NBA On YouTube

[Durbansandshark]

I hope this will wind up being a popular topic on these boards with immense traffic. We utilize a lot of YouTube here (including, but not limited, that of the NBL), so why not do this for the NBA as a subject? Why wasn't it done so before?

I'll start things off with this: the classic 1984 NBA Finals between the champs Boston Celtics and the wicked Now Deservedly Crumbling Evil Laker Empire. This was not only the first NBA Finals I ever watched end to end as a little kid, but IMHO it is my favorite of them all--and there were several over the years I liked. It had everything in this epic: passion, hatred, intensity, pride, guts, character, memorable moments. The year itself 1984 is very special to me in terms of pop culture. I was perhaps the only person in my neighborhood who despised the Lakers. Don't know if this series ever made it to Australia and New Zealand back then--I actually doubt it. Enjoy!

There are two games I very much like to share from that series--the NBA didn't officially call it the NBA Finals two years later. It was still called the NBA World Championship until then perhaps out of respect it wasn't between an NBA team and a top foreign club (almost always European).

To start things off here is Game 5 in its entirety. I remember this game very well. The most memorable thing about this obviously was that how incredibly hot the legendary "Gahden" was then. There was no air conditioning in there, remember--"a steambath of heat and humidity" (100 degrees F on the court), to quote Encyclopaedia Britannica's 1985 yearbook. I remember watching this on CBS on that June Friday evening at 8pm US CST after switching from an NBC re-run special on people's home video, commercials, and bloopers co-hosted by Michael J. Fox (this was at the height of the video boom) and Angie Dickinson called the Homemade Video Special. The Celtics were out on the parquet floor warming up not wearing their warmup pants. The Now Deservedly Crumbling Evil Laker Empire had to suck up oxygen tanks along the bench despite not being in high altitude like in Denver and getting more tired quickly nearly wilting. The Celtics acted like the heat was their best friend and ran up and down the court with ease. Kareem later said the game was like for them "being in a sauna with your clothes on, doing 100 pushups, and running up and down the court". Larry Bird was just brilliant in this game with 34 points and 17 rebounds. Former All-Star Scott Wedman was hurt and depressed. Brent Musberger, Dick Stockton, Celtics legend Tommy Heinson, Kevin Loughery, and Pat O'Brien provide the call for CBS Sports. There's also a profile at halftime about Magic and a brief profile on Johnny Most with this and some sports news, something you don't get much on over the air TV these days in the era of SportsCenter (like Peter Ueberroth failing to convince the Cubans to reconsider their plans to boycott the LA Olympics with the Soviets, that major Denver-Portland Kiki Vandeweghe trade, plus a Commodore 64 computer commercial).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyRSzzXN-is (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyRSzzXN-is)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_cVhNlfbYQ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_cVhNlfbYQ)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_nUwW3tWRM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_nUwW3tWRM)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCpI1c18g3k (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCpI1c18g3k)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=d45HtsBvoB8 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d45HtsBvoB8)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJkOXsXoM8 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJkOXsXoM8)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=befGw1-h3II (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=befGw1-h3II)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_f1PAG4fjjw (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_f1PAG4fjjw)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5iublkboTM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5iublkboTM)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvPyA21pr1M (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvPyA21pr1M)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6ZV9ioz8pQ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6ZV9ioz8pQ)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1Tz80W1R8Q (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1Tz80W1R8Q)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgdNtRanfv8 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgdNtRanfv8)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=M76wAf182M0 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M76wAf182M0)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbBQuiyxp4A (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbBQuiyxp4A)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5jDZ9VsJVI (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5jDZ9VsJVI)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_B6hM7226Y (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_B6hM7226Y)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttSGO4-Glhw (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttSGO4-Glhw)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeumXdSWOo8 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeumXdSWOo8)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F3q5TnPFLU (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F3q5TnPFLU)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=34rteduMhck (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34rteduMhck)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvchCSf9Ppg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvchCSf9Ppg)

You know, whenever I see the Now Deservedly Crumbling Evil Laker Empire get what it richly deserves over the years, in the form of NOT getting an NBA title, it always brings forth a giant smile to my face! :D The only thing that will ever top that is seeing the Phoenix Suns win a title outright. Surely this was clearly no more as evident as it was in Game 7 on the following Tuesday night. Honestly, I haven't enjoyed this much fun since--1983 was good for the Dr. J, as was in 1989 with Detroit and 1991 with Chicago with MJ's first title (but the latter was more of a symbolic passing of the torch), and 1992--but it wasn't until exactly 20 years later that I was so truly estatic over the NDCELE's deserved defeat. "Beat LA!" indeed! Coming up is that Game 7. Yeah, they came back home and tied at the former House of Evil but the Celtics showed who's boss. Sadly, aside from next year's Game 1 that is the Memorial Day Massacre, it was the continuation of the sick oppression. The Boston Garden was still hot but not as it was on that Friday. 1984 was a golden age in pro basketball as well as a pivot year for the NBA in so many ways: David Stern succeeded Larry O'Brien in February that year; the Clippers moved up the coast to LA from San Diego (SD never got a team since); that memorable 1984 NBA Draft; the All-Star Weekend made its debut in Denver; the NBA and the NBA Players Association agreed to a salary cap; eight teams in each conference qualified for the playoffs for the first time; and WTBS (generally Turner Sports) started broadcasting NBA games not featuring the Hawks. I'm surprised that this series has yet to make its way onto DVD. If you already have the NBA Dynasty Series: Boston Celtics DVD set, Game 7 (along with Game 4) are in the set, so it may seem a little redundant to you with the complete CBS Sports coverage. But you won't get in there the commercials like in here (more on that later)...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6XroCc66Eo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6XroCc66Eo)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnlhVkEGmAk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnlhVkEGmAk)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PonH3CCe4-w (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PonH3CCe4-w)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5FOczoh40Q (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5FOczoh40Q)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgEGS0JiBgk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgEGS0JiBgk)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UneGrOgenmU (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UneGrOgenmU)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI0TMKAm_yg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI0TMKAm_yg)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4t21j_lUIkA (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4t21j_lUIkA)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pAMoYs_fiI (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pAMoYs_fiI)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4mxrDQBZPU (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4mxrDQBZPU)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LXdoYMa1HU (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LXdoYMa1HU)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykvFQlkMb0 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykvFQlkMb0)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AENzb9xj6_c (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AENzb9xj6_c)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-qDlGSgCg0 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-qDlGSgCg0)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EJ7NuPZgDA (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EJ7NuPZgDA)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1kSYT27-zg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1kSYT27-zg)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1ZHGMcs5O8 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1ZHGMcs5O8)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB9MSO9ubuc (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB9MSO9ubuc)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU5V1nNhixI (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU5V1nNhixI)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXNQieKytEg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXNQieKytEg)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MHJr5oYIxQ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MHJr5oYIxQ)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=knStUIOe0XU (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knStUIOe0XU)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0E9fI-f06s (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0E9fI-f06s)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-k1xDMigkvM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-k1xDMigkvM)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mThdyeqRHQ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mThdyeqRHQ)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWipbn5bBiA (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWipbn5bBiA)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTiHQXhFZbs (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTiHQXhFZbs)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCnCL2KyUTY (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCnCL2KyUTY)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAxR4g9oKSg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAxR4g9oKSg)

Some of the commercials you get to see. Haven't them in years:
Andy Griffith pitching for AT&T

Three Miller Lite commercials--one just featuring football greats Bubba Smith and Dick Butkus in a bar after playing polo ("I sure hope the horses can swim..."), a memorable one with Bob Uecker ("I must be up in the front row!"), and a hilarious campout one with Smith, Butkus, LC Greenwood, John Madden, Uecker, YA Tittle, Mickey Spillane (RIP), Morgana the Kissing Bandit, Rodney Dangerfield (RIP), Tommy Heinson, Billy Martin (RIP), and Red Auerbach (RIP) among others with that one of those "Taste great! Less filling!" arguments

Wagner Power Roller

Bill Bixby (RIP) pitching for Radio Shack's Tandy computers

NBA basketball--It's Fantastic

some CBS TV prime time show promos

CBS Sports promoting the Michigan 500 race, IROC boxing ft. Hector "Macho" Camacho, Sports Sone and Dads, Tour De France, and Madden's Journeys

TV spots for summer movies Gremlins, Ghostbusters, and Rhinestone

promotion of the old Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame

Apple Macintosh

Honda generators

John McEnroe (and a pre-George Constanza Jason Alexander) for Bic Razors

Joe Montana and his future wife Jennifer in a another Bic ad

Tony Randall (RIP) for Minolta Copiers

Castrol GTX

Gatorade's Thirst Aid ad

Burger King (Hungry Jack's in Australia)

Toyota's Doubting Thomases in San Francisco

that guy from WKRP In Cincinnati for Honda lawn motors

The final Army Be All You Can Be NBA profile of the 1983-84 season on Milwaukee's Marques Johnson with some Army ads.

Firestone Mastercare

Exxon gasoline (there are no Exxons in St. Louis, but Mobils, but they were separate companies prior to the merger. Exxon is Esso outside the US)

Mazda cars (or motors to you)

Amtrack

This was recorded by someone live as it happened from New York's CBS affiliate WCBS Channel 4. I watched the series on KMOX TV 4 (now KMOV since 1986), St. Louis' CBS affiliate, so you'll see some ads that are regional and local to the NYC metropolitan area like a cheesy one for Meadowlands Racetrack ("It's going to be a great night!") and Schaefer Beer that I did not see plus a WCBS newsbreak.

Allow me to engage in some good ole vintage schadenfruende on the Now Deservedly Crumbling Evil Laker Empire, shall I? :D This has gone down as one of the most deserving low points for it in its history--should've stayed down! Kareem made the mistake of grabbing a rebound in the final seconds when he got caught up in the bum rush. Someone mugged him from behind and snatched his trademark goggles. Another jumped on Kurt Rambis and later sued him for slugging the fan. The Evil Empire was disconsolate in their locker room afterwards from making their way out of the scene of the crime. Magic and Michael Cooper were in the shower with their jerseys on. More thoughts will come from me later on, particularly at the end. Gotta love the locker room celebration. Enjoy!

[Durbansandshark]

Hoped you enjoyed the two 1984 NBA Finals games, especially to all you Laker fans out there ( :twisted: ).

More schadenfrunde. The whole city of Boston was jacked up for Game 7 with incredible results. Fans poured out of the Boston Garden whooping it up. As they spotted the bus belonging to the NDCELE coming out of the arena, fans proceeded to bang on it and rock the bus, yelling at it, grossly delaying its escape. One guy in a wheelchair was giving the losers the finger as everybody with him laughed. In their time in Boston, they had to get police escorts to the arena. They weren't there then. The NDCELE couldn't get out of Boston fast enough, and had to stay another day. The Emperor (Dr. Jerry Buss) chained smoked. Mr. Armani Pat Riley quickly ditched his white tux he planned to wear after Game 7 in LA. Michael Cooper was an inconsolable and mournful wreck with his wife Wanda by his side. Magic, one of the worst emissaries of evil the franchise has ever had, was found by his then-buddies Isiah Thomas and Mark Aguirre in the shower still wearing his jersey deeply depressed, and they talked the night away about cars, clothes, fashion, music, and old times. When the topic turned to basketball, they quickly steered away since it still raw.

The next morning Kareem was supposed to appear on CBS News This Morning with Cornbread, but when he found out from the young producer that he was going to it with Cedric Maxwell after asking her is he going before or after Cedric. When she told Kareem he was going after Cedric, he got up, took off his microphone, and politely told her he will not conduct the interview with Cedric Maxwell, knowing he would rub it in. Poor young woman...

Magic secluded himself in his Culver City apartment feeling depressed after not wanting to be in his still-empty Bel Air mansion that he was moving into, even refusing to talk to his mother about the game. Kevin McHale dubbed him "Tragic Johnson", and the Celtics got even more cocky. Larry Bird would say later, "I would like for them to get a chance to redeem themselves, because I know they felt they haven't played up to their capabilities." When asked that he was referring to Magic, Bird responded, "Magic is having nightmares!"

I hope you noticed the fans couldn't wait to storm the court with a few fans already doing so with the game in play. The Boston Police were undermanned trying to surround the court, and it took Celtic players, coaches, and trainers to plead them to stand back. Did you noticed that fat redhead guy jumping and dancing at the Celtics' bench with his crimson Harvard tank top (with a white H) and green shorts on? Also notice there were three or two seconds on the clock when the fans started storming the court--this scene was later used in a 1986 McDonald's commercial sponsoring the NBA playoffs. Certainly wouldn't happen now. Surely alcohol played a part in this. Even years before what happened in Auburn Hills in 2004, security has gotten smart about this. They would place a yellow rope around the court to give one example so fans won't do this. The next year during the NBA Finals, the Celtics issued badges of their logo to fans; if you didn't have one on, you weren't allowed to be on the court after the game. Funnily enough, I kinda miss seeing such stuff nowdays because of the specter of lawsuits and of because of the understandable need to protect players and fans since Indiana-Detroit in 2004, now they make far more money than back in 1984. There was a sense of joyful spontenatity to it as long as you weren't malicious.

[Durbansandshark]

Those stories mentioned above are in the book The Show by Roland Lazenby.

More Boston Celtics, this time with my Phoenix Suns. Here are clips from the famed (and legendary) triple OT Game 5 from the 1976 NBA Finals, regarded by many as the greatest NBA game ever. If you have the NBA Dynasty Series: Boston Celtics, this is in there (I don't have it though). Here's Brent Musberger, Rick Barry, Mendy Rudolph, and Sonny Hill: Could it be a coincidence that Hill and Rudolph had the same tailor? Rick Barry looked like he was going to get some action looking like Col. Steve Austin after the game following a trip to the disco with the guys in his smoov duds. :wink:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFCprfxG0DA (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFCprfxG0DA)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKk8Af73VNg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKk8Af73VNg)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl9M3zer7uE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl9M3zer7uE)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtjfiud6e2M (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtjfiud6e2M)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaeXnMxf1mg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaeXnMxf1mg)

And, another and earlier saga of Boston fans not restraining themselves to the end of the game, making it look like WWE Smackdown. Celtics players shooing them back, even the cameraman. After Hondo made the shot, the refs (along with Barry and Musberger) wisely made the realization that there were :02 seconds left in the game when the scorekeeper was not on top of his job. Thus paving the way for Garfield Heard's shot to tie it again...but not before a fan assaults ref Richie Powers. Musberger at 4:02: "Richie Powers is in a fight with a fan!" Plus Ricky Sobers going at it with another fan.

