Give us a rundown of your Basketball fandom history

[Guest]

54 minutes ago, Diesel said:

Off topic...

Maddux, Glavine, Avery and Smoltz....

Has there ever been a more dominant group than that???

Sometimes, I sit and wonder why didn't we win more??...  I know we were cheated by the Blue Jays.    But Damn.

Alright, I got to book an appointment with my therapist now. 

 

1971 Baltimore Orioles had four 20-game winners.

I know starting pitchers had more innings and complete games back then, and started more games, thus more chances to win games, but after that, late inning relievers became much more of a thing and helped preserved wins for starters.

That foursome is hard to beat in modern times I think.

[Spud2nique]

1 hour ago, bird_dirt said:

my best friend was Spud,

Was?  I thought we were still tight? 

[Spud2nique]

1 hour ago, Diesel said:

Alright, I got to book an appointment with my therapist now. 

 

 I feel that.

51 minutes ago, Diesel said:

OK... here you go...   SPORTS EQUIVALANCE IN ATLANTA.... Something else to argue over...  Once you see the pattern.. fill in the blanks...

 

Trae = Deion = Maddux  

???(Collins)  = Matty Ice = Glavine 

DJ = ???(Risen) = Chipper 

Capela =  ???  =  Pendleton 

Hunter  = ???    =   Blauser

Ken Norman=Ron Gant 

 

jk But they both had some guns …

[Gray Mule]

As a kid growing up I had no athletic skills whatsoever and it never improved later.  I am a watcher, not a player.  I was a Cleveland Indian fan.  Came home from school and my mom told me my team just won the World Series.  That was in 1948.  My mom's brother was a Cardinal fan, therefore I became a fan of the Hawks.  In pro football, The Washington Redskins were the pro team the furtherist south.  Yep.  This was years before expansion.

The NFL expanded.  The AFL wanted to put a team in Atlanta.  They refused.  They went to Miami.  Later the Falcons came into being.  I've watched from day one.  

Braves moved from Boston to Milwaukee to Atlanta.  Ted Turner bought the Braves so he could have something to show on his tiny UHF TV station, WTBS 17.  Very soon he discovered that he could bounce his TV signal off of a satelite and the rest is history.  Braves fans everywhere.

Hawks came to Atlanta and I actually had the opportunity to watch them on TV.  Slowly I went from a very casual Hawk fan to a full time one.

Since I had no skill to play ball, I became the High School PA announcer for football and I held this position for many years, covering the mites, the midgets, the JV's and the varsity.

If you look up "Nerd" you may find my photo.  I've had a great life so far and in my 86 years I've saw many changes.  Married to the same woman for 56 years until cancer took her.  I have 4 children who are older than most of you.  Six Grandchildren and five great grandchildren.  

Raised on a farm, owned a store, sold insurance for 16 years and retired fron the USPS after 34 years.  I wrote two books after I retired.  Romance in the adventure of the old west.  Fictional.

[NBASupes]

7 minutes ago, Gray Mule said:

As a kid growing up I had no athletic skills whatsoever and it never improved later.  I am a watcher, not a player.  I was a Cleveland Indian fan.  Came home from school and my mom told me my team just won the World Series.  That was in 1948.  My mom's brother was a Cardinal fan, therefore I became a fan of the Hawks.  In pro football, The Washington Redskins were the pro team the furtherist south.  Yep.  This was years before expansion.

The NFL expanded.  The AFL wanted to put a team in Atlanta.  They refused.  They went to Miami.  Later the Falcons came into being.  I've watched from day one.  

Braves moved from Boston to Milwaukee to Atlanta.  Ted Turner bought the Braves so he could have something to show on his tiny UHF TV station, WTBS 17.  Very soon he discovered that he could bounce his TV signal off of a satelite and the rest is history.  Braves fans everywhere.

Hawks came to Atlanta and I actually had the opportunity to watch them on TV.  Slowly I went from a very casual Hawk fan to a full time one.

Since I had no skill to play ball, I became the High School PA announcer for football and I held this position for many years, covering the mites, the midgets, the JV's and the varsity.

