Basketball On The Internet.

BASKETBALL On The Internet's US Corresondent BOB CRAVEN has been busy compiling a list of notable anniversaries in the NBA during my prolonged absence from the keyboard, and there have been some doozies during the month of November, as you are about to relive.
 

1946—In the first ever game for the Basketball Association of America (BAA), the forerunner of what would become the NBA, the New York Knicks beat the Toronto Huskies 68-66 in Toronto.

1946—The Knicks play their first ever BAA home game at Madison Square Garden.  They lose to the Chicago Stags 78-68.

1950—A momentous day on two fronts for the Boston Celtics:  Bob Cousy plays in his first pro game, and Chuck Cooper (below) also debuts for the Celts in that game.  He becomes the first ever African American to play in an NBA game.  The Celtics lose badly to the Ft. Wayne Pistons, 107-84.

1957—Bill Russell of the Celtics grabs a then-record 49 rebounds in a 111-89 win over the Philadelphia Warriors.

1960—Elgin Baylor of the LA Lakers (then in their inaugural season LA after moving from Minneapolis), scores a then-NBA record 71 points in a win over the Knicks.  It breaks the previous record of 64 points, which he set the year before (his rookie year) for the Minneapolis Lakers.

1962—Wilt scores 73 in a 127-111 win over the Knicks in NYC.

1964—Bob Pettit, a 206cm forward with the St. Louis Hawks, becomes the first player in NBA history to score 20,000 points in a career.  The Hawks lose to the Cincinnati Royals 123-106.

(A personal note here):  Both teams had multiple amazing players, and both finished second in their respective conferences. 

The Royals were led by “The Big O”, Oscar Robertson. He was ably assisted by Jerry Lucas, Wayne Embry, Tom Hawkins, Bob Boozer and Adrian Smith.  The Hawks were led by Pettit, but other stars were Cliff Hagan, Lenny Wilkins, Zelmo Beaty in the middle, and Richie Guerin.  Even with all this firepower, neither team made it to the NBA Finals—and for good reasons. 

That year, the Celtics won their sixth consecutive NBA title, defeating the SF Warriors 4-1.  Those were the Celtics of Russell, Havlicek, Sam Jones, K.C. Jones, “Satch” Sanders, Tommy Heinsohn and Willie Naulls.  The Warriors had Wilt, Nate Thurmond, Wilt, Guy Rodgers, Wilt, Tom Meschery, Wayne Hightower, and Al Attles.  And did I mention Wilt?

1962—Wilt of the Warriors scores 72 points in a game, at that time the fourth highest total ever, and it’s still the sixth highest.

1981—NY Knick centre, Bill Cartwright, ties the then-record for most free throws in a game without a miss (19-19).

1984—The Houston Rockets block 20 Denver Nugget shots, tying the then-record for most blocks in a regulation game.

1989—As the Iron Curtain crumbles, Sarunas Marciulionis and Alexander Volkov become the first Russians to play in NBA games.  Marciulionis scored 19 in his debut, while Volkov was scoreless.

1991—In a stunner for all of us who follow the sport, Magic Johnson announces he has HIV and that he’s retiring immediately.

1996—At 18 years, 2 months, and 11 days of age, Joe “Jellybean” Bryant’s son Kobe becomes the then-youngest player ever to play in an NBA game.

1998—Ex-Oregon State U. star, A.C. Green, who played many years with the Lakers, but at this point was with the Mavericks, breaks the then-all-time NBA record for consecutive games played with 907.  His streak would continue until reaching 1,192 consecutive games, which is still the record.

In my view, this record should have multiple asterisks attached to it.  At one point, he took a nasty elbow the nose, breaking it and some facial bones. 

In order the keep the streak going, he was fitted with a see-thru plastic face mask for protection, and then he played for a number of weeks with that, but he was only playing a couple of minutes a game.  Then, he’d be benched for the rest of the night, but keeping the streak alive

2012—Jack Taylor of little Division III Grinnell College in Iowa, scores 138 points to shatter the NCAA single game scoring record in a 179-104 win over Faith Baptist Bible.

2019—Lebron James has a line of 25-11-10 in a win against the Thunder, making him the first player to record a triple-double against all 30 NBA teams.    

On a sad cultural note:  We lost one of the great ones from my younger days: Graeme Edge (below) has passed on at 80.  He was the drummer and main songwriter for The Moody Blues.  Oh, the memories of Days of Future Past and Nights in White Satin.

Another sad cultural note in the music world of my “yoot”:  Philip Margo, the singer for The Tokens, has passed on to that great doo-wop group in the sky at age 79. 

In 1961 at age 19, he and the Tokens came out with a version of an old Zulu hunting chant that had first been record in S. Africa in Zulu in 1939 by Solomon Linda and the Evening Songbirds under the title “Mbube”, Zulu for Lion. 

Wimoweh (The Lion Sleeps Tonight) has been recorded in this country frequently since the original was recorded, including by folk legend Pete Seeger while with the group The Weavers.   I’ve listened to that original recording and it’s very different but still recognizable as the origin piece.  The Tokens’ version has since become one of the most iconic pieces of American music.