CAGE CHRONICLES
SUMMER 2001 APBR NEWSLETTER
Vol. I, No. IIIIn This Issue:
Introduction - Robert Bradley
Books Available by APBR Members
Featured Sites
Featured Project
Statistical Effects of Proposed NBA Rule Changes - Contributed by Dean Oliver
A Look at the Top Scorers of 2000-01 - Contributed by Jose Manuel Garcia Ribas
Mythical All-Time Pro Basketball Playoffs - Contributed by Cort Reynolds
NBA Statistics by Height - Contributed by John Grasso
History of the St. Louis Hawks - Contributed by Robert Bradley
St. Louis Hawks Reunion - Contributed by Chales Share
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the third edition of the
Association for Professional Basketball Research Newsletter. If you'd like to send
submissions for inclusion in our next newsletter or any suggestions, please send them to
me at bradleyrd13@hotmail.com.
On to the latest APBR news:
I'd like to use this month to thank and
publicize the work of one of our members, Roger Meyer. Roger's historical research
can be seen on our PBLA and NPBL pages and his generosity in allowing the use of his work
for the site was a big help in getting it started. As for Roger's work (which is
well worth the price), it includes the history of teams (New York Celtics,
Rochester Seagrams & Washington Bears), Leagues (PBLA, NPBL, NIBL, ABL & ABA),
team years (Anderson 45-6, Baltimore 46-7 & 54-5, Gears 46-7, Dayton 45-6 to 48-9,
Pistons 44-5, LA Red Devils 46-7, Dow AC's 45-6 & 46-7, Lakers 47-8, Royals Non-League
45-6 & 46-7 and Capitols 46-7) plus the Bobby McDermott Story. They range in
length from 5 to 95 pages and in price from $5 to $20. Many include quality photo
reproductions.
Roger can be contacted by mail at -
Roger Meyer
120 Russet Lane
Boxboro, MA 01719
Robert Bradley
August 2001
BOOKS AVAILABLE OR UNDERWAY BY APBR
MEMBERS
Title: The Ultimate Assist: The Relationship & Broadcast
Strategies of the
NBA & Television Networks
Author: John A. Fortunato
Available: August 1, 2000
Publisher: Hampton Press
Order Info: To order contact
Barbara Bernstein
Hampton Press
23 Broadway Suite 208
Cresskill, New Jersey 07626
1-800-894-8955
Title: Major Leagues
Author: Thomas W. Brucato
Publisher: The Scarecrow Press, Inc.
Order Info: www.scarecrowpress.com
Scarecrow Press, Inc.
15200 NBN Way
P.O. Box 191
Blue Ridge Summit, PA 17214-0191
phone - 1-800-462-6420 (717-794-3802 local)
fax - 1-800-333-4550 (717-794-3803 local)
Authors Marshall Terrill and Wayne Federman are
finishing up their research phase and have begun writing chapters for their new biography
on Pete Maravich. They have interviewed well over two hundred people (from Attles to
Wooden) and compiled thousands of documents on the life of this basketball legend. Slated
for publication in late 2002, this new biography will cover Pete's basketball life in
great detail and - unlike recent Maravich bios - is being written with the full
cooperation of the Maravich family. The appendix will include a comprehensive statistical
breakdown as well as Pete's twenty-five greatest games. Any personal
recollections or observations of Pete or Press would be most welcome. Please contact Mr. Federman or Mr. Terrill.
FEATURED SITES
Pro
Exposure.com
"Each day I post the best individual performances from the US minor leagues,
Europe, South America, and Australia"
Fred Bryan
3369 Hillside Avenue
Gulf Breeze, Florida 32561
fredb@proexposure.com
www.hoops.co.uk
David Norrington has re-vamped his Jargon-Buster section and it's still
growing.He's always looking to gather more hoops jargon and hoping to make it the biggest
in the world. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.
David Norrington eMail: david@hoops.co.uk
www.logoserver.com
Stew Pruslin's site focusing on minor league, obscure, & historical logos (so
you won't find current NBA logos for example) - including about 350 basketball logos.