If you look up "Nerd" you may find my photo.  I've had a great life so far and in my 86 years I've saw many changes.  Married to the same woman for 56 years until cancer took her.  I have 4 children who are older than most of you.  Six Grandchildren and five great grandchildren.  

Raised on a farm, owned a store, sold insurance for 16 years and retired fron the USPS after 34 years.  I wrote two books after I retired.  Romance in the adventure of the old west.  Fictional.

Amazing!

[Diesel]

25 minutes ago, Gray Mule said:

As a kid growing up I had no athletic skills whatsoever and it never improved later.  I am a watcher, not a player.  I was a Cleveland Indian fan.  Came home from school and my mom told me my team just won the World Series.  That was in 1948.  My mom's brother was a Cardinal fan, therefore I became a fan of the Hawks.  In pro football, The Washington Redskins were the pro team the furtherist south.  Yep.  This was years before expansion.

The NFL expanded.  The AFL wanted to put a team in Atlanta.  They refused.  They went to Miami.  Later the Falcons came into being.  I've watched from day one.  

Braves moved from Boston to Milwaukee to Atlanta.  Ted Turner bought the Braves so he could have something to show on his tiny UHF TV station, WTBS 17.  Very soon he discovered that he could bounce his TV signal off of a satelite and the rest is history.  Braves fans everywhere.

Hawks came to Atlanta and I actually had the opportunity to watch them on TV.  Slowly I went from a very casual Hawk fan to a full time one.

Since I had no skill to play ball, I became the High School PA announcer for football and I held this position for many years, covering the mites, the midgets, the JV's and the varsity.

If you look up "Nerd" you may find my photo.  I've had a great life so far and in my 86 years I've saw many changes.  Married to the same woman for 56 years until cancer took her.  I have 4 children who are older than most of you.  Six Grandchildren and five great grandchildren.  

Raised on a farm, owned a store, sold insurance for 16 years and retired fron the USPS after 34 years.  I wrote two books after I retired.  Romance in the adventure of the old west.  Fictional.

Simply awesome GM!!

BTW.. Loved WTBS Ch17... (in ATL we got three UHF Stations:  Ch 17, Ch 30 (PBS) and Ch 46)

 

[Diesel]

1 hour ago, Spud2nique said:

Ken Norman=Ron Gant 

 

jk But they both had some guns …

Nothing like guys of this day..  i.e. Vic Beasley, Tony Gonzales...

But a name from the past that was pretty jacked but unrecognized was Jessie Tuggle.   But Beasley and Gonzales are the biggest Non-steroid using guys that I have seen in the sport... and LT and  Shannon Sharpe of course. 

 

 

[Gray Mule]

Fun fact.  Early in the life of the Atlanta Falcons their punter was a college QB. Georgie Tech?  Sometimes, the Falcons would go into punt formation.  Defense would turn, run back to block for the return.  Falcon punter would simply tuck the ball under his arm and follow them.  Got several 1st downs on this play over time!

[Spud2nique]

2 hours ago, Diesel said:

OK... here you go...   SPORTS EQUIVALANCE IN ATLANTA.... Something else to argue over...  Once you see the pattern.. fill in the blanks...

 

Trae = Deion = Maddux  

???(Collins)  = Matty Ice = Glavine 

DJ = ???(Risen) = Chipper 

Capela =  ???  =  Pendleton 

Hunter  = ???    =   Blauser

Trae= Maddux

JC- Glavine

DM- Smoltz

Cam- Avery

All position players:

Trae- Maddux/Chipper

DM- Deion/Brian Jordan

Hunter- Brian Hunter  

JC- Ron Gant

Capela- Javy Lopez

 

[AHF]

7 minutes ago, Spud2nique said:

Trae= Maddux

JC- Glavine

DM- Smoltz

Cam- Avery

All position players:

Trae- Maddux/Chipper

DM- Deion/Brian Jordan

Hunter- Brian Hunter  

JC- Ron Gant

Capela- Javy Lopez

 

My problem with this comparison is that I just don't think our Hawks match up well with those HOF Braves.  Glavine >> JC.  Smoltz >> DM.  Avery >>>>>> Cam.  Etc.  Smoltz, Glavine and Maddux were no-brainer HOFers who were among the very best of their generation.  Our guys just aren't at that level.  Trae can have that kind of historic career but I don't think any of our other players will ever be in a discussion for the basketball HOF despite it generally being a lower bar than the baseball HOF.  

