Knicks Top 76ers in OT

Mar. 9, 1965 - Jim Barnes drove the length of the Madison Square Garden court to score a layup in the final second of overtime tonight as the Knicks beat the Philadelphia 76ers, 124-122.

Barnes’ game-winning play was the highlight, but even the Knicks couldn’t stop talking about Wilt Chamberlain’s last-second “slap shot” which sent the game into overtime at 115-115. Only Wilt was unruffled.

“I aimed it,” Wilt insisted. “I always know where that basket is. I aimed it.”

Wilt had to be aiming with the back of his head. The play came after Philadelphia took a timeout with six seconds remaining in regulation. Philly trailed, 115-113. The ball was taken out at midcourt. As soon as Al Bianchi could bring the ball to the top of the key, he jumped and looped the ball in Wilt’s direction. Wilt, with his back to the basket, leaped and batted the ball back into the basket without looking.

“I tipped the ball and Tom Gola had a hand on it,” Barnes said. “Wilt couldn’t have aimed that shot. He was just desperate and got lucky. I got lucky, too.”

Chamberlain doesn’t believe in luck. “Look, I am at everything,” he said. “That doesn’t mean it’s going to go in. But I wasn’t surprised when that shot went in.”

Since Philadelphia doesn’t play in New York any more this season and Wilt talked about retirement a few months ago, he was asked if this was his finale in the big city.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Is this really our last game here? I don’t know. We’ll just have to see after the playoffs. I’m reconsidering everything.”

The overtime appeared to be Philadelphia’s as the visitors rolled to a 119-115 lead on Wilt’s backhand dunk and Chet Walker’s field goal. The Knicks closed to three points and held that until David Budd’s free throw made it 122-120 Philadelphia. With 30 seconds remaining, Philadelphia’s Larry Jones lost the ball, and Budd tied things up with two free throws and only 18 seconds left.

Philadelphia had time to score the clincher, but Jones, attempting to pass to Chamberlain, had the ball stolen by Barnes, who took it the length of the court to score.

“I was hiding behind Wilt,” Barnes said. “I knew Jones couldn’t see me there.” Barnes did a pretty good job of hiding. He’s 6-8 and weighs 240 pounds.

This was the Knicks’ fourth victory in 11 overtime games. “This is what I’ve been working on and hoping for,” Knick coach Harry Gallatin said. “The young guys coming through in the clutch shows some sort of progress. They had me afraid for a while, though. Then Wilt’s shot. I can’t recall seeing anything like it.”

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