FEATURED PROJECT
Zach Rochacontinues work on a documentary film
about the Boston Celtics famous playing surface, the Parquet Floor. The project is
entitled Farewell to a Floor: Parquet Memories. If anyone would like to contribute
to the project Zach can be reached at rocha602@massed.net
or by snail mail at 39 Yates St., New Bedford, MA, 02745
STATISTICAL EFFECTS OF PROPOSED NBA RULE
CHANGES
Click
to see article
Dean Oliver, who produces the Journal of Basketball Studies, describes
some of the NBA statistical trends leading to the league's decision to adopt new rules for
2001-2002. More isolation play, lower shooting percentages, and slower pace appear
to be significant trends. The new rules, particularly, the rule to discard illegal
defense and the 8-second rule to cross halfcourt, can have some effects to address these
trends, but also seemingly improve defense. The statistical trends also suggest a
problem that goes unaddressed is the frequent fouling of players beneath the basket, which
has lowered shooting percentages of big men tremendously in the last 10 years.
A LOOK AT THE TOP SCORERS OF 2000-01
Contributed by Jose Manuel Garcia Ribas
In my opinion, best scorers aren't players who score more
points. I think everybody is agree that 6-6 FG is better than 10-20 FG. I want to compare
players percentages, and I made a formula that gives great results, combining FG, 3P and
FT.
The formula is:
((FGM - 3PM) *2 + 3PM *3 + FTM) / ((FGA - 3PA) *2 + 3PA *3 + FTA)
The first half of the formula represents the points scored,
and the second half represents the points that had been scored if the player made every
shot he attempted. Logically this formula benefits tall players who shot near the basket.
This is the TOP 10 Scorers of the 2000-2001 season:
Allen Iverson 31.1
Jerry Stackhouse 29.8
Shaquille O'Neal 28.7
Kobe Bryant 28.5
Vince Carter 27.6
Chris Webber 27.1
Tracy McGrady 26.8
Paul Pierce 25.3
Antawn Jamison 24.9
Stephon Marbury 23.9
Now, let's see the TOP 10 Scorers with my formula: (Minimum 1000
minutes)
Bo Outlaw
.604
Karl Malone .557
Shaquille O'Neal .557
Kurt Thomas .555
Christian Laettner .552
Clarence Weatherspoon .552
John Stockton .551
Eddie Robinson .550
Theo Ratliff .549
Bonzi Wells .545
Shaquille O'Neal is the only player who is in the two
lists.
In which position are the rest of the players? There are 243 players who have played 1000
minutes or more.
Allen Iverson (.475) - always scores a lot of points, but
.420 in FG and .320 in 3P aren't good numbers. 126/243
Jerry Stackhouse (.463) - has been the main player in Detroit with a .402 in FG. Awful.
154/243
Kobe Bryant (.513) - was one of the best guards, but 3P (.305) hurt him. 48/243
Vince Carter (.492) - with good percentages for a shooting guard. 84/243
Chris Webber (.505) - had a good position in the ranks, but there are few power forward
better. 64/243
Tracy McGrady (.492) - made great numbers in his first year as franchise player. 85/243
Paul Pierce (.499) - is shooting like McGrady with best 3P. 73/243
Antawn Jamison (.468) - missed too much 3P, and .442 FG isn't good for a power forward.
144/243
Stephon Marbury (.477) - had .328 3P that make him fall in the top point guards shooters.
116/243
The Absolute % medium by position is:
Point Guard .453
Shooting Guard .466
Small Forward .472
Power Forward .493
Center .499
These numbers mean that Jerry Stackhouse is under the
medium for his position by 3 tenths, and considering Antawn Jamison as a power forward,
the medium is very far from him.
MYTHICAL ALL-TIME PRO BASKETBALL
PLAYOFFS
Contributed by Cort Reynolds
Criteria for inclusion in the 32-team field:
1-Must be either an NBA or ABA championship team.
