Sam is 32 years old now, but there was no indication last year that his speed was diminishing, while his skills and confidence rose to new heights.
Author Archives: bobkuska
Bob Cousy: One Magical Night in Boston Garden, 1953
Cooz, the reason for the mass delirium, just sat on the bench, hunched over, trying to hide the tears. “Thanks for everything. Thanks fellas,” he said to well-wishers and his teammates. “There was a prayer going with every shot. I certainly needed them. But I don’t want to have to play a game like that again. Boy, it’s too much. I was lucky.”
Alex English: Mister Poetry in Motion, 1989
That’s the amazing thing about English. His body with the arms and legs that look like pipe cleaners sticking out of a lean torso, doesn’t look like it would hold up in this very physical game.
A Belated Cheer for Ray Felix, 1987
The Knicks were playing the old Philadelphia Warriors, whose star was Wilt Chamberlain. And it was Ray’s job, at least when he was in the game, to guard him. He did his best, I’m sure, but it wasn’t close to good enough.
Elgin Baylor: How Serious Is His Leg Trouble? 1965
Baylor feels he’ll be back in stride again now. Although he’s never won the President’s Cup as the NBA Most Valuable Player as voted by the athletes, Baylor has always been a top contender. He could capture the coveted prize this year if he regains as much bounce as the Lakers hope and expect.
Jerry West: The Making of a Superstar, 1966
No one has shown, each year, the distinct improvement that West continues to show. There’s no telling where he’ll stop—and that, come to think of it, is a characteristic of explosive forces, isn’t it?
Gus Johnson: ‘I Sometimes Amaze Me,’ 1966
Triggered by the magic words, all pro, his voice grows stronger and his words come faster, and suddenly there seems no chance that in the interest of safety, he will abandon the style that made him Gus the Great. ”You don’t see Bill Russell or Wilt Chamberlain gliding through the air and shoving it in there like I do,” Gus says firmly.
James Jones: Best Guard in the ABA? 1974
Jones is also a showman, not a showboat. His sense of the spectacular is controlled, not contrived, and Jones is perhaps the best clutch operator in the league. His style is reminiscent of the best big guards in the NBA, combining physical ability with brains and marked by a sense of always knowing what to do when it counts most.
Oscar Robertson: As Bob Cousy Sees Him, 1965
“Oscar is the greatest,” Cousy states. “There are none better.” That’s the word from the man who wrote the book on the position that both play so well.
Bill Walton: Appreciating Perfection, 1986
Fans mostly see results, which is why the Moses Malones and Artis Gilmores of the world appeal far more to the uneducated than to the aficionados. Coaches look at Bill Walton the way young actors look at Laurence Olivier. They don’t know whether to be more impressed by what he knows or what he intuits.
