The Fives: Post 22 vs. Post 320 not the first rivalry left largely unrealized Jul 31, 2008
Despite the fact the league was run by NBA legend George Mikan, that some of the game's most talented players were in the rebel ABA and that interest in the NBA suffered at the hands of the upstart league, NBA officials refused to legitimize playing the ABA in any game of consequence. In the end, the ABA narrowly topped the NBA in the 150 or so exhibition matches, but finances forced the league to shut down in the mid 1970s. (Rapid City Journal, SD)
CIRCUS? WHAT CIRCUS?: Closest NBA things to Favre saga Jul 29, 2008
"And personally, I think I could do it. But I have no desire. The time I had was enough.'' (For sheer Favre-like rumor and speculation, let's not forget the ballyhooed heavyweight bout between Chamberlain and Muhammad Ali in their prime. If floated today -- like a butterfly, of course -- such a story might crash the Internet for a week. Back in April 1971, though, ABC's Wide World of Sports had to stand in for the entire World Wide Web and the gimmick lasted a relative minute and a half.) Dave... (SportsIllustrated.CNN)
OKLAHOMA BOUND: Sonics leave colorful history in Seattle Jul 5, 2008
But it was much worse when the club in sunny California, in a desperate ploy to challenge Boston's trophy case, started claiming the five NBA championships won by George Mikan, Slater Martin, Vern Mikkelsen, coach John Kundla and the others back in frigid Minnesota. Keeping the nickname, the colors, the tradition like Seattle has would have been a small consolation -- it took the NBA 28 years to award a replacement franchise to the Twin Cities, and the Timberwolves have won just two playoff... (SportsIllustrated.CNN)
Henshaw: Celtics vs. Lakers: the prequel Jun 13, 2008
In my day, the Lakers were from Minneapolis --- which makes more sense since Minnesota is known as the Land of Lakes --- and the names were George Mikan, Bill Russell, and the Couse ... The reigning marquee star of the Basketball Association of America (as the NBA was known then), the Kobe Bryant or Kevin Garnett of his time, was George Mikan, the center for the Minneapolis Lakers. (Pembroke Mariner, MA)
Bob Kurland still casts long shadow May 17, 2008
Kurland, who had led Oklahoma State to national prominence, including outdueling rival legendary big man George Mikan in a head-to-head battle, helped power the 1948 66ers to the national amateur championship. The 66ers beat the University of Kentucky in a playoff series between the AAU and college basketball titans. (Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise, OK)
BEST CENTERS EVER: Does HOF-bound Olajuwon belong? Apr 5, 2008
George Mikan: The NBA's first icon, he helped put the league on the map in the '50s. Led the Minneapolis Lakers to four NBA championships in six seasons. (SportsIllustrated.CNN)
Pittsburgh's Pipers were kings for a day Mar 31, 2008
George Mikan, the ABA commissioner, kept his office in Minneapolis. By Mr. Wolf's account, he wanted the Pipers to leave Pittsburgh for Minneapolis to justify having league headquarters in the Twin Cities. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
Steve AschburnerINSIDE THE NBA Feb 20, 2008
The mind boggles at what Wilt Chamberlain, Pete Maravich or George Mikan could bring back in trade. How this Sixth Sense strategy of building out and legitimizing trade packages (I see dead careers. (SportsIllustrated.CNN)
Has it been that long? (55) Feb 17, 2008
It has been 60 years since the Globetrotters topped the Minneapolis Lakers and their legendary big man, George Mikan. With only a few of the players still alive and just a handful of photographs remaining, the game has been largely lost to history. (Munster Times, IN)
Hoops history Feb 13, 2008
In an epic matchup 60 years ago, Haynes led the Globetrotters to a stunning victory against the George Mikan-led Minneapolis Lakers. "I don't think anyone had any idea it would be such a landmark moment," says Haynes, 81. (USA Today -- Sports)
Jenkins: Suns had to trade Marion Feb 10, 2008
What began with George Mikan, then became set in stone with Russell and Wilt Chamberlain, still holds true: You win with the big man. Of course, you can go overboard on that. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Sports)
Minnesota fans still appreciate Garnett Feb 9, 2008
George Mikan is still our Mr. Basketball. He brought the big leagues to the Twin Cities. (Winona Daily News, MN)
Wilson's passion for presidential candidates Feb 1, 2008