2-Only one team from a string of title teams could only be entered
3-Seeding was done by regular season records for NBA teams where possible
4-Personal analysis was done more for ABA seedings and NBA teams of the 1940s and
50s
Seed Champion
1 - 1995-96 Chicago Bulls
2 - 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers
3 - 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers
4 - 1985-86 Boston Celtics
5 - 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks
6 - 1986-87 Los Angeles Lakers
7 - 1982-83 Philadelphia 76ers
8 - 1959-60 Boston Celtics
9 - 1964-65 Boston Celtics
10 - 1989-90 Detroit Pistons
11 - 1998-99 San Antonio Spurs
12 - 1972-73 New York Knicks
13 - 2000-2001 Los Angeles Lakers
14 - 1973-74 Boston Celtics
15 - 1978-79 Seattle SuperSonics
16 - 1976-77 Portland TrailBlazers
17 - 1974-75 Golden St. Warriors
18 - 1994-95 Houston Rockets
19 - 1974-75 Kentucky Colonels (ABA)
20 - 1973-74 New York Nets (ABA)
21 - 1957-58 St. Louis Hawks
22 - 1972-73 Indiana Pacers (ABA)
23 - 1977-78 Washington Bullets
24 - 1968-69 Oakland Oaks (ABA)
25 - 1967-68 Pittsburgh Pipers (ABA)
26 - 1970-71 Utah Stars (ABA)
27 - 1955-56 Philadelphia Warriors
28 - 1954-55 Syracuse Nationals
29 - 1952-53 Minneapolis Lakers
30 - 1950-51 Rochester Royals
31 - 1946-47 Philadelphia Warriors
32 - 1947-48 Baltimore Bullets
1st round (best of 3)
1996 Chicago 2, 1948 Baltimore 0
1972 LA Lakers 2, 1947 Philadelphia Warriors 0
1967 Philadelphia 76ers 2, 1951 Rochester Royals 0
1986 Boston 2, 1953 Minneapolis Lakers 0
1971 Milwaukee 2, 1955 Syracuse Nationals 0
1987 LA Lakers 2, 1956 Philadelphia Warriors 0
1983 Philadelphia 76ers 2, 1971 Utah Stars (ABA) 0
1960 Boston 2, 1968 Pittsburgh Pipers (ABA) 0
1965 Boston 2, 1969 Oakland Oaks (ABA) 0
1990 Detroit 2, 1978 Washington Bullets 1
1973 Indiana Pacers (ABA) 2, 1999 San Antonio 1
1973 New York Knicks 2, 1958 St. Louis Hawks 1
2001 LA Lakers 2, 1974 New York Nets (ABA) 1
1974 Boston 2, 1975 Kentucky Colonels (ABA) 1
1979 Seattle 2, 1995 Houston 1
1977 Portland 2, 1975 Golden St. Warriors 1
2nd round (best of 5)
1977 Portand 3, 1996 Chicago 2 (Walton makes the difference inside & on
defense as Blazers upset overrated Bulls)
1972 LA Lakers 3, 1979 Seattle 1 (Lakers too powerful and balanced for
backcourt-oriented Sonics)
1967 Philadelphia 76ers 3, 1974 Boston 2 (superior 76er forwards speel W in
heated rivalry)
1986 Boston 3, 2001 LA Lakers 1 (much better Bosotn balance, DJ harnesses Kobe)
1973 New York Knicks 3, 1971 Milwaukee 2 (Knick balance, bench, outside
shooting and team defense the keys)
1987 LA Lakers 3, 1973 Indiana Pacers 1 (no Pacer answer for LA size and talent)
1983 Philadelphia 76ers 3, 1990 Detroit 1 (76ers on a mission, great
backcourts neutralize each other, Moses dominates inside)
1960 Boston 3, 1965 Boston 2 (younger Russell has a little more superstar
help in 1960 with Cousy, Sharman, et al)
Quarterfinals (best of 7)
1977 Portland 4, 1960 Boston 3 (Walton again the key as he neutralizes Russell)
1972 LA Lakers 4, 1983 Philadelphia 3 (Mr. Clutch West hits buzzer-beater
in 7th game)
1967 Philadelphia 76ers 4, 1987 LA Lakers 3 (Wilt in his prime better than
40-year old Kareem)
