

Coincidentally, the commissioner of the ABA and a big proponent of the 3-pointer was George Mikan, a 6-foot-10 NBA legend who probably would've never shot one during his playing days. They had a red, white and blue basketball, a slam dunk contest, and of course, the 3-point shot.Īccording to the book Loose Balls: The Short, Wild Life of the American Basketball Association, which chronicled the nine-season history of the ABA, league organizers had planned to use the 3-pointer from the beginning. The ABA, which started in 1967, differed from the NBA in its experimentation of fan-friendly ideas.

But when a new league competing against the NBA was dreamed up in the mid-1960s, the 3-point shot was back in the spotlight. The NBA, which had been around since 1946, never seriously considered it at that point. The ABL only lasted 1 ½ seasons before folding, so the 3-pointer quickly went away.
#Bomber long shot 5 professional
The 3-point line's first use in a professional league was back in 1961 in the American Basketball League. Once it became mainstream, though-with the ABA leading the charge in 1967-basketball would never be the same again. The NCAA was even slower to adopt the rule. The NBA considered it gimmicky for years. It's a safe bet that nobody under the age of 30 has any recollection of college or professional basketball being played without a 3-point line.īut, in fact, basketball was played for a long time without the 3-point shot. These days, the 3-pointer is second-nature to basketball players and fans. A 3-pointer.' Then we were celebrating again, because we found out that we won the game." That was a 3-pointer,'" Harkness said in the book Loose Balls. "We were running off the floor to huddle up for the overtime when the official, Joe Belmont, came up to me and said 'Jerry, it's over.

His shot won the game for the Pacers, 119-118. In fact, he was 68 feet behind the brand new 3-point line. A lot of the 2,500 in attendance that day thought that the Harkness miracle tied the game and forced overtime. You see, 1967 was the first year of the 3-point shot among basketball's top leagues, and the players and fans weren't used to it. Pandemonium erupted in Dallas, but for all the wrong reasons. It smacked off the backboard and went in. With no time to do anything else, Harkness threw a towering Hail Mary heave toward the goal. Indiana inbounded the ball to Jerry Harkness, who was 92 feet away from the basket. 26, at Saskatchewan Nov.On November 13, 1967, the Indiana Pacers of the American Basketball Association were losing to the Dallas Chaparrals, 118-116, with just one second left on the clock. Saskatchewan, 11-5 (2) - at Edmonton Oct. They frittered away first place and likely have done the same for a home playoff game.Ī completion of the collapse in the playoffs would surprise no REMAINING GAMESĬalgary, 11-5 (2) - at Winnipeg Oct. They should be 12-5 right now, but blew two 20-plus point leads to lose games to the lowly Toronto Argos and the Montreal Alouettes. They have the most dynamic running back in the league in Andrew Harris and a dominant defensive star in Willie Jefferson. The Bombers were the class of the league in the first half, when Matt Nichols was healthy. They’re close enough to both Calgary and Saskatchewan to suggest an upset is possible.īut it really shouldn’t be this way and O’Shea has to answer for that. They won on the road in the playoffs last year in Saskatchewan and it’s not out of the question that they could do it again. They certainly could have won Saturday, in a very difficult environment in Calgary. They’re battlers for sure and they’ve proven an ability to win games. Of course, there’s a still a chance the Bombers will get hot at the right time and make it to the Grey Cup in Calgary. Calgary quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell fed the Bombers secondary its lunch on Saturday and that’s not the first time a top quarterback has done so this season. Not when they have virtually no passing game to speak of and not when their defence can’t defend well enough against the pass. The Bombers are still a good, scrappy football team but they’re not playing at an elite level right now. 1 and 10-7 overall.Ī once highly promising season has turned into a Grey Cup long shot. In the end, the latter won out - it ended 37-33 for the Stamps - and the final result was another loss for a Bombers team that is now 2-5 since Sept. It was an exciting, entertaining football game that featured Winnipeg’s dynamic rushing attack and Calgary’s high-powered passing game. They played well at times, fought hard till the final whistle and put up 33 points, but also had some familiar shortcomings and did not execute in the clutch. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
