Basketball Time Machine

[KIRAG]

You are out in the woods or your backyard, suddenly a basketball time machine shows up giving you 3 chances to go back in a moment or game/s you have never witnessed in your life. What 3 basketball moments/games will you go back to?

Mine will probably be:

1) The 1st team basketball ever played at the Springfield YMCA on Dec 21, 1891

2) The first NBA finals match up between the Minneapolis Lakers and the Boston Celtics in 1959

3) Wilt Chamberlain's 100 point game on March 2, 1962

[Liam_Gallagher]

1) Jordan's 61 point game against Boston in 1986

2) Michigan State - Indiana State 1979 Final

3) Raptors vs. Warriors Game 6 2019 Final. I had to work that night so I just wanna watch it live haha.

[ellobo]

I'm pretty old, so I've seen a lot of games live (at least on TV), but three games I was a little too young for that I wish I'd seen:

1) 1969 Finals game 7. (Bill Russell's final game/"The Balloon Game")
The Lakers had 55 regular season wins and were the 1st seed in the West; the Celtics won 48 games and were the 4th seed in the East, so game 7 was in LA. From Wikipedia:

In anticipation of a Lakers win, Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke had ordered thousands of balloons with "World Champion Lakers" printed on them suspended from the rafters of the Forum. Flyers were placed in every seat stating, "When, not if, the Lakers win the title, balloons will be released from the rafters, the USC marching band will play "Happy Days Are Here Again" and broadcaster Chick Hearn will interview Elgin Baylor, Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain in that order." Before the game, the Celtics circulated in their locker room a memo about the Lakers' celebration plans. When Jerry West went to the court for a pre game shoot around and saw the balloons, he became furious with Cooke. Russell noted the giant net hanging from the ceiling during pregame warmups and said to West, "Those f***ing balloons are staying up there."

2) 1970 Finals game 3. Jerry West hits a 60 footer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime (would have won the game if there was a 3 point line), but the Knicks pull out the win in OT.

3) 1970 Finals game 7. "The Walt Frazier Game." Also known as "The Willis Reed Game," but Knicks fans know better. Willis came out of the tunnel and started the game when no one thought he would play and hit his first two shots. But those were the only two shots he hit in 27 minutes, while Clyde had 36 points (12-17 FG and 12-12 FT), 19 assists, and 7 rebounds, as the Knicks won the championship.

[AbeVigodaLive]

1) Jordan's 61 point game against Boston in 1986

2) Michigan State - Indiana State 1979 Final

3) Raptors vs. Warriors Game 6 2019 Final. I had to work that night so I just wanna watch it live haha.

But why would you leave early?

If you're going back 35+ years in time, you might as well stick around to the end and see every bucket.



[Note: Apologies if there are really long traffic jams for the time machine I'm unaware of...]

[K3nny Pow3rs]

1992 NBA Finals, my favorite series ever.

[Ambrose]

1) Malace at the Palace
2) 2016 NBA Finals: Cavs vs. Warriors-Game 7
3) 2007 Eastern Conference Finals: Cavs vs. Pistons-Game 5

EDIT: I think I misinterpreted the title.

1993 Finals-Game 6
Wilt scoring 100
1987 ECF-Game 5

[Myth]

Blazers championship game

A 92 Dream Team game (1st? Last? Not sure which, it is mostly about witnessing that team)

Wilt 100 points

98 Bulls/Jazz game 6

I am aware I cheated

[Doctor MJ]

You are out in the woods or your backyard, suddenly a basketball time machine shows up giving you 3 chances to go back in a moment or game/s you have never witnessed in your life. What 3 basketball moments/games will you go back to?

Mine will probably be:

1) The 1st team basketball ever played at the Springfield YMCA on Dec 21, 1891

2) The first NBA finals match up between the Minneapolis Lakers and the Boston Celtics in 1959

3) Wilt Chamberlain's 100 point game on March 2, 1962

Cool thread, cool choices.

My thoughts turn to the pre-NBA stuff like you did with (1), because that's the stuff we have no way of actually watching.

1) March 22nd, 1925 - first time I'm aware of that the Original Celtics and New York Rens met. Not sure of a better date to pick. I'd love to see that rivalry in action, and love to know for sure how their "Scientific Basketball" approach looked.