1986 Boston 4, 1973 New York Knicks 3 (Boston size makes difference in
battle of classic hit the open mand and great outside shooting battle
between fierce franchise foes)
Semifinals (best of 7)
1986 Boston 4, 1977 Portland 2 (Celtics end Blazer Cinderella run with
better shooting and superior bench even though '86 6th man Walton not equal
to Walton at his peak in '77)
1967 Philadelphia 76ers 4, 1972 LA Lakers 2 (Young Wilt beats old Wilt,
better forwards for 76ers)
All-Time Pro Basketball Championship Series (best of 7)
1986 Boston 4, 1967 Philadelphia 76ers 3 (Philly moves Cunningham to guard
in place of Wali Jones to get its five best players in the game and to
counter Boston size. But superior Boston bench and shooting make the
slightest of difference as Celtics, behind Bird's game-winning 15-foot
banker late in game 7, rally to win the final three games and take series
4-3 in the oldest and fiercest of NBA rivalries (91-90 in 7th game, Wilt
misses key late free throws)
Tournament MVP-Larry Bird
All-tournament team
1967 Wilt Chamberlain
1977 Bill Walton
1986 Larry Bird
1973 Walt Frazier
1972 Jerry West
1986 Dennis Johnson
NBA STATISTICS BY HEIGHT
Contributed by John Grasso
Note - All heights were taken from the NBA Official
Encyclopedia.
A few months ago, APBR member James Lister suggested that a
compilation be made of basketball records by height increments. The following tables
present a beginning in that direction - NBA high game and high season average by height.
As there have been only a few players at the ends of the
height spectrum some of the performances listed are not especially noteworthy. For
example, Chuck Nevitt is the only player listed at 7' 5" yet his high game of 12
points and season average of 3.8 ppg (in only 6 games) make the list nonetheless.
On the other hand, David Robinson's 71 point game (7th best
of all-time) doesn't even make the list as he is the same height as Wilt Chamberlain.
A calculation of points per inch (ppi) was also made and it
shows that Wilt Chamberlain's 100 point game is in a class by itself. He was the only
player to score more points in a game than he was inches tall - 100 points, 85 inches.
Using this yardstick of ppi, David Thompson turned in the second greatest accomplishment
by scoring 73 points in a game while measuring only 76 inches and the 5'9" Calvin
Murphy's game of 57 can be construed as a greater feat than the 6'7" Rick Barry's 64
points.
NBA - HIGH SEASON'S AVERAGE POINTS PER GAME BY HEIGHT
Height Avg ppi Player
7' 7" 14.5 .16 Gheorghe Muresan
7' 6" 13.2 .15 Shawn Bradley
7' 5" 3.8 .04 Chuck Nevitt
7' 4" 22.1 .25 Ralph Sampson
7' 3" 16.0 .18 Arvydas Sabonis
7' 2" 34.8 .40 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
7' 1" 50.4 .59 Wilt Chamberlain
7' 0" 28.6 .34 Patrick Ewing
6' 11" 31.6 .38 Walt Bellamy
6' 10" 31.1 .44 Moses Malone
6' 9" 34.5 .43 Bob McAdoo
6' 8" 30.7 .38 Dominique Wilkins
6' 7" 35.6 .45 Rick Barry
6' 6" 37.1 .48 Michael Jordan
6' 5" 34.8 .45 Elgin Baylor
6' 4" 29.5 .39 Richie Guerin
6' 3" 31.3 .42 Jerry West
6' 2" 25.2 .34 Archie Clark
6' 1" 34.0 .47 Nate Archibald
6' 0" 31.1 .43 Allen Iverson
5' 11" 20.6 .29 Dana Barros
5' 10" 26.5 .38 Michael Adams
