It is Friday night and in remembering the truly good basketball player, Jim McMillian, whose too early death at age 68 this past Monday, frankly received far too little coverage, I choose three such nights to make memories of “Jim Mac,” come back.
Before playing on my favorite team the 1971-1972 NBA champion, Los Angeles Lakers, McMillian played for Columbia University and in the 1967-1968 season they were in the NCAA Tournament playing Davidson, coached by Charles “Lefty” Driesell , whose team prevailed in overtime on a Friday night.
On a Friday night in November of 1971, Lakers’ coach Bill Sharman inserted McMillian into the Lakers’ lineup at forward replacing the great, but past his prime, Elgin Baylor.
Mr. Baylor had so many great basketball moves. Lakers’ broadcaster Chick Hearn said he “had more “hang time” than there was in Dodge City,” but no move by Elgin was better than retiring, to allow Jim McMillian to start at forward for the Lakers.
On that Friday night, the Lakers won vs the Baltimore Bullets, to begin what still stands as a major North American sports’ league record 33 straight wins.
One more Friday night: The Lakers still seeking their first Los Angeles based title, take one more frustrating blow. After Jerry West hits a shot to put the Lakers ahead by 2 points very late in game 4 at New York’s Madison Square Garden vs the New York Knicks, somehow Walt Frazier gets a “tap in” basket to force overtime.
However, this time after all the frustration at the hands of great Boston Celtics and one great New York Knicks’ team in NBA finals, the Lakers respond and it is Jim McMillian, who leads them. He scored three baskets over and despite Bill Bradley’s defense and the Lakers win to take a commanding 3 games to 1 series lead. Two nights later they win the title at the Forum in Los Angeles.
So much and so many are gone, this first Friday night after Jim McMillian’s death, including 4 other 1972 Lakers’ players, (Wilt Chamberlain, Happy Hairston, LeRoy Ellis and Flynn Robinson), coach Sharman and broadcaster Hearn, but somehow the memories of Jim McMillian and that great team do “come back.”
Jim McMillian pictured above.
After a game two win at St. Louis vs the Blues, the San Jose Sharks were at least even in a semi-final series for the first time in this their 4th semi final series.
Now after a (3-0) win at home in game 3, the Sharks have the lead in semi-final series for the first time.
Tomas Hertl scored two goals in the game three win while goaltender, Martin Jones stopped all 22 St. Louis shots in notching his second straight shutout.
The Sharks now have a (2-6) record at home in the NHL semi-finals.
Game 4 is tomorrow night in San Jose.
LeBron James scored 23 points and had both 11 assists and rebounds as the Cleveland Cavaliers went on a (16-2) spurt to end the first half with a 14 point lead and won easily (108-89) at home to take a two games to none lead vs the Toronto Raptors in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals.
Last year, Cleveland led by James’ great play actually led the Golden State Warriors two games to one in the NBA finals (they eventually lost the series in 6 games), though playing without Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love.
Last night Irving led the Cavs with 26 points while Love added 19.
Cleveland is (10-0) in the playoffs as their coach Tyronn Lue broke Pat Riley’s record of 9, by winning his first 10 playoff games as a coach. The Cavaliers after winning the first game by 31 points have won the first two games by a combined 50 points and are (7-3) vs the spread in the playoffs.
Cleveland Cavaliers’ coach, Tyronn Lue pictured above.
I would like to present some pictures in and around Athena Theatre’s presentation of “An Unseen Visitor” which I enjoyed so much two nights back.
Again the presentation was fantastic. Stay tuned here and click the link below for more information about this wonderful group and the talented, hard working people associated with it.
Athena Theatre – NYC-based non-profit theatre company …
Steph Curry scored 15 consecutive (Warriors’) points at one juncture in the third quarter as the defending champion, (73-9) Golden State Warriors built their lead from 7 to 20 points, en route to a decisive win vs the Oklahoma City Thunder in game 2 of their NBA semi-final series.
However, the Thunder now considered almost as big an underdog as when the series began, did get a split at Golden State and remain a viable threat in this series.
The rout means little as the Thunder were routed in game 1 vs the San Antonio Spurs yet won 4 of the next 5 games.
The two fine coaches in this series Steve Kerr of the Warriors (5 NBA titles as a player and one last year as Warriors’ coach) and Billy Donovan of the Thunder (back to back NCAA titles with Florida in 2006 and 2007), have plenty of time for strategy as the powers that be made game 3 in Oklahoma City Sunday instead of tomorrow/Friday.
The Pittsburgh Penguins, coached by Mike Sullivan, took a two games to one semi-final series lead with a (4-2) win at Tampa vs the Lightning in game 3 last night.
This was the third straight home semi-finals loss for Tampa Bay as they lost games four and six at home to the New York Rangers in last year’s semis but managed to win the series in seven games, winning three games at the Rangers’ Madison Square Garden home.
Speaking of the Rangers and Madison Square Garden, Carl Hagelin playing in his third straight NHL semi-final series and fourth in five seasons, (the other three with the Rangers) opened the scoring for Pittsburgh. Both Hagelin and Phil Kessel, who is playing in his first “semi,” had a goal and an assist for the Penguins.