Unbeliveable, incredible, and wacky in every sense of those words.

The first ever NBA Slam Dunk contest in 1984 in Denver starring Julius Erving, Larry Nance, Dominique Wilkins, Edgar Jones, Orlando Woolwidge, Darrell "Dr. Dunkinstein" Griffith, Clyde Drexler, Ralph Sampson, and Michael Cooper. Interesting to see Dr. J's sons going over dunking strategy with him and Jim Grey at his side...and a moment when Magic tries to catch him after one of Erving's dunks. A very nice treat in all!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni6qGyIRMa8 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni6qGyIRMa8)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCPEGeBihRw (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCPEGeBihRw)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgNy4LyJ4fM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgNy4LyJ4fM)
www.youutbe.com/watch?v=YtAI8iWImzM (http://www.youutbe.com/watch?v=YtAI8iWImzM)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1heDGoWVQ4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1heDGoWVQ4)

I present you the video Pride and Passion of the 1983-84 season when the Celtics won over the NDCELE. The video is actually longer. Playing in the thin air was "cruel" in Denver as an old-timer. Gotta love Wilt's getup for the occassion and the "13 Johnsons" rap (with two Eddie Johnson's). It's fascinating two of the most notable NBA records took place in non-NBA venues. The 1984 dunking montage is already on the classic Dazzling Dunks and Basketball Bloopers video
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEss9Olr-o8 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEss9Olr-o8)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOkLUhA2rVo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOkLUhA2rVo)

[nugget]

that Celtics vs Phoenix match is the craziest end to a game ever!!!!!

[Durbansandshark]

Another blast from the past: the 1985 Converse Weapon TV ad rap starring Bird, Magic, McHale, Thomas, Aguirre, and King
www.youtube.com/watch?v=90fRlMOTdSe (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90fRlMOTdSe)

[Durbansandshark]

A belated Merry Christmas and Happy Boxing Day from Durban! :D

The epic and memorable 1988 NBA All-Star Weekend Slam Dunk Contest in Chicago in its entirety direct from TBS Sports. Ron Harper, then of Cleveland, pulled out and dimished the field to seven--something that got lost in the minds of many these days when this gets discussed. No further mention is needed.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=RphVJe13MDo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RphVJe13MDo)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAy1cyHtPF0 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAy1cyHtPF0)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYzoouXqSX4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYzoouXqSX4)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZWdwOyUxgs (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZWdwOyUxgs)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYov32T4fwU (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYov32T4fwU)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xVOii06_HQ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xVOii06_HQ)

ENJOY!

[Durbansandshark]

Another great and memorable moment in the Now Deservedly Crumbling Evil Laker Empire's history! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LF740MqYbOs)

(Michael Cooper's reaction to this is priceless)

The Intro from CBS Sports (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHB7RC76FIc4)

[Clips]

At least the NBL isn't the only league with flopping problems... :lol:
Tha Raja Flop (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BjhfwVY_p8)
The worst flop ever? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ukde193ivM&feature=related)
Baron after the whistle (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTdERYOtqsg)

[stylin]

THE NBA! Ohhh! Hey!!! Ohhhhhhh!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR2c5-XbXfc

[Durbansandshark]

"All right, which one of you is going to finish second [after me]?"
--Larry Bird, 1988

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToDSYcmlZFo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToDSYcmlZFo)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sYMixiUfQ0 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sYMixiUfQ0)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoxCFipuhWw (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoxCFipuhWw)

[Durbansandshark]

A glimpse of what might've been in Vancouver (yes, I'll return to the Vancouver subject soon). Please bring Vancouver back into the NBA! Maybe after the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. Note a blink or you'll miss quickie glimpse of the very rare Vancouver Mounties logo the team had at 0:17-:18. PS: Still (Extremely Naughty Word!) you, Stu Jackson! :evil:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=knQnCPaDGEk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knQnCPaDGEk)

[Durbansandshark]

I'm in a Toronto Raptors kind of mood with this installment right now.

The intro used for their home games in the first round against the New Jersey Nets last season. One of my favo(u)rite NBA intros out there:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvP85Of3wg4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvP85Of3wg4)

Raptors play-by-play man Chuck Swirsky, one of my faves in broadcasting ("Oh My Bosh!!") serves as the pitchman of the RaptorsTV promos (NBATV in Canada with the requisite Canadian broadcasting content) with his favo(u)rite calls:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvEy3smQ9bY (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvEy3smQ9bY) (Sick, Wicked, and Nasty)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9N4Vx8W8A4&NR=1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9N4Vx8W8A4&NR=1) (Onions, Baby, Onions!!)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=41of9Sva5yY (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41of9Sva5yY) (Salami & Cheese)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qJl6wfdWK0 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qJl6wfdWK0) (NBA Facial--Posterization)

A hilarious plea from used car salesman Chris Bosh to get fans to vote for him to New Orleans as a starter. It actually boosted his popularity among fans and was, not surprisingly, featured in a SI profile on him. A YouTube sensation.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hv7IZP7u9FE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hv7IZP7u9FE)

Starting this season the CBC is broadcasting several games of the Toronto Raptors further designating them as Canada's NBA team. Yes, the narrator, I think he's from RaptorsTV, appeals to the emotion of the Raptor fans across Canada in getting them to look forward to the new season Following is an intro to its first ever Raptors' broadcast in October (presented by President's Choice--notice the PC products when Swirsk visits the Loeblews supermarket), includes the intro (I like the previous season version better):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6hbhPSoD-g (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6hbhPSoD-g)

VC Sucks!!!: www.youtube.com/watch?v=446ydzLwAFo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=446ydzLwAFo)

[Durbansandshark]

In honor of the Miami Heat's 20th Anniversary, I want to pay tribute to the inaugural team. Yes, let's go back to 1988-89 (and a little bit of 1986-87 for the building) to the first team of Rony Seikaly, Kevin Edwards, Scott Hastings, Grant Long, Pat Cummings, Sylvester Gray, John Shasky, Billy Thompson, Jon Sunvold, Rory Sparrow, Dwayne "Pearl" Washington, and coach Ron Rothstein were pieced together 20 years ago. This season the Heat are currently playing like the original members of the Heat record-wise, only the current set are far more talented and athletic than them.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUDHpkPpdPg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUDHpkPpdPg) (The Heat's Birth)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4aErhC2lxw (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4aErhC2lxw) (Building the Heat)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHON-F0LZK4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHON-F0LZK4) (Heat's First Game--dressing their best)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUen0-ATZHk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUen0-ATZHk) (Heat's First Home Win the Jazz)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uR_ZVN7IeHI (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uR_ZVN7IeHI) (Expansion Derby with Charlotte)

[Durbansandshark]

The last moments of Game 7 of the famed 1982 NBA Eastern Conference Finals between the Sixers and the Celtics at "the Gahden". Too bad Philly couldn't eventually stop again the Now Deservedly Crumbling Evil Laker Empire for the title.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpY0m6cEKhw (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpY0m6cEKhw)

[oozeboss]

The year itself 1984 is very special to me in terms of pop culture. I was perhaps the only person in my neighborhood who despised the Lakers. Don't know if this series ever made it to Australia and New Zealand back then--I actually doubt it.

It was.

I taped all seven games (in Adelaide), but those tapes wore out long before I could ever transfer them to DVD. And like you, I was a lone Celts island in a sea of Boston bashers as my mates back then never forgave Bird nor Boston for taking out Dr J & then Mo Malone on their way to their previous title, so they were right there for Magic, Kareem & their Milwaukee expat team in '84.

You're right in your rave in saying that it was a classic confrontation, and I've found it interesting to see how Larry Legend & Magic have very shared memories of both that series & that era. It was a true classic.

[Durbansandshark]

It actually was, I did not know that officially.

I was led to believe that only Italy, Spain, and Greece would consistenly get NBA games on TV in the mid-80s before the NBA's globalization.

[Durbansandshark]

Got a few rare TV commercials for you, all involving Magic Johnson, one of the worst Emissaries of Evil that evil empire has ever unleashed to the world. Anyway...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJEa2c_939o (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJEa2c_939o)
At last the Converse 1985 commercial that had Magic arriving at Bird's French Lick, Indiana home in a limo to go mano e mano with him. Though they always respected each other as All-Star players, this was the moment they became actually friends in real life, when Bird's mom fixed fried chicken for them afterwards.

www.youtube.com/watch?vW9aqUc020Rg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?vW9aqUc020Rg)
A rare gem from 1980. A young Magic and an equally young and legendary Ann Meyers (future Phoenix Mercury exec) "feelin' 7UP" with front of lots of kids, impressing them with their magic skills. Note that Meyers, a top marketable name in the WPBL and its MVP at the time, is wearing the uniform for her New Jersey Gems, not the UCLA Bruins jersey that I saw her in print ads in vintage magazines.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_1k7ssErw (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_1k7ssErw)
1981 7UP commercial featuring just Magic and some kids continuing to live up to his name

[Clips]

Before dunk comps were invented... there was this. (http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1808877)

[Durbansandshark]

Ali G (Sascha Baron Cohen) interviews the NBA superstars including the NBA on TNT guys. What if Borat or Bruno did this?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPQVew0L0Vg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPQVew0L0Vg)

[Clips]

Kobe's new ad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHQSIXnx8Go&NR=1

OMG dis is fkn crazy! I didnt kno KB24 had hops like dat!

[Durbansandshark]

I was going to post stuff about the 1975 Golden St. Warriors upset victory over the favored Washington Bullets but...

All this talk about the Boston Celtics and the Now Deservedly Crumbling Evil Laker Empire in the NBA Finals for the first time in 21 years certainly got a lot of NBA fans giddy worldwide. In honor of this I got lots of goodies to show you:

1984 NBA Finals Perspectives--told from those who were there--Ainge, Magic, Rambis, ML Carr, Cornbread, Riley. Man, the Celtics hated "Cheesy Johnson" with a passion... :P Boston didn't "play like sissies" in the end. Check out the fat Boston man with his shirt open in that steambath Game 5 and (to a much lesser extent from the other end) cameo shots of Paula Abdul as a Laker Girl and Dyan Cannon!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=of1fvnIDVU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lc-0zNhPhz0

Undoubtably one of the best NBA Finals ever, called then the NBA World Championship until 1985, pride, violence, passion, hustle, determination, and hostily. Why is this classic series not YET on DVD???!!!

The intro to Game 1 of the 1985 NBA World Championship Series--aka the Memorial Day Massacre, the only damn good thing out of that series. :D The Celtics should've repeated that season and gave the NDCELE MORE nightmares!!! :evil:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qekn9dEv884
The intro to GAME 2 recapping the Memorial Day Massacre
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLqcu4Uu5Yw

Any game coming from the San Diego Clippers on YouTube is rare indeed. I think the signal flags on the Clippers shorts say either San Diego or Clippers. The court was nice looking. Anyway, these are the opening minutes of Magic's pro debut on CBS (game is on Magic's DVD) against the San Diego Clippers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1gmy5bbruA

The 1976 NBA Final Game 1 intro of the Phoenix Suns and Boston Celtics:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LFZbBH5n-8

Rarer still are video footage of the New Orleans Jazz. Here they are at their Louisiana Superdome home in their final season there before moving to Salt Lake City versus the Milwaukee Bucks. Point of interest here: the two teams used be in different conferences then than they are presently in now--Milwaukee was in the West (Midwest Division moved East when the Dallas Mavericks entered in 1980) and New Orleans was in the East (Central Division). It's all that exists of it since this was bonus footage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEQKaVRsu0g

Another rare find just for the CBS Sports NBA intro music alone. I was small then and liked the music that starts this whenever it played on the NBA. All compelling viewing. The susbsequent sports music theme, the NBA theme, isn't as well known as its successor music and thus rare; that builds drama--underrated and infrequently mentioned because it's too brief, as one poster says. Forget about that Game 6 1982 NBA World Championship the Now Deservedly Crumbling Evil Laker Empire won over Philly. Just watch the intro that has been thankfully unearthed. I remember watching a figure skater performing to the opening music back in the 80s once on TV!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnwxTbKFM18

[Durbansandshark]

The NBA: it's Fan-Tastic. That is still the most memorable campaign the NBA as a league ever had with all due respect to the "I love this game!" in the 1990s at the height of the league's popularity, coinciding with NBC taking over the NBA's TV rights. People still bring up the fantastic with the NBA. It's still waaaaayyyyy too early for "When Amazing Happens". I will bring out a few Fan-Tastic clips to share.

This first one I'll show you is interesting for a few reasons. One, it has that Pointer Sisters' "(We Could Be So) Hot Together" track that screams 80s (song itself was made in 1986). Two, this is a montage of victorious NBA Finals teams up to 1989 celebrating. Three, this was among the first "fantastic" ads that featured celebs saying that famous line at an NBA game. And four, this ad features Wayne Gretzky and his wife Janet Jones at the end of it saying "NBA Action...it's fantastic" done in 1989 enjoying themselves at NDCELE home game, during Gretzky's first season with the NHL's Los Angeles Kings (you can tell from the Fourm's seats are yellow) after that blockbuster trade sending him there from Edmonton, making him and the Kings a very hot ticket at the time in Los Angeles (www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0Uj0O5sqmw). Full disclosure: I attended and graduated high school with Janet Jones' niece, Jaime. She's from Janet's side of the family from St. Louis. Incidently, Gretzky in 1996, on my birthday, got traded to play briefly for the St. Louis Blues, a team I hated at the time becuase of their then-coach Mike Keenan. Never met Wayne or Janet, yet.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWv8i_rEmdY (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWv8i_rEmdY)

[Durbansandshark]

Another "fantastic" NBA promo:

This one from the early 1980s (circa 1981-1982) www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIPB7CDN6r8 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIPB7CDN6r8)

[Durbansandshark]

This next NBA Action Fantastic promo also comes from that same era in 1989-1990, when celebs would appear at the end of them. This time it's Taxi's Judd Hirsch at a Knicks game saying the memorable line after a montage of long-range bombs.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqQooCyO_kM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqQooCyO_kM)

[Durbansandshark]

The intro to Game 1 of the 1988 NBA Finals featuring the Detroit Pistons, the spoilers in Game 1, and the Now Deservedly Crumbling Evil Empire, who subsequently and sadly repeated their title for the first time in 19 years since the 1967-68 Boston Celtics.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tYhiuUV5zs (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tYhiuUV5zs)

[Durbansandshark]

The intro to the pivotal Game 4 of the 1984 NBA Finals. I'll get and discuss more of the game later.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGGkNRax9i4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGGkNRax9i4)

[Durbansandshark]

More on the pivotal Game 4 1984 NBA Finals, the most intense of all of the seven games. Not the complete game but it does contain the most significant moments: Magic momentarily losing his cool after a Maxwell hand hook; the famous McHale clothesline on Kurt Rambis to prevent a breakaway; McHale failing to make an easy putback at the end of regulation to win it; Bird and Kareem jawing at each other thanks to a Kareem elbow; and ML Carr's underrated steal (forget John Havlichek's and Gerald Henderson's)to clinch it and his reactions. My thoughts on that next week.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxnexd6FpJ4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxnexd6FpJ4)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmsXI-ScHC8 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmsXI-ScHC8)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=89f1uxSE8Nc (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89f1uxSE8Nc)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkOeneSF2go (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkOeneSF2go)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=djjSjLMXwLU (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djjSjLMXwLU)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRcKmYj2DKg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRcKmYj2DKg)

And, as an added bonus, the missing 7'4" Ralph Sampson-6'1" Jerry Sichting fight from the 1986 NBA Finals that is omitted from the 1986 NBA Final DVD.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmMnKm0fCls (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmMnKm0fCls)

[Durbansandshark]

A very rare find indeed: footage of a Christmas Day 1977 NBA game between the Buffalo Braves (now Los Angleles Clippers via San Diego) and the Cleveland Cavaliers, that Walt Frazier at the time, at the old Richfield Coliseum. Please ignore the Canal + Deportes Spanish commentary obscuring the English CBS announcers that was replyed on NBATV; imagine it like it was audio commentary.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcXMsGGMSwE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcXMsGGMSwE)

[Durbansandshark]

Game 1 of the 1984 NBA Finals is coming soon!