[Hawkmoor]

1978, the first team I really liked was the Seatte Supersonics.  They were in the playoffs that season and lost to the Washington Bullets in the NBA finals.  I liked everything about that team, including the pretty, shining, basketball court they played on.  The games were played on very late at night on tv.  I was very young at the time so I wasn't aware that the playoffs games were being tape delayed into that time slot because the NBA had low ratings at the time.  CBS wasn't about to mess up its primetime programming with the NBA.  

The games and series the Supersonics played in were very tight.  The players I liked were Gus Williams, Dennis Johnson, "downtown" Freddie Brown ( who shot deep jumpers most of the time) and Jack Sikma.  Lenny Wilkins was the head coach.  To this day, its still my favorite collection of basketball players (sorry Hawks).

I started following the Hawks around the same time as the Supersonics.  I watched them play the Washington Bullets during those same playoffs where I watched the Supersonics.  I watched both teams in the playoffs in 1978 and 1979.  I hated the Washington Bullets of Bobby Dandrige, Wes Unseld and Elvin Hayes because of it.  My favorite Hawks during that time were John Drew and Dan Roundfield.  "Fast" Eddie Johnson, Charlie Criss, Tree Rollins, Wes Matthews, Steve Hawes and Tom McMillen were the players I remembered. 

It was a very good, hard nosed team, coached by possibly the best NBA coach to coach the game, Hubie Brown.  I remember him hollering at the players constantly, lmao.  Skip Caray was the tv announcer.  His coverage was superb AND comical. He would clown the Hawks players at times.  They played the Bullets tough in 1978 and 1979 just like the Supersonics, but came up short.  The Supersonics eventually took down the Bullets in the 1979 Championship season.

 

 

Downtown Freddie Brown and his classic form, basketball jump shot:

 

 

 

Edited February 15, 2023 by Hawkmoor

[Sothron]

4 minutes ago, Hawkmoor said:

1978, the first team I really liked was the Seatte Supersonics.  They were in the playoffs that season and lost to the Washington Bullets in the NBA finals.  I liked everything about that team, including the pretty, shining, basketball court they played on.  The games were played on very late at night on tv.  I was very young at the time so I wasn't aware that the playoffs games were being tape delayed into that time slot because the NBA had low ratings at the time.  CBS wasn't about to mess up its primetime programming with the NBA.  

The games and series the Supersonics played in were very tight.  The players I liked were Gus Williams, Dennis Johnson, "downtown" Freddie Brown ( who shot deep jumpers most of the time) and Jack Sikma.  Lenny Wilkins was the head coach.  To this day, its still my favorite collection of basketball players (sorry Hawks).

I started following the Hawks around the same time as the Supersonics.  I watched them play the Washington Bullets during those same playoffs where I watched the Supersonics.  I watched both teams in the playoffs in 1978 and 1979.  I hated the Washington Bullets of Bobby Dandrige, Wes Unseld and Elvin Hayes because of it.  My favorite Hawks during that time were John Drew and Dan Roundfield.  "Fast" Eddie Johnson, Charlie Criss, Tree Rollins, Wes Matthews, Steve Hawes and Tom McMillen were the players I remembered. 

It was a very good, hard nosed team, coached by possibly the best NBA coach to coach the game, Hubie Brown.  I remember him hollering at the players constantly, lmao.  Skip Caray was the tv announcer.  His coverage was superb AND comical. He would clown the Hawks players at times.  They played the Bullets tough in 1978 and 1979 just like the Supersonics, but came up short.  The Supersonics eventually took down the Bullets in the 1979 Championship season.

