Wilt Chamberlain's record blown by Washington Kastles

Wilt Chamberlain's Lakers won 33 games straight, a record now surpassed by the Washington Kastles. But surely Wilt Chamberlain would join the current Lakers in praising the new record-holders.

By Joseph White,?Associated Press / July 15, 2013

The Washington Kastles line up for the anthem before a World Team Tennis match against the Boston Lobsters, July 9 in Washington. The Kastles won 34 straight games, beating the record held by Wilt Chamberlain's Los Angeles Lakers.

Nick Wass/AP

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Wilt Chamberlain, step aside. Martina Hingis and the rest of the Washington Kastles wasted no time putting on the red T-shirts, the ones that proclaim that they're now at the top of the list among the "longest winning streaks in major U.S. pro sports history."

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And they even got congrats from the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Kastles of World Team Tennis won their 34th consecutive match Tuesday night, routing the Boston Lobsters 25-12. Their streak is one better than the storied run of the 1971-72 Lakers, a team that included Wilt?Chamberlain?and Jerry West.

"We made history. Tonight is magic," said coach Murphy Jensen, sporting a white hat with the number "34." "This experience has been beyond belief. These guys have made a masterpiece, and this team will never be forgotten."

Such hyperbole is a matter for debate, considering that the WTT typically isn't considered a "major" sports league and that its top players appear only in selected matches, creating an atmosphere more comparable to that of a fan-friendly minor league baseball team.

The Lakers, on the other hand, had an undisputed landmark achievement that continues to stand as the high-water mark for the NBA, NHL, NFL and Major League Baseball.

Still, winning 34 in a row on any level isn't easy. Among those tipping a hat to the Kastles was Lakers executive Jeanie Buss, who was involved with World TeamTennis in the 1970s as an executive for the Los Angeles Strings.

"Winning 33 consecutive games was an amazing accomplishment by our 1971-72 Lakers team, as evidenced by the fact that no other team has come close to reaching it for over 40 years now," Buss said in a written statement. "On behalf of the Buss family and the Lakers family, I want to congratulate the Washington Kastles, their players, and our good friends (WTT co-founder) Billie Jean King and (WTT Commissioner) Ilana Kloss on this milestone accomplishment of theirs."

The streak has brought invaluable publicity to a league that packs its entire season into a three-week span in July. Jensen's squad is 2-0 this season and is coming off back-to-back WTT titles, going undefeated both years. Washington's last loss came on July 22, 2010, also against the Lobsters. They've become the streamroller of the league.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/eJ93HLG3xSg/Wilt-Chamberlain-s-record-blown-by-Washington-Kastles

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