G- Magic Johnson
G- Michael Jordan
C- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
F- Larry Bird
F- Julius Erving
C- Bill Russell, Shaquille O’Neal, Wilt Chamberlain
G- Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Bob Cousy, Isiah Thomas, Dave Bing, Kobe Bryant
F- Tim Duncan, John Havelcek, Bob Petite, Willis Reed, George Mikan, James Worthy
Coach: Red Auerbach
Showing posts with label Larry Bird. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Larry Bird. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
The Greatest NCAA Basketball Games by Decade
I only went back to the sixties for this.
1960s: Texas Western: 72 Kentucky: 65 (1966): Texas Western fielded an all black starting five and knocked off #1 Kentucky led by a guy named Adolph. It was the first time a major college program started five black players in a NCAA Championship Game. Texas Western was also the first team to start five blacks in any game earlier that year.
1970s: MSU: 75 Indiana State: 64 (1979): Before Magic and Bird, NBA games were shown on tape delay at midnight and there was no March Madness or Bracketology. Then came the 1979 Championship Game and the Laker-Celtic matchups of the 80s…
1980s: NC State: 54 Houston: 52 (1983): NC State had to run the table in the ACC Tournament to make the dance. In the Championship Game, they played the high flying Phi Slama Jama Houston Cougars. The game ended with Lorenzo Charles’ dunk off an air ball thrown up by Dereck Whittenburg.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KH1Jt2XATgE
1990s: Duke: 104 Kentucky: 103 (1992) Elite 8: In the greatest basketball game of all time, Duke trailed Kentucky 103-102 when Christian Laettner threw up a prayer in overtime. With 2.1 seconds remaining, Grant Hill threw the ball the length of the court, Laettner caught it, pivoted, dribbled, and tossed up his shot. Duke wins.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY-iq58_oz4
2000s: George Mason: 86 Uconn: 84 (2006) Elite 8: In an improbable upset, the Patriots stun the Huskies in overtime to make the Final Four. George Mason was an 11 seed. This was not only one of the great upsets, but also a portend of the trend of mid-majors beating the big boys in major collegiate sports.
1960s: Texas Western: 72 Kentucky: 65 (1966): Texas Western fielded an all black starting five and knocked off #1 Kentucky led by a guy named Adolph. It was the first time a major college program started five black players in a NCAA Championship Game. Texas Western was also the first team to start five blacks in any game earlier that year.
1970s: MSU: 75 Indiana State: 64 (1979): Before Magic and Bird, NBA games were shown on tape delay at midnight and there was no March Madness or Bracketology. Then came the 1979 Championship Game and the Laker-Celtic matchups of the 80s…
1980s: NC State: 54 Houston: 52 (1983): NC State had to run the table in the ACC Tournament to make the dance. In the Championship Game, they played the high flying Phi Slama Jama Houston Cougars. The game ended with Lorenzo Charles’ dunk off an air ball thrown up by Dereck Whittenburg.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KH1Jt2XATgE
1990s: Duke: 104 Kentucky: 103 (1992) Elite 8: In the greatest basketball game of all time, Duke trailed Kentucky 103-102 when Christian Laettner threw up a prayer in overtime. With 2.1 seconds remaining, Grant Hill threw the ball the length of the court, Laettner caught it, pivoted, dribbled, and tossed up his shot. Duke wins.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY-iq58_oz4
2000s: George Mason: 86 Uconn: 84 (2006) Elite 8: In an improbable upset, the Patriots stun the Huskies in overtime to make the Final Four. George Mason was an 11 seed. This was not only one of the great upsets, but also a portend of the trend of mid-majors beating the big boys in major collegiate sports.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Greatest Games of the 80s #11-20
11. Tigers: 1 Royals: 0 (October 5, 1984): The nail biter. Happy Birthday to me! The Tigers win Game 3 of the ALCS and the Pennant. Milt Wilcox is unhittable scattering 3 hits. Willie Hernandez finished up and Darrell Evans beat Willie Wilson in a foot race. No Buckner moment here!
12. The 1989 Rose Bowl- Wolverines: 22 Trojans: 14 (January 2, 1989): Bo goes bowling. USC led 14-3 at the half behind Rodney Pete. Michigan’s running game and defense took over in the second half and Leroy Hoard was the MVP. It was Bo’s last bowl win and UM finished #4 in the country with only close losses to Miami and Notre Dame.
13. 32nd Annual NHL All-Star Game- Wales: 6 Campbell: 3 (February 5, 1980) : Howe Returns. Gordie Howe returns to Detroit for the All-Star Game. Unfortunately, it’s at the Joe and not the Olympia.
14. Celtics: 108 Pistons: 107 (May 26, 1987): Bird steals the ball. The Pistons looked to win at Boston Garden for the first time since the Caesars ruled Rome. A win gave Detroit a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals against Boston with a chance to close out the Celts at home. Then, Bird steals the ball. It was the same game Robert Parrish cheap-shotted Bill Laimbeer.