Carl Hagelin, pictured above.
Last night I had the pleasure of seeing “An Unseen Visitor,” 10 very well written plays, performed by 10 fine actors each approximately 10 minutes in duration. Athena Theatre in association with TARTE presented this most entertaining event.
The audience at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre at Symphony Space was entertained with the laughs and ” heart tugs” being truly palpable.The presence of “An Unseen Visitor” was part of all the plays.
Brad Raimondo directed. The playwrights are Nora Sorena Casey, Veronica Cooper, Mateo Moreno, Alex Hersler, Sari Caine, Lia Romeo, Marianna Staroselsky, Barbara Blumenthal-Ehrlich, Kenzie Ross and Xavier Toby.
The actors, all of whom took the well written works and brought them alive are Morgan Zipf-Meister, Mateo Moreno, Veronique Ory, Lana Young, Perri Yaniv, Joanie Anderson, Sophia Gennusa, Tyler Jakes, Lauren Elizabeth and James Kenna.
I look forward to future works from Athena Theatre.
Please click below to keep up with upcoming events and information about Athena Theatre.
Athena Theatre – NYC-based non-profit theatre company …
Brent Burns (remember White Sox pitcher, Britt Burns?) scored two goals and goaltender Martin Jones notched his second shutout of these playoffs, as the San Jose Sharks, for the first time in their history, are at least (1-1) after two games of an NHL semi-final series, after posting a (4-0) series squaring win at St. Louis, vs the Blues in game 2 of their NHL “semi.”
The Sharks (0-3) in previous semis (the Blues are (0-2) since winning all 3 in the expansion NHL West (1968-1970), are now (3-7) in road semi-finals games, breaking a 7 game losing streak in such games last night.
Play in the series resumes tomorrow night in San Jose, where the Sharks are just (1-6) in semi-final games.
Probably more relevant, the Blues are (5-2) on the road in these playoffs, while the Sharks, who struggled a bit at home during the virtually meaningless regular season, are (5-1) at home in these playoffs.
I say “Whatever Bettman (NHL commissioner ) Wants, Bettman Gets,” applies and both semis, this one and Pittsburgh Penguins/Tampa Bay Lightning in the East, now (1-1) will be (2-2) and certainly can go “ching/ching” 7 games.
By the way if that does happen, at least give me Mike Emrick, not Kenny Albert, on both game 7 “calls” for NBC’s “family” of networks. The trip which in that scenario would not be that far, from Pittsburgh to St. Louis and though Albert is no “world beater” at hockey play by play, it is no disgrace to lose a game 7 assignment to Mike Emrick. Some history on this in a future post.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are both very good and very lucky.
They are playing great basketball in the NBA playoffs, raising their record to (9-0) by dismantling the Toronto Raptors in their NBA Eastern Conference finals opening game last night.
Sure routing a team in game 1 often does not augur well for the team doing the routing, witness the just completed eventual Oklahoma City Thunder quarterfinal series vs the San Antonio Spurs in which the Spurs routed the Thunder in game one.
However even though that was a big upset, as the Thunder were two and a half to one series underdogs before getting routed, the Raptors were overwhelming 9 to 1, or higher series underdogs before being routed in game 1. This despite the fact they won 56 regular season games, just one less than the Cavaliers.
The very lucky part concerning the Cavs, is obvious. They are beating the teams put in front of them (the abrasive, so often wrong Charles Barkley may be right in saying Cleveland would not lose a game within the NBA East in the playoffs) but alas are doing so, while three teams all on par if not better than them are for the most part facing each other.
Opening the semi-finals on the road for the 8th time in 10 such appearances, the Oklahoma City Thunder nee the Seattle SuperSonics, gained home advantage in one of the first two games for the 5th time, this in game 1, stunning the 8 point favorite, Golden State Warriors.
“OKC” has now won 5 of 6 games (why did the great Marv Albert keep saying they won 3 of 4, when it was 4 of 5, during game 1, but still it is a pleasure to hear Mr. Albert broadcast?!) vs a 67 win and 73 win team, after being routed in game 1 by the 67 win Spurs and of course vilified by the media.
As the SuperSonics, the franchise went (3-3) in “semis,” breaking through on the road in one but ONLY one, of the first two games vs the Denver Nuggets in 1978, the Los Angeles Lakers in 1980 and Phoenix Suns in 1993.
Residing in Oklahoma City as the Thunder, they gained a split in Dallas vs the Mavericks in 2011 and now at least that vs the record breaking, defending champion Warriors.
Most likely, the Warriors will make it 5 of 5 times that the Thunder nee SuperSonics got only one of two, but the way this team is playing do not rule out (in Seattle Bob Rule was a star player) another road win in game 2 and certainly not an upset win in the series.
It would still be an upset according to those who seemingly know best as “G.State” is still an 8 to 5 series favorite, but that is a far cry from the nearly 4 to 1 “faves” they were before the series commenced.
Andy B Sports 