Those Were The Days

In nearly 50 years around the NBA, I’ve seen a lot of game-changers
BY BOB RYAN

I didn’t miss the two-hand set by very much.
Oh, I grew up with it as a staple of offense, of course, although I never really had one. But people
did have two-hand sets in the grade school league in which I played. Me, I was a one-hand set kind
of guy.

But what I mean is that when I began covering the NBA in the 1969-70 season, it wasn’t that far
away from a time when there still were occasional two-hand sets being thrown up in the league. I
insist I can recall Johnny Most calling one for Sam Jones in the 1966 playoffs. And if I’m not
mistaken, Cincinnati Royals guard Adrian “Odie” Smith, MVP of the 1966 All-Star Game, had one,
and he didn’t retire until 1972.

OK, I guess it’s probably necessary at this point to school the young’uns a bit. Believe it or not,
there was a time when the preferred method of shooting anything other than a layup (or hook,
another Dodo Bird of a shot) was with both hands on the ball. In fact, it was considered downright
heretical when people became aware of a young man on the West Coast named Hank Luisetti, who
was shooting one-handed shots in the 1930s. How dare he!

There was even such a thing as an overhead two-hand set. The great Knick Carl Braun (who
finished up his career with the 1961-62 Celtics) had this in his arsenal. In fact, when he died in
2010, one of his great fans paid homage to that very thing. “As a young New York Knicks fan in the
’50s, I spent hours trying to emulate Carl’s patented over-the-head set shot,” said David Stern. Yup,
that David Stern.

But I guess I’m digressing a wee bit.

It sure was a different professional basketball world in 1969-70. The NBA had 14 teams, but it was
smack in the middle of a major growth period. In the 1965-66 season it was a nine-team league.
Then came Chicago (’66-67), then Seattle and San Diego (’67-68), and Milwaukee and Phoenix
(’68-69). At the conclusion of my first season, the league expanded yet again, adding Buffalo,

Portland, and Cleveland. The Jazz came along in 1974-75, making it 18 teams, and two years later
that number went to 22 with the ABA merger. Now, as you know, we have 30 franchises, each one
playing in a venue that didn’t exist in my first season. Trust me, the phrase “luxury box” did not
exist in that long-ago NBA.

There weren’t any cheerleaders or dance squads, either. There wasn’t any loudspeaker music. What
you had, if indeed you had anything, were organs. Hard to believe now, but John Kiley could really
stir things up during a timeout by playing the “Mexican Hat Dance.”

On the floor it was a very different game. Teams took more shots and made fewer. Most teams
operated on the assumption that you’d better take at least 100 shots a game if you hoped to be
victorious. In 1969-70, the San Diego Rockets led the way with 108.1 shots per game. The Detroit
Pistons brought up the rear at 93.4. Check out any random set of box scores this week. Taking 90
shots is a major deal. The Nets only put it up 74 times in a loss to the Pistons last week, and I’ll bet
that is far from this season’s low total.

The best defensive team was the Knicks, and it was no accident they won the championship. New
York gave up 105.9 points per game. San Diego was last with 121.8, but they had pretty good
competition from Phoenix (121.1) and Cincinnati (120.2). I think I should identify that Cincinnati,
which began life in Rochester (I told you it was a different world), settled for a spell in Kansas City
(and Omaha) and now pitches its tent in Sacramento.

Teams did not automatically play all their games in their own building. There were NBA
doubleheaders in such cities as New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Cleveland. But
that’s not all. The Atlanta Hawks had a road schedule that included games in Albuquerque (vs.
Phoenix), Auburn, Ala. (vs. Chicago), Greenville, S.C. (vs. Detroit), Columbia, S.C. (vs. Cincinnati),
and Memphis (vs. Cincinnati and Detroit). I believed I mentioned it was a different world.

Let’s not forget that for many years the Celtics farmed out home games to Providence, and that well
into the Bird Era the Celtics played three “home” games per season in Hartford.

What teams really coveted, however, were doubleheaders that included visits from either the
Harlem Globetrotters or Marques Haynes’s Harlem Wizards. That’s when you could pretty much
count on a sold-out house. Hey, sometimes people even stayed for the second game.

