Over And Back: Stories About Nba History

Just a little over a year after winning an NBA championship in his rookie year, Magic Johnson publicly demanded a trade from the Los Angeles Lakers on Nov. 18, 1981. In the latest episode of the Over and Back Classic NBA Podcast, Jason Mann and Rich Kraetsch discuss what led up to the trade demand, the feud between Magic and Lakers coach Paul Westhead, how Johnson was vilified by fans and media during the time, and how the situation was resolved.We talk about Magic and new Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss helping establish Showtime in L.A., how their close relationship upset the other Lakers players, how Westhead took over for Showtime architect Jack McKinney, the Lakers winning the 1980 championship, a disappointing 1981 season and playoff loss to the Rockets, Johnson’s 25-year, $25 million contract, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar seeking a trade to New York, how things went sour between Johnson and Westhead, the coach finally being fired, massive confusion between Buss, Jerry West and Pat Riley over who exactly would be th

The NBA career of "Pistol" Pete Maravich is discussed in the latest episode of Over and Back's Basketball Mysteries of the 1970s series. Jason Mann is joined by KL Chouinard of Hawks.com and the ATL and 29 podcast, and they discuss why Maravich's brilliant individual skills didn't translate to much team success, his unrivaled fame coming into the NBA, being a favored white star in an increasingly black-majority league, how he was similar to Steph Curry in awing crowds, and how personal struggles helped keep Maravich from achieving more.They also talk about Maravich having a hard time fitting in with a very good Hawks team, how the Hawks were reshaped in Pistol's image, how Maravich and Lou Hudson eventually became a very good scoring tandem, Maravich's falling out in Atlanta and trade to the expansion New Orleans Jazz, his sometimes wild person behavior, how Maravich eventually had his best run with the Jazz before injuries and egos derailed the team, his 68-point effort against th

Did your NBA team blow a 3-1 lead? There’s always next year. Jason and Rich discuss the teams who squandered a 3-1 advantage in a playoff series and what happened next in the latest episode of the Over and Back Classic NBA podcast.With both the Golden State Warriors (in the Finals, you might have heard) and the Oklahoma City Thunder facing seasons after epic 3-1 collapses, we look at how other teams handled the same situation. Series discussed and their aftermaths include: the Celtics vs. 76ers in 1968, Pacers vs. Kentucky Colonels in 1969, Lakers vs. Suns in 1970, Celtics vs. 76ers in 1981, Rockets vs. Suns in 1995, Heat vs. Knicks in 1997, Pistons vs. Magic in 2003, Suns vs. Lakers in 2006, and Rockets vs. Clippers in 2015.We delve into possibly Bill Russell’s greatest triumph, the 1968 Sixers breaking up a would-be dynasty, an epic fight between the Pacers and Colonels, odd NBA playoff seedings of the early 1970s, Doug Moe accusing referees of malfeasance, Larry Bird helping Celtic-Sixer history repeat its

We look at the 23 worst games of Michael Jordan’s career in the latest episode of the Over and Back Classic NBA podcast.Rich Kraetsch and Jason Mann look at Jordan’s performances in each game and tidbits from each situation. While this might seem like an exercise in player-hating from notorious Jordan skeptics, it’s actually impressive how few out-and-out bad performances Jordan had in his career.Timestamps:1:45 Jordan comes off pretty well, even in his 23 worst games3:45 "Now, let’s trash Michael Jordan."4:55 The Bulls with Jordan lost a 1990s playoff series. Wait, what?7:50 There’s no reason to put asterisk on the 1995 Bulls8:30 Why we didn't include more Wizards years11:50 A sad 1986 Bulls-Cavs playoff race as Jordan is recovering from injury and feuding with the Jerrys (Reinsdorf and Krause)13:15 Jordan is laughed at by Raptors crowd after missing a breakaway dunk15:25 MJ wears Penny Hardaway's shoes16:20 Jordan ends his 866-game double-digit scoring streak18:30 What Jordan did six days af

Could Kevin Durant be included in the conversation for greatest of all time? What would it take for him to get there? What would the Golden State Warriors need to accomplish? Jason Mann and Rich Kraetsch discuss this and more on the latest episode the Over and Back Classic NBA podcast, now at The Step Back.Time Stamps:3:45 Where Durant ranks in all-time categories6:00 How behind LeBron James in the all-time great conversation is Durant’s biggest obstacle and how moving to Golden State could change his career track7:05 Comparing Durant to all-time greats at the same age or number of seasons and who he stacks up with8:45 How the early start to Durant’s compared to most historical players both helps and hurts his legacy10:10 Where Durant would stand if he retired now12:35 How the Durant vs. LeBron conversation could change if they play each other again in the Finals13:30 How Durant doesn't rank historically great in box plus-minus and whether playing with a potential all-time great Warriors team will change