Wilson continued, "We got down there and standing in the middle of the lobby was Harry Truman. Harry had taken a liking to our team during the semifinals. He was with George Mikan. We knew George Mikan was at the game, but we didn't know Harry Truman was. He had a bus outside and took us to a restaurant with a private room and he bought our lunch. Then, he took us out to his museum.". Wilson has collected close to "a thousand" political buttons, a hobby that stems all the way back to the 1960s. (Galesburg The Paper, IL)
Along the Way: Green Valley radiates with hospitality Jan 18, 2008
Joe DiMaggio, Bobby Doerr, Henry Aaron, Stan Musial, Lefty Gomez, Bill Dickey, Peewee Reese, Joe Black, Don Drysdale, Duke Snider, Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Julius Erving, Bob Cousy, George Mikan, Bob Lilly, Doak Walker, Bart Starr, Johnny Unitas, Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Francoise Durr, Kerry Melville, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Gary Player, Gene Littler, Bear Bryant, Bud Wilkinson, Don Faurot, Bo... (Green Valley News & Sun, AZ)
Unconventional statistics are becoming more and more accessible to NBA fans. Dec 5, 2007
"It probably speaks toward steals and stops and those types of things. So yeah, I think deflections is pretty good. All coaches talk about those. And contested shots.'' The bad news for NBA fans is that deflections and contested shots are stats traditionally kept behind the curtain, counted up by coaching staffs and used to educate and inspire players defensively but rarely, if ever, made public. The statistics that are readily available to the average fan are the familiar old box scores, team... (SportsIllustrated.CNN)
Basketball Legend Had The Drive Dec 2, 2007
With him in the lineup, the Globetrotters defeated the Minneapolis Lakers and George Mikan twice in exhibitions in 1948 and 1949, laying their claim to being the best team in the country. The Globetrotters were so good that when they played on double-header cards with league teams, fans were more interested in the first game featuring the Globetrotters and an opponent than the standard game that followed. (Investors Business Daily)
More of this story Nov 16, 2007
In fact, one of Ray Meyer s star pupils , George Mikan, was one of college basketball s premier big men at DePaul at the same time Kurland was terrorizing opposing defenses as a member of the Oklahoma State team. In fact, the two teams met during the heydays of these peerless centers, with Kurland getting the better of Mikan. (Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise, OK)
The greatest players of all-time Aug 17, 2007
Only George Mikan (twice, in 1949-50 and '51-52), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1970-71) and Shaquille O'Neal (1999-2000) have been able to pull off that trick. COACH. (SportsIllustrated.CNN -- NBA)
Pat Swilling among inductees to Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Jun 23, 2007
"George Mikan was the highest paid player and got $18,000.". After two seasons, Perkins decided to enroll at the Chicago School of Podiatry, later becoming a successful podiatrist in New Orleans. (WWLTV.com, LA)
Even at 82, Bob Kurland loves the game he changed Jun 20, 2007
" When Kurland graduated in 1946, officials from the fledgling Basketball Association of America tried luring him to their league. He and DePaul center George Mikan ranked as the nation's top two collegiate players, and each drew contract offers that would pay them $15,000 per year. Mikan joined the league, which merged with another pro circuit in 1949 to form the NBA, and became its first star with the Minneapolis Lakers. Kurland turned down the cash and took a job with Phillips 66, a... (Orlando Sentinel -- Sports)
NBA stages finale, but who's watching? Jun 14, 2007
The San Antonio-Cleveland series is well on its way to an infamous distinction: becoming the lowest-rated NBA Finals since the championship series went to prime time, which was about the same time George Mikan retired. When the ratings are in the range of 6 which, rounding up, is basically what the first two games of the NBA Finals averaged on ABC that means 94% of the nation isn't watching. (USA Today -- Sports)
Reed's jersey from '70 Finals to be auctioned off May 31, 2007
Reed's 1970 Knicks jersey is part of a basketball collection that also features a George Mikan 1947-48 Minneapolis Lakers road jersey, a Bill Russell 1967-68 home jersey, and a Wilt Chamberlain 1959 Philadelphia Warriors rookie uniform. Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. (ESPN -- Golf News)