Most every player was a four-year collegian as we were finding our way through a world created by
Spencer Haywood, whose boldness by entering the ABA after one season at the University of
Detroit (after two junior college years) had shaken up the basketball world two years earlier.

With the exception of the Knicks, teams generally flew commercial. Players were responsible for
checking themselves in and heading to the gate. The Celtics routinely parked at the Airport Hilton
and got van rides over to the terminal in order to avoid the $5 parking garage fee. When they
returned from a road trip, their wives or significant others or whomever met them at the luggage
carousel, just like the ordinary folks.

The meal per diem was a staggering $19 a day, more than enough for the proverbial three good
squares, with a little left over for a beer or two.

I mentioned the Knicks. Thank God Red isn’t around to hear me say this, but that 1969-70 Knicks
team was the single most important one-season unit in the history of the league. The Celtics had
won those 11 titles in the previous 13 years, and Bill Russell was a major American sports name, but
it was the 1969-70 Knicks who awoke people to the glory of the NBA. It was Basketball meets
Madison Avenue and Basketball meets Network TV. It took a successful New York team to educate
America about the NBA. That’s just the way it was.

The league has had its artistic ups and downs over the years. The 1980s were a treasured era, with
the Celtics and Lakers staging historic confrontations featuring Larry Bird and Magic Johnson,
dubbed by Mychal Thompson (father of Klay) “the salt and pepper of the NBA.” And then came

Michael Jordan, who became an international sensation, and whose partnership with Nike
changed the economic landscape of the league.

But the league lost its footing in the mid-’90s, as ’fraidy cat coaches who were happier when their
team did not have the ball than when it did brought upon us a Dark Ages era of push-and-pull
games that frowned on real up-tempo basketball. A prime offender was Pat Riley, who completely
transformed himself from the ringmaster of Showtime in LA to the taskmaster of Thugball in New
York. The 1994 Finals were an eyesore.

Fast forward to the present. As much as I dislike the 3-point shot, I bow to the wishes of the
majority and acknowledge that modern fans, having grown up with it, absolutely love it. And how
could anyone who enjoys basketball not admire the way the Golden State Warriors have combined
their extraordinary 3-point shooting with a find-the-open-man passing sense that would have
looked very familiar to, yes, the world champion 1970 New York Knicks

The NBA is healthy, and it is loaded with vibrant young stars. Now they come from anywhere. Can
you imagine if we had been told back in 1970 that there would someday be a 6-11 kid who handles
the ball like a guard, shoots from downtown, passes like, well, Cousy, and who happens to be of
Nigerian heritage while answering to the nickname “Greek Freak?” It wouldn’t surprise me if
Giannis Antetokounmpo comes up with a two-hand set, just for the hell of it. Or even a running
hook shot.

Ooh, the hook shot. One of these days we should have some good hook shot talk.

Bob Ryan’s column appears regularly in the Globe. He can be reached at ryan@globe.com.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/celtics/2018/01/13/bob-ryan-look-how-nba-has-changed-nearly-years-around-game/W7XdFoJ3EnjahIHZUGuHzI/story.html?p1=Article_Recirculation_Pos6

I still have vivid memories of Tommy Heinsohn driving down the right side of the lane and taking that running hook with little, if any arc.

The great Bob Ryan! His thots translate so much better in print than when he is just a talking head on a sports show on espn. I do believe that the two handed set shot or a close proximity is making its way back. My Dad taught me the two hand set shot. But I admit I preferred the turn around jumper at the top of the key or that vaunted hook shot from almost anywhere. I dream of being one of those in game timeout contestants who have to make a layup, one from the foul line and one from deep. I won't miss the bunny, I always made my fritos, but when I walk over half court and make that hook shot? The crowd goes wild! It's a very popular dream.

mulcogiseng wrote:The great Bob Ryan! His thots translate so much better in print than when he is just a talking head on a sports show on espn. I do believe that the two handed set shot or a close proximity is making its way back. My Dad taught me the two hand set shot. But I admit I preferred the turn around jumper at the top of the key or that vaunted hook shot from almost anywhere. I dream of being one of those in game timeout contestants who have to make a layup, one from the foul line and one from deep. I won't miss the bunny, I always made my fritos, but when I walk over half court and make that hook shot? The crowd goes wild! It's a very popular dream.