The hair, the fashion and jerseys of the 1970s are discussed in the latest episode of the Over and Back Classic NBA podcast’s Basketball Mysteries of the 1970s series.Video Accompaniment: http://bit.ly/OnB-70sFashionJason Mann and Rich Kraetsch discuss on and off the court basketball fashion of the 1970s — the good, the ugly and the plaid! Jerseys such as the Miami Floridians, Indiana Pacers, New York Nets, Memphis Tams, Washington Caps, Atlanta Hawks, Pittsburgh Condors, Washington Bullets and Spirits of St. Louis are discussed in great detail.Next, we look at the famous hair of the 1970s including the stunning afros of Darnell Hillman, the ABA's Biggest ABA Afro Award winner, Dr. J Julius Erving and Artis Gilmore. We also talk non-Afro hair in particular Claude Terry, dubbed the "blonde Sonny Bono", Pat Riley, Phil Jackson, Pete Maravich and much more.We also talk coach fashion including Larry Brown's Oshkosh B'Gosh overalls, Doug Moe's inability to match patterns, Lenny Wilkens'

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs. Bill Walton: Could this rivalry have saved the NBA from a late 1970s malaise had Walton remained healthy? We discuss what was and what could have been in the latest episode of Over and Back's Basketball Mysteries of the 1970s.We consider the parallels between Abdul-Jabbar and Walton with Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell, look at the head-to-head matchups between Walton and Abdul-Jabbar from 1975 through 1978 (thanks to this fabulous research at InsideHoops.com) as well as the Blazers' sweep of the Lakers in 1977, punctuated by a Walton poster dunk over Abdul-Jabbar that was seen by many as the passing of the torch of the greatest big man in the NBA, and wonder how a healthy Walton and the Blazers could have challenged the Lakers in the early 1980s. We also look at how each player produced during that time and why the numbers seem to give Abdul-Jabbar such an advantage. Then we discuss Abdul-Jabbar's late 1970s seasons with the Lakers in part of a previously recorded episod

We look at some of the most spectacular stat lines and box scores in the NBA and ABA in the latest episode of Over and Back's Basketball Mysteries of the 1970s.We discuss the incredible duel over the scoring title in 1978, with David Thompson scoring 73 points and George Gervin with 63 on the final night of the regular season, other players who scored more than 60 points in a single game during the 1970s (Stew Johnson, Zelmo Beaty, Larry Miller, and Julius Erving in the ABA, and Rick Barry and Pete Maravich in the NBA), George McGinnis’ propensity for triple doubles (and quadruple doubles, if you include turnovers), Nate Thurmond’s first recorded quadruple double in NBA history, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with a 50-point triple double, Kevin Porter breaking all kinds of assist records, and Erving with the first known 5-by-5 game.We also discuss some amazing NBA and ABA Finals performances from Artis Gilmore, Dave Cowens, Bill Walton, and Erving, as well as 50-point playoff games from Billy Cunningham, Barry, Rog

We discuss the most incredible NBA and ABA moments of the 1970s in the latest edition of Over and Back’s Basketball Mysteries of the 1970s.We go through some of the most exciting and clutch moments of the decade, including Jerry West's 60-foot shoot in Game 3 of the 1970 NBA Finals, Willis Reed walking through the tunnel in Game 7, Fred Carter's jumper for the Baltimore Bullets against the Knicks in 1971, a Rick Barry vs. Roger Brown duel for the ages in 1972, a Ralph Simpson game-winner for the Denver Rockets over the Indiana Pacers in 1972, Barry banking in a 3-pointer for the New York Nets over Julius Erving's Virginia Squires in 1972, Wilt Chamberlain with a clutch block of Norm Van Lier's shot in 1973 to put the Lakers in the Finals, Chet Walker hitting a game-winner for the Bulls over the Pistons in 1974, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hitting a long skyhook in double overtime in Game 6 of the 1974 Finals, Freddie Lewis sending the Spirits of St. Louis over the Nets in the greatest playoff upset in

We look at Bill Walton and how revolutionary he was in his politics, lifestyle and on the basketball floor in the latest episode of Over and Back's Basketball Mysteries of the 1970s.The redheaded center was an amazing passer, defender, shotblocker, and crafty scorer with a range of smarts and skills whose Portland Trail Blazers seemed on the verge of a dynasty when Walton’s foot injury in 1978 led to a nasty divorce with the team. He took lots of media criticism for his anti-establishment politics and his counterculture lifestyle, especially before he won the championship in 1977.We detail the reasons he was a revolutionary force in and out of basketball and talk about the 1977 Blazers, why he was linked to kidnapped heiress Patty Hearst, being the first NBA player with a ponytail, his criticism of capitalism, his versatility, his simultaneous love but obsession with the game, how Portland came to embrace Blazermania, how Maurice Lucas ended up being the perfect complement, how Walton and Jack Ramsay saw