[Durbansandshark]

I promised you Game 1 in the excellent classic 1984 NBA Finals (officially the NBA World Championship Series, didn't become the NBA Finals until two years later) between the eventual champs Boston Celtics and the Now Deservedly Crumbling Evil Laker Empire, the latter being at the worst of its oppressive and arrogant powers, coming soon. They claimed they were the most talented, but if they truly were, why in the hell they thankfully didn't win it all (but sadly they did the next year when they really shouldn't have :evil: ) Hey, here it is! Even better I'm glad the intro the series is there too, with Brent Musberger narrating the last time in 1969 both teams faced off in the NBA Finals and transitioning into the then-present day. Never mind it's incomplete in some spots, but I do remember watching it as the first NBA Finals I watched all throughout, eagerly anticipating it, in part because of the storied rivalry between those two in the dream matchup between Bird and Magic, rooting against that wicked and wretched evil! Their fast breaks were really good back then. I again ask Warner Home Video to put out this classic series on DVD, preferably on Blu-Ray. Game 1 was videotaped by someone watching it from Cleveland's CBS affiliate, WJKW TV-8. By the way, this will act as one of the few times, if not the only time, I'll post any YouTube links resulting in NDCELE victory! Even then I wished Phoenix made it out in the West to face Boston.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BexhikkhYi4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BexhikkhYi4)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGZIxMoQnPE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGZIxMoQnPE)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiy9KylcCt4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiy9KylcCt4)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Nk558ZALpQ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Nk558ZALpQ)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=99Mc37dRN2M (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99Mc37dRN2M)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7o9ARcowZFk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7o9ARcowZFk)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_4iIxEMjoY (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_4iIxEMjoY)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gekVgqYsJxU (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gekVgqYsJxU)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vxtWkvx2Wg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vxtWkvx2Wg)

Back to Game 4, if the Celtics and the NDCELE played under current NBA rules, can you imagine how many players on both teams would get fined, ejected, and suspended, including those who came off the bench? Kareem was primarily a finesse player but he powered especially in that game...and got caught up with Bird and showed he was tough. Magic made some bad mistakes like in this game that somehow turned to his team's disfavor in the end, for which he was blamed for. Worthy wasn't a good free throw shooter back then--he was in his second of NBA play from North Carolina--but he did get much better in that further along in his career.

[Durbansandshark]

The much beloved and very eagerly anticipated Memorial Day Massacre (aka Game 1 of the 1985 NBA Finals or World Championship Series), one of the best moments in the NBA's history, arrives here next week.

[Durbansandshark]

It's finally here after much discussion and hyping by me on these boards! Yes mates, it's the Memorial Day Massacre, one of the best NBA games ever and definitely one of the best I ever saw in my life! :twisted: Until this past season, it was the worst pounding the Now Deservedly Crumbling Evil Laker Empire ever had in the NBA Finals. Sadly, it was the only damn good thing to come out of that Finals. Sure they were humiliated by it, and it should've continued all through the series with a sweep! Kareem should never had apologized for his Game 1 performance afterward and stayed dismal instead of getting the MVP award. All of them needed to be even more despondent after this series.

On the other end, this was Scott Wedman's finest hour. Never missing a shot attempt going 11 for 11 in the entire game. First year of the current 2-3-2 format in the NBA Finals. Very little Showtime (or Oppression as it should be called) here.

But the bad news is much of the first half is missing in these videos. When there's more first half video of Game 1, I'll link it for you. Nonetheless, enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qekn9dEv884
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDHfXN_wE9U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rl4HCatc6oU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CHQVER1XQk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crhbZT5aejk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h57tng8jeDg

[Durbansandshark]

An old intro from WTBS' NBA coverage for the Celtics and NDCELE. If I had cable TV back in the day in the 80s, I'd definitely watch the NBA on Superstation WTBS on Friday nights getting me pumped for the weekend. Man, I missed seeing the intro, which holds up to this day; I actually like the TBS Sports presentation that begins this. Still cool after all these years! :D
www.youtube.com/watch?v=v21uN7q3llM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v21uN7q3llM)

[Durbansandshark]

Julius Erving is the star of this installment

Julius Erving pitches for Dr. Pepper in a new commercial utilizing the Alan Parsons Project's instrumental "Sirius" (the intro music for the Bulls in their heyday) shooting an ice cube in slo-mo from downtown to a glass. Try as I can, I will NEVER do it like that!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=45CtQxlvnhM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45CtQxlvnhM)

Dr. J's Top 10 Dunks. Amazing dunks he made in a few of the Top 10 dunks were against the top centers at the time like Kareem, James "Buddha" Edwards, and Bill Walton in his prime and healthy. No slouches as defenders there. And this was when, unlike in his ABA days with the Virginia Squires and later with the New York Nets, he REALLY wasn't as high-flying. There is one ABA dunk as a Squire ironically against the New York Nets that made it on the list.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpTfb95kKaQ&NR (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpTfb95kKaQ&NR)

On Sesame Street. Very cute.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7m9C4CrCgA (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7m9C4CrCgA)

[Durbansandshark]

This is for all of you Seattle Supersonics fans out there on these boards who have no team to support now. The following are reminders what you had stolen from you by those snake oil salesmen from Oklahoma City who took your team way from. You have my eternal sympathies over what happened. That was very,very wrong. With all due respect to Kevin Durant, Scott Brooks, Nick Collison, and Jeff Green, those owners are currently getting what they deserve; OKC Thunder flat out sucks--bad name, bad home court, bad team (mostly consistent of NBDL players), bad logo, and bad uniforms. The Thunder is dead to me and to all Supersonics fans until Seattle comes back into the NBA (and hopefully Vancouver). This is not to say OKC doesn't deserve a team ; an NBA team is good (but now the Supersonics, preferably an expansion) and a NFL team one because they're already football-mad in Oklahoma. Prepare to be sad again...

One of the best pregame intros in the NBA of all time from 1996 Cracking up the THX theme, Deep Purple's "Knocking At Your Back Door", and Pink Floyd's Run Like Hell. How cool is that to have Kevin Buffet there at the Key Arena? First one you'll have some French in a replay of Game 7 of the 1996 NBA Western Conference Finals against the Utah Jazz when aired on NBATV France. The other is either from Game 3 or Game 5 of the 1996 NBA Finals because NBC only broadcasted the pregame intros from both games when it was in Seattle. If you look closely, you can see George Karl's son Coby behind the bench sporting his Sonics player warmup shirt.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXf3lASwjI0 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXf3lASwjI0)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW19D4qXStI (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW19D4qXStI)

Accurately scores the frustrations and taking away the traditions of the Supersonics. But I take issue with a couple of points here. Seattle had the Storm win a WNBA title in 2004, and the Seattle Sounders in the USL Division I won last year. So that's a couple of other titles Seattle won. Unless the creator was actually referring the only major pro title, it's inaccurate. And c'mon, knocking the Storm as "the wrong team moves" is just wrong and a slam on LJ and Sue Bird.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeV7tQoQZ2M (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeV7tQoQZ2M)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8qquW_z55c (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8qquW_z55c)

Seattle retrospective: www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDD1Ekfy3bq (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDD1Ekfy3bq)

Game 7 1979 Western Conference Final against the Phoenix Suns presented by Brent Musberger with Giorgio Moroder's Midnight Express chase theme: www.youtube.com/watch?v=w77oR2bwMC4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w77oR2bwMC4)

[Durbansandshark]

I forgot to mention that in an earlier post regarding all of the Toronto Raptors clips that the man describing the Raptors from Vinsanity to the present (in this case, last season) on the Raptors' CBC debut is George Stroumboulopoulos. He hosts a late night CBC Television talk show from Monday through Thursday called The Hour. Stroumboulopoulos is a former MuchMusic, CityTv, and Fan 590 personality. For more on him:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Stroumboulopoulos
www.myspace.com/georgestroumboulopoulos (http://www.myspace.com/georgestroumboulopoulos)
www.cbc.ca/thehour (http://www.cbc.ca/thehour)
www.strombo.com (http://www.strombo.com)

[Durbansandshark]

Vintage Kansas City (now Sacramento) Kings footage from 1981 starring Phil Ford, Scott Wedman, Otis Birdsong, Cotton Fitzsimmons (RIP), Ernie Grunfeld, and Lee Meriweather at the Kemper Arena in the final moments before losing the Western Conference Finals to the Houston Rockets and Moses Malone, Robert Reid, Billy Paultz, Mike Dunleavy Sr., and Calvin Murphy. It was really the last great moment for the KC Kings before leaving four years later. Note the classic film camera briefly when the Rockets won--something the NBA used until 1983 when it went to video for highlight footage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYdJuEDbh0g

[Durbansandshark]

A concise retrospective of Toronto's early pro basketball history from the Huskies to the Raptors' early days with all of the most notable points like Damon Stoudemire becoming the first ever draft pick, the first regular season NBA game at home against New Jersey and won, Raptors' first points from an Alvin Robertson three, and Isiah Thomas named as GM. The Huskies of course have the distinction of the hosting the first NBA game in its history against the New York Knicks at the famed Maple Leaf Gardens, sorta recreated 50 years later when the Raptors donned Huskies replicas jerseys at the SkyDome in hono(u)r of them against the Knicks. Did actually play select games at the Maple Leaf Gardens until moving for the gleaming downtown Air Canada Centre. This sidesteps (or conspicously makes absent) the the fact that Wilt Chamberlain was part of a prospective ownership group in the mid-1980s that attempted to bring the NBA to Toronto but lost out to Charlotte, Miami, Minneapolis, and Orlando in 1987 during that expansion derby. Of course that was long before FIBA granted the rioghts to host the 1994 FIBA World Basketball Championship to Toronto and nearby Hamilton, Ontario. Also, Magic Johnson was part of one of the three ownerships that the NBA Board of Governors were selecting to grant a team up there in 1993 that eventually went to John Bitove's ownership group. Ironically one of the Raptors' current owners, John Tannenbaum from Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (majority ownership from the Ontario Teachers Pension Board) that Bitove subsequentially sold to, was part of the other bidding group. I miss the the first courts the Raptors had. Dragons and Scorpions are thankfully still available as names for a St. Louis NBA team. Beavers is a nod to the Canadian national animal. Hogs is a nod to Toronto's nickname, at times perjorative, Hogtown. Didn't know there was another dinosaur name to chose for Toronto--T-Rex, which can used in reference for Toronto.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJQBCSAdHZ8 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJQBCSAdHZ8)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEF_r9m0zpM&NR=1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEF_r9m0zpM&NR=1)

[Durbansandshark]

Just in time to celebrate the 2009 NBA All-Star Weekend coming up this weekend! The first NBA All-Star Game in Phoenix--1975! The NBA's 25th. How cool was it to see NBA All-Star gear stylized like the classic Phoenix Suns uniforms back then? :) My Suns bias is clearly showing. But that's OK! :D

www.youtube.com/watch?v=XISwcmnbhU (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XISwcmnbhU) (Interesting info accompanies this video and Andy Williams signs the anthem)

If I can get some more time later this week. I'll link the 1995 All-Star Weekend.

[Durbansandshark]

A follow up to the last post here with the Top Ten Plays from the first NBA All-Star Game in Phoenix back in 1975.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D5_tKdMeMc (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D5_tKdMeMc)

Wish I had the full 1995 All-Star game, but it isn't available right now. So I'll give you the final five minutes with Sacramento's Mitch Richmond post-MVP announcement interview. I actually like this year's NBA All-Star court more so than the one used in 1995.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGLsoNjMgHY (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGLsoNjMgHY)

[Durbansandshark]

Back on this after a while.

When the Toronto Raptors came into the NBA in 1995 along with their then-Canadian brethren Vancouver Grizzlies (BRING THEM BACK THERE!!!), who would've thunk it that that expansion team would end up acting as one of the few bumps on the road of the legendary 72-10 Chicago Bulls team, "beating Michael" both times at home at the SkyDome? Did Isiah had something up for Mike there? Granted, Dennis Rodman was either suspended or ejected (in this case) in Toronto during those games. So if he was there, they'd be road kill en route to the Bulls' title. Anyway, whenever and wherever Mike takes his road show, fans will flock to the hilt. Indeed, the Raptors had an attendance record of 36,131 at the SkyDome for this one...and they won in this one taken from CTV! Unlike a lot of regular season games, this was memorable, historical, and classical for a host of reasons. I just described a couple of them.

