Back In The Day NBA, April 24, 1994: Hall Of Famer David Robinson Captured Scoring Title With 71 Points In Final Game Of Season
The 1993-94 NBA scoring champion had yet to be determined on the second-to-last day of the season
On April 24, San Antonio Spurs center David Robinson ended the competition.
Robinson put on a stunning offensive display by scoring a career-high 71 points in a 112-97 victory against the Los Angeles Clippers. The performance to clinch the scoring title Robinson, who narrowly edged the Orlando Magic's Shaquille O'Neal 29.8 to 29.3 points a game.
O'Neal scored 32 points earlier in the evening, meaning Robinson needed 33. He did that, and then some.
Robinson was 26 of 41 from the field, including a 3-pointer, and made 18 free throws. No other Spurs player scored in double-figures. They also played without Dale Ellis and Willie Anderson, their No. 2 and No. 3 leading scorers.
"I looked up at the scoreboard. I said, '71 points. Oh, my goodness!' It was unbelievable,” Robinson said about his historic performance. "My team has been behind me the whole year. They always push me to do a lot of individual things. As a leader, I just try to win games, but to night they really wanted me to shoot it. When the game started they were looking for me almost every time down the court."
At the time, he became one of four players to score 70 or more points in a game. The others were Wilt Chamberlain, David Thompson and Elgin Baylor.
Oh, and Robinson also had 10 rebounds and two blocks.
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Cory Nelson is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter
