Season of the 76ers The Story of Wilt Chamberlain and the 1967 NBA Champion Philadelphia 76ers
July 7, 2009 by NFL Stats · Leave a Comment
Season of the 76ers The Story of Wilt Chamberlain and the 1967 NBA Champion Philadelphia 76ers
Lynch gives a near play-by-play account of the nail-biting season when the Sixers finally ended the Boston Celtics’ eight-year winning streak in this sentimental but sometimes stirring hagiography of the team and their coach, Alex Hannum. The subtitle is apt, for Chamberlain dominates the book as he dominated the game; the rest of the story, though well-researched and competently told, seems a little thin in comparison. The most captivating sections are those that describe how the team was put together after this, the narrative blurs into a series of plays, games and scores that become numbing in spite of Lynch’s clipped, dramatic prose and copious dialogue drawn from press accounts and interviews that he conducted over the last few years with team members and coaches. Lynch, vice-president of news and programming for NewsChannel 8 in Springfield, Va., is an adamant Sixers fan, a position that may alienate certain readers while endearing him to the other fans of the team who are likely to read this book. Enthusiasts of NBA history and Chamberlain should also find something here to hold their attention. 18 pages of photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
User Ratings and Reviews
2 Stars Games Do Not Tell The Entire Story
Entering the 1966-1967 season, Wilt Chamberlain was at the crossroads of his storied NBA career.
Criticized by many inside and outside the NBA as being a selfish player who only cares about his scoring statistics - at the expense of team honors - a frustrated Chamberlain publicly lashed out at players, coaches and league officials in an April 1965 interview in Sports Illustated, entitled, My Life In A Bush League.
But one season later, Chamberlain seemingly revamped his game - notching MVP honors by leading the league in scoring and rebounds, but also ranking third in assists and playing a tenacious defense - as the Philadelphia 76ers put together arguably the greatest NBA season ever by winning regular season 68 of 81 games enroute to the championship, defeating the San Francisco Warriors in six games.
To put the regular season in perspective, the 76ers captured the Eastern Division by eight games over Boston and would have won the Western Division by 24 games over San Francisco.
In a flawed account of the season, author Wayne Lynch places the focus on Chamberlain, though what coach Alex Hannum assembled proved to be a historic lineup of talent, which included Chet Walker, Hal Greer, Wali Jones, Billy Cunningham and Lucious Jackson.
Lynch relies heavily on game-by-game accounts and fails to breath life into the statistics through oral histories or previous accounts by 76er players and opponents. He sacrifices what could have been truly an outstanding overview for just the facts surrounding jump shots, rebounds and layups.
Games alone do not tell the entire story of a championship season. And without a perspective from the hardwood floor and locker room, the stats overwhelm a text that essentially is without the sweat and heart of a team.
4 Stars A Celtics Fan speaks (s/b 4.5 stars)
Although I disagree that the 1967 76ers are the Greatest Team ever, I feel that this team is at least Top 3 and probably the most underrated of all the serious teams in the discussion. This is the year that Wilt (who actually led the league in assists this season) and the 76ers finally broke through and won two championships [ 1) by winning the NBA title and 2) by dethroning the Celtics]. For a team that was named the Greatest Team ever at the league’s 25th anniversary (even above all the Bill Russell-led Celtics teams), this team gets almost no respect today. This may have something to do with the fact that they were unable to repeat and lost to an aging Celtics team in 1968. Still it’s hard to argue against the 1967 76ers being the best team ever (I know it’s tough for me to argue against it, and I feel that the 1985-86 Celtics are the Best Team ever).
I do have some problems with the overall credibility of the author when he says that the only two teams that are in the discussion with this Sixers team are the 1972 Lakers (which is fine) and the 1996 Bulls (which is just preposterous) and his rationale was based on record which was inflated due to the increase in expansion teams. There are three teams from the 1980s that should definitely be in the discussion (1983 Sixers, 1986 Celtics, 1987 Lakers) for Greatest Team ever. However, he did put the 2001 Lakers in their place by saying that really great teams get it done throughout the season (despite the team’s 15-1 playoff record). Overall this book, much like Peter May’s book on the 1985-86 Celtics, is good as a chronicle for a great season but is flawed when the authors try to analyze why their subjects are the greatest team ever.
5 Stars Long Overdue Book on a legendary team
Only Philadelphia could totally neglect the greatest NBA team of alltime for over thirty years. I remember going to the old Convention Hall in Philly and watching Wily, Chet, Hal, Billy and Luke and the boys obliterate opposing teams. Big Luke was my favorite player—he set picks for Cunningham, Greer, and Walker; he played tenacious defense, and rebounded like a demon. He sacrificed much of his own scoring production for the good of the team. Wilt said Luke was the most intimidating player in NBA history. Wilt recalled with a laugh that whenever Willis Reed saw Jackson walking done the tunnel onto the court during warmups, Reed began to visibly shake. A nice little ditty; I highly recommend it. Now I wish someone in Philly would produce a DVD highlighting that same 1966-67 season. That would be fun to watch.