Raptors actually had some talent for an expansion team: rookie Damon Stoudemire, Carlos Rogers, Oliver Miller, Alvin Robertson, John Long, and Zan Tabak, just to name a few. If things were done properly, they would reap the benfits of talent that would've gone toe to toe consistently against any team in any league with the right chemistry, playing minutes, coaching philosophy, talent, and confidence to do so. You can get far greater additional details from uploader det916
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EruzMMs6wTM

[Durbansandshark]

1986. The Atlanta Hawks were the hot, exciting ticket in Atlanta pro sports. The Braves and the Falcons were awful back then. NHL hockey won't return there until 13 years later and wasn't exactly reeling from the departure of the Flames to Calgary. Pro soccer wasn't exactly an option. When it comes to the city, it can take its teams for granted or be apathetic. When the Hawk had Dominique, Spud, Kevin Willis, Cliff Levingston, Jon Koncak, and Tree, you klnow the team would fill up the old Omni. CNN's headquarters was right next door--still is with the Philips Arena, built in the place of the Omni. On Superstation WTBS, the Hawks were, naturally, a perennial presence during the cable channel's NBA broadcasts up until the 1990s, even onto TNT's inception two years later. When your that popular at the time, you emulate what the Chicago Bears did with their Super Bowl Shuffle and make your own music video. Such was the case with Atlanta's Air Force and T. Grouse and the Varsity. Varsity is a reference to the famed local fast food and drive thru joint there that sells hot dogs by the ton. Looking at it now, even with all of the exciting game footage, it looks ridiculously cheesy. But that was the 1980s. Here's T. Grouse and the Varsity's "Nothing Can Stop Us, We're Atlanta's Air Force", the Atlanta Hawks Team Song.

www.youtube.como/watch?v=mfXYyCJYY40

[Durbansandshark]

Perhaps the very first "NBA Action--It's Fan-tastic" promo the NBA aired during their games, I think from 1981-82, when the NBA still used actual film cameras (16mm?) for archival footage before completely moving to videocams. Nowdays the NBA is so lucrative and prosperous it utilizes video cameras that can give a film-like look. There are a few others I remember seeing from the 80s that aren't on YouTube yet like the one featuring NBA coaches like then-Phoenix Suns coach John Macleod and possibly his Indiana Pacers counterpart Jack McKinney interspersed with NBA action.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlPB7CDN6r8

[Durbansandshark]

When Canada had two NBA franchises both with seemingly emerging young NBA superstars--Vince Carter in Toronto and Shareef Abdur Rahim in Vancouver generating publicity north of the border at seemingly opposite ends of the country (it should still be like that). Vancouver is of course sadly no longer in the NBA. And both never quite fufilled the annoited superstar tag upon them. Reef had the worst luck only played in six playoff games with the Sacramento Kings in his NBA career riddled with bad players around him. Vinsanity has yet to make the conference finals. Here both admire each other's skills exaggerattingly for NBA Canada in a 2000 promo shown up there on Canadian TV.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki3Kji0hsM0

[Durbansandshark]

And now, I very happily present to you in its entirety, the instant classic Game 5 of the 1976 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns at the "Gahden" live from CBS Sports with Brent Musberger, Rick Barry (yes, in his pimp-like Steve Austin duds), Mendy Rudolph, and Sonny Hill. The "sickest NBA game ever"! :)

I highly recommend that you click on to the Play All as opposed to clicking on all the parts.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ15lmuMD0I

[Durbansandshark]

And now I present to you the ENTIRE Memorial Day Massacre, aka Game 1 of the 1985 NBA World Championship Series or NBA Finals, as the latter would be called the following season. I, like many people, remember watching this game live and realizing with cheerful optimism that there was NO WAY that Evil Laker Empire was ever going to come back after that much-deserved thrashing. Odiously, they sadly did as we all know. Everyone from the Evil Laker Empire happily played badly. Also notice the bigger police presence on their side of their bench. No lights-out or pryotechnics, jumbotron, lazers, or even the boombast in the player intros. Fascinating and ironic at the same time. It wasn't until 2008, that we witnessed another much-thankful blasting from the Celtics (or any other team) upon the Evil Laker Empire. When I saw the DVD for this otherwise rotten series, I thought it was the full game, but it isn't and NBATV doesn't show the full game either in their classic flashbacks. Perhaps the NBA doesn't want to embarass that corrupt empire over this. Just remember, they ALWAYS suck!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8RFgy_lePg
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx3J6hAsMkM
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxEatMig0A4
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENjBhaW8blM
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBvxs4jHaRM
www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1awgC9Z99M
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak8mqiV8yOA
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xohx9aXFPsQ
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFNNVqhYhHg
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTBODY7wrs
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzGMqqlC0E
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrEU_gy_1CU
www.youtube.com/watch?v=X49TSW92hfg

[Durbansandshark]

A slight left turn this time in this. We go to the original ABA back in the 1970s and the underrated Dr. J, Julius Erving, from the New York Nets era, big afro and all, the the public face of the ABA then. Also featuring Nets coach Kevin Loughery, Billy "the Whopper" Paultz, and John "Hondo" Havlichek. Some of the audio in the video is gone due to being a rough cut, I guess. Check out the innovative dunk at 0:26.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cls7E3yUlKE

[Durbansandshark]

Game 2. 1984 NBA Finals. The Celtics were stunned on their home, famed parquet floor after the first game in their epic and classic matchup against the corrupt Evil Laker Empire, who ran them out of their own floor. Their D wasn't up to snuff against them. Something had to be done. KC Jones had the team sequestered from the media during practice for Game 2 in an attempt to regroup. The C's frontline was a mixed bag--Robert Parrish got run in circles, Kevin McHale played well then. But more and more responsibilities got burdened on Larry Bird with Michael Cooper sticking to him defensively, admitting that he can't stop Larry Bird only muscle and getting physical with him and forcing 15-footer shots with a hand to his face. Magic was on fire to start with here. Celtics fans were anxious as the game see-sawed; things look bleak for the Celtics at 20 seconds remaining at regulation when McHale got fouled and missed his two free throws that would've tied the game and the Evil Laker Empire immediately called timeout with a rebound. This game is best known for one of the greatest NBA playoff moments: Gerald Henderson steals the ball to propel the Celtics late in the game to victory and tie the series at 1-1. Bird after the game quipped that Henderson "saved our ass".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAu2YnAPOGI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_heh3r1xNVE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_j2eLD77Ov8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaM_6-eymjY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RCwk9w8RR0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcN-jvTxYFU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8MC_tFY8Z
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3wjqssZyd4

One thing of note in the game. Actually a couple. This is not the complete game. Sorry. There's also a sign that reads at the rafters saying "How's The View, Philly?", taunting the Sixers and their fans for not being at this stage.

[Durbansandshark]

What you are about to see (and I believe many of you actually did :) ) is the presentation ceremony of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players that took place at the 1997 NBA All-Star Game in Cleveland's Gund Arena (now the Quicken Loans Arena, or affectionately the Q for short) at halftime. At the time, only Pistol Pete Maravich was the lone deceased member of the club, as he was repped by his two sons Joshua and Jason. Since then of course, Wilt Chamberlain, Pitchin' Paul Arizin, Dave DeBusschere, and George Mikan all sadly passed away. Jerry West wasn't present becuase he was recovering from surgery. Shaq was another no-show and was criticized for that--even booed, probrably a sign of the perceived disregard the younger generation had to those before them and of authority. Barkley and Robinson were injured, and you'll notice they were just in street clothes. The NBA is pushing 75 now so you can make a case for an additional set of 25 people to add on--Tim Duncan, Dominique Wilkins, Artis Gilmore, Bob McAdoo (those three were worthy of making it), Steve Nash, Adrian Dantley, Chris Mullin, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade are among the strong possibilities for future inclusion. Thanks to the likes of YouTube, you can relive this moment on-demand without having to "take a real good look at this".

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrmBxdyPd34

[Durbansandshark]

John Havlicek's retirement ceremony in 1978 halftime during the last regular season home game against the Buffalo Braves.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XNvB_LFVAo (Part 1)

[Durbansandshark]

An interesting--and rare--mix of NBA games that fell on this March 1978 day that CBS Sports broadcasted. We got new footage emerging of the New Orleans Jazz. This time on the road against the San Antonio Spurs. At the time during that season, the New Orleans Jazz was playing its final season in the Big Easy with the Spurs being their Central Division mates. Nowadays, both cities are in the Southwest Division, though New Orleans since got the Hornets from Charlotte. The basket structures are very interesting from this era as you will notice in San Antonio from the standard that you see in the others. Good to see Gail Goodrich in New Orleans Jazz gear...and the shorts design from the Spurs back then There's little footage of the Boston Celtics home game versus the New York Knicks. But then again, both teams were atrocious back then and weren't going to the playoffs in 1978. Another interesting aspect lies in the Phoenix Suns-Philadelphia 76ERS match at the old Arizona Veterans' Memorial Coliseum. Torrential rain--never thought I would say that regarding Phoenix and the whole state of Arizona--nearly brought down the tiles from the roof. Play wasn't halted, but if this happened today, which likely wouldn't thanks to the sophistication of subsequent arena palaces, there would be a delay for at least 20 minutes, perhaps 20 games. You get to hear Dan Criqui on the call from Phoenix.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y30eh30zQM

[Durbansandshark]

In loving memory of Manute Bol. When he was a rookie sensation for his "bol-tending" back in the 1985-86 season for the Washington Bullets, fresh out of the Bridgeport University and a stint with the USBL's Rhode Island Gulls with fellow NBA rookie Spud Webb as a teammate, a local rap duo from the DC area named Tabron recorded a rap track in his honor in 1985. Remember seeing this during the 1986 CBS broadcast of the quarterfinal playoff match between the Philadelphia 76ERS and the Bullets during NBA At The Half. It has a mention in the fabuolous FreeDarko.com new Basketball Encyclopedia. Should've mentioned this on the memorial thread, but couldn't find the artist's name at the time.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=StH6nowNdtA

[Durbansandshark]

All the mega-hype. All the coverage. All the anticipation. All the intrigue. All the negotiations. All the plays. All the practices. All the current struggles right now. The Miami Heat undoubtably have all eyes on them with their power trio. They have become the team America (and a little bit of Canada) seemingly loves to hate. Simple jealousy, for a good part of it to be sure. Doesn't seem fair on paper, does it? But there is one team we all should hate...but we already know who that is and I won't tell you. Anyway, Miami has prompted this post to take a look at them. First off, here's the public welcoming of the LeBron, Chris, and Dwayne rising from a forklift at the American Airlines Arena as the three "took their talents" to Miami under the slogan "Yes. We. Did." to cheering fans. Also getting keys to cities of both Miami Beach and Miami. They need to be reminded that just getting their first title is difficult before thinking about numerous ones, like, seven. Audio of said fans isn't on until later.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmwJipHdqpA (Part 1)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfrlHm88tYo (Part 2)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vhq1qieske4 (Part 3)

The beginning of the Welcoming Party with fan audio from a camcorder:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pH3Oo-T-jI

The very first Miami Heat player introduction from a preseason home game against Detroit accompanying a Muhammed Ali quote:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_2casqC_5E

After that, all the players who made the opening day roster managed to all appear, along with the Heat dancers, in an dramatic and stylized intro with fire and fireworks as the players dressed stylish. Hey, Miami these days in recent years is presented as stylish, hip, and sizzling. With Phil Collins' eternal "In The Air Tonight" serving as the soundtrack, I often think of Miami Vice whenever I see this under this context. Gives it a low, intense, and somber anticipation that rightly creeps until it builds up. Announcer is Michael Baiamonte, widely considered one of the best. You get a quickie shot Spoelstra as the light flash, so the graphics couldn't keep up and thus misidentify with LeBron.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HWRmvtSrQE
The player video solo:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cMxj_QCYRI

[Dunkin' Dan]

This probably doesn't strictly belong here, but it's as good a place as any:

She's A Turkoglu (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiWRsSuW4iE)

[Durbansandshark]

The 1987 NBA All-Star Game in Seattle at the charmless and since-demolished Kingdome. Tom Chambers' finest hour. He of course came in to fill in the spot for the injured Ralph Sampson of the Houston Rockets and, to the delight of the hometown fans, won the MVP award. For many NBA fans who were not Supersonics fans or even followed the team likely because they were out on the West Coast way overshadowed by the Evil Laker Empire and low-key, this was their first introduction to him. He could score, as evidenced even when he was a San Diego Clipper, and yeah, man, could he dunk, something that a lot of white guys did not do well or much of back then. For me, it was the first time I saw him play on TV. But even with that, Chambers was still labelled as one who only cared about his own stats. But selfishness is a relative term when it comes to sports: Chambers actually had a better points-to-assists ratio than Dominique Wilkins. Wasn't after he became the NBA's first unrestricted free agent a year later and worked to produce a more all-around game with Phoenix, while still having defensive liabilities, "Tommy Gun" became more well-liked and was misunderstood. Speaking of misunderstood, this game was also validation for the Golden St. Warriors' Joe Barry Carroll and, yes, the final NBA All-Star appearance for Dr. J. With all that talent assembled in Seattle then (many future HOFs, especially in the East), it was one of the finest ever. Sir Charles' first appearance in the All Star Game and one of the last public appearances of Pete Maravich, part of the HOF Class of 1987.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1e7pmoVbnc
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPnBDQ-JQ2w
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2teBgzG-Eh8
www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3Ja2P3d-Sc
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCz6UQWGqec
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oo8dzZTya6k
www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9kiTBGI-1w
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc1jcHSWANI
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzjax6SR0uA
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku8JC1LDOys
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyH4csLkqRk
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPvvLINvdrk
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZSvjJwxmLw
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFlvhAhiuUQ
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcyh1EatkDo
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqn3DBxJHOY
www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8Hu2FONA58
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRGqIS0R8xY
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFs_uwkbl9M
www.youtube.com/watch?v=He5WsnBurq
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f2z76lKqr4
www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4mumtgoFBg
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoEO0uk4Kcg
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJq3VxZrDXc
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yrs5gVPAiWc
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlfK80lDJGk

The final moments of Game 4 of the Golden St. Warriors NBA title in the 1975 championship. Note how strange Oscar Robertson's analysis is on this game, prone to outlandish outbursts. This is the last trophy presentation from then-NBA commissioner Walter Kennedy, soon to be succeeded by Larry O'Brien. Dedicated in memory to ex-Warriors owner Frankie Mieuli.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQYZP9zBigI

The Ricky Sobers and Kevin Stacom fight during Game 3 of the 1976 NBA Finals in Phoenix.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHm91DtHFuo

Now we're really going old school: the 1962 NBA All Star Game highlights at the old St. Louis Arena, presented by MacGregor Brunswick Sports and the Chicago Zephyrs (formerly the Chicago Packers now the Washington Wizards via Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybdhM3GMam8
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOcl2sDnd8Y
www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-cGQnGTdFQ

[Durbansandshark]

The starting lineup for the Toronto Raptors during their inaugural regular season at the SkyDome against the Chicago Bulls, a game they won against in front of 33,500. Live across Canada on CTV.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzctxt0wV3M

[Durbansandshark]

By now, you have seen the igenious series of NBA talking basketballs sharing stories of the NBA life, particularly recent indelible NBA playoffs moments to promote ABC/ESPN'c coperage. These are some of the most original I've seen in sports right now.