 

 

Downtown Freddie Brown and his classic form, basketball jump shot:

 

 

 

One of the reasons I really liked the 80's Bucks was after they traded for Jack Sikma. My dad loved the late 70's Blazers and Sonics teams because of how much they embraced the passing game and unselfish ball movement and shooting. So he would get tapes (he was early into tape trading and so we had VHS tapes and even betamax tapes of NBA and Euro league teams) to watch them. I remember watching Sikma do the Sikma move (if you are old enough you know exactly what I am talking about) and it was literally unguardable. I used that move as a point guard that would go down and get in the low post and no one could guard it. Loved those Sonics teams. People forget how great Dennis Johnson was BEFORE he became a Celtic. Gus Williams was electric to watch. The backcourt of Gus and DJ is still one of the greatest in NBA history.

[Diesel]

28 minutes ago, Spud2nique said:

Trae= Maddux

JC- Glavine

DM- Smoltz

Cam- Avery

All position players:

Trae- Maddux/Chipper

DM- Deion/Brian Jordan

Hunter- Brian Hunter  

JC- Ron Gant

Capela- Javy Lopez

 

Yeah Spud.. it was a three sport equality. 

 

[Diesel]

Damn... How long did Tom McMillen play for the Hawks?!?

[Sothron]

Just now, Diesel said:

Damn... How long did Tom McMillen play for the Hawks?!?

I think he always had the silver hair. Those pre Nique Hawks had some good players. I hate how few Hawks fan remember the pre Nique Hawks. 

[Spud2nique]

46 minutes ago, AHF said:

My problem with this comparison is that I just don't think our Hawks match up well with those HOF Braves.  Glavine >> JC.  Smoltz >> DM.  Avery >>>>>> Cam.  Etc.  Smoltz, Glavine and Maddux were no-brainer HOFers who were among the very best of their generation.  Our guys just aren't at that level.  Trae can have that kind of historic career but I don't think any of our other players will ever be in a discussion for the basketball HOF despite it generally being a lower bar than the baseball HOF.  

Yes I agree, I was humoring Diesel lol, how bout just Trae to Maddux or Glavine since we drafted him? Is that fair?

[Spud2nique]

59 minutes ago, Spud2nique said:

Hunter- Brian Hunter  

Really? Nothing? Are y’all all juiced out from V day or…  not even a tee hee? 

[Spud2nique]

28 minutes ago, Sothron said:

I think he always had the silver hair. Those pre Nique Hawks had some good players. I hate how few Hawks fan remember the pre Nique Hawks. 

That’s me. It’s not my fault I was like 4  I was a fetus in my .. water boy  

[Hawkmoor]

@Sothron  I can't quote you for some reason.  The Bucks that stand out to me from that period were Paul Pressey and Sidney Moncrief.  They had a very good squad for a good while.  Sikma had the "other" unguardable shot in the NBA. The other was the "hook" shot of Kareem.  Sikma was automatic once he got position.  He could shoot from outside too.  When you go back and watch tape of him, he was Dirk Nowitski before Dirk Nowitski.  As far as Dennis Johnson goes, I was aware of how good he was before Boston. In fact, he was with the Suns when Boston traded for him. You are correct that he and Gus Williams had a beast backcourt in the NBA. Its definitely one of the best.

 

 

[Sothron]

2 minutes ago, Hawkmoor said:

@Sothron  I can't quote you for some reason.  The Bucks that stand out to me from that period were Paul Pressey and Sidney Moncrief.  They had a very good squad for a good while.  Sikma had the "other" unguardable shot in the NBA. The other was the "hook" shot of Kareem.  Sikma was automatic once he got position.  He could shoot from outside too.  When you go back and watch tape of him, he was Dirk Nowitski before Dirk Nowitski.  As far as Dennis Johnson goes, I was aware of how good he was before Boston. In fact, he was with the Suns when Boston traded for him. You are correct that he and Gus Williams had a beast backcourt in the NBA. Its definitely one of the best.

 

 

His inside pivot move was unguardable. I don't know why players today don't use it. When you turn into the defender you can either shoot straight up in his face, probably draw contact since you turned inside to face the defender OR if he defends the shot you drop  your shoulder and just drive by for a dunk/layup. So, so deadly. 

And yes, I loved those Bucks teams pre Sikma when it was El Sid and Marques Johnson then they traded to get Terry Cummings and Rickey Pierce in a steal of a trade with the then SD Clippers.