During the barnstorming era of (semi-) professional basketball, roughly 1920 to 1950, two of the leading clubs were from New York City: the Rens (or Renaissance) and the Original Celtics (not to be confused with a certain franchise in Beantown). The rivalry between these squads centered around talent, basketball knowhow, and race too. The all-black Rens persistently faced bias on the road. For the team’s founding owner and manager, Smilin’ Bob Douglas, one of the top objectiv

Much to the chagrin of local fans, the Pittsburgh Pipers relocated to Minnesota in the immediate aftermath of the ABA's inaugural season (1967-68). "We packed in the fans," recalls Sweet Charlie Williams, the team’s sharp shooting, "and the town started to talk about the Pipers and Connie Hawkins” – the league’s MVP and top scorer. “You would think that would be something to build on – we were the DEFENDING CHAMPS [author's emphasis], and Connie lived in Pittsburgh year-round

On November 13, 1967, about a month into the inaugural season of the American Basketball Association, Indiana Pacers guard nailed an 88-foot shot at the buzzer to wrench a 119-118 road victory away from the Dallas Chaparrals. “Dallas’s Charles Beasley,” Harkness recalls, “hit a jumper to put them ahead by two points with two seconds left. We got the ball out under our basket and Oliver Darden threw it to me. I was not quite all the way in the corner, but I was on the baseline