4 Stars THE TELLING OF A SEASON OF GREATNESS
THIS IS THE STORY OF ONE OF THE MOST DOMINATING TEAMS IN ANY SPORT. THE SIXERS WERE PRACTICALLY UNBEATABLE DURING THEIR INCREDIBLE SEASON OF 66-67. THIS IS A MONTH BY MONTH SUMMARY OF THE HIGHLIGHTS AND EVENTS WHICH BROUGHT THE SIXERS TO THE NBA CHAMPIONSHIP. THE FIRST PART OF THE BOOK LEADS UP TO THE EVENTS WHICH BROUGHT THE TEAM TOGETHER. IT PROVIDES AN IN DEPTH LOOK AT INDIVIDUAL GAMES, ESPECIALLY THE PLAYOFFS. ALSO AN AFTER SEASON SUMMARY OF HOW THE TEAM LOST TO THE CELTICS IN 67-68 AND THE EVENTUAL BREAKUP OF THIS GREAT DYNAMO. ALSO SOME GREAT STATS AND SOME NOSTALGIC PHOTOS PROVIDE US WITH A GOOD BOOK. RECOMMENDED.
3 Stars Something to celebrate!
… it’s a book about a championship season in Philadelphia, and that’s certainly something to celebrate … and there’s also some very interesting commentary thrown in from Bill Cunningham …
They Cleared the Lane The NBAs Black Pioneers
May 24, 2009 by NFL Stats · Leave a Comment
They Cleared the Lane The NBAs Black Pioneers
Thomas’s is probably one of the two or three best books about professional basketball ever read by this reviewer. The compelling narrative will hold every reader’s interest. Although the current National Basketball Association (NBA) is over 80 percent black, African Americans did not enter the league until 1950. Yet even the most dedicated NBA fan would be hard-pressed to identify such pioneers as Harold Hunter (the first black player to sign an NBA contract), Earl Lloyd (the first black to play in an NBA game), and Chuck Cooper (the first to be drafted by an NBA team). The book describes their trials and triumphs and then more briefly traces the rise of the black athlete as a force in the league. It was not easy, as there were official and unofficial “quotas,” and local harassment could make traveling with the teams a real ordeal. This book is important not just for basketball fans but for those who want to understand the role played by African Americans in the development of the NBA and big-time sports today. Highly recommended. William Scheeren, Hempfield Area H.S. Lib., Greensburg, PA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars An Ignored History Brought To Life
They Cleared The Lane: The NBA’s Black Pioneers by Ron Thomas, is an informative and entertaining account of the early Black players and coaches of the NBA.It is obvious Mr. Thomas has done extensive research through interviews, and media archives to examine and clarify the enormous social and athletic impact of the early Black NBA players. As a true basketball fanatic, I enjoyed the opportunity to read and learn about some important individuals who help to shape and define the NBA.
2 Stars Opened my eyes
Finally a book that talks about black sports, that’s not about just baseball. To know what these pioneers had to go through just to make it, makes me very proud to say that I’m black. But, you ask why such a poor rating. Because the author, Ron Thomas, did a very poor job of getting his facts first hand. He states that he got the idea about this book when alot of these ball players were still alive. But did not have “time” to interview them, so most of his recollections are through magizine or newspaper articles. Alot of these ball players past away before “he could get to them”. Their are a couple of times in the book were he leaves you hanging trying to figure out what he’s trying to say, for example when he’s explaining that “when they got hungry, it didn’t make matters easier because they practiced just a few blocks from the Nabisco plant.” My question? When they got hungry, then what, did they have to split the dinner, they had no money. What? But nothing was more frustrating then when the old black ball players were explaining to us “that everyone treated us bascically ok”, Mr. Thomas still tried to paint an “evil” side to the white owners and management. Making it seem like no one was willing to help. I think someone else should have done this book. And could’ve probably done a better job.
5 Stars A Toast a Must Read&Have
folks need to Know the Pioneers that Paved the way for Ball today.50-52 Years ago isn’t that long ago.alot isn’t mentioned of it&hat’s really sad to me.but glad to have this Book that speaks on the Past,Present&The Future.A Toast to the Men who Paved the way.
5 Stars Anecdotes, engaging stories, and little-known facts
They Cleared The Lane by professional sportswriter Ron Thomas is the amazing story of the people who dared to break the color line in professional basketball. Once, racism dominated this sport in America, but the efforts of the first professional black players and coaches changed all that. Filled with anecdotes, engaging stories, and little-known facts, They Cleared The Lane is informative reading that will appeal to all basketball enthusiasts who want to learn more about the history of this beloved sport. They Cleared The Lane is also highly recommended for Black Studies supplemental reading lists and reference collections.
