Another Look at Basketball

    Today we are looking once again at the world of basketball. We begin today with January 3, 1900 when the Millville, Connecticut Glassblowers Club entered the National Basketball League in place of the Chester, Pennsylvania Club. The league which was in its second season, was serving as the first professional basketball league in the young sport. The Glassblowers were no pushover club as they tied the Trenton National with a 14-4-1 record for the leagues second half title. The Nationals had won the first half title. After losing the battle of an ineligble player, the Glassblowers lost the best two out three playoff series. They were however a vast improvement from the Chester Club that went 0-6 before disbanding.
   We continue to the year 1928 when the American Basketball League was forced to make a few adjustments to its league lineup. The Detroit, Michigan club folded and the Washington, DC Club was transferred to Brooklyn, New York. The league was in the middle of its third season of play and was at the time was one of  two professional leagues functioning.
   On January 3, 1967 the Philadelphia '76ers defeated the New York Knicks 148-142 in overtime at Madison Square Garden. In the month of January, the two clubs would meet three times in three places with the '76ers winning 2 of the 3 contests by a combined score of 371-365. The Philadelphia club would also take the season series by a count of 8 games to 1 in rout to a very strong 68-13 record and a league title. On the very same date in the NCAA Ohio defeated MacMurray by a commanding score of 122-70.
  On January 3, 1978 at the Omni Coliseum in Atlanta, Georgia the Detroit Pistons beat the Atlanta Hawks by a score of 106-103, despite the fact that the Hawks had 22 of the games 39 steals as the two clubs must of thought they were a gang of thieves playing a game of keep away.   
   Finally on January 3, 2007 at the Fedex Forum in Memphis, Tennessee, the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Golden State Warriors by a score of 144-135. The Warriors were acting as if they could not cross the three point line as they scored 18 of games 30 three point goals.
     Tomorrow we will look at some beginnings and a couple of endings in sports history.