Sunday April 16th, 51 Years Later

‘Exactly’ 51 years ago today, on another Sunday April 16th, in 1972 (then in his first NBA season as Kareem Abdul Jabbar-he turned 25, today he is 76), the Milwaukee Bucks won at home to square their epic NBA semi, vs the Lakers at 2 games apiece. (L.A. eventually won in 6 games and then won their first crown as the L.A. Lakers).

Today, beginning with the “mandatory” “put Leb James on the lone “ABC game,” commencing at 3 Daylight Savings Time in the so called east, both the Lakers (plus 4 in game 1 and slight series underdogs) and Bucks (-9, beginning after LA/Mem at about 5:30, in the first of 3 on TNT (rhyme and no ESPN hoops until Friday) and huge series favorites) face “M” city teams, the Memphis Grizzlies and Miami Heat respectively, neither of whom were “apples in the eyes” of expansion possibility, that day in 1972.

Burt Hooton of the Cubs authored a no hit game on that April 16, 1972 Sunday.

Kareem, who led the Bucks to the ’71 crown (they are slight plurality “faves” this season, their only other title was 50 years later) played on 5 title winners with the Lakers.

Click above for some plays, including the last one, as called by Jack Brickhouse in Burt Hooton’s no hit game on this date in 1972.