Back in the 80's during the "Bird" era, I was fortunate to participate in a half-time contest at the old Garden - make a half-court shot to win a trip to Ireland. There were several contestants ahead me.  Some heaved or threw the ball like a baseball but none of them came close and a couple of them were lucky to even reach the top of the key. When it was my turn, I started from about 10 feet behind the half-court line, dribbled forward to get momentum and took a running jump shot with a lot of arc to carry the distance. The ball glanced off the right side of the rim and the crowd oohed at the miss . . .  close, but no trip. That's the closest I've come realize a dream similar to yours.

Bob Ryan was good. Even though he is an embarrassing blowhard on t.v., he is a pure basketball fan which helps. I never liked Shaughnessy. Shira Springer put me off to reading game stories. She was so pedantic. Marc Spears and Jackie MacMullan were very good, but they got poached by big news outlets.

I learned how to shoot from watching Tiny Archibald and Larry Bird. I never shot like Bird, but it takes one hand to really get a feel for the basketball. Bird arched it off his shoulder? I just liked the way Tiny did it I think more from the chest. I learned probably the most from watching M.L. Carr. I saw that is the way not to do it.

Two handed sets do look a bit ridiculous, but Ryan is correct History is not necessarily ancient. Baynes uses the hook shot. Maybe the hook has evolved into the put shot. The slow, loping Jabbar hook seems to be an artifact. Tyler Zeller uses the put shot.

Tommy Heinsohn still recommends the hook shot here and there for certain players. It does give someone a better chance to not get blocked.

How about Robert Parish? He was so tall and then he'd shoot it from way high over his head. No one could block it. The Chief was a great player. McHale embraced the sixth man role. Talk about a stacked roster. I think Ryan picked the 1985-86 Celtics as the greatest team ever. I will agree with that. It's tough to compare eras with new rules and different body shapes, but there are still basics to the game which will never change. Someone should simulate 1986 versus 2008 Celtics. That might be interesting. I think the original Big Three would have crushed the second version. I think they were that good. Walton still had some gasoline in the tank.

I had a dream the other night that I was in a crowded waiting of an old building in Croatia with Kevin McHale. He had on a red t-shirt and was holding a young baby in his arms. Kevin wanted fried eggs, bacon, and toast for breakfast. That was the dream. Any analysts out there?

You like Breakfast and you loved McHale????

Or, you watched a game with McHale on television and went to bed hungry??????

Or, you just have good dreams!!!

Sandpd....Bob Ryan was one of the great basketball writers of the Boston Celtics era of greatness. The memories must flood thru his mind, because I am sure he has tons. However, his appearances on television leave a lot to be desired. Sometimes I swear he goes out of his way to not appear to be a "homer" and goes overboard. But his knowledge of the game is true.
He learned from some great writers on the Globe, and he learned well. The Globe has had some terrific writers over the years. I will not include Dan Shaunessey in that group even though many think he is great. I just wish he would stick to baseball because he is the most cynical writer I have read on the Globe, Mark Spears was here for a few years, Michael Smith, Michael Holley. All have gone on to good careers. But Ryan was definitely the smartest, no doubt.

Rosalie, I did go to bed hungry, I do love Kevin (actually this was the night IT clothes-lined someone which probably reminded me of Kevin), and fried eggs and toast are my favorites for breakfast. You are smart!

worcester wrote:I had a dream the other night that I was in a crowded waiting of an old building in Croatia with Kevin McHale. He had on a red t-shirt and was holding a young baby in his arms. Kevin wanted fried eggs, bacon, and toast for breakfast. That was the dream. Any analysts out there?

Worcester,

You are disoriented.  You weren't in Croatia and it wasn't McHale. It was Slovenia, you saw Danny and the baby was Luka Doncic.


bob


.

