Goliath Comes to Tinseltown, 1968-1969

Contrary to popular opinion, the Lakers and their opponents, though agreeing that Los Angeles would be formidable, had reservations about the Super-team label and scoffed at the thought that the Lakers had anything locked up. 

Power Forward: Tracking the NBA Power Surge, 2000

Many all-time greats believe the term “power forward” was invented by New York sportswriters looking for a way to describe Dave DeBusschere, who played every minute on the court with reckless abandon.

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.

Baltimore Bullets: All Blood and Guts, 1971

We visited the Bullets in their dressing room that night. The pungent odor of various liniments assailed the nostrils. Without Band-aids and painkillers, the Bullets might not have gotten this far. 

Baltimore Bullets: Once Upon a Time in Madison Square Garden, 1971

The Bullets needed a change of luck in the Garden.

Big Lew—Already Great, 1971

Fast or slow, the game is usually Alcindor’s. He leads the NBA in scoring with 31-plus points a game, he ranks one-two in shooting accuracy, and he is among the leaders in rebounding. There really isn’t anything he can’t do.

Who Are the All-Time Greatest Slam-Dunk Artists? 1977

Dr. J. is the slam-dunk champ of the ABA. Won it fair and square at halftime of the league’s All-Star game last winter.

Remembering the Cincinnati Royals, 1979

Now, there are rumors floating around that the city again is being considered for an NBA franchise, what with the shiny new Riverfront Coliseum sitting almost idle downtown. Could the NBA make it in a different age, in a different building?