The first four: Michael Clarke Duncan voices about that swag and "that look in their eyes" for the underdogs. The second one is Hank Azaria and his hands-on encounters meetings with Dwight Howard. Charlie Murphy discussing those rotten 0.4 seconds that Derek Fisher cheated on--"Fish, rim, Fish, rim, fishy rim" with the place going "ppffffffffffffffffffff..." as if the air was let out or that Spurs were about to rightly say the f-word. John Slattery's still-sore NBA ball recalls the epic first round NBA quarterfinals between Boston and Chicago, particularly the triple OT Game 6.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfYEXfXsp9M

Dr. J sits down with the NBA official basketball about his first and only NBA title in 1983, adding his team was "the best of all-time".
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvYGlIwJlGU&NR=1

Magic reveals he would only look at Larry's eyes when it over for the latter back in 1985.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ckZz9GlpwM

The NBA reluctantly discusses, without going into details, that unforgettable moment when MJ cries on the Bulls' clubhouse carpet with the ball after the Bulls became the greatest NBA team ever by winning it all on Father's Day 1996. We all know the context of it: Dad James' murder, MJ retires, plays baseball for the Birmingham Barons, returns to NBA and wears Ed Nealy's old #45, gets humiliated with a Nick Anderson steal in the 1995 EC semis and Bulls lose to the Magic, becomes even more driven next season, leads to a 72-10 record, named MVP again, gets revenge on Orlando and steals from Nick, and wins it all. All culminating in that moment.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=sObZbBBJL0o

[Durbansandshark]

During the 1970s, the rivalry between the NBA and the upstart ABA intensified with the former being traditional despite few and growing nods to creativity while the ABA looked at colorful entertainment. In many cases, the ABA teams won lots of preseason games against their NBA counterparts. Dr. J of course led the way for the ABA.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf9DWfvrUMU

[Durbansandshark]

Recently, Dolph Schayes did a radio interview on Sports and Torts on his Hall of Fame career with the Syracuse Nationals (now Philadelphia 76ERS), the players he played against, an interesting trivia question, son Danny Schayes, and the attitudes of the more contemporary free agents.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BW7AIWPG_7U

[Durbansandshark]

Have some duties that you can't perform yourself? Looking for someone to help you out? Well, NBA players need something to do while they have no income channeling their way because of the lockout. They can help you in ALL sorts of ways! :) Premiered on last night's ESPY Awards.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFsF064Ljzs

An interesting nostalgic find here. We have the 1979 NBA All Star Game from the Pontiac Silverdome, then-home of the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons, despite having Bob Lanier, Terry Tyler, Jim Brewer, Ricky Green, Kelvin Porter, ML Carr, and even Dickie V as coach at the time, were in the doldrums of the Midwest Division with a 32-50 record. Now we think of them as part of the Eastern Conference in the Central Division as we know them. But back then Chicago, Detroit, Indiana, and Milwaukee were all Midwest Division members while Houston, New Orleans (Jazz, not Hornets), Washington and San Antonio were all in the East. Never mind the fact all except for Washington those cities were geographically to the west of those Great Lakes cities! That was before the Dallas Mavericks' arrival the two seasons later prompting a division shuffle that straightened things out. Maybe it was more of a deference to those teams after the NBA-ABA merger, since those cities are widely regarded as Midwestern areas. Oddly, Houston moved eastward following the Cincinnati Royals' move to become the Kansas City-Omaha Kings in 1972. I never saw this All-Star game before (my earliest NBA All Star Game memory came in 1982 with it in East Rutherford). And it's interesting to hear the old CBS NBA jingle from the 1973-1976 with the sponsorships and commercials. I think this was the first time a domed stadium hosted this. Despite its charms, why hasn't the Palace of Auburn Hills hosted an All-Star Weekend yet?
Long before the razzle dazzle that we get now with the intros. Court's different from when I started seeing the Pistons play in there. Nice unis too!

Notice a coked up David Thompson and Rudy T wearing a mask because of an accidental elbow from ML Carr days ago. Not from the Kermit Washington near-fatal sucker punch. That was from a season before. Ironically, his nose was NOT part of his face that got damaged. Brent Musberger, Steve "Snapper" Jones, and John "Hondo" Havlicek with the call along with Hot Rod Hundley. Four Tops perform the national anthem. San Diego Chicken was there too. So was an imposter named Barry Bremen Like stepping back into time! RIP Maurice Lucas and Dennis Johnson.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O6JrX8J9AM
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZaZigfKDvE
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE_4he3aWbc
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtOK41DSi7w
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJsxwIJwghA
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FXEYOgOf8w
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiCh9EFBqEU
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oZQsMHFc5E
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPwVYyjbS8c
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPQ78cv6g1c
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hI9w8BdCRg
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dw3qcx4AX1s
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEceJ-hNjdA
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzS2kIAwrDc

[Durbansandshark]

Classic 1982-83 Nike basketball commercial featuring legendary Hall of Fame center Moses Malone all alone at a very spartan-looking, low-lighted high school gym at night. Just him, rebounding, a bit of dunking, hard work, and sweat. It was filmed at the John Marshall High School gym in Los Angeles. Back then, it lacked glass backboards at an under-regulated basketball court with the radiators in the corners and thinnest padding on the walls. "If you ain't got the ball, you can't shoot the ball."

Most NBA GMs possibly passed over him because Malone had a kind of blue-collar work ethic they couldn't understand. His play wasn't instantly spectacular and jaw dropping or possessed a flashy "go to move" with an awesome phyisque (that you see with Dwight Howard now on the last bit). Just a tireless beast with offensive and defensive rebounding skills. To think he had that mindset straight out of HS.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0zSdN5ceXU

[Durbansandshark]

Another NBA "Fan-tastic" league promotion with a celebrity fan. Michael Douglas appears in this edition at a New York Knicks game courtside. This was done in 1988 (you'll notice the NBA on CBS 1988 NBA Playoffs logo as the game goes back to Chicago Stadium at the very end).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2UQjUqat28

Michael's dad Kirk likes the NBA action too. Also from 1988 with music by Bruce Hornsby & The Range's "Take Me to the Old Playground" as kids in the playground emulate their NBA heroes on the court.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1PcE_B3SUI

Looks like the footage here came straight out of the popular Dazzling Dunks and Basketball Bloopers NBA videos. Kinda apt that Chevy Chase is in it and doesn't say "It's Fan-tastic!"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5_D1ZOnluw&NR=1

[Keyser Söze]

New Derrick Rose Commercial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYCb2ZcGnIA&feature=player_embedded#!

Not bad. Like the Celtics dude on the horse.

[Durbansandshark]

I agree. Very nice.

Charlotte Hornets fans back in 1988 got a really nice early Christmas present during the team's expansion season at the sold-out Charlotte Coliseum when Michael Jordan returned to North Carolina in his holiday homecoming to the state as a pro to electrify the spectators as he normally did anywhere he went. But the Hornets got the better present with a win by a Kurt Rambis tip-in at the buzzer. Wow, just looking at them playing now: Rambis, Tripucka, Reid, Chapman, Cureton, Bouges, Curry, Kempton, Hoppen, Holten, Gattison, coach Dick Harter, etc. Check out the entire game here. Also, note those now-rare, early Charlotte Hornets logos, the short shorts, and the CPS compression shorts underneath them. RIP Charlotte Coliseum.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAJahUEPeGQ

[Durbansandshark]

Oh mates, have I got a nice treat for you! Nice little blast from the past. Centering on Luc Longley. I got you a vintage (1991) Australian edition of 60 minutes report from the Nine Network on "Cool Hand Luc" with the Minnesota Timberwolves adjusting to pro basketball life in Minneapolis. Back then, it was surely a big deal to have an Aussie consistently playing in the NBA and to be the highest-payed Australian team sport athlete. Sure there were Aussies who were drafted in the NBA but never played or didn't play much, but Luc was the first big one, thanks to his size and passing skills. When the Timberwolves were bad. In the Twin Cities, the Timberwolves, even with Luc, have a traditional weakness at the centre position. If you recall, Timberwolves fans treated him bad while he struggled to prove himself and then hold out for his contract as a rookie, missing training camp and the first eight games of the season. New Mexico fans had a hard time with that since he was so loved in Albequerque. We get to see his pretty then-American girlfriend Kelly, whom he later married and divorced, and his mum. Of course, "Crocodile Longley" got the three rings when he later went to Chicago as a servable starting center. For the ladies, there's a very brief shot that you may enjoy :wink:. Let's just say you Aussies aren't skittish about it like we Yanks generally are. One thing I did notice, however, was of the fact that the Australian edition of 60 Minutes used, except for the imported NBA footage at the beginning of the report, was of the apparent use of cinema 35mm cameras for the piece. In our US original, CBS News stopped using them circa 1988 and then went to video cameras all the way since. So I think it was around 1992 Nine went totally video for theirs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzD27__f69k

Gongsport's 5-minute catchup interview with Luc in Wollongong--no, not the Snakepit. He answers about the rumour of Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman coming to Perth, who were struggling back then at the time of the 1998-99 lockout. Does he grant advice to young Aussies like Mills in the NBA. Keeping in touch with old teammates and coaches. And the "dangerous" body surfing injury he suffering:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qf3f5z2vC0

MJ's 60 Minutes interview from 2005 with the late Ed Bradley in Las Vegas in advance of then-new book Driven From Within
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXFiHndn5-8

I did the Charlotte Hornets last time when MJ and his Bulls visited Charlotte's Hive on December 23, 1988--close to Christmas--when Kurt Rambis puts a tip-in for the 103-101 Hornets win. But that one was the Hornets' seventh win. By contrast and for balance, what I bring you here in the following, the Miami Heat, Charlotte's expansion brethren in 1988, went on a then-record 16-game losing streak to start their season as residents of the Midwest Division. Yes, I already put up on here some clips relating to the Heat earlier on these boards. They lost on their home debut at the Miami Arena of course with people wearing tuxes and gowns (like Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith did) and some sported T-shirts resembling tuxes against the LA Clippers on November 5 111-91 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDvczIVDQlI). Many prognosticators said the Heat will will get their first win at home against former Midwest Division resident Sacramento. Didn't happen. While all this losing for the Heat was going on, rival Orlando Magic President/GM Pat Williams joked that the losing was so bad "the Heat's mascot should be a Democrat". Their last loss came at the hands of the...the Charlotte Hornets! This ragtag Heat team with coach Ron Rothstein later visited LA on December 14, 1988 at the LA Sports Arena to face those same perennially lowly Clippers, whom the Sporting News called them in its 1989 NBA preview "the Pia Zadora of the NBA", and played the Clippers close during Danny Manning's rookie season. Miami finally gets its first win in NBA history (except for that preseason win over Indiana) 89-88, and all the Heat personnel celebrated like they won the NBA title...well, close enough. Here's the highlights of that game from Miami WBFS TV 33.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhKqC0tIOQk

The WBFS TV 33 Miami Heat TV intro for the aforementioned Heat-Hornets in Expansion Bowl Part 1 (but not before the TV commercials and a promo for the Charles Bronson movie "The Mechanic")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxIYTCv3dCY

Intro to the historic 1984 game on KHJ 9 with graphics dating from the same as the CBS NBA intro from 1979-80. Music too. NDCELE STILL SUCKS!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNwlZ9npLa4
Friday, April 5, 1984. Las Vegas. Thomas & Mack Center. UNLV's Home. Then new arena. Utah Jazz versus NDCELE. Sold out attendance. Magic was more than determined to be the one to pass the ball to the Captain, using appropriately enough with the skyhook, to break Wilt Chamberlain's NBA alltime scoring record. Kareem does this and got the Jazz fans in Vegas celebrating. His parents were there. Then-brand new commissioner David Stern was there too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNGa_VDKqSE
First half highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQKMkRk-3Zw
The Chick Hearn interview at halftime that he promised at the intro to this game. It is, as Chick says here, "interesting" that consistently reveals Kareem's intelligence. Typical interview setting that Hearn did that are recorded during the pregame practice shootaround:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xVi2Ed-8Rw

[Durbansandshark]

Dear Cleveland, all of Northeast Ohio and Cleveland Cavaliers supporters wherever you may be tonight;

As you now know, our former hero, who grew up in the very region that he deserted this evening, is no longer a Cleveland Cavalier.

This was announced with a several-day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of his "decision" unlike anything ever "witnessed" in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment.

Clearly, this is bitterly disappointing to all of us.

The good news is that the ownership team and the rest of the hard-working, loyal, and driven staff over here at your hometown Cavaliers have not betrayed you nor NEVER will betray you.

There is so much more to tell you about the events of the recent past and our more than exciting future. Over the next several days and weeks, we will be communicating much of that to you.

You simply don't deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal.

You have given so much and deserve so much more.

In the meantime, I want to make one statement to you tonight: "I personally guarantee that the Cleveland Cavaliers will win an NBA Championship before the self-titled former 'king' wins one."

You can take it to the bank.

If you thought we were motivated before tonight to bring the hardware to Cleveland, I can tell you that this shameful display of selfishness and betrayal by one of our very own has shifted our "motivation" to previously unknown and previously never experienced levels.

Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there.

Sorry, but that's simply not how it works.

This shocking act of disloyalty from our homegrown "chosen one" sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn. And "who" we would want them to grow up to become.

But the good news is that this heartless and callous action can only serve as the antidote to the so-called "curse" on Cleveland, Ohio.

The self-declared former "King" will be taking the "curse" with him down south. And until he does "right" by Cleveland and Ohio, James (and the town where he plays) will unfortunately own this dreaded spell and bad karma.

Just watch.

Sleep well, Cleveland. Tomorrow is a new and much brighter day...

I PROMISE you that our energy, focus, capital, knowledge and experience will be directed at one thing and one thing only:

DELIVERING YOU the championship you have long deserved and is long overdue...

Dan Gilbert

Majority Owner

Cleveland Cavaliers

Over a little past a year ago as we all know, LeBron James and his Miami Heat made their first appearance of last season to Cleveland for the first time since The Decision that publicly jilted and deeply humiliated Cavs fans around the world by "taking my talents to South Beach", prompting Cavs owner Dan Gilbert to write the aforementioned scathing open letter. They returned the city that had since became a cauldron of hate and venom with an air of a Game 7. The following videos is a recap those moments. I never saw such vicious and collective and public hatred for a player in any sport before and since, even when they're hated--surely any of us know that too. In contrast, the Cleveland Cavaliers get a rousing ovation to show they're a team and not built around a superstar and are fighting for the city. Truth be told, Cleveland, despite its rebirth in the mid-90s, especially downtown with the Q and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum, IS NOT a sexy city. So there's one reason why LeBron left. In fact, King James had Secret Service agents accompany him during this trip and the Quicken Loans Arena's concession contractor mandated that beer be served in plastic and not glass.

