General Sports Talk
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Then, out of the blue, the Nets sold Dr. J to the 76ers and the fans turned on the franchise. Archibald didn't live up to expectations, was injured quite a bit, and exiled to Buffalo. He never played a game for the Braves as he missed the entire season.
Archibald eventually got back from injuries but he never recaptured his magic on the Kings/Royals.
The Nets selling Erving set a chain of events into motion that the franchise has never recovered from. After the season, the Nets moved from a brand new Nassau Coliseum to an old barn in Piscataway New Jersey
Quote: billryanPeople on Long Island were in a fever pitch. Dr. J and Tiny together.... in the NBA.
Dr. J was one more back in the day baller - he entered the ABA in '71 - (earlier I had named Wilt and Kareem) who is a bridge to the players of later eras
I believe most of the greats of that era or of the mid to late 60s were not the equal of the greats of the last 25 or so years
but nobody could say that about Julius - nobody out there at any time would use him up - that would never happen
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Jim Harbaugh has more NFL rushing yards than Bo Jackson.
Delonte West - heartbreaking story of a pretty impactful ex NBA player -
he made millions during his career and his last year he shot a spectacular .886 from the line - that's higher than Oscar or Jerry West ever shot from the line
he's now homeless and living on the street - the vid was taken after a different vid showed him panhandling outside of a Va. 7/11
https://www.marca.com/en/basketball/nba/2023/10/14/6529bf62e2704ea8b88b4606.html
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Quote: lilredrooster.
Delonte West - heartbreaking story of a pretty impactful ex NBA player -
he made millions during his career and his last year he shot a spectacular .886 from the line - that's higher than Oscar or Jerry West ever shot from the line
he's now homeless and living on the street - the vid was taken after a different vid showed him panhandling outside of a Va. 7/11
Wasn't he the one that was screwing Lebron James Mom? I am guessing LeBron won't help him but maybe Mom will.
Today, they faced three-time defending Champion New Zealand, and the game met expectations. New Zealand's All Blacks led the whole way but had to withstand a furious Irish attack over the last few minutes, with a single-point lead. With a minute to go, an Irish attacker burst into the end zone but in Rugby, you must put the ball on the ground with pressure, and the All Blacks defender somehow slid under him, preventing him from putting the ball down.
Ireland got knocked out in the quarter-final stage in three straight World Cups.
Quote: billryanIreland recently took the top spot in the rankings for the Rugby World Cup, and last week demolished Scotland, going up 40-0 before letting the scrubs finish the match.
Today, they faced three-time defending Champion New Zealand, and the game met expectations. New Zealand's All Blacks led the whole way but had to withstand a furious Irish attack over the last few minutes, with a single-point lead. With a minute to go, an Irish attacker burst into the end zone but in Rugby, you must put the ball on the ground with pressure, and the All Blacks defender somehow slid under him, preventing him from putting the ball down.
Ireland got knocked out in the quarter-final stage in three straight World Cups.
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I have never followed Rugby much, but every year they hold the Rugby 7's in Las Vegas and I went to that a few times and enjoyed it.
Quote: DRichQuote: billryanIreland recently took the top spot in the rankings for the Rugby World Cup, and last week demolished Scotland, going up 40-0 before letting the scrubs finish the match.
Today, they faced three-time defending Champion New Zealand, and the game met expectations. New Zealand's All Blacks led the whole way but had to withstand a furious Irish attack over the last few minutes, with a single-point lead. With a minute to go, an Irish attacker burst into the end zone but in Rugby, you must put the ball on the ground with pressure, and the All Blacks defender somehow slid under him, preventing him from putting the ball down.
Ireland got knocked out in the quarter-final stage in three straight World Cups.
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I have never followed Rugby much, but every year they hold the Rugby 7's in Las Vegas and I went to that a few times and enjoyed it.
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Sevens is a very different game. It's like an NFL game without the linemen.
In today's game, Ireland had thirty-five attempts in the last two minutes, with the All Blacks dug in shoulder to shoulder defending the end line. Both sides were exhausted, but New Zealand stood tall and held up until the clock ran out.
An Instant Classic.
