James Loving - National Radio Text Service - Sunday, April 23, 2006

Larry Brown Ain't Around BUT... DID YOU KNOW??? - Player Who Won Most NBA Titles? - What Former ABA Team Won NBA Title First? - Who Were The Four Teams That Transferred From ABA To NBA? - What two NBA Teams That Began With The League Never Moved Their Franchise? You've Got Questions? We've Got Answers - The Top NBA Title Winner - The Youngest Ever NBA Coach - Ya Know What I'm Say-Yin???

MORE NBA TRIVIA... NOW

DID YOU KNOW???:

The New York Knick's coach Larry Brown won't be around for this NBA Playoff since his Knicks finished the season with one of the worst records in the league 23-59.

He was in the final with the Detroit Pistons last season only to lose to the San Antonio Spurs in seven games 4-3. In 2004 his Pistons won the title taking the series against the Los Angeles Lakers in five games 4-1.

BUT… DID YOU KNOW??? Brown also coached Kansas to the NCAA Tournament title in 1988.

TRIVIA QUESTION :

What current NBA coach was a member of the first ABA team that transferred to the NBA to win the NBA title ?

TRIVIA ANSWER - See below

TRIVIA QUESTION & ANSWERS From Our March Column

1. Who was the first high school to NBA player to have a MAJOR IMPACT in the NBA?

Answer: Moses Malone... full story

2. Who was the youngest ever NBA coach?

Answer: Dave DeBusschere - full story below

3. Since the NBA began in 1947 only two of those original teams have never moved form their original location. Who are they?

Answer - Boston Celtics and New York Knicks.

4. Four ABA teams were merged into the NBA when the ABA dissolved 1976 and remain in the league today. Who are they?

Answer: Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs, Indianapolis Pacers and New York Nets*. Why the asterisk for the Nets? Good Question…

The Nets originally were playing on Long Island, NY that is technically New York. They then moved to New Jersey but are still considered a New Your area team because they remain in the New York City area. Sooo…

Though they didn't move from the area to another city where their fans couldn't attend the games…. they moved across the river. The technicality??? It's up to you.

5. Which of those four teams were the most successful in their first season in the NBA?

Answer: The San Antonio Spurs won the Central Division with a 52-30 record. The Denver Nuggets won the Midwest Division with 11 48-34 record BUT…..

They Nuggets went to the Western Conference Finals losing in six games 4-2 to the Seattle Supersonics.

Based on their record the Spurs went straight to the semifinals and lost to the eventual champion Washington Bullets 4-2.

The most successful team is the one that wind the championship or gets the closest to the title. Agree or not???

6. Which of those former ABA teams was the first to win an NBA title?

Answer: San Antonio Spurs

This was the NBA season that was shortened to 50 games due to the players strike. They defeated the New York Knicks in five games 4-1

7. Who was the coach?

Answer: Gregg Popovich

8. What current NBA coach was a player on that team?

Answer: The Dallas Mavericks coach Avery Johnson of the San Antonio Spurs in 1989.

9. What player was a member of the most NBA title winning teams?

Answer: Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics.

Russell played on 11 Boston Celtic championship teams while functioning as a player coach on two of them.

With Russell the Celtics won the NBA titles in 1957-59-60-61-62-63-64-65-66-68 & 69. He was the player coach of the 1968 and 1969 teams.

Russell is one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players and was declared THE GREATEST PLAYER IN NBA HISTORY by the Professional Basketball Writers Association of America in 1980. His accomplishments are too many to mention now therefore coming at a later date…. Bill Russell - The Greatest NBA Player of All-time.

MORE ON DAVE DEBUSSCHERE

Who was the youngest ever NBA coach? - Dave DeBusschere

DeBusschere became the Detroit Pistons player/coach In November 1964 at the age of 24 in only his third season in the league. He coached the team until March 1967.

Over that time he compiled a 79-143 record. The 6-6/235 (1.98/106,6) forward was traded to the New York Knicks December 19, 1968.

He was a member of the Knicks NBA Championship teams in 1970, 1973. He was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1983. He was selected as one of the Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996.

He holds the NBA All-Star game record for most field goals made in a quarter with eight.

He went on to become the Knicks General Manager May 1982 through January 1996.

DeBusschere finished his playing career with a 16.1ppg and 11.0rpg. By comparison this season's rebound title went to Kevin Garnett with 12.7rpg's. Garnett is 7' tall.

The Pistons Ben Wallace was fifth in the league with a 11.3 average. The point being is that DeBusschere was a major all-around player.

He was a white man that couldn't jump (per the movie 'White Man Can't Jump'), he was not fast or quick.

What he did have was plenty of hustle and guts. He was one tough player. But that's not all….

The Detroit native was a two-sport athlete. He was taken as a territorial pick by the Pistons and also signed a major league baseball contract with the Chicago White Sox in 1962.

In two years as a pitcher in the major leagues he registered a 3 win 4 loss record. He finished his professional baseball career in 1965 a member of the triple A minor league Indianapolis team. The two seasons that he spent with the club he complied a pitching record of 30 wins and 20 losses.

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