The Teflon 10: Wilt, MJ, and the Big O are among the record-holders who might never come off the books

Basketball Digest, Jan, 2003 by Jeff Ryan

NOT ALL RECORDS ARE made to be broken. In fact, 10 of the NBA's most eye-popping marks are about as likely to fall one day as the commissioner is to target the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, and Philadelphia 76ers for contraction. We're talking about records that are so far out of reach. Shaquille O'Neal couldn't touch them if he stood on Dikembe Mutombo's shoulders.

Some of these records are testaments to remarkable teamwork and the power of momentum. Others show what's possible when great players exceed even the loftiest expectations. And a couple of them are, well, flukes that occurred simply because the circumstances were ideal for a historical hardwood happening.

Here are our 10 for the ages:

1. THE CELTICS' EIGHT STRAIGHT

If the air in Boston seemed foggy every April from 1959 through 1966, it's because Celtics coach Red Auerbach never stopped lighting victory cigars. During the course of capturing 11 world championships in a 13-year span, Bill Russell, Sam Jones, and Co. won eight in a row. That's two three-peats plus a repeal (And try fitting that feat on a T-shirt.)

"Our key was our closeness," Jones says. "We knew each other's strengths and weaknesses and everybody was disciplined enough to stick to their task. Unlike players nowadays, we never had any jealousy."

Today, such a dynasty would be impossible. Free agency, something Auerbach didn't have to worry about, makes it difficult for a team to keep its nucleus intact for more than a few years. Also, a longer playoff season means more chances to get rubbed out en route to the victory parade. In seven of those eight champagne years, the Celtics had to survive only two rounds of playoffs. One year, they had to survive three. These days, a team has to win four rounds, and could play up to 26 games, before being fired for a ring.

2. WILT CHAMBERLAIN DROPS 100

This incredible feat took place in the unlikely locale of Hershey, Pa., in front of only 4,124 fans, and no footage of the game exists. As a result, you find yourself wondering if Chamberlain's 100-point game actually occurred as reported on March 2, 1962, or if it's just a basketball myth.

"Oh, he definitely did it," says Al Attles, Chamberlain's Philadelphia Warriors teammate. "And eight million people claim they saw it."

The complex defenses of today, especially the zone, make it extremely unlikely that any player would ever get to take the 63 shots from the field that Chamberlain put up that evening. And even having the game of one's life doesn't guarantee coming close to the century mark. In the 40 years since that unforgettable performance, the two highest point totals scored by someone other than Chamberlain have been have been 73 (David Thompson) and 71 (Elgin Baylor and David Robinson).

Says Attles, "That record falls only if they change the scoring system and create a four-point shot."

3. MJ'S 10 SCORING CROWNS

Michael Jordan's record 10 scoring titles is all the more eye-popping when you realize that he led the league in scoring average three more times than the once-unstoppable Chamberlain did, and won titles as both a 24-year-old aerialist and a 35-year-old jump-shooter.

"The only one with a shot at breaking it is Allen Iverson, but his body won't hold up," says ESPN analyst Fred Carter. "And he doesn't get enough easy baskets. Shaq gets easy baskets, but the Lakers offense isn't designed specifically for him, so I see this record going unchallenged."

4. CHAMBERLAIN'S 79 COMPLETE GAMES

It's not an official stat like in baseball, but during the 1961-62 season, "The Big Dipper" played every minute in all but one regular season game. (Seasons consisted of 80 games back then.) And that included a stretch of 47 straight nights without a breather.

In this age of megabucks contracts and marathon postseasons, teams won't let their most valuable investments put that kind of mileage on their engines. With, say, Chris Webber already worn down by the rigors of cross-country travel, rough defensive play, and the demands of the media, why in the name of James Naismith would his coach want him to play 48 minutes against the Golden State Warriors in the last week of the season?

Says Hall of Fame center Nate Thurmond, "Better athletes have made the game faster than it was, so playing a complete game now would be harder and more exhausting than when Wilt did it."

5. THE 37-POINT GAME

Whoever complains about the scoring drought in today's pro game should be reminded of the night of November 22, 1950. That's when the visiting Fort Wayne Pistons beat the Minneapolis Lakers, 19-18, in the lowest-scoring contest in NBA history. The Pistons and Lakers couldn't have shot the lights out that night if there was nothing more than a pair of 40-watt bulbs hanging from the ceiling.

Some stats from that game are mind-boggling. The Lakers shot just 22% from the field, scored one point in the fourth quarter, and had to rely on star center George Mikan for 15 of their 18 points. And you thought Iverson carried too much of his team's load.