People would absolutely lose it during intros, never seen anything like it since. I mean, imagine being on the road team in the playoffs against the best player in the world after hearing that.
I remember so well the '82 college Championship - UNC & Jordan vs. Georgetown & Ewing
I knew Georgetown well
they had a ferocious defense
I didn't believe they could be handled - even by MJ - of course UNC also had James Worthy
he destroyed Georgetown - not a great # of points but he did what had to be done at the right time - Worthy dominated with 28
is MJ the greatest player of all time________?_________I think so___________will there ever be another as great________?__________I dunno - maybe, maybe not
Sam Perkins for UNC and Sleepy Floyd for Georgetown makes 5 NBA players on those 2 teams
and 3 of the 5 were Hall of Famers_______________and 2 Hall of Fame Coaches
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Quote: mcallister3200Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls of the mid 1990's have, for my money, the all time greatest introduction The team was dominant, and with the Bulls running through the streets the fans would work themselves into a fever pitch as Jordan was about to be introduced.
People would absolutely lose it during intros, never seen anything like it since. I mean, imagine being on the road team in the playoffs against the best player in the world after hearing that.
If you haven't seen it, watch the preshow for the Las Vegas Golden Knights.
Dematha h.s. can you believe it_______?__________20 NBA players - count 'em up - 20 - have graduated from Dematha h.s. in Hyattsville, Maryland - just outside of DC
the story never told - Dematha had an informal network that recruited the great young ballers - they scouted them at Jr. high schools and playgrounds
they were given full scholarships to Dematha which is a tuition based Catholic School
but still - an amazing achievement - and his Coaching record is 1274-192________an amazing 87% wins
and a tribute to their great Coach Morgan Wooten - r.i.p. - who is the only Coach in the Naismith Hall of Fame who coached only in high school
also famous for having the only team to beat Power Memorial h.s. when they had Lou Alcindor (Jabbar)
Coach Wooten was strongly considered for the Head Coaching job at the U. of MD - but instead it went to Lefty Driesell
[RESIZE][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/POhZWL8.png[/IMG]
Dematha h.s. can you believe it_______?__________20 NBA players - count 'em up - 20 - have graduated from Dematha h.s. in Hyattsville, Maryland - just outside of DC
the story never told - Dematha had an informal network that recruited the great young ballers - they scouted them at Jr. high schools and playgrounds
they were given full scholarships to Dematha which is a tuition based Catholic School
but still - an amazing achievement -
and a tribute to their great Coach Morgan Wooten - r.i.p. - who is the only Coach in the Naismith Hall of Fame who coached only in high school
his Coaching record is 1274-192 - an amazing 87% wins
also famous for having the only team to beat Power Memorial h.s. when they had Lou Alcindor (Jabbar)
Coach Wooten was strongly considered for the Head Coaching job at the U. of MD - but instead it went to Lefty Driesell
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a look at another back in the day legend - "The Iceman" - this dude had all kinds of skills - unusual shots and moves that you rarely see
at 1:31 in the vid he's dazzling in the paint against Kareem and uses him up - that didn't happen too often
he's really a joy to watch
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Quote: lilredrooster.
Dematha h.s. can you believe it_______?__________20 NBA players - count 'em up - 20 - have graduated from Dematha h.s. in Hyattsville, Maryland - just outside of DC
the story never told - Dematha had an informal network that recruited the great young ballers - they scouted them at Jr. high schools and playgrounds
they were given full scholarships to Dematha which is a tuition based Catholic School
but still - an amazing achievement -
and a tribute to their great Coach Morgan Wooten - r.i.p. - who is the only Coach in the Naismith Hall of Fame who coached only in high school
his Coaching record is 1274-192 - an amazing 87% wins
also famous for having the only team to beat Power Memorial h.s. when they had Lou Alcindor (Jabbar)
Coach Wooten was strongly considered for the Head Coaching job at the U. of MD - but instead it went to Lefty Driesell
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I think this is a contemptible achievement - a corruption of a loophole in the high school sports system. Imagine if college sports were run this way, with public colleges unable to recruit and offer scholarships but just a few private colleges allowed to do that. There is no evidence in this that Coach Wooten was a good basketball coach - and U of Md. made a wise choice to hire Dreisell. Wooten shouldn't be in the Naismith Hall of Fame.