5' 9" 25.6 .37 Calvin Murphy
5' 8" 11.4 .17 Charlie Criss
5' 7" 16.0 .24 Spud Webb
5' 6" none
5' 5" 6.5 .10 Earl Boykins
5' 4" none
5' 3" 11.1 .18 Muggsy Bogues
NBA - HIGH SEASON'S AVERAGE POINTS PER GAME BY HEIGHT RANGE
Height Avg ppi Player
7' 7" or less 50.4 .59 Wilt Chamberlain
7' 0" or less 37.1 .48 Michael Jordan
6' 5" or less 34.8 .45 Elgin Baylor
6' 4" or less 34.0 .47 Nate Archibald
6' 0" or less 31.1 .43 Allen Iverson
5' 11" or less 26.5 .38 Michael Adams
5' 9" or less 25.6 .37 Calvin Murphy
5' 8" or less 16.0 .24 Spud Webb
5' 6" or less 11.1 .18 Muggsy Bogues
NBA - HIGH GAME BY HEIGHT
Height Pts ppi Player
7' 7" 31 .34 Gheorghe Muresan
7' 6" 32 .36 Shawn Bradley
7' 5" 12 .13 Chuck Nevitt
7' 4" 44 .50 Rik Smits
7' 3" 40 .46 Randy Breuer
7' 2" 55 .64 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
7' 1" 100 1.18 Wilt Chamberlain
7' 0" 52 .62 Joe Barry Carroll
52 .62 Hakeem Olajuwon
6' 11" 50 .60 Walt Wesley
6' 10" 61 .74 George Mikan
6' 9" 61 .75 Karl Malone
6' 8" 57 .71 Dominique Wilkins
6' 7" 64 .81 Rick Barry
6' 6" 69 .88 Michael Jordan
6' 5" 71 .92 Elgin Baylor
6' 4" 73 .96 David Thompson
6' 3" 63 .84 Jerry West
6' 2" 50 .68 Hal Greer
50 .68 John Williamson
6' 1" 55 .75 Nate Archibald
6' 0" 54 .75 Allen Iverson
5' 11" 50 .70 Dana Barros
5' 10" 54 .77 Michael Adams
5' 9" 57 .83 Calvin Murphy
5' 8" 34 .50 Charlie Criss
5' 7" 34 .51 Spud Webb
5' 6" none
5' 5" 22 .34 Earl Boykins
5' 4" none
5' 3" 24 .38 Muggsy Bogues
NBA - HIGH GAME BY HEIGH RANGE
Height Pts ppi Player
7' 7" or less 100 1.18 Wilt Chamberlain
7' 0" or less 73 .96 David Thompson
6' 3" or less 63 .84 Jerry West
6' 2" or less 57 .83 Calvin Murphy
5' 8" or less 34 .51 Spud Webb
34 .50 Charlie Criss
5' 7" or less 34 .51 Spud Webb
5' 6" or less 24 .38 Muggsy Bogues
HISTORICAL TIMELINE OF THE ST. LOUIS HAWKS
Contributed by Robert Bradley
Thanks to Charley Share for his contribution on the reunion of the Hawks' reunion-
Click to see article
1955-56 (33-39)
The Hawks become the last NBA team to sign an African-American player as they sign Dick
Ricketts .... 11May55 The franchise moves to St. Louis as the St. Louis Hawks .... Play in
Keil Auditorium .... Trade Ricketts and Chris Harris to Rochester for Jack McMahon and
Jack Coleman .... Frank Selvy is limited to 17 games as he is inducted into the military
.... 24Jan56 Bob Pettit and Bob Harrison play in the All-Star Game as Pettit is named Most
Valuable Player .... 12Mar56 Dick Farley of Syracuse fouls out of a game against the Hawks
after playing only 5 minutes .... Mar56 Pettit is named NBA Most Valuable Player as he
leads the league with 1,849 points and 1,164 rebounds .... 16Mar56 Lose to Minneapolis
103-97 in NBA Western Division Second-Place Game .... 17Mar56-21Mar56 Defeat Minneapolis 3
games to 1 in the NBA Western Conference Semifinals .... 22Mar56-29Mar56 Lose to Fort
Wayne 3 games to 2 in the NBA Western Conference Finals
1956-57 (34-38)
29Apr56 Trade the rights to their 1956 first-round draft choice (Bill Russell) to Boston
for Ed Macauley and the draft rights to Cliff Hagan .... 30Apr56 Draft Bill Russell and
Willie Naulls .... Sign Hagan to a $6,500 contract .... Send Harrison to Syracuse ....
