Nov. 26, 1964 - Wilt Chamberlain took 58 shots in 48 minutes and his coach, Alex Hannum, picked up two technical fouls in three minutes tonight. Despite their all-out efforts, the San Francisco Warriors got bombed by the 76ers, 128-117, before 3,877 at Philadelphia’s Convention Hall.
Chamberlain wound up with a season’s high 63 points, and Hannum wound up with $50 in fines as the Warriors sank deeper into the NBA Western Division cellar.
“Our blitz was what did it,” a jubilant coach Dolph Schayes said afterward. “I’ve never seen a team like we did tonight, especially in that one early spurt that put us ahead for good — not even the Celtics, not anybody. It was fast-breaking to perfection.” Schayes, who saw his team win its third straight game — a season high — also had heady words of praise for Chamberlain.
“He did more than you have a right to expect from anybody, even a superstar like Wilt,” said Schayes. “He was fantastic. I think Hannum getting thrown out of the game picked up the San Francisco team a lot. They gave a super effort after that. We could have wilted, but we didn’t. We kept moving, kept playing instinctive basketball, hitting the open man, and taking good shots.”
Chamberlain, down to 246 pounds now as a result of a month-long stay in the hospital with stomach trouble and a month-long stay on the court playing his way back into shape, was visibly upset over the loss.
“We’ve got to get moving fast now,” he said. “We’re 5-16 now, and I know we’re not that bad. It just seems that every time we come up with a good game, the other team is hot as blazes, like tonight. My 63 points? They didn’t mean a thing, not a thing. I’d rather have had 30 and a victory.”
Hannum was tagged with two fast technical fouls by referee Richie Powers and an automatic banishment late in the second quarter. Only quick action on the part of his players kept him from throwing a punch in the direction of the pixieish Powers.
What brought on the technicals? The first one was blown when Hannum leaped from the bench, stomping and muttering loudly after his team had missed four straight shots after controlling the rebounds.
“I wasn’t angry with Powers, I was just frustrated with our not scoring,” Hannum said later. “I certainly didn’t yell anything that would bring a technical.”
The second one was called two minutes later, after Hal Greer had gone off a screen to score a basket for the 76ers. The Warrior coach yelled something to the referee. Courtside spectators said all Hannum said was, “Are you happy, Richie?”
Powers wheeled toward Hannum, a smirk on his face, and began waving his hands in a “goodbye” gesture.
“He said, ‘You’re gone, baby. You’re no good, and you’re sarcastic, and you’re out of the game,” Hannum recalled. “Here he was coming toward me, waving goodbye and enjoying it like a little kid. I just exploded.”
Fortunately, Hannum was restrained by Al Attles and other players before he could reach the veteran referee.
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