you guys remember when Lefty got the Maryland Coaching job and he proclaimed that MD would become:
𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙐𝘾𝙇𝘼 𝙊𝙁 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙀𝘼𝙎𝙏
even people in Maryland that loved MD ridiculed that inane comment
the Lefthander was a great Coach - actually more of a great recruiter than Coach - I'll give him that
but he wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer
the Lefthander ended his career with exactly 𝙕𝙀𝙍𝙊 National Championships
he also never got to the Final Four
John Wooden ended his career with 𝙏𝙀𝙉 National Championships
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Quote: billryanA good craftsman works with the tools he is given. I have no idea how great a game coach he might have been, but he turned a lot of boys into young men who went to college and quite a few who made a career out of it. I think it's fair to say that many of his players wouldn't have gone on to school or the pros if they hadn't played for him. Most of his players came from rough neighborhoods and he was their way out.
that is 100% correct
Coach Wooten and Dematha, which is a very good school, gave many players who came from impoverished backgrounds the guidance they needed to succeed
without him and Dematha imo many would have struggled
James Brown, another Dematha grad and a great baller in his own right went to Harvard and is now one of the top sports broadcasters in the entire country
would that have happened without Coach Wooten and Dematha_________?___________I really, really doubt it
I'd be willing to bet a very high % of his players graduated from college - quite a few got full scholarships - and could not have otherwise afforded college
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I noticed that when an NFL running back goes up the middle his teammates often push him from the back to help him gain yards
I think that's a fairly new strategy - isn't it__________?
I don't remember that from back in the day
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Quote: lilredrooster.
I noticed that when an NFL running back goes up the middle his teammates often push him from the back to help him gain yards
I think that's a fairly new strategy - isn't it__________?
I don't remember that from back in the day
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It's a recent development, and the Eagles have perfected it. It's more rugby than football, and I wouldn't be surprised if it causes a rule change.
Quote: lilredrooster.
I noticed that when an NFL running back goes up the middle his teammates often push him from the back to help him gain yards
I think that's a fairly new strategy - isn't it__________?
I don't remember that from back in the day
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That used to be a penalty for helping the runner.
Allen Iverson - "The Answer" - one very tough little dude - listed at 6'0" - I think the greatest little man ever to step on to a court
2005 - 30 p.p.g. - 8 assists - 5 rebounds_________unreal
watch him dunk on some players way taller than him
at 1:23 in the vid he fakes the defender out so bad the defender falls down
the #1 move - the last one - at 3:00 - he uses up MJ with a crossover - he beat MJ really bad
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At 6’2 Stephen Curry’s been clearly the best on two championship teams, kinda “co-best” with Durant on 2 title teams.
Most championship teams have historically been built around bigs or dominant wings. Rick Barry is another great player kinda like Isaiah who isn’t remembered well because the guys he played with hated him.
Quote: mcallister3200At 6’1, Isaiah Thomas is the shortest ever “best player” on an an nba championship team,
Wow, that surprises me.
another great little man at 6'1" was John Stockton
he holds the all time NBA record for both assists and steals
one year he averaged 3 steals per game - wow____!!!__________that's a very lot
I looked at the all time steals leaders - see link - and I was very surprised by #10 Hakeem Olajuwon and #12 Karl Malone
I never would have guessed that those 2 would be among the best at steals
https://www.espn.com/nba/history/leaders/_/stat/steals
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Quote: DRichQuote: mcallister3200At 6’1, Isaiah Thomas is the shortest ever “best player” on an an nba championship team,
Wow, that surprises me.