Selvy misses the entire season due to military service .... 10Dec56 Trade Naulls to New
York for Slater Martin .... 6Jan57 Pettit sets a team record with 35 rebounds against
Minneapolis .... 7Jan57 Red Holzman is relieved as coach after a 14-19 start and Martin is
named interim coach .... 15Jan57 Pettit, Martin and Macauley play in the All-Star Game
.... 21Jan57 Alex Hannum is named player-coach .... 14Mar57-16Mar57 Defeat Fort Wayne
115-103 and Minneapolis 114-111 in NBA Western Division Tiebreakers .... 21Mar57-25Mar57
Defeat Minneapolis 3games to 0 in the NBA Western Conference Finals .... 30-Mar57-13Apr57
Lose to Boston 4 games to 3 in the NBA World Championship Series .... 13Apr57 Boston
defeats the Hawks 125-123 in two overtimes in the seventh game of the NBA World
Championship Series to win the series
1957-58 (41-31)
Coleman retires .... 3Apr57 Trade Mel Hutchins and Charlie Tyra to New York for Harry
Gallatin, Nat Clifton and Dick Atha .... Selvy returns from the military and is traded to
Minneapolis .... 21Dec57 Pettit sets the team scoring record with 51 points against
Syracuse ....21Jan58 The East defeats the West 130-118 in the All-Star Game in St. Louis
as Pettit of St. Louis is named Most Valuable Player and Martin plays in the game but
Hagan, who is named to play, misses the game due to an injury .... 2Mar58 Pettit ties his
team record with 35 rebounds against Cincinnati .... 19Mar58-27Mar58 Defeat Detroit 4
games to 1 in the NBA Western Conference Finals .... 29Mar58-12Apr58 Defeat Boston 4 games
to 2 to win the NBA World Championship Series .... 12Apr58 Pettit scores 50 points as the
Hawks defeat Boston 110-109 in game six of the NBA World Championship Series to win the
series
1958-59 (49-23)
22Apr58 Draft Wayne Embry .... 30Apr58 Hannum resigns as coach .... 24May58 Andy Phillip
is named coach .... Acquire Clyde Lovellette from Cincinnati .... 20Nov58 Phillip is fired
as coach and is replaced by Macauley after a 6-4 start .... Macauley retires as a player
.... 12Dec58 Richie Guerin of New York totals 21 assists against the Hawks .... 14Jan59
Purchase Si Green from Cincinnati .... 23Jan59 Pettit, Hagan and Martin play in the NBA
All-Star Game as Pettit is named Co-Most Valuable Player with Elgin Baylor of Los Angeles
.... 14Feb59 St. Louis signs Ed Macauley to a three-year contract as coach and Vice
President for a reported $20,000 a year .... Mar59 Pettit is named NBA Most Valuable
Player as he sets a league record with 2,105 points and 29.2 PPG for the season ....
Pettit is named All-NBA First Team, Martin and Hagan are named All-NBA Second Team ....
21Mar59-29Mar59 Lose to Minneapolis 4 games to 2 in the NBA Western Conference Finals
1959-60 (46-29)
Macauley retires .... 31Mar59 Draft Bob Ferry .... Acquire John McCarthy from Cincinnati
.... 22Jan60 Pettit, Hagan and Lovellette play in the All-Star Game .... 1Feb60 Trade
Share and the rights to Nick Mantis and Willie Merriweather to Minneapolis for Larry Foust
.... Pettit is named All-NBA First Team .... 16Mar60-26Mar60 Defeat Minneapolis 4 games to
3 in the NBA Western Conference Finals .... 27Mar60-9Apr60 Lose to Boston 4 games to 3 in
the NBA World Championship Series .... 29Mar60 Bill Russell of Boston grabs 40 rebounds
against the Hawks in game 2 of the NBA World Championship Series .... 9Apr60 Boston
defeats the Hawks 122-103 in game seven of the NBA World Championship Series to win the
title
1960-61 (51-28)
Martin and McMahon retire .... 11Apr60 Draft Lenny Wilkens .... 20Apr60 Macauley resigns
as coach and is replaced with Paul Seymour .... Sign Wilkens to a $8,500 contract ....
