Happy birthday Billy Ray Bates. His run back in the day with the Portland Trailblazers was incredible.
25.0 ppg in the 1980 playoffs and 28.3 ppg in the 1981 playoffs.
“He had such tremendous athletic ability that once he got in the open court you knew something would happen.” -David Halberstam
Happy birthday Billy Donovan.
Happy birthday Richie Guerin.
Mount St. Michael High School and Iona College.
Played for the Knicks and Hawks.
Happy birthday Jerry West…
The Logo turns 81 today.
My main man “Frankie the Ace” from my old neighborhood in Brooklyn loved Jerry.
Career stats: 27 PPG 5.8 RPG 6.7 APG
May 27, 1985.
34-years ago to the day, the Boston Celtics beat the LA Lakers in Game 1 of the NBA finals 148-114.
Scott Wedman of the Celtics went 11-11 from the field for 26 points.
Boston was 7-9 from distance. Lakers attempted 5 bombs, made 2.
But, the Lakers eventually won the championship, 4-2. 
Congratulations to the Toronto Raptors; Eastern Conference champions.
Kawhi Leonard led the way for Toronto, dominating at both ends of the floor. The San Diego State alum scored 29 points per game in the series, grabbed 9 rebounds and dished out 4 assists.
The Raptors made 86 3’s in the series compared to Milwaukee’s 71.
If you followed the series, you know the Bucks jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the series. Toronto came back and won 4 straight.
Toronto moves on to play in the NBA championship against the Golden State Warriors beginning Thursday night.
Raptors 105 Bucks 99
Final Score
Toronto leads series 3-2
3-PT shooting in Game 5:
Raptors 18-43 .419
Bucks 10-31 .323
(Fred VanVleet of Toronto shoots 7-9)
“Shoot it up and sleep in the streets.”
-Kevin Loughery, August 1970
Like my friend Jim Casey says, “should be required reading for every Sociology class.”
We’re talking about David Wolf’s incredible book written in 1972, “Foul: The Connie Hawkins Story.”
In the Spring of 1961, when Connie Hawkins was a freshman at the University of Iowa, freshmen were ineligible to participate in varsity basketball games.
A detective from New York City showed up at the Iowa basketball office and brought Connie back to New York.
Hawkins left Iowa on a Thursday, thinking he would be back on Monday.
It was two weeks until Connie was back on campus.
By that time, it was too late.
The damage had been done.
The Iowa coach told Connie he wasn’t welcomed back.
For two weeks Hawk’s life was turned upside down.
They labeled Connie an Intermediary and accused him of introducing basketball players to gamblers for the purpose of setting up fixed games.
Hawk changed his story – he buried himself. Should have kept to the original story.
Afterwards, the negative publicity was too much.
Guilt by association, Connie never fixed a college basketball game; how could he? Freshmen were ineligible to play!
A filmmaker should make a documentary on Connie Hawkins.
Better yet, like my friend Jim Casey said, people should read this book.
Hoops135@hotmail.com
Happy birthday to the Brooklyn native (Wingate High School).
He would have been 77 today…
R.I.P. “The Rajah”
Congratulations to Morris Peterson on making the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame…
PLAY THE RIGHT WAY 