Kevin Garnett wore #21 and played 21 seasons in the NBA. It only seems fitting that we bid The Big Ticket adieu with 21 questions about Garnett's life and career. Questions and topics include who was Kevin Garnett, where does Kevin Garnett rank among players, by the numbers, Is there an argument Garnett is the most versatile player in NBA history, what were his best instances of trash talk, our favorite KG quotes (both the good and the bad), what was the ultimate KG game, what was Garnett's best playoff series, a brief look at the world in 1995 (Garnett's debut year), Garnett's biggest influence on the game, ushering in the prep-to-pro generation, how do you best express KG's unprecedented longevity, tracing basketball lineage from 1935 to Kevin Garnett in only five players. We also delve into Garnett's role in the 1999 lockout, the breakdown in relationship between Stephon Marbury and Garnett, whether the Timberwolves could have won an NBA Title while Garnett was there, how the Boston

We look at key on-the-court battles between the warring NBA and ABA in the latest episode in Over and Back’s Basketball Mysteries of the 1970s with Reinis Lacis (@LamarMatic), host of The Handle podcast. Known for many legal battles off the court, the ABA and NBA battled often on the court, with two interleague all-star games and dozens of exhibition games throughout the 1970s. We discuss the NBA’s domination of the early games, how the ABA later caught up, how the games were promoted and publicized, different viewpoints on how intense the games really were, the first “Super Bowl of Basketball" between the NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks and the ABA champion Utah Stars, the Indiana Pacers’ puzzling poor record in exhibition games, an incredible free-throw dunk by Julius Erving that almost no one has seen, Erving playing for the Hawks vs. ABA teams, a game with a combined 119 free throw attempts, a 1975 champion vs. champion matchup between the Colonels and Warriors, a duel between Rick Barry (49 points) and

We look at Wilt Chamberlain’s time in the ABA as coach of the San Diego Conquistadors in the latest episode in Over and Back’s Basketball Mysteries of the 1970s.We discuss how Chamberlain, fresh off leading the Los Angeles Lakers to the 1972 title and 1973 Finals, jumped to the ABA as a player-coach but was unable to play because of contract issues and what a difference he might have made had he been able to play in the league. We talk about the San Diego Q’s infamous marketing campaign of “the tallest coach in the smallest arena,” how much actual coaching Chamberlain did, how Wilt related to the Q’s players (including Caldwell Jones, Bo Lamar, Gene Moore, Stew Johnson, Red Robbins, Travis Grant, and Flynn Robinson), celebrities visiting San Diego’s practice, a confrontation involving Chamberlain and Indiana’s Mel Daniels, the ABA commissioner asking Wilt not to wear sandals, and the best Wilt in the ABA stories. We also talk about other NBA stars who jumped to the ABA, including Billy Cunningham and Joe Cald

We discuss Kermit Washington’s infamous punch that severely injured Rudy Tomjanovich in 1977 and the NBA’s fighting culture of the time in the latest edition of Over and Back’s Basketball Mysteries of the 1970s.We look at the evolution of the NBA from a rough-and-tumble game with lots of fouling and physical play in the 1950s into more of a finesse game, how early black players with often pigeonholed into limited enforcer-type roles, how fighting was often glamorized in the lower-profile ABA but demonized in the late 1970s NBA, how the racial dynamics involved affected fans’ views of fighting, famous stories of ABA and NBA fights (including fights involving Mel Daniels, Willis Reed, John Brisker, Cliff Hagan, Warren Jabali, and Wendell Ladner), an infamous Sports Illustrated profile (http://www.si.com/vault/1977/10/31/626402/nobody-but-nobody-is-going-to-hurt-my-teammates) just weeks before The Fight looking at NBA enforcers (featuring Washington, Maurice Lucas, Calvin Murphy, Dennis Awtrey, Bob Lanier and Da

We look at why there were so many playoff upsets and so much parity during the 1970s in the latest edition of Over and Back’s Basketball Mysteries of the 1970s.We discuss how parity increased in the NBA as the decade wore on and peaked in the late 1970s after the NBA-ABA merger, how 1970s series dominate the list of biggest NBA upsets ever, how there were more major 7-game playoff upsets during the 1970s than in the 35 years in the NBA since, and then break down the major playoff upsets of the time: the Los Angeles Stars over the Denver Rockets in 1970, the Baltimore Bullets over the New York Knicks in 1971, the New York Nets over the 68-win Kentucky Colonels in 1972, the Golden State Warriors over the Milwaukee Bucks in 1973, the Knicks over the 68-win Boston Celtics in 1973, the Celtics over the Bucks in 1974, the Warriors over the Washington Bullets in the 1975 NBA Finals, Marvin Barnes and the Spirits of St. Louis over Julius Erving and the Nets in 1975, the Indiana Pacers over the Denver Nuggets in 1975,