History is foremost in the Russell camp May 20, 2007
"Russell met Abdul-Jabbar, another Lakers superstar, when he was a 14-year-old named Lew Alcindor at the famed Power Memorial in New York City. The Celtics were practicing at the school in preparation for a game against the Knicks. Russell couldn't help but notice the awkward young boy on the floor, and it reminded him of when he was a self-conscious teenager, and Hall of Famer George Mikan went out of his way to put him at ease."I was a 15-year-old kid in Oakland, shuffling my feet," Russell... (Boston Globe)
Book excerpt May 18, 2007
If this had been a gathering of NBA basketball players, and that had been George Mikan, the first great big man in the league's history, sitting at center court, with all due respect, Shaquille O'Neal probably would have thought, "Man, I'd dunk every time on this guy," and he would be right. It is the best game because it's a daily game with great rhythm and flow to it. (ESPN -- Baseball)
No juice to this probe May 10, 2007
It's a little difficult to compare George Mikan and Shaq. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. (Boston Globe -- Sports)
Lakers Lock 7th Spot To Face Suns In Opening Rd. Apr 19, 2007
He became the first Lakers player to lead the league in scoring in back-to-back seasons since George Mikan did it three years in a row back when the team was in Minneapolis. Mikan won his first of three straight titles in 1948-49. (CBS2.com, CA)
Video of Duncan's ejection; credibility issue? Apr 16, 2007
What in the name of George Mikan is going on. Start in Dallas, where San Antonio's Tim Duncan was tossed from a game in Dallas for laughing at a call while he was on the bench (). (USA Today -- Sports)
Bracketology - Not quite a science. Homer who? Apr 6, 2007
" I remember that Sliced Bread won the inventions category. I'm not sure whether Ghandi or Homer Simpson won the bald guy competition. A couple of weeks ago I heard an interview with with one of the authors. He said that Homer S. and George W. appeared in more brackets than any other famous living Americans. MSHSL BracketologyI've been thinking of brackets in Minnesota. The first one I'm exploring is Natural Rivals. The first round match-ups are-1. South St. Paul vs. Minneota2. Minneapolis... (Lindstrom Chisago County Press, MN)
A Long Story Mar 3, 2007
Since George Mikan ruled the paint, the first option on offense has been feed the post. Not against Stanford. (TheBootleg.com)
CENTER OF ATTENTION: Vegas good to Kareem Feb 18, 2007
"In my grade school, they had a lot of kids from college who would work with us, and some of them showed me the George Mikan drill, and that's how I developed how to use both my hands and footwork," he said. "By the time I left grade school, it was more or less second nature.". (Las Vegas Review-Journal -- Nevada News)
Dunking Thomas still short on tact (Tom Knott) Feb 9, 2007
Shaquille O'Neal certainly recognized the important contributions of his predecessors after George Mikan, the NBA's first great big man, died on June 1, 2005. O'Neal offered to pay for Mikan's funeral, an act of generosity that Mikan's family accepted. (Washington Times, DC)
Design was no slam dunk Jan 17, 2007
Designed by Fernando Vazquez of the mega-firm HNTB, the building's exterior brings to mind not a high-flying contemporary player like Mayo, or Kobe Bryant, but somebody along the lines of George Mikan: tall, imposing and broad-shouldered, with a buzz cut and high socks. Mikan was born in 1924, played college ball in the mid-'40s and went pro in 1946. (Los Angeles Times)
Kings of the court Jan 12, 2007
free sports contests you can play every week to earn raffle tickets and bid for prizes. Beat Jerry is in playoff mode: Make your picks against Sentinel columnist Jerry Greene. (Orlando Sentinel -- Sports)
The final farewells: Notable deaths in the sports world in 2006 Dec 26, 2006
March 17 -- Ray Meyer, 92, the grandfatherly basketball coach whose 42-year tenure at DePaul stretched from George Mikan to Mark Aguirre. Meyer twice took the Blue Demons to the NCAA Final Four and coached DePaul to the 1945 NIT title. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA -- Sports)
Fights, cover-ups and drugs are only a few of the NBA's most embarrassing stories. Aug 3, 2006
