Don Nelson – From Way Downtown

NBA Rebels: Are They Worth the Trouble? 1995

On national television, Charles Barkley kicks in folding chairs, Scottie Pippen throws them. And these furniture guys are the Jordan Heirs?

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.

Together Forever: Chris Webber and Penny Hardaway, 1994

Chris Webber and Anfernee (Penny) Hardaway might try to juke comparisons to each other much as they would an overmatched defender, but there’s no dribbling around it.

Gary Brokaw: Potential for Magic, 1974-78

As a youth, Brokaw tried to pattern his play after Walt Frazier and Dave Bing. Little did he know that several years later, it would be Frazier and Bing that would be his workaday opponents.

Otis Thorpe: Pure Power, 1995

You watch him on the court, and it can be like watching a machine. He doesn’t do everything. He never tries to do everything. But what Thorpe does, he does well. Filling the lanes on the break. Shooting the baby hook close to the basket. Rebounding and playing defense. No wasted motion.

Chris Webber’s Growing Pains, 1996

They slap hands, and Webber heads for the locker room, where he straps on an ice pack, sits by his locker, and talks about his ultimate goal in life, the one above basketball, the one above everything. “I want to be a man of the people,” he says.

The Fabulous Fifth, 1976

What do you say after you’ve seen the greatest game of professional basketball ever played? That there should’ve been two winners?

Marques Johnson: Wanting into the Dream Showcase, 1984

Former great forward Rick Barry, asked to compare Marques Johnson and Julius Erving, replied, “That’s difficult. It’s like comparing Mantle to Mays.”

Sidney Moncrief’s Special Success Formula, 1984

Last season, he again was brilliant, soaring over the 20-point mark in scoring for the first time in his NBA career and being named to the Western Conference All-Star team for the second year in a row.

Bob Lanier: Milwaukee Bound, 1980

Bob Lanier scored points. Bob Lanier grabbed rebounds. Bob Lanier pitched assists. Bob Lanier added spirit. And the second-place Bucks were challenging again, two to three games from the lead.