Published Monday thru Friday    

Basketball from a fans perspective

Part A

By the time you read this account the Nuggets will have a 2-0 lead or tied 1-1. Part A is a report on Game 1, the Nuggets ran the Heat off the floor, whether it was Denver’s 5,276-foot altitude or something else.  The final score of 104-93 fails to detail the blowout, truth is I changed channels at a point because the lead was so huge for the Nuggets. Game 1 witnessed the Nuggets running around and through the effort put forth by the Heat. We had two “point guards” Jamal Murray who really is a point guard and The Joker the Nuggets center.

Interesting in the Jokic’ had more assists (14) than Murray (10), it was not only offense because the Nuggets demonstrated they are a competent defensive team. That was Thursday evening, will the Heat return to form are will they succumb once again to the scoring of The Joker and Murray? As for the altitude question, it does become a problem for visiting teams during the regular season. They arrive for a single game and then depart for the next scheduled game. The Heat experienced a 7-game playoff run to reach the finals; they arrived in plenty of time to adjust to the altitude. Were the Heat weary from their match against the Celtics, that could have been the case plus poor shooting? The assessment for Part B or Game 2 will be presented in the Tuesday morning edition.

I’d bet Pat Riley still hates the Celtics!

A portion of what you are about to read is speculation on my part. As I arrive at the point, I will announce this is not fact only my belief. Pat Riley is president of the Miami Heat, he once served as head coach (1995-2003) (2005-2008) but stepped down permanently allowing Erik Spoelstra to run the team. Prior to his tenure with the Heat Riley coached the Knicks during Patrick Ewing years. His Knick teams often faced the Celtics since they too are Eastern Conference teams. Riley wanted to beat the Celtics in the worst way, this probably goes back to his youth. Born in upstate New York, Rome is closed to Syracuse but I’d bet money he was no fan of the Syracuse Nationals who in 1963 would move to Philly and become the Sixers we’ve known for all these years.     

I have no method to prove this next statement however it’s my belief Riley was a Knicks fan growing up that’s why it might have been easy for him to become head coach. During the recent Heat-Celtics series the television camera briefly caught a shot of Riley in the stands, he looked as intense as his coaching days. I’d bet money he cornered Spoelstra giving him coaching advice most of which said, “We can’t lose to these guys.” This mindset goes back to coaching the Showtime Lakers and the many skirmishes the Lakers had with the Celtics over the years. I don’t remember the year but the story is fresh in my mind. The old Boston Garden visitor locker room must have been registered 90+ degrees one year during the playoffs. I bet those Larry Bird Celtics had air conditioning in their locker rooms. Every season in the 80’s it seemed the two teams were fighting one another to determine an NBA Champion. Yes, it’s my belief (unproven) Pat Riley still hates the Celtics after all these years.

Victor Wembanyama News

You might have read reports indicating there is no sure thing the Spurs draft the French youngster. Don’t kid yourself with those stories, Gregg Popovich flew to France days after the Draft Lottery. There are numerous sites in France that attract tourists to see in the nation, however I have serious doubts this was Pop’s intent. Have you continued to read letters indicating the youngster will be an NBA bust? These letters are probably written by guys whose basketball expertise consist of recreational basketball and watching the game on television. They say, “He’s far too thin, NBA opposition players will push him around on the floor.”

No opposing argument from me, his reported weight is between 209-215 pounds. I can agree with the cynics, for someone standing 7 foot 5 in shoes Wemby is quite thin. That fact alone remains the only area of agreement I have with the pessimists, to claim he can’t play at the NBA level is pure speculation on their part. The pessimist could be correct, Wemby might be unable to adapt his game to the NBA but how can they be so sure in June that is the argument against much of the caw-caw they are dispensing. I want to see Wemby in action on a basketball court against NBA players prior to drawing any conclusions. Even at that we can only gain a thumbnail sketch of his ability during a rookie season in the NBA. For Peter Pessimist it’s okay, continue to exist in your world I intend a wait and see approach for me.   

You Don’t Say

If you are an NBA historian you are aware the Bulls are Chicago’s third NBA team. The expansion Bulls began play in the NBA in the 1966-67 season. The games were played in Chicago Stadium built in 1929, in 1994 the Bulls moved to United Center where they remain to date. It’s often been stated Michael Jordan and his sparkling play were contributing factors in building the 23,000 seat United Center. Team number two still exists however Washington D.C. is now home and they are the Wizards. This Chicago team was also of the expansion variety having been founded in 1961, they were nicknamed the Packers. Year two saw a name change as they became the Zephyrs, by year three they were on the way to Baltimore. The problem was twofold, poor play on the court led to poor attendance sealing their fate in Chicago.

The Baltimore Bullets morphed into the Capital Bullets who became the Washington Bullets after moving into the city. In 1997 they underwent another name change, becoming the Wizards their present name. Chicago’s first team was actually a Basketball Association of America team. The Stags were original members of the BAA beginning play in 1946. The team became a member of the NBA in 1949 when the BAA and NBL merged. The Stags went out of business in 1950 and again money was the basis. I uncovered this as to why the Stags ceased operations; the commissioner dissolved the franchise. “Maurice Podoloff commissioner acting on behest of a group of other NBA owners, foreclosed on the Stags due to their inability to repay a $40,000 loan that enabled them to finish the 1949-50 season in first place.” There have been other professional basketball teams in Chicago however they were not connected to the BAA/NBA as the three named.

The Band Aid Man

There are special characters in basketball be they college or the NBA. There might have been more than one character for Mizzou but Derrick Chievous is certainly at the top of the list. The fact he’s from Queens New York is not that unusual, however he might have been among the first to journey across the Hudson River west to Mizzou. In addition to his basketball talent the band aid’s also became a trademark. The story of the why is unconfirmed but this is the story I heard. Chievous had a scrape somewhere on his body requiring a band aid to protect the injury. The very next game he appeared with a band aid in a different but visible location on his body.

From that second game on it became the norm, Chievous would have a band aid placed someone on his body. That was the character part, this Queens guy could play the game. This was the 1980’s, the days when the majority of players remained in school for four years. Although we are in 2023 Chievous continues to hold Mizzou’s individual scoring record with 2,580 points. Chievous was a second team All American in 1987 twice all Big 8 Conference in 1987 and 1988. For unexplained reasons he was never able to play at the same level in the NBA as he did at Mizzou. Chievous was made the number 13 pick in the first round of the 1988 NBA Draft. The 6-foot 7 guard/forward only lasted 3 seasons in the NBA, despite this fact Chievous remains a legend in Columbia. In 1996 the Band Aid man Derrick Chievous was enshrined in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.