Life had been a ball, never to be taken seriously, and now it was in deadly earnest. “I’m the only Laker who never got a raise. I made $10,000 every year I’ve been with the team.”
Tag Archives: 1950s NBA
Andy Johnson: An Intentional Foul to Remember, 1959
Guerin started swinging, only to find Johnson a sharper hitter. As the two lunged, ramming into the floor-side crowd, they were joined by all the members of the two squads and disappeared from the view.
Richie Guerin: Knick of Time, 1962
A serious fellow, Richie does not leave his game in the dressing room. He takes it home or on road trips, trying to replay it, detect where he or one of his teammates made a mistake that might have affected the actual outcome.
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.”
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.
Max Zaslofsky: The Whirling Dervish in Chicago, 1950
Then Zaslofsky has a cat-like grace to go around a man, and it is a grace which is not predicated upon speed. His eye is as unerring as any in basketball, and he is shiftiness itself on the prowl.
Alex Groza: How I Play George Mikan, 1950
Playing Mikan is hard work, and it’s not always rewarding, but there’s one thing you can say for sure. It’s always interesting.
Minneapolis Lakers Repeat in College All-Star Game, 1949
If the Lakers aren’t the best team in all professional basketball history, they’ll do until somebody revives the Original Celtics, the pre-war Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons, or gives the Harlem Globetrotters enough experienced height to cope with the Ben Berger-Max Winter wizards.
Maurice Podoloff: The NBA Needs You, 1953
Big league basketball—as we are now going to some lengths to point out—is a lot more than just putting the ball through the hoop.
Pro Basketball’s Fun at Fort Wayne, 1955
“You think I took a helluva gamble entrusting a team—and a franchise—to a man who had never coached college or pro ball and who was at the time a mere referee. It was no gamble to me.”
From Way Downtown 