RosalieTCeltics wrote:Sandpd....Bob Ryan was one of the great basketball writers of the Boston Celtics era of greatness.  The memories must flood thru his mind, because I am sure he has tons.  However, his appearances on television leave a lot to be desired. Sometimes I swear he goes out of his way to not appear to be a "homer" and goes overboard.  But his knowledge of the game is true.
He learned from some great writers on the Globe, and he learned well. The Globe has had some terrific writers over the years. I will not include Dan Shaunessey in that group even though many think he is great. I just wish he would stick to baseball because he is the most cynical writer I have read on the Globe, Mark Spears was here for a few years, Michael Smith, Michael Holley. All have gone on to good careers. But Ryan was definitely the smartest, no doubt.

Rosalie,

I thought Ryan was one of the best basketball writers in the country when he was just the Celtics' "beat writer" for the Globe. He wrote some great anecdotal stories back then. Back in the day, I remember seeing him sitting court-side at the Garden press table during the C's games where he would have his typewriter at the ready to type up his post-game column for the Globe's next edition. Then he got a wider following and was recognized nationally. This prompted him to pursue broader sports journalism beyond the Celtics and to get into other sports topics and media besides the Globe. It was then that I started to have less enthusiasm for his writing. I thought he was spreading himself too thin.

I'm with you 100% on Shaughnessy. I think he is one of the most cynical local sports writers around and yes, he should just stick to baseball. I sometimes listen to Michael Holley on the Dale and Holley, and now with Keith weekday afternoons on WEEI. He's written several popular books related to the Patriots and one on Terry Francona and the Red Sox. Anyway, I think he's also a pretty good sports analyst/commentator on the tube.

worcester wrote:I had a dream the other night that I was in a crowded waiting of an old building in Croatia with Kevin McHale. He had on a red t-shirt and was holding a young baby in his arms. Kevin wanted fried eggs, bacon, and toast for breakfast. That was the dream. Any analysts out there?

Maybe your dream got mixed up with Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham.

I don’t see him often, but once in a while whenever I catch him on one of those ESPN talk shows, he doesn’t have much more knowledge than some of our best board members here IMHO....and I assume he has his inside sources, but I’m not impressed with his banter.

I worry about young people growing up today on the internet. I feel very fortunate to have grown up in a much different society. I can still hear Johnny Most's voice by just thinking of him. We'd try to mimic him in school. And he was the radio guy. It might have been just before cable t.v. took off and then every game was televised.

I too liked Michael Holley and Michael Smith. The best was the Boston Globe sports pages before the Shaughnessy era. Will McDonough had a really great column every Saturday. It wasn't just the massive Sunday sports to look forward to.

I liked the Eddie Andelman sports show. Cliff and Claff were really pushing it for kids. I remember them as very crusty. Jimmy Myers was fun. I was got hooked on Mike Adams a bit. He was quite the joker. I remember Jose Canseco getting some air time and those were also good shows.

I can't really say this or that, I remember such and such, although I did remember Ryan rating all the title teams and picking the Bill Walton year as the best.

Shaugnessy started turning me off especially on the Globe website. It seemed he was a shock jock for sports writing. Every other comment would attack him. After a while no one was reading the articles too closely and were anticipating the negative attacks on him. I'm glad I outgrew that.

Zip Rzeppa was very funny, but Bob Lobel dominated the t.v. sports market. Oh my, the memories are flowing. His oh, man. Why can't we get players like that. He had incredible chemistry with Liz Walker. I suppose soon enough all of that will be lost history as people get trapped into the computer.

For a time I was listening to Michael Holley and Dale Arnold. That's amazing they are still doing the show because that had to be over a decade ago.

I simplified life by only following the Celtics. I think after the Red Sox won the second world series and the Bruins finally completed the city title grand slam, I was finished with sports except for the Celtics.

But I fully grew up in the culture and respect the folks who followed them from the 60's into today. I was born after that and into the curse of the bambino. I was too young to appreciate the 70's Bruins or Celtics. All I got for my conscious years was Red Sox heartbreak and the Celtics drought. While the Bruins were always solid, second place got to wearing thin, although Don Cherry was fun. I used to be an all four sports fan. The Patriots had a miserable history before Tuna and then Belichick fixed the team.