I gotta like Dan Gilbert's open letter to Cavs above; it serves as a mouthpiece to the Cavaliers Nation's anger. Made me chuckle. TNT analyst Reggie Miller urges Cavs fans to "get over it and move on" from this because "he chose someone else". All due respect to you Reggie and I get what you're saying, but what you and many people outside of Cleveland fail to realize is how much LBJ meant to the city. He was theirs. Everything. He promised a title to them, I think. Not a day went by with people in northeastern Ohio smiling at and praising him. He very possibly brought in more revenue and a degree of prosperity than the Ohio governor and the President combined--even Chinese investments. Cavs fans bought in all of that because he was their local hero. He left and the Cavaliers got no comparable talent in return to remain effective because he was a free agent. Superstars like him don't come to Cleveland often, let alone one that in their backyard. I mentioned over and over here on the World thread about the traumatic sports history Cleveland has endured for decades and how it shapes the city's psyche--it's alluded to with one guy's T-shirt at 6:36 in the first video. Reggie, the Cavs were at the time the city's best bet for a championship. Now that's gone. The Decision--ominously sounding beforehand for Cleveland when you think about--compounded the legacy it has. Now it's the Indians that have the best shot now, but it's still a little distant. His departure does leave a legacy despite what that sign says; the Cavs now have to start all over again that will be a long time before it reaches championship-calibre relevance, which is obviously much harder to do. During that season, Cleveland didn't instantly had "new and much brighter days" like that infamous losing streak coming later constantly reminding them the team assembled just wasn't good, and it will continue to be so even with draft pick Australian-born Kyrie Irving in the early going. More times of that long dark and depressing streak. Could some of the emotion be like a jilted lover? Yes. Could they be petulant in it? Yes. But I understand it because of the history.

Last week James was interviewed by ESPN's Rachel Nichols. He reiterated that he wished he could've assembled and handled The Decision better in terms of leaving Cleveland. He also realizes that it isn't worth it to mend fences with Cleveland while adding the venom from Cleveland hurt him as a human being. The villain persona that Reggie encouraged LeBron to embrace was ill-suited to him. He wants to be in a place where he can win while he's still young and at his prime. I see why it was a hard decision for him. Cleveland didn't have the parts to do that with. Only a title can lift the hurt Cleveland sports fans will continue to have. Memories will be seared in them for years before any hope legitimately returns.

If you have a chance, go pick up Scott Raab's new tome "The Whore of Akron". Raab is from that area and is an Esquire editor where he blasts King James, among others.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJ_1Smb3f9k
The game itself
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQZWKSMeWWY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9QuWLAZ4RY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TK6wZNOLlzc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC7FaJnFK9c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhFy1aiBb4I

[Durbansandshark]

Wow, just like the Dream Team later on that same year, we can't believe that it's been a full two decades since the fondly remembered NBA All-Star Weekend, namely the All-Star Game itself in Orlando! Of course, it's fondly remembered for one person: Magic and his MVP winning and grinning along the way. Yeah, I watched it live too! What kinda gets lost now is that this was going at the time when the NBA was placing the All-Star Weekends to newer and younger markets like Orlando, Miami (1990), Charlotte (1991), and Minneapolis (1994) as the league was undergoing an ascendency in global popularity. The Orlando Arena, later the Amway/TD Banknorth Center, was still a very young arena back than, if small in capacity. We all know the cirumstances surrounding that moment, when many were still uneducated about HIV, even a good contingent of players, execs, and owners. At the time there were 2-3 HIV drugs. Now there's at least 20. Consequently, HIV is no longer the death sentence it once was, but precautions must STILL be made. Fans voted him in and commissioner Stern, among many others, supported it with the hope it would inspire people. It sure did! Turns out it wasn't his last NBA game, but even after the Dream Team gold, some players--I recall, like, Karl Malone and A.C. Green--expressed concern over him playing during the regular season.

Among the things we discover from this SLAM magazine's oral history about the 1992 NBA All-Star Game ( http://www.slamonline.com/online/the-magazine/old-school-2/2012/02/magic-johnson-one-for-the-money-1992-all-star/) from its popular and regular Old School portion that we get as a companion to the following videos, we find out that Golden St.'s Tim Hardaway voluntarily gave up his starting guard spot to Magic, because of what Magic meant to the whole league and with the still-high skills Magic had. Isiah, Magic's former close friend and NBAPA President at the time, says it was his idea for all the All-Stars to hug and embrace him during the starting introduction (one of my favorite moments from that) with all the cameras right there--Zeke even kissed as he regularly did. Almost all of the Dream Teamers were present. Too bad Larry Bird's bad back kept him from joining his good friend in all this.

In commemoration of the 20th anniversary of that weekend with this year's All-Star Weekend set in Orlando's newer Amway Center coming up very fast, I present to you the full complete weekend. No doubt there will celebrations, reflections, and reunions over that starting on Friday. I'm also very sure NBA TV will re-air this all weekend, I guess. Let's also not forget things like Phoenix's Cedric Ceballos' winning blindfold dunk and Craig Hodges success at the three-point line the night before.

Actually, there is no full coverage of the old Schick Legends Game or the American Airlines 3-Point Shootout. So we'll have to suffice with the highlights from those two events:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZzRZcBvSsE

Gatorade Slam Dunk Contest. Many say Larry Johnson was robbed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGhX6wIzayQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwMC1Mig2_0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JM__a2DAkfk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-gADFChfp0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_sJIwjtskE

The complete 42nd NBA All-Star Game itself. If you have the Magic Johnson DVD set, this is a review option, except maybe for the fact the pre-game features aren't in it--NBA TV tends to go straight to the game itself starting with the intros. No need to discuss one of the best 5 minutes from an NBA game ever:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaS5bowV4AY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41YcW4EDyD4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rpNNsPZ898
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFcaCXXHvgc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0udtO01hlLM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPWCF5IqZYY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhUFcdFAP94
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXU4EXAImZE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0xztM3SmsQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqIRDdMf4_M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inIOlibGNlU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BR84BUhApRY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ns8JRO_RS_8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqbitvqRO2g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxhzVGwBzCI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ME2yPsYr4KY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=os2t8UyrK8o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DH7PERmIehw

[Durbansandshark]

Continuing the Magic Johnson theme, I present to you The Announcement from Nelson George, ESPN Films, and NBA Entertainment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmQXPQTAcYc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRSFzI_xFwk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2Jfm_PRenY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwfPNOFS8NM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_6B-aPcPYU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYX55cp3xV8

Magic Johnson's press conference announcement:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MyUWn142GU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFUBEno6ftA

[Durbansandshark]

The Sacramento Kings' history from Rochester to Cincinnati to Kansas City-Omaha to Sacramento from 1995

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4PslB00b6w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKbPdz4NLfE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suxl-AoNSWY

Amazing that the NDCELE was hated back then too! :twisted:

[Durbansandshark]

Highlights of a game circa 1981-82 with the Philadelphia 76ERS on the road to visit the San Diego Clippers at the San Diego Sports Arena in which the Clippers won.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vydywVbh7og

[Durbansandshark]

Supersonics fans, I know you're deeply upset right now seeing your beloved team as the OKC Thunder being in the NBA Finals. That was a team you loved and nurtured and gave you some success. Yes, Durant, Westbrook, Harden, Sefalosha, Ibaka, Collison, Fisher, et al. should all be up in Seattle. I feel for you. Check out the Sonicsgate documentary that you'll mourn and ball your eyes over.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9Dp20ydm1E

[Durbansandshark]

A June 10, 1980 report from Dallas' Channel 8 WFAA on the Dallas Mavericks' first ever NBA Draft picks. Of course, Kiki Vandeweghe never played for the Mavericks coming out of UCLA. One commenter believes had he did, Dallas might have earned their first title back around 1988-1991. Then again, the Mavs would never get the draft rights to Rolando Blackman out of Kansas St., who played better defense. Seeing the Mavs win a title back then in 1988-89 and defeat the NDCELE along the way would've been sweet. But I don't think they would withstand Detroit's notorious D.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9Nh_eKOotE

Tom LaGarde, Abdul Jelani, Jerome Whitehead, Geoff Huston, and Winfreid Boynes. What do those names have in common? They were the first starting lineup for the original Dallas Mavericks back in their first game on October 11, 1980 against the San Antonio Spurs at the then-brand new Reunion Arena with Dick Motta as first coach. And the Mavs won! San Antonio was just getting itself acclimated with being in the Western Conference's Midwest Division (along with Houston) thanks to divisional realignment brought about by Dallas' entry with the Chicago, Milwaukee, and Indiana moving to the Eastern Conference in the Central Division. Before then, their first home preseason game was on September 26, 1980 against Philadelphia. Brad Davis was a member of that team and played on for several more seasons. When Jay Vincent, Mark Aguirre, Rolando Blackman, and Derek Harper came later along, things became more prosperous. The late Mark Holtz narrates things.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZm6pVPlDss

[Durbansandshark]

How incredibly cool was it for the entire state of Minnesota, not just the Twin Cities, to make a triumphant return to the NBA after decades since the NDCELE left there to have Michael Jordan, the most exciting and popular NBA player at the time, arrive at its neck of the woods for the first Timberwolves home game ever at the Hubert Horatio Humphrey Metrodome in 1989? And he didn't disappoint with his 45 points against a very scrappy and surprisingly good (by expansion standards) Timberwolves team.

I even bought a copy of that Timberwolves first game program at a sports memorbilia convention a few years later! Mind you, some of the players listed on the team's program like Adrian Branch, David Rivers, Ricky Mahorn, and Steve Johnson weren't on the Timberwolves roster by then. The program was good in that you got to see how boyhood friends and founders Harvey Ratner and Marv Wolfenson, who made their fortunes in the real estate and health club business (the Target Center has a health club built in), saw their dream into a reality and of the nickname contest. Too bad Prince wasn't available for the national anthem. That would be something.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=invoj2K_9q8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSd4FTDVyH8

[Durbansandshark]

ESPN restarted its beloved 30 For 30 series of sports documentaries on topics that and moments that defined the ESPN era on Tuesday night. First in the new series is entitled "Broke", about how the complex and psychological forces shaping and sucking into a young and competitive superstar athlete lives' after getting granted millions of dollars, often coming from humbling backgrounds, thinking it will continue forever (bad investments, divorce, freeloaders, women lusting for a piece of that heavenly celeb status, entourages, expensive jewlery and spending, simple showing up, medical problems) ultimately leading them to financial ruin after getting sticker-shocked, especially in the harsh economic bust later ahead culminating in the Great Recession. "Broke" does hold pro athletes accountable for their misfortunes while acknowledging those forces. According to a Sports Illustrated March 23, 2009 piece, 60% of NBA players after five years of retirement go broke (mentioned right at the very beginning). Some notable NBA stars have been this route like Kenny Anderson, Antoine Walker, Jason Caffey, Derrick Coleman, Rick Mahorn, and Rumeal Robinson. You even reportedly hear Dennis Rodman, Latrell Sprewell, and Allen Iverson been hit hard lately. Even WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes filed for bankruptcy. Michael Jordan, the legend himself of course, underwent divorce from Juanita costing him millions because he failed to do the pre-nup. But he can withstand that with continued incoming cash. Others just foolishly blow it.

This cautionary tale should be required viewing in my opinion about the need for saving money and not overextending yourself after taxes. You never know when the good times stop lasting. Lots of top athletes lack an exit strategy (or a fall back plan). All the more important to have a very strong social safety net like in the Scandinavian countries and the gap between the rich and the poor not be so wide so that the attractable newly-rich won't be targeted in those ways described and everybody in society has at least a little. And people not behaving ignorantly. Plus, financial literacy should be a required subject in schools K-12 and even up to college. Speaking of colleges, you would think these schools would help them out and properly cultivate more intellectual pursuits (something that should also be conducted in the K-12 level too) and other interests along with their athletic gifts, but oftimes the NCAA exploits them and the athletes lack the time for it. It can still happen to everyone because it's that universal, no matter how careful we profess.

Best quote comes in this from former NFL player and coach, now ESPN NFL analyst Herm Edwards: "You got champagne tastes, but you got beer money!" :lol:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4HmfATSZ0E

[Durbansandshark]

All this talk and white heat about the Brooklyn Nets is fast becoming a reality with Brooklyn gear hitting nationally and globally and the Barclay Center now open becoming a basketball revival in that borough. Going to be an exciting chapter in this franchise. But let's go back months ago when the Nets were still in New Jersey (Newark, to be exact). It was already an open secret (more of a certainty at that point) they were going to move across the Hudson River. It was their final home game as the New Jersey Nets in a loss to Philadelphia, and the Nets wanted to pay hommage to the 35 years of being in NJ, all in Piscataway, East Rutherford, and Newark. That's all I honesty knew them best as in my life--the New Jersey Nets, a franchise mostly settled for mediocrity. Don't get me wrong, I knew about the New York Nets and before that the New Jersey Americans and read the brilliant ABA oral history book "Loose Balls". The Nets notably had a young, giant Afroed, and underrated Dr. J that ran like a gazzle and was the face of the entire league, Billy "The Whopper" Paultz, Rick Barry, Super John Williamson (RIP), Bill Melchionne, and Wendell Ladner (RIP). But that's before my time.

