Jan. 21, 1965 - Wilt Chamberlain has joined the 76ers, and Philadelphia fans have joined the 76ers. Off tonight’s performance at the Philadelphia Arena, it is the start of a beautiful friendship.
No, Chamberlain didn’t completely dismantle the San Francisco Warriors all by himself. In fact, if you weren’t among the 6,140 lucky ones in the ancient building to see the 76ers dig out a 111-102 decision, you might be led to believe he didn’t even play the major role.
The box score will show he scored but 22 points. However, it doesn’t show the 29 rebounds, the 12 shots he blocked, or the way he cut the heart out of the hopped-up Warrior offense by smothering anything that came inside. And it doesn’t show how San Francisco’s defense concentrated so much on him that his teammates were left free for more easy shots than they usually get in a week.
“No,” admitted 76ers coach Dolph Schayes. “It wasn’t what you would call an impressive victory. But it left me very impressed — impressed with Wilt — I’ve never seen him play a greater game on defense — and impressed with our possibilities of winning the whole thing.”
The crowd gave Wilt a tremendous ovation (“the biggest and the warmest I’ve ever gotten,” the Big Dipper said later) when he was introduced, and all the other players were enthusiastically received.
“It looks like we’ve finally been accepted,” said John Kerr. “They made us feel like we were their team, and if they’ll stick around, we’ll really give them something to cheer about.”
“My teammates and I have to adjust to each other,” Chamberlain said, summing up the feeling of the entire team. “I’ve got to learn what to expect from them, and they have to learn what to expect from me. But this is a good start.
“No, I’m not disappointed with only scoring 22 points. I’m interested in one thing — that big ‘W’ that goes up in the standings. If I get 22 and help out all I can in other ways, I feel like I’ve done my job — especially when we win.”
Tomorrow, the 76ers play the Celtics in Syracuse, and that’s the one Chamberlain is looking forward to. Chamberlain has never made a secret of the fact that he thinks he’s a better player than Bill Russell, who has led the Celtics to seven straight championships, seven more than Chamberlain has enjoyed.
“I don’t feel I’m going against Russell,” Wilt said tonight. “I’m not worried about Russell. It’s the Celtics — Boston — you play. I think I can outrebound him, outshoot him, and outpass him.” Chamberlain grinned. “They might never lose a game with me.”

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