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Bob Cousy: The Farewell Tour, 1963

Luckily, the guest of honor had written out his sentiments in advance, but he failed miserably in trying to hold back a flood of tears.

Rasheed Wallace’s Sixth Sense, 1999

When I asked if he was interested in competing for the NBA’s coveted Sixth Man Award, Wallace just laughs. “Oh, I wouldn’t mind getting a trophy to put up on my mantle, but that’s not a goal.”

Three-Point Shot: Pro Basketball’s Big Bomb? 1971

Imagine the excitement in Madison Square Garden if one of the Knicks sank a three-point play in the closing minutes of a stretch-run game. It would be pandemonium.

Adrian Dantley: Beating the Sophomore Jinx, 1978

Dantley is always fearful that no matter how he plays, someone somewhere is not satisfied with him. He uses criticism, both real and imagined, as motivation, which is one reason why he always plays consistently.

The Odd Couple: Golden State’s Clifford Ray and George Johnson, 1975

The concept of keeping rested bodies in a contest at all times was an Attles’ trademark throughout the 1974-75 season. And the center position, perhaps embodied that theory more than any other.

Golden State: That Championship Season, 1975

I never met a person with the integrity of Franklin Mieuli. When I die, I want it to say on my tombstone: ‘Frankin, I owe you one.’”

Golden State Warriors: We Are The Champions, 1975

The Warriors were not favored to win. Little, if any attention was given to the club’s determination and progression of improvement.

Larry Steele: Portland’s Man of Steal, 1975

The only problem with Steele gaining a reputation for ball thievery is that some of his other attributes are overlooked.

Michael Olowokandi: The Kandi Man Can, 1999

[Basketball offers no one single pathway to stardom. There are many, some traditional and others circuitous and seemingly zany. Take the mind-bending rise of Michael Olowokandi? In the mid-1990s, the seven-foot Olowokandi was a 20-year-old basketball neophyte in the United Kingdom who cold-called America and, as it happened, one Tony Marcopulos, assistant basketball coach atContinue reading “Michael Olowokandi: The Kandi Man Can, 1999”

Stanley Roberts: ‘The Big Friendly’ in Rookie-land, 1991

Roberts has yet to demonstrate that without a doubt he belongs in the NBA. He has a year to erase those doubts. If all goes well, pretty soon he will be bringing down the house instead of just the backboard.