Today in Sports History: April 18

On this day in 1967, Rick Barry of San Francisco scored 55 points as the Warriors beat Philadelphia 130-124 in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, a series Philadelphia eventually won in six games. Barry’s 55 points are tied for the second-highest point total in playoff history, and his 22 made field goals tied Elgin Baylor’s NBA Finals record. The no. 2 pick in the 1965 NBA Draft, Barry is recognized as one of the game’s best offensive players and often remembered for his unorthodox but effective underhand free throw technique. Barry averaged more than 30 points in four different seasons and scored over 25,000 points in his 14 season NBA career. A superstar throughout his entire career, Barry was named to 12 All-Star teams, 4x All-NBA First Teams, and 5x All-ABA First Teams. Barry emerged as a star in his rookie season averaging 25.7 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 82.6 FT%. He helped improve the Warriors’ dismal 17-win record, from the previous year, to 35 wins in the 1965-66 season. In 1975, Barry led the Warriors to their second NBA championship in franchise history. In the final series, the Warriors swept the Washington Bullets 4-0. Barry was named NBA Finals MVP following his averages of 29.5 points, 5 assists, and 3.5 steals per game.  In 1987, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and his no. 24 was retired by the Golden State Warriors.