15. Tigers: 7 Twins: 6 (October 10, 1987): Disaster delayed. The Tigers looked doomed after dropping the first two of the ALCS to Minnesota. Pat Sheridan’s 2-run 8th inning shot off Jeff Reardon launched the comeback that never was.
16. Tigers: 6 Blue Jays: 3 (10 innings) (June 4, 1984): The Bergman Experience. Dave Bergman spent seven minutes batting against Roy Lee Jackson. He fouled off 7 pitches after working a full count. Then, he hit a 3-run shot to win the game and launch ABC Monday Night Baseball’s new season.
17. Pistons: 186 Nuggets: 184 (December 13, 1983): The highest scoring game in NBA history. Nowadays, 105 points is a lot. Back then, teams could score. Four players scored 40 or more (Kiki Vandewegh-51, Alex English-47, Isiah- 47, and John Long-41). Twelve players landed in double figures. Imagine scoring 184 and losing…
18. Tigers: 6 White Sox: 0 (April 15, 1983): Damn you Jerry Hairston! Milt Wilcox had a perfect game going into the 9th. Jerry Hairston singles with 2 outs in the 9th to spoil Wilcox’s perfecto.
19. Knicks: 127 Pistons: 123 (OT) (April 27, 1984): Isiah goes off. Game 5 of the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Isiah was having a poor game and then scored 16 points in the last 94 seconds to send the game to overtime. Unfortunately, the Knicks won the game and the series.
20. Tigers: 3 Blue Jays: 2 (September 27, 1987): The Comeback begins. The Tigers went into Toronto and lost the first three games of the series. They trailed 2-1 in the 9th when Kirk Gibson homered off Tom Henke to tie the game. The Tigers won in 13 innings and went 5-2 down the stretch. It sent Toronto into one of the great tailspins in history. They did not win again. The Tigers gained 5 games in the last week and won the division by 2 games.
12. The 1989 Rose Bowl- Wolverines: 22 Trojans: 14 (January 2, 1989): Bo goes bowling. USC led 14-3 at the half behind Rodney Pete. Michigan’s running game and defense took over in the second half and Leroy Hoard was the MVP. It was Bo’s last bowl win and UM finished #4 in the country with only close losses to Miami and Notre Dame.
13. 32nd Annual NHL All-Star Game- Wales: 6 Campbell: 3 (February 5, 1980) : Howe Returns. Gordie Howe returns to Detroit for the All-Star Game. Unfortunately, it’s at the Joe and not the Olympia.
14. Celtics: 108 Pistons: 107 (May 26, 1987): Bird steals the ball. The Pistons looked to win at Boston Garden for the first time since the Caesars ruled Rome. A win gave Detroit a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals against Boston with a chance to close out the Celts at home. Then, Bird steals the ball. It was the same game Robert Parrish cheap-shotted Bill Laimbeer.
15. Tigers: 7 Twins: 6 (October 10, 1987): Disaster delayed. The Tigers looked doomed after dropping the first two of the ALCS to Minnesota. Pat Sheridan’s 2-run 8th inning shot off Jeff Reardon launched the comeback that never was.
16. Tigers: 6 Blue Jays: 3 (10 innings) (June 4, 1984): The Bergman Experience. Dave Bergman spent seven minutes batting against Roy Lee Jackson. He fouled off 7 pitches after working a full count. Then, he hit a 3-run shot to win the game and launch ABC Monday Night Baseball’s new season.
17. Pistons: 186 Nuggets: 184 (December 13, 1983): The highest scoring game in NBA history. Nowadays, 105 points is a lot. Back then, teams could score. Four players scored 40 or more (Kiki Vandewegh-51, Alex English-47, Isiah- 47, and John Long-41). Twelve players landed in double figures. Imagine scoring 184 and losing…
18. Tigers: 6 White Sox: 0 (April 15, 1983): Damn you Jerry Hairston! Milt Wilcox had a perfect game going into the 9th. Jerry Hairston singles with 2 outs in the 9th to spoil Wilcox’s perfecto.
19. Knicks: 127 Pistons: 123 (OT) (April 27, 1984): Isiah goes off. Game 5 of the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Isiah was having a poor game and then scored 16 points in the last 94 seconds to send the game to overtime. Unfortunately, the Knicks won the game and the series.
20. Tigers: 3 Blue Jays: 2 (September 27, 1987): The Comeback begins. The Tigers went into Toronto and lost the first three games of the series. They trailed 2-1 in the 9th when Kirk Gibson homered off Tom Henke to tie the game. The Tigers won in 13 innings and went 5-2 down the stretch. It sent Toronto into one of the great tailspins in history. They did not win again. The Tigers gained 5 games in the last week and won the division by 2 games.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Greatest Games in Michigan History: 1970s #1-10
1. Michigan State: 75 Indiana State: 64 (March 26, 1979): The game that changed basketball. It began the rivalry between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Their popularity and skills changed the NBA as they joined the two most important franchises. Before Magic and Larry, the NBA Finals were played on tape delay at midnight. A decade later, it was in prime time and the NBA and NCAA experienced amazing growth.
