Time for a quick Earl Monroe story. This one comes from the magazine Pro Basketball Special (1971-72) and an article titled “Ordeal of the Playoffs,” by the late-great Phil Pepe. The article begins with a quote from Bill Russell that goes like this, “When the playoffs come and the pressure is the greatest, you’ve got to look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself what kind of a man you are, what are you really made of?” Pepe takes Russel’s quote and writes, “Things happen in the playoffs, strange and eerie things. It is a time when the unusual is the norm, the extraordinary is commonplace. And only the stoutest of heart come through under the pressure of the playoffs.” Pepe goes on to retell this unusual “loss of cool” during the 1970 NBA Eastern Division semifinals pitting the soon-to-be champion New York Knicks against Monroe’s Baltimore Bullets.
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Wilt, February 1967
By February 1967, Wilt Chamberlain and the Philadelphia 76ers were on their way to notching a historic 68-13 regular-season record. With Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics struggling to find their rhythm, NBA arenas began asking the inevitable: Were the 76ers destined to become the league’s next great dynasty? “I really can’t say,” answered Wilt, also hoping to avoid comment on the recent whispers and winks making their way down Philadelphia’s Broad Street. Some considered “in the know” claimed that Philadelphia’s seven-foot wonder was preparing to jump to the brand-new American Basketball Association.
The ABA’s First Organizational Meeting
While working on my latest book Shake and Bake, I interviewed Joe Geary, the now-late former minority owner of the ABA Dallas Chaparrals. Geary mentioned that, in preparation for the interview, he’d pulled his ABA file. “You still have an ABA file?” I asked. “Why yes,” he answered, “I was the league secretary for several years.”
New Pro Cage Loop May Raid NBA
Now comes the American Basketball Association with teams slated for Seattle, Atlanta, Phoenix, Cleveland, New York, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and Anaheim, Calif.
New Pro Cage League Plans Include L.A.
Below is the first mid-1960s mention of a named second pro basketball league to rival the NBA. The newspaper article ran in the Los Angeles Times on November 15, 1966. The United Basketball League was—you guessed it—the fleeting original name of the American Basketball Association (ABA).
Damn Elevator
The hydraulic whirr stuttered, and then Jim Henneman, the Bullets’ publicity man, felt the elevator groan to a jarring. abrupt halt. Henneman jabbed the button for the lobby. Nothing. He punched again and took a deep, God-help-me breath. If only he had taken the stairs. The freight elevator was notorious for breaking down between floors of the Baltimore Civic Center.
‘Don’t Screw Up the Team’
Since first demanding that the Bullets trade Earl Monroe, Larry Fleisher had now whittled down the list of acceptable franchises to one. the New York Knicks. For Fleisher, it was simply the best fit. The Knicks were a veteran team that remained in the NBA championship hunt. New York fans would be sophisticated enough to appreciate Monroe’s magic act whenever he flashed his Earl the Pearl mystique.
Going AWOL
Archie Clark stood dribbling the basketball at the top of the key. Staring back at him in a stiff, crouched defensive stance was Gene Shue. Archie unleashed a quick series of head and shoulder fakes. Shue scuttled crab-like backwards. Archie gave a hard feint right and crossed over his dribble to the left. Shue scuttled forward, but it was too late.
Phil, the Pearl, and Archie
[In October 1971, Earl Monroe entered his fifth NBA season with the Baltimore Bullets. He wanted out of Baltimore in the worst way. Over the next few days, I’ll post cut material from my recently published book, Shake and Bake, that chronicles one of the testiest trades in NBA history. Here’s part 1.] Baltimore, OctoberContinue reading “Phil, the Pearl, and Archie”
WES UNSELD: I’M KEEPING THE BULLETS FROM WINNING THE CHAMPIONSHIP!
This article comes from an old magazine called Super Sports. The date is February 1972 (Pete Maravich graces the cover), and the now-late-great Wes Unseld let’s it be known that he’s not a true center and would prefer spending his career at forward. Though Unseld likely had help penning the article, it appears under his byline and offers some interesting observations about the early 1970s NBA. Give it a read. You won’t be disappointed.
From Way Downtown 