2) January 1, 1938 - Hank Luisetti scores 50. The way people reacted to Luisetti was unprecedented. There was a buzz around him as a player like there'd never been a buzz before. It's why, despite the fact that he only ever played college (Stanford) and in military during the war, at the half century mark he finished 2nd to George Mikan as player of the half century. I'd love to see it first hand. (Best footage of Luisetti I know comes from movie he was in at the time, but the game is part of the movie and it's clearly not a good picture of competitive basketball.)

3) March 28th, 1939 - The New York Rens beat the Oshkosh All-Stars to win the first ever World Pro Basketball Tournament. For a Black team to win this tournament when they weren't allowed to play in any of the significant leagues of the 1920s or 1930s was a huge moment. (Oshkosh was in the NBL at the time, which would be the league that eventually produced the Minneapolis Lakers and then merged with the BAA to form the NBA. Of the two merging leagues, the NBL was clearly the superior basketball league, while the BAA had the superior financial backing.)

Other games that come to mind:

I'd love to see a legendary game of Cumberland Posey's Loendi Big 5.

I'd love to see what Paul Robeson looked like playing basketball.

I want to see Dutch Dehnert of the Original Celtics do his Pivot play. How close was it to what Bill Walton and Nikola Jokic do today?

I'd like to see the Harlem Globetrotters when they won the World Pro Basketball Tournament in 1940 and both of the first two matches against the Lakers that the Globetrotters won.

[Curmudgeon]

Game 7, 1969 finals.

[Lalouie]

wilt's 100

ucla's revenge game which i could watch over and over and over again

either the dream tean practices or bird's legendary game vs the hawks

[MaxZaslofskyJr]

I'm assuming that we get to see these live.

May 10 1974: Nets win 1st Championship against Utah Stars. Erving, Kenon, Super John, The Whopper, Ladner, Melchionni & vastly under-rated Brian Taylor.
Oct 03 1971: Nets with Rick Barry win their 1st ever ABA-NBA exhibition against Boston Celtics. Boston would finish 1st in the NBA East in the upcoming season. Never saw Barry play with the Nets in person.
Apr 26 1984: Nets win 1st NBA playoff series ever against defending Champs 76ers... 76ers with Doctor J no less.

[MaxZaslofskyJr]

Cool thread, cool choices.

My thoughts turn to the pre-NBA stuff like you did with (1), because that's the stuff we have no way of actually watching.

1) March 22nd, 1925 - first time I'm aware of that the Original Celtics and New York Rens met. Not sure of a better date to pick. I'd love to see that rivalry in action, and love to know for sure how their "Scientific Basketball" approach looked.

2) January 1, 1938 - Hank Luisetti scores 50. The way people reacted to Luisetti was unprecedented. There was a buzz around him as a player like there'd never been a buzz before. It's why, despite the fact that he only ever played college (Stanford) and in military during the war, at the half century mark he finished 2nd to George Mikan as player of the half century. I'd love to see it first hand. (Best footage of Luisetti I know comes from movie he was in at the time, but the game is part of the movie and it's clearly not a good picture of competitive basketball.)

3) March 28th, 1939 - The New York Rens beat the Oshkosh All-Stars to win the first ever World Pro Basketball Tournament. For a Black team to win this tournament when they weren't allowed to play in any of the significant leagues of the 1920s or 1930s was a huge moment. (Oshkosh was in the NBL at the time, which would be the league that eventually produced the Minneapolis Lakers and then merged with the BAA to form the NBA. Of the two merging leagues, the NBL was clearly the superior basketball league, while the BAA had the superior financial backing.)

Other games that come to mind:

I'd love to see a legendary game of Cumberland Posey's Loendi Big 5.

I'd love to see what Paul Robeson looked like playing basketball.

I want to see Dutch Dehnert of the Original Celtics do his Pivot play. How close was it to what Bill Walton and Nikola Jokic do today?

I'd like to see the Harlem Globetrotters when they won the World Pro Basketball Tournament in 1940 and both of the first two matches against the Lakers that the Globetrotters won.

There's a man who knows his basketball history! Have you ever read any books by Murry Nelson. He wrote a great one about the NBL (which makes the same case for superiority over the BAA... tho' NBL stats are not NBA official I believe and BAA are! Shades of short-changing my beloved ABA!). Nelson also wrote a great book about the Original Celtics.

Question for ya: would you agree that we need a basketball HISTORY sub-forum?