2. American League: 6 National League: 4 (July 13, 1971): The 1971 All Star Game. At Tiger Stadium, six Hall of Famers homered in the game, Mickey Lolich, Bill Freehan, Norm Cash, and Al Kaline all played for the AL. Johnny Bench, Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Frank Robinson, and Harmon Killebrew homered. Reggie Jackson’s homer hit the power transformer.
3. Tigers: 5 Yankees: 1 (June 28, 1976): The Bird Game. On Monday Night Baseball, Mark Fidrych dominated the Yankees. Rusty Staub homered in the victory. The Bird would win the Rookie of the Year, 19 games, start the All-Star Game, finished 2nd in the Cy Young voting, led the majors in ERA, pitched into extra innings five times, and then blew his arm out in 1977 while playing in the outfield.
4. USC: 17 Michigan: 10 (January 1, 1979): Charles White scored a touchdown while on the 1 yard line on a fumble recovered by the Wolverines and Michigan lost another Rose Bowl in bizarre fashion.
5. UM: 10 Ohio State:10 (November 24, 1973): Both teams entered the game unbeaten. The winner went to the Rose Bowl. They tied 10-10. Big Ten Athletic Directors gave the Rose Bowl to Ohio State. Bo howled. UM quarterback Denny Franklin was injured and the Big Ten wanted to send the team most likely to win, so OSU went. Michigan blamed MSU for this, but the balloting was secret.
6. A’s: 2 Tigers:1 (October 12, 1972): ALCS Game 5. Billy Martin benched Willie Horton and a bad call led to an Oakland run. It was a farewell for this generation of Tigers. All that remained was to play out their careers, reach milestones, and wait for Morris, Parrish, Gibson, Whitaker, and Trammell.
7. Orioles: 5 Tigers: 4 (September 24, 1974): Al Kaline got his 3000th hit. Too bad the team couldn't win for him.
8. Cowboys: 5 Lions: 0 (December 26, 1970): Detroit went 10-4 and won the Wild Card. The Lions had a great defense, but their offense could not score against the Cowboys. Dallas went to the Superbowl and the Lions went home for over a decade.
9. Red Sox: 8 Tigers: 6 (September 9, 1977): The Tigers rapped out 16 hits in a 8-6 loss. Oh yeah, Lou and Tram made their debuts.
10. Lions: 17 Broncos: 14 (Thanksgiving 1978): The Doug English Game. English sacked Craig Morton 4 times and the Lions defense dominated the defending AFC champs.
2. American League: 6 National League: 4 (July 13, 1971): The 1971 All Star Game. At Tiger Stadium, six Hall of Famers homered in the game, Mickey Lolich, Bill Freehan, Norm Cash, and Al Kaline all played for the AL. Johnny Bench, Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Frank Robinson, and Harmon Killebrew homered. Reggie Jackson’s homer hit the power transformer.
3. Tigers: 5 Yankees: 1 (June 28, 1976): The Bird Game. On Monday Night Baseball, Mark Fidrych dominated the Yankees. Rusty Staub homered in the victory. The Bird would win the Rookie of the Year, 19 games, start the All-Star Game, finished 2nd in the Cy Young voting, led the majors in ERA, pitched into extra innings five times, and then blew his arm out in 1977 while playing in the outfield.
4. USC: 17 Michigan: 10 (January 1, 1979): Charles White scored a touchdown while on the 1 yard line on a fumble recovered by the Wolverines and Michigan lost another Rose Bowl in bizarre fashion.
5. UM: 10 Ohio State:10 (November 24, 1973): Both teams entered the game unbeaten. The winner went to the Rose Bowl. They tied 10-10. Big Ten Athletic Directors gave the Rose Bowl to Ohio State. Bo howled. UM quarterback Denny Franklin was injured and the Big Ten wanted to send the team most likely to win, so OSU went. Michigan blamed MSU for this, but the balloting was secret.
6. A’s: 2 Tigers:1 (October 12, 1972): ALCS Game 5. Billy Martin benched Willie Horton and a bad call led to an Oakland run. It was a farewell for this generation of Tigers. All that remained was to play out their careers, reach milestones, and wait for Morris, Parrish, Gibson, Whitaker, and Trammell.
7. Orioles: 5 Tigers: 4 (September 24, 1974): Al Kaline got his 3000th hit. Too bad the team couldn't win for him.
8. Cowboys: 5 Lions: 0 (December 26, 1970): Detroit went 10-4 and won the Wild Card. The Lions had a great defense, but their offense could not score against the Cowboys. Dallas went to the Superbowl and the Lions went home for over a decade.
9. Red Sox: 8 Tigers: 6 (September 9, 1977): The Tigers rapped out 16 hits in a 8-6 loss. Oh yeah, Lou and Tram made their debuts.
10. Lions: 17 Broncos: 14 (Thanksgiving 1978): The Doug English Game. English sacked Craig Morton 4 times and the Lions defense dominated the defending AFC champs.
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