I wish HBO would put this out on DVD and include a bonus disc of the either the '76 All-Star game or Game 6 of the last ABA Championship series that same year since HBO broadcast both of those games....i have the UCLA Dynasty DVD they put out.....
I just watched Showtimes Five hour doc on the AFL"Full color football" so I had to watch this,another good doc about a renegade league is showing on ESPN"s 30 in 30 series called"Small potato's who killed the USFL" or something like that,about the USFL.
I get angry at the revisionist history the NBA provides for its fans. Without this league, the NBA doesnt come close to enjoying the success it has now.
@jbare we all know that the ABA was the better league . Also the style now adays is the extact same style of play they had in the ABA. It was more than a Novelty it was a Stepping stone to the Future of Basketball. Dunk Contests and the Three Point line the Promotions and the Cheerleaders and music Preformers all these were first done in the ABA and the NBA got a swift kick in the nuts for that.
Its a shame i was never alive to experince the ABA but seeing the this special has made me obessed and i also got the book loose Balls by Terry Pluto which i highly recommend.
Auerbach was a hypocrite. He put down the ABA style, but jumped at the chance to sign an ABA-style player a few years after the merger - Larry Bird. Auerbach even pushed the NBA to adopt the ABA's 3 point shot, AFTER he signed Bird!
I mean god love 'em... he won all those championships... but what a complete a-hole. Hey, Red you won, the ABA went belly-up. But yet, he still piled on. The very definition of a bad winner.
It was made back in '98 before there were even DVDs and apparently was only released in very small numbers on VHS by HBO. I was very lucky to be able to find a copy on Amazon about three years ago.
i remember seeing this doc years ago on hbo! Thank you for posting this! Hbo Sports is terrific--I love the music when the Doctor is soaring thru the air...
Another of the Spirits of St. Louis' best players was Maurice Lucas, who as a rookie knocked out Artis Gilmore in one game and took a swing at Dr. J in another.
I loved Mo Lucas he was the enforcer for the Blazers dishing out alot of punishment on the way to an NBA title in'77 & ten years later did the same thing with the sonics on their run to the west finals,that was one tough dude & the last real thug from that era when Pro B-ball was a contact sport.
Is Red Auerbach still alive? he really was a bitter old fuck.
Abe Polland down in the Baltimore/DC was responsible along with Red for the Squires not getting in. Kentucky and St. Louis should have been included also.
Let me elaborate. Look at 6:15: "Let 'em rot... cough..." Red would have lost no money had he allowed 6 ABA squads enter the NBA. Use the 3 pointer and flashy play of the ABA and the NBA wouldn't have struggled as it did financially in the 1970s. Red was a tyrant and narrow minded. Clearly the most influential excecutive in sports history but not always to a positive side. RIP
ididnt know red auerbach was that cold harded about the aba.
jtcc1989 1 year ago
I wish HBO would put this out on DVD and include a bonus disc of the either the '76 All-Star game or Game 6 of the last ABA Championship series that same year since HBO broadcast both of those games....i have the UCLA Dynasty DVD they put out.....
d820m 1 year ago
Auerbach just gives me all the more reason to hate all things Celtics.
Great video, very enjoyable.
zlatan43 1 year ago
Thanks for finding this and posting! Boom Baby! Slick Leonard.
edburdine 2 years ago
I just watched Showtimes Five hour doc on the AFL"Full color football" so I had to watch this,another good doc about a renegade league is showing on ESPN"s 30 in 30 series called"Small potato's who killed the USFL" or something like that,about the USFL.
plofus 2 years ago
I get angry at the revisionist history the NBA provides for its fans. Without this league, the NBA doesnt come close to enjoying the success it has now.
jbare63 2 years ago
@jbare we all know that the ABA was the better league . Also the style now adays is the extact same style of play they had in the ABA. It was more than a Novelty it was a Stepping stone to the Future of Basketball. Dunk Contests and the Three Point line the Promotions and the Cheerleaders and music Preformers all these were first done in the ABA and the NBA got a swift kick in the nuts for that.
