Lots of Basketball

   Today we hope to pacify the Basketball fans among our readers who may have felt jilted that we did not write about their sport earlier in the week, when we promised we would. We start with January 19, 1963 at the Onondega County War Memorial Arena when the Syracuse Nationals hosted the Boston Celtics for a game. The Nats took an 80-65 lead at the half. Many games of the era could have seen that as the final score. The Celtics who had John Havilicek as a rookie was not about to take no for a answer. The Celts took over for the second half and forced the game into overtime. The locals outscored their visitors by a score of 12-11 in the overtime period to set a couple of records, that have since been broken. The Nationals 149-148 win set a then record for most points by both clubs combined. The Celtics set a then record for most points by a visiting club.       

    The NBA is not the only league capable of setting records on January 19th. On this date in 1969, the American Basketball Association got into the act. The Miami Floridians played host to the Los Angeles Stars at the West Palm Beach Auditorium. Thanks in large part to a 44 point third quarter, the Floridians won by a score of 145-120. Les Hunter of the Floridians scored a game high 25 points.
 
   January 19, 1971 On the same day that in Baseball, the Southern and Texas Leagues formed the 14 club Dixie Association, the Texas Chaparrals of the American Basketball Association hosted the Denver Rockets. The Chaps played like the Floridians did just two years before, when the used an 83 point second half to cruise to a 148-127 victory. They were led by John Beasley who had 27 points and Wayne Hightower, who haad 26 points. The Chaparrals would later end up in San Antonio and enter the NBA as the Spurs. The Rockets would also move over to the NBA without changing cities as the Nuggets.
 
   On January 19, 2003 the United Professional Basketball League got into the act with two high scoring games. The first at the Kentucky Basketball Academy in Lexington the Kentucky Coyotes beat the Louisville Eagles by a score of 155-154. In the second game at Mansfield, Ohio the Mansfield Hawks scored a 140-75 win over the Frankfort Statesmen.

    Scoring records are not the only way into Basketballs recordbooks. On January 19, 2007 at Madison Square Garden, fans may have not realized the history they were watching when the Nets beat the Knicks by a score of 101-100. The game ended without either team tallying a blocked shot. History does after all come in many forms. Tomorrow we will look at the founding of the United States Baseball League.
 
  Please remember that suggestions and comments are always welcome. I am still waiting for the first brave volunteer to leave a comment on the blog, until then I can be reached by the timid at sabrkev@gmail.com.