The old ABA was a gloriously flawed league. On the one hand, it had to distinguish itself from the stodgier NBA, which it did with things like the three point shot, flashier offenses and the trim-colored basketball.
On the other, it lacked stable finances, including TV coverage.
And ultimately, even with players like Julius Erving, David Thompson and Artis Gilmore, the league just wasn’t financially viable.
You can see part of the problem in this video of highlights of the first ABA championship: no one is there, which was a shame as the Pittsburgh Pipers won the series against the New Orleans Buccaneers, 4-3. This was in 1967, when the NBA was just 21 years old and not really a big deal compared to baseball or football. The ABA could have competed with and possibly supplanted the NBA if it had had deeper pockets and more stability.
Connie Hawkins was on the Pipers and so were two Blue Devils: Mike Lewis and Steve Vacendak.
To give it more of a 15-501 feel, the Buccaneers had former Tar Heels Larry Brown and Doug Moe. As many of you know, Heyman and Brown, who were good friends growing up, are at the heart of the Duke-UNC rivalry: the pair sparked a heated fight in 1960 that burns to this day.
We’ve seen Heyman, Brown and Moe but haven’t spotted Vacendak yet.
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