[Joshyjess]

Wilt's 100 point game (woud be interesting to see if he really did score 100 that night - finally put the debate to bed)
Havlechik stealing the ball to win the series (I've heard Johnny Most's radio broadcast of this moment so many times would be amazing to actually see it)
A Bill Rusell Vs. Wilt classic game

[Doctor MJ]

Cool thread, cool choices.

My thoughts turn to the pre-NBA stuff like you did with (1), because that's the stuff we have no way of actually watching.

1) March 22nd, 1925 - first time I'm aware of that the Original Celtics and New York Rens met. Not sure of a better date to pick. I'd love to see that rivalry in action, and love to know for sure how their "Scientific Basketball" approach looked.

2) January 1, 1938 - Hank Luisetti scores 50. The way people reacted to Luisetti was unprecedented. There was a buzz around him as a player like there'd never been a buzz before. It's why, despite the fact that he only ever played college (Stanford) and in military during the war, at the half century mark he finished 2nd to George Mikan as player of the half century. I'd love to see it first hand. (Best footage of Luisetti I know comes from movie he was in at the time, but the game is part of the movie and it's clearly not a good picture of competitive basketball.)

3) March 28th, 1939 - The New York Rens beat the Oshkosh All-Stars to win the first ever World Pro Basketball Tournament. For a Black team to win this tournament when they weren't allowed to play in any of the significant leagues of the 1920s or 1930s was a huge moment. (Oshkosh was in the NBL at the time, which would be the league that eventually produced the Minneapolis Lakers and then merged with the BAA to form the NBA. Of the two merging leagues, the NBL was clearly the superior basketball league, while the BAA had the superior financial backing.)

Other games that come to mind:

I'd love to see a legendary game of Cumberland Posey's Loendi Big 5.

I'd love to see what Paul Robeson looked like playing basketball.

I want to see Dutch Dehnert of the Original Celtics do his Pivot play. How close was it to what Bill Walton and Nikola Jokic do today?

I'd like to see the Harlem Globetrotters when they won the World Pro Basketball Tournament in 1940 and both of the first two matches against the Lakers that the Globetrotters won.

There's a man who knows his basketball history! Have you ever read any books by Murry Nelson. He wrote a great one about the NBL (which makes the same case for superiority over the BAA... tho' NBL stats are not NBA official I believe and BAA are! Shades of short-changing my beloved ABA!). Nelson also wrote a great book about the Original Celtics.

Question for ya: would you agree that we need a basketball HISTORY sub-forum?

Why thank you Max, and right back atcha!

I haven't read Nelson. I should!

Drives me nut the way the BAA/NBA tried to pretend that the NBL didn't exist. It's even worse than the ABA of course both because the NBL's stats are not kept, and because of how good the NBL was relative to the BAA. It would be as if the ABA teams joined the NBA, and immediately made every single NBA team look like a minor league team.

Re: History sub-forum. It's something I've thought about and I'm not opposed to in theory, but I don't have the mental space to lead this at this point. Also, the Player Comparisons board already is arguably the best basketball history on the internet imho - APBR has the best historical focus, but lacks the traffic or - to my knowledge - the quantitative focus that some on the PC have.

[OdomFan]

How does the time traveling work? does it automatically zap you over to your next choice of the 3 after the moment/game is over? then back to the present after the last one?

Anyway I choose Wilt's 100 point game, the 1992 Scrimmage game between team Jordan and Team Magic that was never aired, and A 90s matchup between the Bulls and Bullets in Washington. Just for the sake of being close to my childhood home in that era.

If there's time I'll swing by the old house for a little while.

[the_other_guy]

Jordans 63pts against Celtics
USSR vs USA in 88.
Euroleague Final 4 in 1999. Even though I seen it, that is a rewatchable material.

[DoItALL9]

You are out in the woods or your backyard, suddenly a basketball time machine shows up giving you 3 chances to go back in a moment or game/s you have never witnessed in your life. What 3 basketball moments/games will you go back to?

Mine will probably be:

1) The 1st team basketball ever played at the Springfield YMCA on Dec 21, 1891

2) The first NBA finals match up between the Minneapolis Lakers and the Boston Celtics in 1959

3) Wilt Chamberlain's 100 point game on March 2, 1962

Cool thread, cool choices.

My thoughts turn to the pre-NBA stuff like you did with (1), because that's the stuff we have no way of actually watching.

