and if people are saying it has to happen in a meaningless game, how can they then call that game meaningful once 100 points have been scored by one player? It's still just a pointless game where the primary goal became something other than winning.

That's assuming the game begins that way. Presumably the game would be played as normal with both teams trying to win but a player would find themselves with a lot of points with ample time left in the game and his team comfortably ahead. From there, any attempts to break records would require some force feeding and a conscious effort to achieve such a goal but everything up until that point could conceivably have happened quite naturally.

I don't know that a conscious effort to get a single player 100 points from the get-go would be feasible. Forcing it from the start would probably lead to a lot of bad attempts, a lack of "rhythm" and ultimately, failure. It would have to be a case of something extraordinary happening in an otherwise ordinary game.

[BigKaboom2]

I also feel like it's a product of a number fetish amongst the majority of people. To me, the number 100 is not more significant than the number 94. I couldn't care less as long as one team wins and another loses.

The only ways I would ever be impressed is if either the team needed every one of those points to win, or if they were scored within the flow of the game (which would be an unrealistically fast pace). If you're up by 30 with 8 minutes left and a player has 89 points and you keep him in, that's definitely an instance of this overriding fetishization of numbers taking precedence in my opinion.

[Matthew]

Kobe scored 55 in that half against the Raptors, so it makes you think...

[Skinnyman23]

To answer your original question Andrew, if a player somehow did score 100 pts today, then there would be irrefutable proof for his task considering that there's no escape from a live broadcasted event. However, during Chamberlain's time when there was no live broadcasting then the proof would be less evident to the deniers of his one-hundred point feat; no with the media on our side, if such an event were to ever happen again, there's no denying it.

[Skills]

^^ Hehe, thankfully the Kenny George boner is gone..
I disagree with your statement.
There actually was audio proof. Google it up or something..
And you can't question Chamberlain, he's like one of the best centers ever.

[Andrew]

To answer your original question Andrew, if a player somehow did score 100 pts today, then there would be irrefutable proof for his task considering that there's no escape from a live broadcasted event. However, during Chamberlain's time when there was no live broadcasting then the proof would be less evident to the deniers of his one-hundred point feat; no with the media on our side, if such an event were to ever happen again, there's no denying it.

There was no television broadcast of the 100 point game but there was a radio broadcast in addition to 4000 spectators, league and team officials and the players and coach's on both sides. For all the questions about the game such as whether it was resumed or called, whether or not Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points or not doesn't seem to be in much doubt.

Of course, if it happened today in a televised game it would be harder to put forth the theory that the milestone had not been reached, though arguments would probably still be made about missed calls, generous foul calls and baskets that should have counted for two instead of three with footage readily available for fans to scrutinise.

[Fluke32]

Well, unless there comes a Center who's as tall as Yao, with Mark Price like precision shooting, and Lebron James like quickness, I doubt we'll ever see a 100 point feat from 1 player anytime soon.