We look at how Julius Erving’s game and persona evolved during the late 1970s and early 1980s years with the Philadelphia 76ers, where they reached the NBA Finals three times before finally winning a championship in 1983 with Moses Malone. We are joined by frequent guest and pro-basketball historian Curtis Harris @ProHoopsHistory of ProHoopsHistory.com.We discuss how Erving personified ‘70s cool from his personal style to his flare on the court, how he saw himself as an artist on the court and how he tried to blend the playground game with team basketball, how the Nets were unable to afford his contract after the NBA-ABA merger and ended up trading him to the Sixers just before the 1977 season, how the Sixers were “the team that won't shut up” and how they were seen as a group of playground players, how Erving tried to fit himself into a star-laden Sixers team (with George McGinnis, World B. Free, Doug Collins, Darryl Dawkins, Joe Bryant, Henry Bibby and Caldwell Jones), how Erving had to prove himself al

We look at Julius Erving’s ABA championship years with the New York Nets in the latest episode of Over and Back’s Basketball Mysteries of the 1970s with basketball-history enthusiast Reinis Lacis @LamarMatic, host of The Handle podcast.We discuss how Erving fit in with new coach and NBA veteran Kevin Loughery, how Erving became a complete player who filled the box score, how Erving blended with his new mostly young teammates (“The Whopper” Billy Paultz, Bill Melchionni, speedy Brian Taylor and rookies Super John Williamson and Larry Kenon), how the Nets struggled early with constant pressing and fast breaking, how a team meeting after losing nine straight changed the course of the team, acquiring legendary ABA character Wendell Ladner and his friendship with Doc, how the Nets had a special close bond, a heated 1974 playoff series with Erving’s former team the Squires, sweeping a strong Kentucky Colonels team and beating a Utah Stars powerhouse for the Nets’ first championship.We also talk about how Erving man

We look at the early days of Julius Erving’s ABA career in the latest episode of Over and Back’s Basketball Mysteries of the 1970s with basketball-history enthusiast Reinis Lacis @LamarMatic, host of The Handle podcast.We discuss how Julius Erving got his Dr. J nickname, playing college basketball largely in obscurity, developing his legend at New York’s Rucker Park, feeling the freedom to play above the rim the first time, how he mixed the creativity of the playground game with the discipline of the pro game, some of our favorite stories of his dunks, how the Virginia Squires discovered him and signed him out of college, how his early game relied mostly on rebound and how he developed his jump shot to become a complete player, sharing Afro tips with Darnell Hillman, getting fitted for suits with Clyde Frazier, Erving wowing everyone who first saw him in the ABA, the Squires losing ABA leading scorer Charlie Scott to the NBA just before the 1972 playoffs, Erving and the Squires battling Rick Barry and the New

We look at the history of the Kentucky Colonels, who won more regular season games than any other ABA team but continuously failed in the postseason until finally winning a championship in 1975 with Artis Gilmore, Dan Issel and coach Hubie Brown.We are joined by Adam Johnson of Basketball Pantheon and talk about the wacky early history of the Colonels, including their show dog mascot Ziggy and a publicity stunt involving jockey Penny Ann Early becoming the first woman to play in a pro men’s game, and discuss the dynamic backcourt of Darel Carrier and Louie Dampier, the original Splash Brothers who were early pioneers of 3-point shooting. We go through the key points of the team’s 1971 through 1976 seasons, the recruitment of University of Kentucky star Dan Issel, a surprise run to the Finals under Boston Celtics legend Frank Ramsey, adding premier big man Artis Gilmore and his giant Afro, storming to the greatest regular season in ABA history in 1972 but falling to an upstart New York Nets team led by Rick Ba

We take a look at why the 1973 New York Knicks seem to be an afterthought compared to the 1970 team in the latest edition of Over and Back’s Basketball Mysteries of the 1970s.We are joined by Rafael Canton of the NBA Trades blog and podcast to discuss the 1970s Knicks with Clyde Frazier, Willis Reed, Bill Bradley, Dave DeBusschere, Earl Monroe, Phil Jackson, Jerry Lucas, Cazzie Russell and Dick Barnett. They are among the most popular and mythologized teams in NBA history. But while their 1970 championship season, famously punctuated by an injured Reed emerging from the Madison Square Garden tunnel in Game 7 of the Finals to inspire his team to victory, is the stuff of legends, the 1973 team rarely evokes the same kind of treatment, despite having more Hall of Famers.Included in the discussion: how important these Knicks were in terms of popularizing the NBA during the early 1970s, how players with different personalities and backgrounds came together as a cohesive force, what made the Knicks special, less-kn