17Jan61 Pettit, Hagan and Lovellette play in the All-Star Game .... Macauley is inducted
into the Basketball Hall of Fame .... Pettit sets a team record with 1,540 rebounds ....
Pettit is named All-NBA First Team .... 21Mar61-1Apr61 Defeat Los Angeles 4 games to 3 in
the NBA Western Conference Finals .... 2Apr61-11Apr61 Lose to Boston 4 games to 1 in the
NBA World Championship Series .... 11Apr61 Boston defeats the Hawks 121-112 in game five
of the NBA World Championship Series to win the series
1961-62 (29-51)
Wilkens enters military service and is stationed in Washington, D.C., joining the Hawks
for their weekend games .... 18Nov61 Seymour is fired as coach after a 5-9 start ....
20Nov61 Levane is named coach .... 21Nov61 Trade Joe Graboski, Green and Sauldsberry to
Chicago for Barney Cable and Archie Dees .... 22Nov61 Pettit sets a league record by
making 19 of 19 free throw attempts .... 6Dec61 Pettit scores 51 points against
Philadelphia .... 5Jan62 Wilt Chamberlain of Philadelphia scores 53 points against the
Hawks .... 7Jan62 Chamberlain scores 55 points against the Hawks .... 16Jan62 The Hawks
host the All-Star Game as the West defeats the East 150-130 in St. Louis as Pettit and
Hagan play in the game and Pettit is named Most Valuable Player .... 17Jan62 Chamberlain
scores 62 points against the Hawks .... 17Feb62 Chamberlain scores 67 points against the
Hawks to set an all-time opponent high .... 18Feb62 Pettit sets a team record with 57
points against Detroit .... 22Feb62 Chamberlain scores 61 points against the Hawks ....
27Feb62 Chamberlain scores 65 points against the Hawks .... 2Mar62 The Hawks hold Bob
Pettit Night .... Mar62 Levane is fired with six games remaining in the season and Pettit
is named interim coach .... Lovellette is limited to 40 games due to a heel injury ....
Pettit sets a team record with 2,429 points and 31.1 PPG .... Pettit is named All-NBA
First Team .... Do not qualify for the playoffs
1962-63 (48-32)
Foust retires .... 26Mar62 Draft Zelmo Beaty and Chico Vaughn .... 13Mar62 Gallatin is
named coach .... 14Jun62 Trade Ferrari and Shellie McMillon to Chicago for Ralph Davis and
the rights to Bill Bridges .... Lovellette is sent to Boston .... 29Nov62 Chamberlain of
San Francisco scores 53 points against the Hawks .... 2Dec62 Chamberlain scores 59 points
against the Hawks .... 18Dec62 Chamberlain scores 61 points against the Hawks .... 16Jan63
Pettit and Wilkens play in the All-Star Game .... Acquire Sauldsberry from Chicago, send
Cable to Chicago .... 14Mar63 Guy Rodgers of Philadelphia totals an opponents-record 28
assists against the Hawks .... Pettit is named All-NBA First Team .... Gallatin is named
NBA Coach of the Year .... 20Mar63-26Mar63 Defeat Detroit 3 games to 1in the NBA Western
Conference Semifinals .... 31Mar63-11Apr63 Lose to Los Angeles 4 games to 3 in the NBA
Western Conference Finals
1963-64 (46-34)
18Oct63 Trade a second-round draft choice and cash to New York for Richie Guerin ....