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Me too, but I can't think of anyone else.
hows about Mugsy Bogues
in '94 he got 11 p.p.g. - 10 assists and get this_________4 𝙧𝙚𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙨 per game
not bad at all for a guy 𝟱'𝟯"_____________________________________________________________________(-:\
truly amazing
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Quote: lilredrooster.
another great little man at 6'1" was John Stockton
he holds the all time NBA record for both assists and steals
one year he averaged 3 steals per game - wow____!!!__________that's a very lot
I looked at the all time steals leaders - see link - and I was very surprised by #10 Hakeem Olajuwon and #12 Karl Malone
I never would have guessed that those 2 would be among the best at steals
https://www.espn.com/nba/history/leaders/_/stat/steals
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Hakeem, the nba all time career blocks leader by almost 600, leads in career “stocks,”, steals+blocks, by nearly 2,000. The only other player in the top 20 all time on both lists is Kevin Garnett.
Does that make Hakeem the most dominant defensive player of all time????
It’s a strong argument, I think Bill Russell, Hakeem, Tim Duncan, and Kevin Garnett make up the all time defensive Mount Rushmore.
Quote: mcallister3200Quote: lilredrooster.
another great little man at 6'1" was John Stockton
he holds the all time NBA record for both assists and steals
one year he averaged 3 steals per game - wow____!!!__________that's a very lot
I looked at the all time steals leaders - see link - and I was very surprised by #10 Hakeem Olajuwon and #12 Karl Malone
I never would have guessed that those 2 would be among the best at steals
https://www.espn.com/nba/history/leaders/_/stat/steals
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Hakeem, the nba all time career blocks leader by almost 600, leads in career “stocks,”, steals+blocks, by nearly 2,000. The only other player in the top 20 all time on both lists is Kevin Garnett.
Does that make Hakeem the most dominant defensive player of all time????
It’s a strong argument, I think Bill Russell, Hakeem, Tim Duncan, and Kevin Garnett make up the all time defensive Mount Rushmore.
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I would include Wilt (defense)
Wilt was mainly known for offense but he was also a monster on defense - during that era he was a frightening force - literally - except for Russell and Kareem and Nate Thurmond players were afraid of him - he could make them look so bad
Nate Thurmond was another truly great defender who is just about completely forgotten - which is kinna sad to me - I wouldn't wanna say how he compares to the others - that's very difficult for me -
during his era they didn't keep records on blocks
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Quote: lilredroosterQuote: mcallister3200Quote: lilredrooster.
another great little man at 6'1" was John Stockton
he holds the all time NBA record for both assists and steals
one year he averaged 3 steals per game - wow____!!!__________that's a very lot
I looked at the all time steals leaders - see link - and I was very surprised by #10 Hakeem Olajuwon and #12 Karl Malone
I never would have guessed that those 2 would be among the best at steals
https://www.espn.com/nba/history/leaders/_/stat/steals
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Hakeem, the nba all time career blocks leader by almost 600, leads in career “stocks,”, steals+blocks, by nearly 2,000. The only other player in the top 20 all time on both lists is Kevin Garnett.
Does that make Hakeem the most dominant defensive player of all time????
It’s a strong argument, I think Bill Russell, Hakeem, Tim Duncan, and Kevin Garnett make up the all time defensive Mount Rushmore.
link to original post
I would include Wilt (defense)
Wilt was mainly known for offense but he was also a monster on defense - during that era he was a frightening force - literally - except for Russell and Kareem and Nate Thurmond players were afraid of him - he could make them look so bad
during his era they didn't keep records on blocks
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Dude, I know you just forgot, because we both know Wes Unseld wasn’t afraid of ANYONE. Dude was pretty much Chuck Norris on a basketball court.
Quote: mcallister3200Quote: lilredroosterQuote: mcallister3200Quote: lilredrooster.
another great little man at 6'1" was John Stockton
he holds the all time NBA record for both assists and steals
one year he averaged 3 steals per game - wow____!!!__________that's a very lot
I looked at the all time steals leaders - see link - and I was very surprised by #10 Hakeem Olajuwon and #12 Karl Malone
I never would have guessed that those 2 would be among the best at steals
https://www.espn.com/nba/history/leaders/_/stat/steals
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link to original post
Hakeem, the nba all time career blocks leader by almost 600, leads in career “stocks,”, steals+blocks, by nearly 2,000. The only other player in the top 20 all time on both lists is Kevin Garnett.
Does that make Hakeem the most dominant defensive player of all time????