1) March 22nd, 1925 - first time I'm aware of that the Original Celtics and New York Rens met. Not sure of a better date to pick. I'd love to see that rivalry in action, and love to know for sure how their "Scientific Basketball" approach looked.

2) January 1, 1938 - Hank Luisetti scores 50. The way people reacted to Luisetti was unprecedented. There was a buzz around him as a player like there'd never been a buzz before. It's why, despite the fact that he only ever played college (Stanford) and in military during the war, at the half century mark he finished 2nd to George Mikan as player of the half century. I'd love to see it first hand. (Best footage of Luisetti I know comes from movie he was in at the time, but the game is part of the movie and it's clearly not a good picture of competitive basketball.)

3) March 28th, 1939 - The New York Rens beat the Oshkosh All-Stars to win the first ever World Pro Basketball Tournament. For a Black team to win this tournament when they weren't allowed to play in any of the significant leagues of the 1920s or 1930s was a huge moment. (Oshkosh was in the NBL at the time, which would be the league that eventually produced the Minneapolis Lakers and then merged with the BAA to form the NBA. Of the two merging leagues, the NBL was clearly the superior basketball league, while the BAA had the superior financial backing.)

Other games that come to mind:

I'd love to see a legendary game of Cumberland Posey's Loendi Big 5.

I'd love to see what Paul Robeson looked like playing basketball.

I want to see Dutch Dehnert of the Original Celtics do his Pivot play. How close was it to what Bill Walton and Nikola Jokic do today?

I'd like to see the Harlem Globetrotters when they won the World Pro Basketball Tournament in 1940 and both of the first two matches against the Lakers that the Globetrotters won.

Cool thread, cool choices.

My thoughts turn to the pre-NBA stuff like you did with (1), because that's the stuff we have no way of actually watching.

1) March 22nd, 1925 - first time I'm aware of that the Original Celtics and New York Rens met. Not sure of a better date to pick. I'd love to see that rivalry in action, and love to know for sure how their "Scientific Basketball" approach looked.

2) January 1, 1938 - Hank Luisetti scores 50. The way people reacted to Luisetti was unprecedented. There was a buzz around him as a player like there'd never been a buzz before. It's why, despite the fact that he only ever played college (Stanford) and in military during the war, at the half century mark he finished 2nd to George Mikan as player of the half century. I'd love to see it first hand. (Best footage of Luisetti I know comes from movie he was in at the time, but the game is part of the movie and it's clearly not a good picture of competitive basketball.)

3) March 28th, 1939 - The New York Rens beat the Oshkosh All-Stars to win the first ever World Pro Basketball Tournament. For a Black team to win this tournament when they weren't allowed to play in any of the significant leagues of the 1920s or 1930s was a huge moment. (Oshkosh was in the NBL at the time, which would be the league that eventually produced the Minneapolis Lakers and then merged with the BAA to form the NBA. Of the two merging leagues, the NBL was clearly the superior basketball league, while the BAA had the superior financial backing.)

Other games that come to mind:

I'd love to see a legendary game of Cumberland Posey's Loendi Big 5.

I'd love to see what Paul Robeson looked like playing basketball.

I want to see Dutch Dehnert of the Original Celtics do his Pivot play. How close was it to what Bill Walton and Nikola Jokic do today?

I'd like to see the Harlem Globetrotters when they won the World Pro Basketball Tournament in 1940 and both of the first two matches against the Lakers that the Globetrotters won.

There's a man who knows his basketball history! Have you ever read any books by Murry Nelson. He wrote a great one about the NBL (which makes the same case for superiority over the BAA... tho' NBL stats are not NBA official I believe and BAA are! Shades of short-changing my beloved ABA!). Nelson also wrote a great book about the Original Celtics.

Question for ya: would you agree that we need a basketball HISTORY sub-forum?

Great game choices (on the game 7 1969, I would want someone to report back what exactly happened with Wilt and his coach as he tried to come back in the game, body language and all)
I love the sub-forum idea.



1. 1972 Olympic Gold medal game (and I need to sit by the scorer's table & Olympic official who made the replay "decision")

2. 1975 Kentucky Colonels championship clincher

3. Dr. J's biggest game at the Rucker. The one with the pictures of folks hanging from any and everything

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[DoItALL9]

I don't know if it ever happened or where but if so also I'd like to see a pickup game between Russell & KAJ.

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