Wehategod 2 years ago
Its a shame i was never alive to experince the ABA but seeing the this special has made me obessed and i also got the book loose Balls by Terry Pluto which i highly recommend.
Wehategod 2 years ago
Auerbach was a hypocrite. He put down the ABA style, but jumped at the chance to sign an ABA-style player a few years after the merger - Larry Bird. Auerbach even pushed the NBA to adopt the ABA's 3 point shot, AFTER he signed Bird!
proken58 2 years ago 4
I always thought Auerbach was a dick. I never liked his smug demeanor. If it were up to him, there would be no dunking or a shot clock.
jcaudill6921 2 years ago
I mean god love 'em... he won all those championships... but what a complete a-hole. Hey, Red you won, the ABA went belly-up. But yet, he still piled on. The very definition of a bad winner.
ejc003 2 years ago
@proken58 that was an excellent point. I hate the Celtics so I'm a bit biased (lol).
ExodusPessoa 1 year ago
Where can you get this documentry on DVD?
MrBennetzen 2 years ago
It was made back in '98 before there were even DVDs and apparently was only released in very small numbers on VHS by HBO. I was very lucky to be able to find a copy on Amazon about three years ago.
matseretan 2 years ago
Excellent documentary.
alexglauer 2 years ago
i remember seeing this doc years ago on hbo! Thank you for posting this! Hbo Sports is terrific--I love the music when the Doctor is soaring thru the air...
castaway50 2 years ago
Another of the Spirits of St. Louis' best players was Maurice Lucas, who as a rookie knocked out Artis Gilmore in one game and took a swing at Dr. J in another.
threeby8887 2 years ago
I loved Mo Lucas he was the enforcer for the Blazers dishing out alot of punishment on the way to an NBA title in'77 & ten years later did the same thing with the sonics on their run to the west finals,that was one tough dude & the last real thug from that era when Pro B-ball was a contact sport.
Is Red Auerbach still alive? he really was a bitter old fuck.
plofus 2 years ago
Thank you for posting this!
threeby8887 2 years ago
Abe Polland down in the Baltimore/DC was responsible along with Red for the Squires not getting in. Kentucky and St. Louis should have been included also.
urblhoops 3 years ago
Loose Balls by Terry Pluto is a great complement to this video.
As far as Red goes, he was not alone. I love the Knicks, but Ned Irish was just as guilty of ABA predjudice. He was Knicks President at that time.
urblhoops 3 years ago
Very nice Hubie Brown antedote on Dr.J. Bobby Costas looks good too. Even Red Auerbach looked good eating a little crow.
What times they were. Loose Balls also a great ride written by Terry Pluto.
KenaiAndrews 3 years ago
Let me elaborate. Look at 6:15: "Let 'em rot... cough..." Red would have lost no money had he allowed 6 ABA squads enter the NBA. Use the 3 pointer and flashy play of the ABA and the NBA wouldn't have struggled as it did financially in the 1970s. Red was a tyrant and narrow minded. Clearly the most influential excecutive in sports history but not always to a positive side. RIP
redfanrod 3 years ago 2
Red Auerbach is an asshole...
redfanrod 3 years ago 2
Yes he was an asshole. I recall hearing Dr. J mentioned that he would nit pick Red just to get up under his skin.
epics7 3 years ago
Nice to hear an early Bob Costas
rjpsuh06 3 years ago
What a great league and great time of life that was. Thanks a lot for posting this.
JJJazz63 3 years ago
I love the docmentary movie. It's wonderful
c9mavrick 3 years ago
I firmly believe that it's the best piece ever done on the ABA.
matseretan 3 years ago
absolutely awesome video with pretty good quality image, ABA fan forever! thanx for posting
funksteady 3 years ago
Glad to hear that you enjoyed the video so much. Great moments and great memories for sure.
matseretan 3 years ago
Thank you so much for the post! Incredible material!The ABA was a basketball dream.
capuletto 3 years ago