Old-Time, Old-School Basketball

[Orangeyes]

Geezer Pleezers

 

[STEVEHOLT]

"sometimes you play five games in five nights...and travel in between"

wow. and we thought 4 games in 4 nights at the garden was tough.

 

[two3zone]

If I was around in the 50s I would have dominated.....

 

[sutomcat]

Geezer Pleezers

Stats for the 1952-53 Minnesota Lakers. I chose that year randomly, turns out they won the NBA championship that year over the NY Knicks (despite being only 2-4 against the mighty Syracuse Nationals).

George Mikan 6'10 245
Vern Mikkelsen 6'7 230
Jim Pollard 6'3.5 185
Slater Martin 5'10 170
Frank Saul 6'2 185

Bob Harrison 6'1 190
Jim Holstein 6'3 180
Lew Hitch 6'8 200
Whitey Skoog 5'11 180
Howie Schultz 6'6 200

They were really small and really skinny. The shootings percentages from the field were awful. Even Mikan only shot 39.9%. On the positive side, they were in general excellent free throw shooters.

It would be great to see what would happen if you could magically transport this team into 2014 and have them play against a good college team. Say Syracuse.

I think SU would win the game pretty easily. Too much size, speed, strength and raw athletic ability. The only chance the Lakers would have is if they called the game extremely loosely (which from the little film I have seen was the case back in the early 1950s).

 

[SWC75]

It's interesting how much offense went though the center in those days. That position was called "the pivot" in those days. Wilt Chamberlain played that way when he led the league in assists. The advantage is that it left the lane open for drives rather than clogging it up.

 

[STEVEHOLT]

Stats for the 1952-53 Minnesota Lakers. I chose that year randomly, turns out they won the NBA championship that year over the NY Knicks (despite being only 2-4 against the mighty Syracuse Nationals).

George Mikan 6'10 245
Vern Mikkelsen 6'7 230
Jim Pollard 6'3.5 185
Slater Martin 5'10 170
Frank Saul 6'2 185

Bob Harrison 6'1 190
Jim Holstein 6'3 180
Lew Hitch 6'8 200
Whitey Skoog 5'11 180
Howie Schultz 6'6 200

They were really small and really skinny. The shootings percentages from the field were awful. Even Mikan only shot 39.9%. On the positive side, they were in general excellent free throw shooters.

It would be great to see what would happen if you could magically transport this team into 2014 and have them play against a good college team. Say Syracuse.

I think SU would win the game pretty easily. Too much size, speed, strength and raw athletic ability. The only chance the Lakers would have is if they called the game extremely loosely (which from the little film I have seen was the case back in the early 1950s).

they would light up the zone with threes

 

[OrangeDW]

Geezer Pleezers

Why didn't the guy under the basket slide underneath and undercut Mikan while he's in the air, and fall on his back to the ground? That's how help defense is supposed to be played, right?

 

[TexanMark]

My Mom used to work for the Syracuse Nationals. Most of the players used to work part time in the summer to make ends meet. Danny used to have the players hang out at his bar in Eastwood. These guys would actually hang out and drink after the games. A different era.