14Jan64 Pettit and Wilkens play in the All-Star Game .... 8Feb64 Pettit becomes the NBA's
all-time leading scorer as he passes Dolph Schayes' total of 19,209 points .... Beaty is
limited to 59 games due to a knee injury .... Pettit sets a team record for minutes played
with 3,296 .... Pettit is named All-NBA First Team .... 21Mar64-30Mar 64 Defeat Los
Angeles 3 games to 2 in the NBA Western Conference Semifinals .... 1Apr64-16Apr64 Lose to
San Francisco 4 games to 3 in the NBA Western Conference Finals .... 10Apr64 Chamberlain
scores 50 points against the Hawks in the playoffs
1964-65 (45-35)
4May64 Draft Jeff Mullins and Paul Silas .... 13Nov64 Pettit passes the 20,000-point
plateau .... 4Dec64 Walt Bellamy of Baltimore grabs an opponents-record 37 rebounds
against the Hawks .... 27Dec64 Gallatin is fired after a 17-16 start and Guerin is named
player-coach .... 13Jan65 The Hawks host the All-Star Game as the East defeats the West
124-123 as Pettit and Wilkens play in the game and Jerry Lucas of Cincinnati is named Most
Valuable Player .... Pettit is limited to 50 games due to a knee injury, Guerin is limited
to 57 games due to a leg injury .... Pettit is named All-NBA Second Team ....
24Mar65-30Mar65 Lost to Baltimore 3 games to 1 in the NBA Western Conference Semifinals
1965-66 (36-44)
Pettit retires .... 24Dec64 Trade Vaughn and John Tresvant to Detroit for Rod Thorn ....
28Dec65 Trade John Barnhill to Detroit for Joe Caldwell.... 11Jan66 Beaty plays in the
All-Star Game .... 14Jan66 Chamberlain of Philadelphia passes Pettit as the NBA's all-time
leading scorer .... 24Mar66-30Mar66 Defeat Baltimore 3 games to 0 in the NBA Western
Conference Semifinals .... 1Apr66-125Apr66 Lose to Los Angeles 4 games to 3 in the NBA
Western Conference Finals
1966-67 (39-42)
Hagan retires .... 11May66 Draft Lou Hudson, Dick Snyder and Bob Verga .... 8Dec66 Rick
Barry of San Francisco scores 50 points against the Hawks .... 3Jan67 Kerner announces
that he is putting the franchise up for sale .... 7Jan67 Kerner announces an agreement to
sell the franchise to the New Orleans Basketball Associates, a group headed by Sean M.
Downey, Jr. for $3 million if a comparable offer does not come a St. Louis group by
18Jan67 .... 10Jan67 Wilkens and Bridges play in the All-Star Game .... Beaty is limited
to 48 games due to a knee injury .... Hudson is named to the NBA All-Rookie Team ....
21Mar67-25Mar67 Defeat Chicago 3 games to 0 in the NBA Western Conference Semifinals ....
30Mar67-12Apr67 Lose to San Francisco 4 games to 2 in the NBA Western Conference Finals
1967-68 (56-26)
Guerin retires as a player .... 1May67 Seattle selects Guerin in an expansion draft ....
Lou Hudson signs with Minnesota of the ABA, but chooses not to jump leagues .... 5Sep67
Sign Jim Davis as a free agent .... 21Jan68 Trade Tom Workman and a draft choice to
Baltimore for Don Ohl .... 23Jan68 Beaty, Wilkens and Bridges play in the All-Star Game
.... Hudson is limited to 46 games due to military service .... Guerin is named NBA Coach
of the Year .... 22Mar68-2Apr68 Lose to San Francisco 4 games to 2 in the NBA Western
Conference Semifinals
1968-69 (48-34)
A court rules that a contract signed by Lou Hudson with Minnesota of the ABA is invalid,
claiming they did not have "clean hands" in their dealing with Hudson and allow
him to stay with the Hawks .... 3May68 The franchise is purchased by a group of Atlanta
investors including Thomas G. Cousins, former Georgia Governor Carl E. Saunders, Robert W.
Chambers, John W. Wilcox Jr., William Holstein, Robert H. Ledbetter, Charlie Loudermilk,
Dillard Munford, Herman J. Russell and Paul A. Duke for $3.5 million and the franchise
moves to Atlanta as the Atlanta Hawks |