Dec. 15, 1964 - Willis Reed is only 6-10, so he still had to look up to laugh at the contraption protecting Wilt Chamberlain’s broken nose. This was just before the opening tip of the Knicks-Warriors game tonight at Madison Square Garden. But once the game started, it was not a laugher — it was a tingler. In any game in which the 7-1 Chamberlain participates, few opponents get to laugh. Tonight was no exception.
The Knicks had one of their better evenings, but Wilt’s 58 points — nine of which came in overtime — led San Francisco to a 134-132 decision.
Chamberlain claims his protective mask bothered him, but the 15,342 screaming fans never would have known it from the manner in which he hit 56% of his shots from the floor, swept 22 rebounds, and practically scared the life out of the Knicks’ Bob Boozer. Wilt was his usual big, bad self — before, during, and after the game.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Wilt said as he glared down at a group of pygmies with pencils.
Wilt was referring to a near run-in he had with Boozer in the second quarter. Boozer and San Francisco’s Wayne Hightower (who also wears a mask protecting a broken nose) came down together with a rebound. They exchanged words, and suddenly Chamberlain came charging at Boozer. Boozer backpedaled until he could go no further, and Wilt continued to shove. Players spilled onto the floor, but Boozer averted disaster, going by his own theory that fear is the better part of valor. Boozer kept his hands to his sides until things cooled down.
“That Wilt, he’s a strong man. I don’t want any part of him,” Boozer said afterward. “Wayne and I came down with the rebound, and Wayne said to me, ‘Stop trying to elbow me in the nose.’ I said, ‘I’m just trying to rebound, man.’ Then Wilt came in.”
Wilt praised the young Knicks.
“They’re good and coming along,” he said. Asked if the protective mask bothered him, Wilt said, “It pinches me. It’s hard to breathe, and it affects my vision. It bothers me rebounding; I can’t follow the ball too good. But it don’t bother my shooting. Gunners never get affected when it comes to shooting.”
The mask, which is made of plastic and foam rubber and covers practically the entire face, will have to be worn for about a month and a half.
Before the game, Sammy Berne, a 63-year-old post office supervisor, was introduced at courtside. His distinction: a spectator at every Garden college and professional basketball game since 1934.
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