Opponents of the Minneapolis Lakers could never figure out what to do with George Mikan, their giant, bespectacled center and the game's first dominant player. But on this night Murray Mendenhall, coach of the Fort Wayne Pistons, had an idea. (SportsIllustrated.CNN -- NBA)
What Rhymes With Seimone Augustus? Jul 19, 2006
Stephen Burt tells me to meet him in the lobby of the Target Center, next to George Mikan. He (George) will be wearing glasses and an old-timey uniform and will be posed mid-jump shot. (City Pages)
Wade: 'Best feeling I've ever had in my life' Jun 21, 2006
Previous high: 67, by George Mikan, for Minneapolis in 1950. Wade's 208 points were the second-most by a player in his first six Finals games (Rick Barry had 245 in 1966) and 38 behind Michael Jordan's record for most points in a six-game Finals (set in 1993). (Miami.com, FL -- Sports)
Wade strumming along Jun 20, 2006
Those performances put his name in the NBA record book alongside Hall of Famers Rick Barry, Jerry West, Magic Johnson and George Mikan as the only players to score 40 or more points in a Finals game before turning 25. Wade, Barry and West are the only players to perform the feat more than once. (USA Today -- Sports)
Fear the Run and Gun Jun 9, 2006
This was revolutionary in a league not far removed from George Mikan and no shot clock ... (Actually, years earlier, legendary Lakers center George Mikan had blocked enough to force the new league to add a goal tending rule. (Suite101.com)
Gillespie has no plans to retire May 13, 2006
And, oh yeah, back when he was a college freshman, he guarded basketball's first dominant big man, George Mikan, and came away with a win. Today, Gillespie plans to be in the dugout coaching a college baseball team, something he's done since 1953 - first at Lewis University (Ill. (AZCentral -- Sports)
Playoff Formats II May 2, 2006
We left off after the chaos of the 1949-50 season where leagues merged and anarchy reigned until George Mikan and the Minneapolis Lakers imposed some order by beating all comers regardless of seeding or format ... George Mikan retired. (Suite101.com)
NCAA WOMENStanford vs. Oklahoma Mar 26, 2006
NCAA WOMEN / Stanford vs. Oklahoma / The women's game hasn't seen anyone like Paris. " Paris' coach, Sherri Coale, ticks off the names of collegiate all-time greats -- Anne Donovan, Cheryl Miller, Lynette Woodard. But they weren't low-block power specialists. "I don't think there's ever been anyone who could touch what she's done," Coale says, adding that college women of previous eras didn't face anything like the depth of talent, individuals and teams in today's game. "For her to separate... (San Francisco Chronicle)
Skipping College Mar 25, 2006
Until the seventies, certain basketball powerhouses entered the NCAA, and others entered the NIT. The legendary George Mikan never played in the NCAA tourney. His school, DePaul, always entered the NIT. The consensus #1 school, Marquette, blew off the NCAA for the NIT in 1970. (Suite101.com)
Meyer remembered for basketball, how he lived life Mar 22, 2006
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Hundreds pay respects to late DePaul coach Meyer Mar 21, 2006
"Meyer's teams had winning records for 37 seasons and won at least 20 games 12 times, reaching the NCAA Tournament 13 times and the Final Four in 1943 and again in 1979.His greatest players include Aguirre, Terry Cummings and Dave Corzine -- all of whom came decades after he helped turn George Mikan, a gangly student with thick glasses who never had played high school basketball, into a two-time college player of the year. Mikan went on to the NBA and helped transform the pro game as the first... (ESPN -- College Basketball)
'Coach,' DePaul legend, dies at 92 Mar 19, 2006
He was an innovator, the first coach to use the talents of a big man 6-foot-10 center George Mikan, whom Meyer always called his best player to full advantage. Mikan was so productive on offense and troublesome on defense, basketball's first goaltending rules were created to restrict him. (Daily Southtown)
Ray Meyer Dead Mar 18, 2006
Meyer twice took the Blue Demons to the , helped develop a young George Mikan who would eventually become basketball's first dominating big man and coached DePaul to the 1945 NIT title ... "I saw George Mikan," Meyer recalled, "and I saw my future.". (Fox News)
Stanford women in Pac-10 hoop final Mar 6, 2006
Shes like an old-time player like George Mikan or Lew Alcindor with her back to the basket. A lot of centers use power moves, but shes got all the moves. (Palo Alto Online, CA)
