NBA plays H.O.R.S.E 1977-1978

The idea of H.O.R.S.E was once a popular event during the All-star break in the late 70’s. Specfically during 1977-1978 All-star weekend in Atlanta, the Horse competition took place with 31 contestants.

The most notably stars were Denver Nuggets Dan Issel and David Thompson, Golden State Warriors Rick Barry, New York Knicks Bob McAdoo, Phoenix Suns Paul Westphal, San Antonio Spurs George Gervin and New Orleans Jazz Pete Maravich. Maravich was the favorite as he was known for fancy ball handling, passing and shooting skills.

The rules were very simple:”The player in control must describe his shot beforehand – Two consecutive shots from the same area are not   allowed unless someone moves at least 5′ away – Trick shots are allowed, however, the same trick shot   can not be taken more than once in the contest – A flip of the coin determines who will shoot first – In the case of disputes, the ruling of NBA Referee   Mendy Rudolph is final”

The Horse competition was very long, which might of caused fans to lose interest in the competition during All-star weekend. Maravich was a finalist against Westphal but h26ad to forfit the championship matchup due to a knee injury. Westphal became the 1977-1978 H.O.R.S.E Champion.

In short,the NBA brought the game of horse back to All-Star weekend for the first time in 26 years in the 2008-2009 season. However with far less contestants in only three contestants Kevin Durant, Joe Johnson and OJ Mayo. Durant won H.O.R.S.E competitions in both 2009-2010 seasons.

 

Larry Legend Wins Inaugural 1986 Three-Point Contest

In 1986 was the inaugural NBA Three-point Contest, featuring Eric “Sleepy” Floyd, Dale Ellis, Larry Bird, Trent Tucker and Norm Nixon, Craig Hodges, Leon Wood and Kyle Macy. Coming into this contest, Bird, also referred to as Larry Legend was the heavy favorite in this contest. Bird’s biggest competition was Hodges, who shot 45.1 percent (73-of-162) from 3-point range that season.

In the NBA 3-point contest the rules are simple. There is a rack of five balls on both corners, wings and one at the top of the key. Each rack has one blue and white money ball that is worth two points and the rest of the balls are worth one point. The highest score one can recieve is making 25 three pointers in row, totaling up to 30 points.

Bird started off slow scoring 16 points in the first round, but managing to make it to the 2nd round. Bird was wearing the red Eastern Conference All-Star jersey, and his green Celtics warm-up jacket and pantsbuttoned up. Whereas the rest of the contestants had their warm-ups fully off.

Bird finished the 2nd round with 18 points and Hodges with 14 point to advanced to the finals. As the finals came up, Bird got a bit more serious as he took off his Celtics warm-up.

A coin toss was used to determine who would go first, as Bird won and elected that Hodges went first. There is a question of whether it is better to go first or last, for going first puts the pressure off the contestant. However going last gives the contestant an advantage, for he knows how many baskets he needs to win.

Hodges went first and appeared to be tired as he only scored 12 points. On the contrary, Larry Legend appeared more confident as his warm up was finally off, scoring 22 points. Bird became the first 3-contest winner and and later defended his title in the 1988 Three-point Contest against Dale Ellis.

 

Vincanity Inovation in 2000 NBA Dunk Contest