It’s a strong argument, I think Bill Russell, Hakeem, Tim Duncan, and Kevin Garnett make up the all time defensive Mount Rushmore.
link to original post
I would include Wilt (defense)
Wilt was mainly known for offense but he was also a monster on defense - during that era he was a frightening force - literally - except for Russell and Kareem and Nate Thurmond players were afraid of him - he could make them look so bad
during his era they didn't keep records on blocks
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Dude, I know you just forgot, because we both know Wes Unseld wasn’t afraid of ANYONE. Dude was pretty much Chuck Norris on a basketball court.
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yeah, you're 100% right - my memory is not great
and you know what - I went to his his first home game at the Baltimore Civic Center______________(-:\
I was all about the Baltimore Bullets - him and Earl Monroe - I couldn't get enough - I was really young and I would take the bus to Baltimore to see them - a one hour trip each way at night - - my parents freaked out - they didn't like it - but I kept going
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The next afternoon, I was at the Knicks-Bullets game with great seats and watched Willis Reed and Unseld mug each other and anyone who got close to them. The teams always had bad blood, but this game was a war. Except it wasn't. It was just one regular season game, and these guys did it every game for eighty games. Then they turned it up to eleven for the playoffs.
Quote: billryanIt was 1972, but I could be off by a season. My friends and I went to a Nets game against the Nuggets and both teams tried to outrun the other. It was non-stop fast breaks, and both teams scored over 130 points. The Nets had a promotion where if the team scored 125 or more, everyone got a free ticket. for later use. As they drew half-capacity crowds, it was a no-brainer.
The next afternoon, I was at the Knicks-Bullets game with great seats and watched Willis Reed and Unseld mug each other and anyone who got close to them. The teams always had bad blood, but this game was a war. Except it wasn't. It was just one regular season game, and these guys did it every game for eighty games. Then they turned it up to eleven for the playoffs.
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before Earl went to the Knicks
the playoffs - Bullets vs. Knicks
the matchup between Earl and Clyde (Walt Frazier) - that is the stuff of legends
what was that commercial - was it Budweiser___? - that said - "it just doesn't get any better than this"
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He only played in one nba all star game, perhaps kind of weak resume for the hall, the hall isn’t specifically for the NBA and he also scored over 33 ppg in college and was a 3 time all american. One of ten players in nba history with a career free throw percentage 89% or greater, In one nba season he shot 95.8% from the free throw line.
And if people have almost forgotten about Nate Thurmond maybe it’s because you can’t convince people who haven’t watched him play that he was a real human being, the guy looks like a gladiator or Adonis.
back in the day there was no YT- no cable - the networks showed just one NBA game per week - on Sunday - more during the playoffs
I learned about the players from magazines - I can't remember which ones - there were a few devoted just to hoops
the NBA was a very distant 3rd in popularity compared to the NFL and the MLB
in '65 MLB drew 22 million fans into the seats while the NBA drew 2 million
last year the NBA broke its own record with 22 million fans attending
in this vid Russell chases down Jerry West and blocks his shot
this is the only time I can recall ever seeing a big man chase a little man down the floor and do this -
the 2nd vid is Wilt swatting them down - Wilt had a different style than Russ - Russ liked to just tip the ball and try to maintain possession for his team
Wilt loved to really knock them back and swat them - into the stands sometimes________________(-:\
at 2:25 in the vid it shows Wilt blocking Gus Johnson's shot - Gus himself was incredibly strong - not only did he block his shot - he threw Gus down to the floor and dislocated his shoulder - Gus had to be carried off the court in a stretcher
at 2:44 he blocks Oscar's shot and knocks him down to the floor at the same time
in the vid it is claimed that he blocked 26 shots in one game
most love to watch the vids of Wilt dunking and scoring - but I like this one more
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Tonight the Phillies and Diamondbacks play one game for their berth in the World Series. Phillies are favored but I wouldn't be surprised to see Arizona pull an upset.