This halftime presentation is a salute to that soon-to-be gone era celebration that you'll see Buck Williams (video message), Otis Birdsong, Darryl Dawkins, Derrick Coleman, Kenyon Martin (video message), Vince Carter, Chris Morris, Jason Kidd (video message), Kenny Anderson, Kendall Gill, Tim Bassett (first NJ Nets captain), Mike O'Koren, Darwin Cook, Albert King, Michael Ray Richardson, Kerry Kittles, Todd MacCollough, Brian Scalabrine (video message), reps from previous ownerships, and GM from the glory days Rod Thorn. Williamson and Drazen Petrovic were postumously hono(u)red. No Keith Van Horn or Mike Gminski though. Jayson Williams is incarcerated. Yeah, Jay-Z was there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61xU-yAFJA0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYdC-qRb9rU

Montage of the New Jersey years from the early portion with the ABA stuff in it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AKsxVt5zsw
The 1990s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E83vWGrfdP0
The glory years from the early part of the last decade starring Jason Kidd
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eZNymIpF0k

New Jersey Nets made history in 1984 when they upset the 76ERS in that best of five series.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mb0bLsolTjg

[Durbansandshark]

Would you rather see a nowdays-typical NBA game with stifling defenses with teams only scoring no higher than 95 points or would you like to see some more high-octane offense in NBA games that you can still see in minor league basketball? Me, I'd like to see in-between. Though the occassional game like the following wouldn't hurt. In 1984, this game between the Detroit Pistons and the Denver Nuggets made headlines by setting a NBA record that still stands as the most points combined. Both went into triple OT to a 186-184 finish. The Pistons were beginning to be known for their defense. The Nuggets were known during the Doug Moe and later Paul Westhead's brief era for a lot of scoring. No surprise that it was in Denver. This is the only video on YouTube available about it. No full game emerged yet.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvz0maaJ6PA


Toronto Raptors' first ever intro and starting lineup at Toronto's SkyDome against the New Jersey Nets back in 1995 with Zan Tabak, Ed Pinckney, Carlos Rodgers, Alvin Robertson, and Damon Stoudemire with head coach Brendan Malone (and assistants for example John Shumate, Darrell Walker, and Bob Zuffalatto and trainer John Malley and a couple of officials). All introduced by Harvey Kuhn. The Raptors won this one on Friday night live on CTV on the first Canadian-based NBA home game since 1947 when the Huskies last played and in the mid-70s when the Buffalo Braves played select home games there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1Ro5wDnIFk

Decided to bring you some original ABA videos. Last thing I brought involving the ABA was when Dr. J was playing with the New York Nets. A nice, rare treat for you here. This is a short review documentary about the ABA Utah Stars' championship 1970-71 season called "We're No. 1" led by Zelmo Beaty and Willie Wise, it's first season in Salt Lake City after leaving Los Angeles. And play-by-calls from Bill Howard.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR7HJOG0d5s

[Durbansandshark]

LeBron James enjoying his gameday in Miami when he finally gets his ring with his Samsung Galaxy Note II smartphone:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ie0mAnjz1Oc

[Durbansandshark]

On the ABA kick once again. The original rebel league from 1967-1976. Not that haphazard, joke one we got right now. Coming up is the ABA documentary that aired on HBO called Long Shots. To me, for all of the ABA footage and nice interviews presented here, it doesn't quite go into much depth about the league as much as the brilliant Terry Pluto 1990 oral history book "Loose Balls". This is more designed for those who like a general overview of the league. If you read the book, this doc does touch on some of the teams, players, the hilarity, the rivalry with the NBA, the free-spiritedness, the end, and the beginnings from the book. Bought the VHS copy on eBay several years ago. Haven't played it much since.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn5ANqDLyh0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFR2zFN2er4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEsUw1BiLOc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_5zGj8AvDA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qucApexDils
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRF9BVggKr4

A young Bob Costas and the late Easy Ed McCauley calling a Spirits of St. Louis game in Memphis' Mid-South Coliseum against the Memphis Sounds back in January 1975 during the Spirits' first of two seasons there. I think on KTVI Channel 2, an ABC affiliate until 1995 when it became a FOX one. Loose Balls talks liberally about the Spirits as "the wildest team of them all"; the stories about them in it are hilarious despite the great talent. They were mostly young but undisciplined.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyx0G80dZHc

[Durbansandshark]

A couple of Miami Heat home games from their first season in 1988-89 at the Miami Heat, back when they made their debut in the Midwest Division. One involving the Now Deservedly Crumbling Evil Laker Empire (complete with Chick Hearns' call), the second one with the Golden St. Warriors with Mitch Richmond, Chris Mullin, Rod Higgins, and coach/GM Don Nelson, and the Denver Nuggets. The Miami Arena's Heat court for the first three season, you'll notice, was not really associated with the franchise's colo(u)rs. Perhaps with the blue baseline was meant to reflect the Florida blue waters and the yellow free throw lanes for the tropical Miami (or entire Florida) sun. It later went red and yellow for 1991 and then black up until their move to the current American Airlines Arena home in 1999.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLjYlTemq70

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cahxrjT7N-I

Rory Sparrow's 28 points and 9 assists carry Miami to 9 wins at the time in 2 OT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8_LZRai_JA

There's a sense of sadness from the first video. Orlando Wooldridge and Pat Cummings, one of the original members of the Miami Heat, both died earlier this year almost within a month of each other. At the time in his NDCELE days, Woolridge, who was known for his dunking playing for Chicago, found playing in Riley's sytem to be a challenge as a newcomer. After coaching in the ABA with the Houston Takers and the Prescott Valley Scorchers in recent times, Wooldridge had serious heart problems and was placed in a hospice. Cummings was found dead in a friend's NY apartment in the immediate days of the Heat winning its second NBA title. :sad:

[alleyoop]

Nice work Durbansandshark.

I really enjoy those NBA on ESPN RV commercials.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMVVKNWuapw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkt25QM4Ovc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tMuVjTayo8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaxgMY9_dWk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6kb32Bo1C8

[Durbansandshark]

Thanks Alleyoop. Like those ESPN NBA RV spots too. The Steve Nash one is a bit painful for me to see now, though.

As I start this new year on this thread. I want to start it off with a bang with a brilliant ESPN 30 For 30 documentary that I wanted to put up a long while after I watched this and was riveted. Have any of you heard of the classic show "You Are There"? That was an education program that would take you back timewarp-style to an important moment in time in history as it happened with dramatized cameras and on-the-spot interviews with the major players in them with newscasters calling the action from the newsroom. The following is without a doubt one of my favo(u)rite ESPN 30 For 30s. June 17th, 1994 is something like You Are Here with its quick-cut editing of archival footage during the course of that surreal--and the most bizarre--day in North American sports with all of the events going on then--Arnold Palmer's last PGA Tour day, 1994 World Cup USA's first day, the New York Rangers' Stanley Cup parade, Game 5 of the NBA Finals, ESPN's MLB game between the Seattle Mariners and Kansas City Royals, and a certain NFL legend's sad ordeal and fall from grace. No interviews. No reflections on that day from those there. But it is interspersed with newsroom footage. If you remember that day really well like I do, you know this was about the OJ Simpson saga first and foremost, which undoubtably serves as the centerpiece of this, and that, what I call, the bizarre slow-speed parade led by a certain infamous Ford white Bronco and numerous LAPD cars immediately trailing behind it through the LA freeway system and back to OJ's Brentwood home with people watching and following this live on TV along the way with morbid and bizarre curiousity. My mind was like, "What the hell is going on here at this moment?" sitting silent as I watched drawn to it watching the game and learning about his developments. But of course that's not what I want to focus on here. Would've liked to see more on the first day of the World Cup USA 94 in the doc (two games were on that day then: Germany vs. Bolivia at Chicago's Soldier Field and South Korea vs. Spain at Dallas' Cotton Bowl). That got overshadowed and spoiled because of it that day, taking the deserved attention away and almost all summer. I recall back then excited over the first World Cup in the US.

I bring June 17th 1994 up here only because of Game 5 of the 1994 NBA Finals, the last home game for the New York Knicks that season at Madison Square Garden against the Houston Rockets that night. Had you already seen this, you get to see how NBC Sports struggled to cope with balancing its "professional obligations" in covering Game 5 while simultaneously covering the bizarre and tragic live developments surrounding OJ Simpson after being criminally charged earlier that day, bringing in perspective seemingly wishing not to be seen as callous. You'll remember on the Houston Rockets NBA championship DVD this game had no commentary for a long stretch from Marv Albert and Matt Goukas because of the switch to NBC News during the double screening of the said parade. Game's still going on with the OJ Simpson craziness taking over and impacting it on the broadcasting end. The film's director, Brett Morgen, says that sports day ushered in reality TV. After all these years and knowing what had happened since, it's still attention-grabbing.

Hope it doesn't get deleted as it happen whenever it gets uploaded on YouTube. Riveting, intense, and emotional stuff here 9its music surely helps). It contains French subtitles taken from ESPN Classic France(?):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVEQN2P0z8Y

[Durbansandshark]

Portland sure has been snakebitten with its centers from Bill Walton to Sam Bowie to Greg Oden.

Feel bad for Sam Bowie. But he's a good guy. He's OK. Now he's remebered as the guy drafted before Michael Jordan. Hindsight can funny sometimes. With all the bad breaks, figureratively and literally, he endured in his college and pro career in Kentucky and Portland, respectively, he didn't ask for that. Whenever he gets mentioned, it is always lumped with Michael Jordan out of that legendary 1984 NBA Draft class, definitely one of the greatest ever. People focus on what happened years later, especially when Mike hit the stratosphere and Bowie didn't become the All-Star as hoped with his injuries. Sam notes this later: MJ got injured and missed 40+ games in second season with a broken foot before Bowie ended up on his woes. There's also something more aren't aware of: Sam Bowie is genetically predisposed of a condition in his legs that made him vulnerable to that series of injuries.

Did eventually made out of respectable career at center in the NBA after leaving Portland when traded to the New Jersey Nets for Buck Williams, finally putting the Trail Blazers over the championship level hump and then to the NDCELE as a Divac backup. Played 10 years and averaged 11 points in his career. Not bad.

But back to the draft, it's interesting the Portland management brass including then-coach Dr. Jack Ramsay and then-GM Marty Glickman were mulling over Bowie and Jordan. Though the pro-Jordan camp in Portland wasn't as vocal. They already got Clyde the Glide. Putting him alongside Jordan wouldn't make much sense with Portland not being big enough for the two--same height, same weight, same guard position, both great dunkers, great scorers, defenders, and athletes--would be "silly". Interesting that Dr. Jack reflects on this saying he'd select Sam Bowie again and issue a package to trade away Drexler for a center and the second pick. Keep in mind this: Kiki Vandeweghe was about to undergo his own spate injuries starting in the same time period in Portland when he arrived in a trade from Denver. Rod Thorn knew about the injuries Sam had, and projected how it wasn't going to fare well for Chicago if he wound up there. If it weren't for those injuries and his genetic predisposed condition, Bowie would be a great NBA center.

For his part, Jordan would rub in Portland's bad luck in not getting another championship since 1977 in his own ways: During his victory speech at Grant Park during the Bulls championship celebration there in 1992 after beating the Trail Blazers, he closed out his speech with this, "Thank God you [Chicago] drafted me instead of Portland!" Also at the same year, there's a T-shirt with him on it holding up a shoe of the latest Air Jordans with the words "Hello Sunny Portland, can I get you some shoes?" That T-shirt was recently reproduced.

Point is, you just don't know exactly how things will ultimately fare years down the road upon selecting. You just can't predict things like this, let alone how huge Jordan would become later becoming Michael Jordan. Luck always plays a role in this.

ESPN through its college sports network ESPNU aired a SEC Storied documentary that would've applied under the 30 For 30 umbrella called Going Big focusing on Sam Bowie. The following is a brief clip dealing with the fateful Portland 1984 draft pick:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjzCsbVixUg

Sam Bowie at the 1984 NBA Draft. Yes, he's handsome here. Notice the smooth jazz elevator music:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nERNj0afyY

Sam Bowie introduces Going Big at heart of UK:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0Pis5LN7D4

Superstation WTBS' February 13, 1987 NBA Prudential Halftime Report (hosted by Charlie Neal) with scores, news, and highlights and a Bill Russell story on Sam Bowie coming back from the broken right tibula:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifo75GYApig

Sam Bowie talks about his "unique situation" and connection with Michael Jordan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0EDOXVdXog

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Related post to the last one yesterday. Mike! Hakeem (then Akeem)! Sir Charles! Stockton! Otis Thorpe! Sam Perkins! Alvin Robertson! Terrence Stansbury! and yes, of course Sam Bowie. Even the likes of Oscar Schmidt, Kevin Willis, 1984 Olympians Jeff Turner and Leon Wood, Michael Cage, Tony Campbell, Vernon Fleming, Greg Wiltjer, Rick Carlisle, Jim Petersen, and Carl Lewis (yes, that Carl Lewis!) got drafted. I happily present to you the 1984 NBA Draft! Arguably the best NBA draft ever!

In full with from the USA Network, which doesn't air sports now. Did then like when it had the NBA and NHL TV rights. Outside of the 2004-2010 Olympics as part of the NBC Universal family and the US Open, no sports since from USA. All part of a very pivotal year for the NBA.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e01huxPPb1U

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February 25, 1979. The San Antonio Spurs led by the Iceman, Paul Silas, Larry Kenon, and Mark Olberding were playing the Houston Rockets with Moses Malone, Calvin Murphy, Mike Dunleavy Sr., Rudy Tomjanovich, Robert Reid, and Billy Paultz. It was interesting to me back then when the Spurs had those unique backboards at the HemisFair Arena and that both Texas teams were playing in the Central Division in the Eastern Conference. Liked that court back then they used until the mid-80s (1986) when it changed to all white and then the following season black before hitting light blue when The Admiral arrived. Dallas' incoming entry in 1980 forced them to move into the West The Spurs would later move into ECF before losing. Moses has 33 points and 25 rebounds in a losing effort. Gervin had 32 points with Billy Paultz had 24 points.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJ8lbWz1sBg

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March 12, 1985. After Kevin McHale set a Celtics franchise scoring record with 56 points in a win against Detroit nine days earlier, Larry Bird boldly declared after the game "that record will soon fall". And it did! He scored 60, forever cementing Larry's legend even more. So we go to New Orleans in that space after the Jazz had left and before the Hornets (soon to be Pelicans) arrived. At the University of New Orleans' Lakefront Arena that was doubled as the Atlanta Hawks' second home away from the Omni Arena. As the only NBA team in the Southeast region at the time until 1988 with Miami and Charlotte coming, the Hawks figured to build its fanbase outside of Georgia. Surely, having Superstation WTBS showing many of their games helps a lot. Bird was piling it on here even the Atlanta Hawks players on the bench were awestruck.

Atlanta wasn't the only NBA team at the time to play a select number of NBA regular season games outside of their city. The Boston Celtics themselves played numerous home games in Hartford at ther Hartford Civic Center (now the XL Arena) over the years during this time. The Kansas City Kings before they moved to Sacramento played home games in St. Louis for a couple of seasons. The Washington Bullets later played some home games back at the Baltimore Arena before the name change to Wizards. The Utah Jazz played in Las Vegas' Thomas and Mack Arena, where Kareem broke Wilt Chamberlain's alltime NBA scoring record in April 1984. Obviously, this game is the most notable Hawks one played in New Orleans of all. But with the advent of gleeming sports arenas with lucrative luxury boxes and suites later on in that decade and beyond into the 90s, NBA teams stopped playing "regional" regular season home games. Revenue became more important than fan bases.

