I was in my car following our high school hoops teams in the NY St tournament this past weekend and heard this discussion on ESPN radio.These are the records the announcers felt would never be broken in the NBA. Which, if any of these will be the first to fall ? Which one will never, ever, be broken.
1. Wilt Chamberlain 50.4 ppg scoring avg in 1961-62
2. Wilt Chamberlain 100pts in 1 game 1962
3. Wilt Chamberlain 55 rebounds in 1 game 1962
4. Michael Jordan 10 NBA scoring titles
5. kareem Abdul Jabbar 6 MVP titles
6. Boston Celtics 8 consecutive NBA titles
7. Boston Celtics 40-1 (50-1 inc playoffs) home court record in 1986.
8. Most points in a game (370) 186-184 Pistons vs Nuggets in 1983
9. Fewest points in a game since shot clock (119) 62-57 Milw vs Bost in 1955
10. In 1981-82 season the Denver Nuggets scored over 100 pts in all 82 regular season games. ( remember the Doug Moe years ? )
The one with the best chance to fall these days is #9: the fewest points scored in a game since the shot clock. Scoring has gone way down, and we see teams scoring in the 60's and 70's so frequently now. (In fact, quite honestly, I thought this record was already broken.)
Another conceivable (in the nearer future) is #7.
If we look many years out, we'll probably see more changes to the game, and eventually scoring will increase. If the game were opened up somehow, #8 and #10 could be challenged.
Unless there is a mega-change in how the game is played though, I can't imagine anyone ever averaging Wilt's 50.4 ppg (#1). His #2 and #3 might be challenged, but only if someone went out to specifically do it, but it's not likely.
Tough stuff, all of them.