Ah, I just had a flashback of Mugsy on SNL with Charles Barkley and yet-to-be US Senator Al Franken as Stewart Smalley...Quote: lilredrooster.
hows about Mugsy Bogues
in '94 he got 11 p.p.g. - 10 assists and get this_________4 𝙧𝙚𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙨 per game
not bad at all for a guy 𝟱'𝟯"_____________________________________________________________________(-:\
truly amazing
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As far as impressive little guys, how about 5'7" Spud Webb winning the NBA Slam Dunk Contest?
last season the GS Warriors were a fabulous 33-8 at home and a horrible 11-30 away
they won 80.4% of their home games and lost 73.1% of their away games
I don't know of anything like this ever happening before - but maybe it has and I missed it
anybody care to explain why this happened__________?
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Quote: lilredrooster.
last season the GS Warriors were a fabulous 33-8 at home and a horrible 11-30 away
they won 80.4% of their home games and lost 73.1% of their away games
I don't know of anything like this ever happening before - but maybe it has and I missed it
anybody care to explain why this happened__________?
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I would blame the bean burritos that they serve on the airplane.
I will be watching the football with an occasional channel switch to the baseball game during commercials. I doubt that I will watch any NBA tonight.
Hardaway Sr's crossover dribble was so nasty the between the legs/crossover combo was named the "UTEP two step" after him, where he played college ball. Made some defenders look so bad. He gets Avery Johnson, John Stockton real bad in the vid below. Kids in their driveways everywhere were practicing his move in the early to mid 90's, and as a result Iverson, Kyrie Irving, and Chris Paul's crossovers all mimic Hardaway's pretty closely. His son, Tim Hardaway Jr., is a solid NBA player who ironically isn't much of a ballhandler.
When a defender got a rebound, it was normal to hand the ball to the guard to be brought down the court. RIU Coach Frank Kearney decided to have his guards run downcourt without the ball and have the rebounder throw a football-style pass. Opposing teams had no answer. RIU went from playing before a few hundred fans to selling out Boston Garden and then Madison Square. Without film, most teams were unprepared for RIUs upbeat offense.
The nation's top teams avoided playing them for several years but eventually, the fast break caught on and became a part of the game.
Quote: billryanThe 1929 Rhode Island University basketball team earned the nickname of PAMs. That season, they lead the nation in scoring, with an incredible 41.9 points a game. They averaged over a point a minute, something no team had ever accomplished. The next year, they shattered their record, averaging 61 points a game while no other team broke the PAM status.
When a defender got a rebound, it was normal to hand the ball to the guard to be brought down the court. RIU Coach Frank Kearney decided to have his guards run downcourt without the ball and have the rebounder throw a football-style pass. Opposing teams had no answer. RIU went from playing before a few hundred fans to selling out Boston Garden and then Madison Square. Without film, most teams were unprepared for RIUs upbeat offense.
The nation's top teams avoided playing them for several years but eventually, the fast break caught on and became a part of the game.
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When did their nickname change from PAMs to RAMs?
Frank Kearny was considered one of the most influential basketball coaches in history, as late as the early 1970s, but is now mostly forgotten. He had a terrible in-game reputation, but his innovations, including the fast break and the run and gun, changed the game forever.
Earl "Big Cat" Lloyd was the first black player in the NBA - he joined the Washington Capitols in 1950
the black players completely changed the game
I'm not going to speculate about why - but the black players just have greater skills than the white players - generally speaking
they jump higher, have greater speed and quickness, and have much more imagination offensively - again - generally speaking
not to say that there aren't and always have been great white players - but so few in numbers - especially when you consider that there are about 231 million Caucasians in the U.S. and only about 42 million African Americans
as of 2021 the NBA was composed of about 73% black players and only about 17% white players
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_and_ethnicity_in_the_NBA#:~:text=According%20to%20racial%20equality%20activist,and%200.4%20percent%20Asian%20players.
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highlights of Victor's NBA debut - the 7'4" 19 year old who shoots 3s had 15 and the crowd loved it up
in the vid he dribbles between his legs before nailing a 3 - unreal
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Quote: lilredrooster.
highlights of Victor's NBA debut - the 7'4" 19 year old who shoots 3s had 15 and the crowd loved it up
in the vid he dribbles between his legs before nailing a 3 - unreal
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I was struck by this photo of him in action.