Enrique Pastor's and Ramon Fernandez's Spanish commentary obscures the WTBS commentary of John Sterling and Charlie Criss:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMCxIwLMQOs

Back into 1976 to the 9th and final ABA All-Star Game at Denver's McNichols Sports Arena on January 27, 1976. The ABA saw three of its franchises, the Baltimore Claws (who didn't even play a game after moving from Memphis), the San Diego Sails, and the Utah Stars, all fold during its final season before the merger. The Virginia Squires were dying but made it through the season. Because of this and of the single division it caused, the ABA All-Star format was to have the top team at the all-star break to host it after abandoning the East-West format. In this case it was the Denver Nuggets, which was convenient for them since they were already chosen to host it. And they had to play against a team of ABA All-Stars from other squads. It's more notable of course for what it's known as the first modern slam dunk contest, which came at halftime. There were superstars assembled for this who are no doubt legends. Yeah, you get to see giant Afroed Julius Erving from the eventual champs New York Nets performing his famous running from the free throw line dunk he later emulated in 1984 in Denver (when the NBA later adopted it that year as part of NBA All-Star Saturday) and Michael Jordan famously performed four years later to win in Chicago. What's so interesting is the fact all of this was the headliner to a Glen Campbell-Charlie Rich concert later that night, as noted in the brilliant ABA oral history book Loose Balls. KWGN 2 in Denver covered the game as part of the Nuggets broadcast, and it's picked up in progress in the second quarter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8avS95Hs8A

Take a look at this one! This is a 1972 game shown on TVS between the NBA and ABA All-Stars at then brand-new Nassau County Veterans Coliseum, the home of the New York Nets and later the NHL's New York Islanders and MISL's New York Arrows. Great assembling of stars in both leagues here. The unheralded ABA players nearly beat their NBA counterparts! This should be shown on ESPN Classics and/or NBA TV. Look at a young Don Chirqui and Hot Rod Hundley.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN17x5up5n4

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A montage of Detlef Schrempf NBA highlights (finally!). The greatest German basketball player ever until a certain lanky kid from Wurzburg came onto the scene in 1999 for Dallas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpZkB3UA3ck

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All this talk of the Miami Heat and its now 23-game winning streak got me interested in bringing this when the North American pro sports-record of 33 straight wins held by the Now Deservedly Crumbling Evil Laker Empire was thankfully stopped on a live nationally televised match on ABC with Keith Jackson and Bill Russell announcing in 1972. By the Milwaukee Bucks at the MECCA (Milwaukee Arena) led by future emissary of evil Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson, Bob Dandridge, Jim McGlockin, and Curtis Perry. Unfortunately, the Bucks couldn't ultimately stop the Fakers from getting the NBA title later that year when they faced each other in the Western Conference Finals with the NDCELE sadly winning the series 4-2.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKkQyNyXICQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnQ7TG2ZSig
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OngaFzVNKbo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyWr55Wtkoo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uz5B_Ab0v3w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXkkZHCzyUQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNyFPA6sZM4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds-VhbayFOI

The Buffalo Braves (now the Los Angeles Clippers via San Diego) made their playoff debut in the 1973-1974 season, Bob McAdoo's rookie season and Dr. Jack Ramsay's second as Braves coach, and had to deal with the storied Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. With their playoff experience, the Celtics went on to win it in controversial fashion. A now-forgotten great NBA playoff series, regrettably, legendary Celtics broadcaster Johnny Most sums up the series.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDaKVCXEiXE

Two of the top NBA sharpshooting stars in the late 70s, New Orleans Jazz's Pete Maravich and San Antonio Spurs' George "The Iceman" Gervin play a game of HORSE at the Omni International Complex in Atlanta. Can't see NBA players doing this these days outside of All-Star Saturday. Atlanta was where Maravich made his pro start before going back to Louisiana.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCk7SjkSE4c

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Larry Bird dropping 41 points and 10 rebounds and 5 assists on the Golden St. Warriors back in 1988 Oakland during the 1987-88 season
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeOmeBhqkkk

Golden St. and Adidas unveil the revolutionary but not-very-good-looking short-sleeved Warriors uniforms at a press conference
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9a_XTnpldw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A63IKL6Hxc0

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Julius Erving's broken finger prevented him from playing in Dallas with Philly for the final time on February 27, 1987. But he was still honoured at the Reunion Arena on his farewell tour then for a final house call with help from then-Mavs owner Donald Carter. Interesting trivia: this was two days after SMU football got slapped with the infamous "death penalty" for repeated recruiting violations. So it was good to see something positive in Dallas sports back then

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVfednh1Ya8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKip3JUbdws

Didn't know he lived in the Salt Lake City area in recent years. St. George area, that is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlW5AwgBg3Y

Two hilarious AT&T It's Not Complicated 4G commercials airing right now on TV during March Madness starring NBA and college legends Bill Russell, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goh0Whxbegc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NBlQ2OWUsE

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In celebration of Bernard King's long-awaited enshrinement into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, I would like to link King's greatest NBA performance. Christmas Day 1984 at Madison Square Garden on the MSG Network. King scored 60 points but that wasn't enough for the Knicks against his former team, the New Jersey Nets.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAWPnTsy9-U

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Eric "Sleepy" Floyd's greatest game. Man, did he went off in Game 4 in the 1987 Western Conference Semifinals against that big, bad NDCELE staving off elimination! Bob Neal and former Milwaukee Buck Jon McGlockin with the call in Oakland.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K84z2I_qh4 (I want a T-shirt that has the TBS Sports logo!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6yIU-JCSeQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vlER8kgJdY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIonkiAqgqw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Df916-HYuH8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffBjhsa8W2s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgTbJpjzQfI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qc9HRnMZ5GQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJX_53CN9BQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpsRfE_SD18
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2GUbMgJhRk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFC7hIcNiY8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9XvIK5VTd8

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I was hoping I could link you that full 1986 Miami Vice episode from the second season starring Bernard King and Bill Russell entitled "The Fix" to celebrate King's Hall of Fame induction. I remember watching this back then because of the two NBA legends starring in this. In this episode, Bill Russell plays a respected judge named Roger Ferguson who set a ridiculously low bail for a drug dealer (a woman), causing Crockett and Tubbs to investigate the judge and discovers that he owes a large gambling debt to a violent loan shark played by Michael Richards, who wants the judge to convince his son (King), a college basketball star, to throw his next game. The following 4-minute clip is all I could come up with from You Tube Land with this filmed at the FIU Gym years before it joined NCAA D1 basketball with a basketball in progress between the home Sunblazers, that King's character plays for, and the Cougars. Russell is seen in the stands cheering his son on. Harvey Finestein's also in this episode. Clean-shaven too. Very interesting since King was recovering from that terrible ACL injury the previous year in Kansas City and didn't play at all for the Knicks then.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2ePdDHQ4VU

But it is on Hulu (not sure if it's geo-blocked in Australia/NZ and the rest of Oceania):
http://www.hulu.com/#!watch/14839

In late February, I posted the 1976 ABA All-Star Game, the final one in Denver, so I think it's only fair I would show the NBA version from that same year. With this being the bicentennial year, it's only right that was in Philly at the Spectrum. The final one before the ABA-NBA merger. Before the Pat Riley Rule. Before the lavish intros. Interesting that then-commish Larry O'Brien was seen talking about the Oscar Robertson antitrust settlement paving the way for the impending merger. All the better to see some rare Buffalo Braves players in this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoglUJlCG9U

Proof positive that you shouldn't celebrate until it's surely over: The following is my favorite Reggie Miller memory. He makes a clutch shot--not a three--against the Bulls in 1994 and playfully and famously takes bows from the Bulls crowd at Chicago Stadium to loud boos with 00.8 left shown on SportsChannel Chicago. Remember, Miller embraced being the enemy. That was still enough time for Toni Kukoc's catch and shoot to make a three for the Bulls win and Reggie's comeuppance--you see with his arms akimbos. Not shown was Scottie Pippen's mocking of Reggie's bows. Not many people realize because of the bows the Pacers didn't actually win this. Johnny "Red" Kerr was excited.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOMzdxynChs

Toronto 1994. Months before this international city got to showcase to the world how much it (and Canada) loves basketball with the World Basketball Championship coming up, Raptors founder John Bitove Jr. of Toronto Pro Basketball Franchise, with help from his friends, unvieled the Raptors name and logo as well as the merchandise in a media conference that was live on CTV in Toronto, hosted by its premier sportscaster Rod Black. The short video is very similiar to what Vancouver later used in its style, albeit it never really used the Phoenix Suns' court for it (the logo makes a cameo on it before the unvieling). Just a NBA ball. To be sure, the Raptors name was an extension of the dinosaur craze popularized by the blockbuster movie Jurassic Park. Something that a new NBA market liked to reach out to kids for via fan vote. Really huge with the kids. Dinosaurs are always big with kids. I wonder if Mitchell and Ness will reproduce those Jeff Hamilton style jackets as part of that early 90s retro craze.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j90w0ps-L4

Charlotte Hornets are certainly a part of that 90s retro, though they were in existence since 1987 (actually played in 1988). We're seeing a Hornets renasscience these days here--anything teal and purple is hot again just like in the early 90s. In keeping with that, I bring one of Charlotte's finest moments to its madly-supporting fans then. Charlotte seemingly peaked in its popularity in 1993 with finally making its playoff debut with Zon on the team teaming with Mugsy and Grandmama and Dell Curry, and selling out the 23,888-seat Charlotte Coliseum. They were seen as the team of the future and won this series as expected over an aging Celtics team. The final minutes of 1993 Game 4 quarterfinals culminating with Zo's winning shot. On TNT, I think. I, like many at the time, firmly believed Charlotte would win this series. What gets forgotten is that there was a borderline goaltend on Dee Brown's alley-oop at the very end. And the Celtics were infuriated at Jack Delaney like Xavier McDaniel was. Doug Collins and Rod Thulin both were thinking that it was. In any case, it was to be the final NBA game for both Kevin McHale and Reggie Lewis for different reasons.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGvHIC67S5A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FRNMt2bu48

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Much has been made about the rivalry and eventual friendship of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson over the years that it doesn't need to be talked about. That's already done with in books, magazine articles, joint interviews, documentaries, and even in a Broadway play! Yet, it never gets old and they enjoy telling it. Now HBO recently aired a documentary about the two forever-intertwined beings, and, while it omitted a few things like the Bird retirement that Magic attended and the Naismith HOF enshirement, it shows footage of them as Team USA teammates on the now-defunct World Invitational Tournament against Yugoslavia, the Soviet Union, and Cuba that HBO aired back in 1978. Now here's Bird & Magic: A Courtship of Rivals

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtykEHPRO1Q

Blake Griffin travels back in time to see his younger selves in 1995, 1997, 1999, 2002, and 2006 all in his Kia Optima (each commercial has a hit song from each of those years) giving life lessons along the way:

Montell Jordan "This Is How We Do It" (1995) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1h1aVorUjc)
OMC "How Bizarre" (1997) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGnhQGeyjWM)
Eiffel 56 "Blue" (1999) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRIJBMIu2Xk)
Sean Paul "Gimme Da Light" (2002) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOxessvYNto)
VKCE "Back To The Past" (2006) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uusxkJT6r0)
Bonus 2006 commercial regarding weightlifting gloves and racing gloves (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H5KJht3_Lc)

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Move over Eric "Sleepy" Floyd and Baron Davis! We just got another memorable Golden St. Warriors postseason performance at the Oakland Coliseum Arena/Oracle Arena in Stephen Curry from this year's Game 4. Andrew Bogut and Klay Thompson both get some love here too. Steph does look like he's 12-14.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Sa9Zaf_OZk

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The Knicks and Pacers duking it out again in the NBA Playoffs. Just think now's a good time to upload the ESPN 30 For 30 doc Winning Time to chronicle that wonderful time back in the 90s when Reggie hated the Knicks and Spike.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLf5WjfTGxg

There's this late 80s-early 90s retro going on. One of those things is a repro Nike T-shirt that says "I put up big numbers". All in lower case lettering. Big and small print. Whenever I see it, I instantly think of those Nike Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood commercials for David Robinson's Nike Force sneakers. One look at the opening intro and you'll see why. It's the intelligent Admiral at his easy-going and fun style like Mr. Fred Rogers. Sometimes too nice. Many of these commercials had special guests from Nike "with today's word". Also many of them were made in 1990-91.

Tickiling the ivories playing Beethoven mixed with forceful power moves in the paint: "Bo may know Diddley, but Mr. Robinson knows Beethoven!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zenUniO0Xtk

Had a fun birthday paty when several of Nike basketball mates bought him new Nike basketball sneakers much to his delight. But is disappointed when David Stern gave Mr. Robinson an autograph photo of himself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHtyBDhA_BY

Larry Brown, David's first pro coach, stops by and pokes fun at himself without diminishing his coaching beliefs with the "transition game".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OC7WVOBA5fk

Charles Barkley comes into David's neighborhood like a force of nature to discuss being "fined" and denies having that himself. There's a playful nod to David's Naval background in the beginning.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPzqgzaaX5Y

David can't keep up with piano great Rudolph Firkusny. But he can "cream" Rudy in basketball.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGnK9vz2Y9s

Gary Payton when he was a rookie had to do all the rookie chores for Mr. Robinson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYl8i3iHY6E

The most serious one of the bunch. David hates "garbage" in his neighborhood. That is, drugs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYl8i3iHY6E

There was another anti-drug one with Georgetown coach John Thompson and his wife over the word "stupid" (or was that "stoopid"?) Not just drugs but also dropping out of school. Not on there though.

Another fave of Nike basketball came in the form of Lil' Penny when Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway became a star PG for the Orlando Magic out of Memphis St. Lil Penny was orginally supposed to be voiced by Eddie Murphy but Eddie wanted more money than Nike was willing to give him. Enter Chris Rock. I often wonder what would've been like if Molly Ringwald had a puppet in those commercials too that was named Lil Molly and was voiced by Judy Tenua and she'll be as obnoxious and playing an accordian with a jones for Tyson Beckford like Lil Penny has for Tyra Banks. My friends laughed when I tell them this and thought it was bizarre!

My favo(u)rite one of the Lil' Penny Nike commercials. He, Penny, and Nick Anderson all watching a Ken Griffrey Jr. joke Nike 1996 political ad. But when Lil' Penny spots the Mariner Moose mascot as Griffrey's running mate, he goes off and declares that he should be Griffrey's running mate. Note the Slam magazine Nick's reading on the sofa. I started laughing nonstop when I first heard Lil' Penny's voice in it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2OJ9YJ1yFc