My life changed when the Patriots won in 2001 and the Red Sox in 2004. It was no longer about being a fan of a loser city for sports. Oh wait, I forgot about Bird and the three titles in the eighties. I did get to experience those.

The Red Sox stuff was very, very painful, but I guess 2004 made it worth the wait. It's sort of mind blowing how that went on and on for decades and then how 2003 and 2004 ended for the Red Sox. Memories are an interesting thing. Poor Bill Buckner. It was nice to learn the Cubs finally won. I will always root for the lovable loser and underdog teams. I will root for Boston favorites first, but that's just the default position for someone who grew up in New England in the 70's and 80's. It was crazy times and the Boston Globe sports page was the big thing, especially that Sunday edition.

one thing I would add to his piece, is that the NBA growth spurt happened because of a new upstart rival league, that was putting franchises in non- typical NBA cities.

and that WAS the biggest reason for both the growth of the NBA and even for the way the game has changed over the years.

many NBA diehards may not be willing to admit it, but the ABA's wide open style of play, from the dunk becoming a fan favorite to the 3 point shot helped the NBA later become more of a fan oriented league.

worcester wrote:I had a dream the other night that I was in a crowded waiting of an old building in Croatia with Kevin McHale. He had on a red t-shirt and was holding a young baby in his arms. Kevin wanted fried eggs, bacon, and toast for breakfast. That was the dream. Any analysts out there?

worcester

You cling to memories still vivid from a lifetime of activity. While partially stuck in the past you demonstrate an ability to transition through time to the present and into the future. There is important information for you in your dreamtime that relates to your waking hours. This is an opportunity for you to be more observant of the immediacy of life moments. (While the details within the dream are important, your feelings are as well.) If this is an actual dream and you came to me, I would suggest that if you are facing any kind of problem or obstacle, it could be helpful to ascertain just where your comfort level lies and to be careful about making any decisions that stray very far from your values and beliefs.

[quote="kdp59"]one thing I would add to his piece, is that the NBA growth spurt happened because of a new upstart rival league, that was putting franchises in non- typical NBA cities.

and that WAS the biggest reason for both the growth of the NBA and even for the way the game has changed over the years.

many NBA diehards may not be willing to admit it, but the ABA's wide open style of play, from the dunk becoming a fan favorite to the 3 point shot helped the NBA later become more of a fan oriented league.

Thanks KDP, for bringing up the ABA, I loved watching that league. I remember Dr.J and Charlie Scott as Va. Squires, Billy Cunningham as a Carolina Cougar, and Rick Barry as a NY Net. My first favorite hoops team wasn't the Celtics but was the Indiana Pacers (Mel Daniels, Roger Brown, George McGinnis, Freddie Lewis, Darnell Hillman). Even though Daniels and Brown are in the HOF, I still think that they are 2 of the underrated players of all time. As you said, the dunk as being much more than just another 2 points and the 3 ball of today's game owes a bow to the ABA, as does some of the marketing and in arena entertainment that is prevalent today. Much like Bill Veeck isn't given much credit by MLB for his innovative ideas on how to market and run a team to both compete and entertain it's fans, the ABA's influence on the NBA is also devalued or outright ignored.

Remember the NBA vs ABA all star teams at the end of the year?

Cow, yes I do. I think that game was played 2, maybe 3 times. I remember one being at the Astrodome and one at Nassau County Coliseum. I grew up on Long Island and attended about 20 or so Nets games over the years but I would've given my right arm too see that game live.

kdp59 wrote:one thing I would add to his piece, is that the NBA growth spurt happened because of a new upstart rival league, that was putting franchises in non- typical NBA cities.

and that WAS the biggest reason for both the growth of the NBA and even for the way the game has changed over the years.

many NBA diehards may not be willing to admit it, but the ABA's wide open style of play, from the dunk becoming a fan favorite to the 3 point shot helped the NBA later become more of a fan oriented league.

+1

Thankfully the ABA didn't bring their red, white, and blue ball with them.