THANKS SOOOOO much for posting this!!! Please post more Old Seattle SuperSonics videos!! I grew up adoring the early 1970’s Sonics. Wilkens, Haywood, Snyder, Kojis, Heard, Clemens. Winfield, Smith, Watts, Cross, Gray. Thank you!!!
I always liked the Sonics for some reason. Probably had to do with being a night owl and loving watching the Sonics play the late game from the West Coast. Hope Seattle gets another team.
This series (maybe even this game) had a brawl ignited by Gray (Seattle) and Dickey (Golden State). I understand the Sonics also had bench-clearers with Boston and Phoenix during the 1975-76 season. I know they had a big fight with the Lakers during the 1973-74 season. Golden State had a Rick Barry-Sidney Wicks donnybrook during the 1976-77 regullar season, then a big melee with Detroit which also involved Warrior fans during the 1977 playoffs.
The first NBA game I ever went to was in '75 and it was between these two teams. I was 7 years old and I don't remember too much about it but I'm sure it wasn't this particular game because the game I went to, the Warriors blew the Sonics out of the gym by 25 or so. Slick Watts inadvertently made about an 85-foot shot (it was originally intended as a full court pass to Burleson streaking down court for a breakaway but the pass went in the basket instead). Even though the Supes got their ass handed to them that day, it hooked me on hoops and sports for life and I've been bleeding Sonic green ever since.
Six rookies on Seattle? Wow, don't see that everyday! I remember this season pretty well but living on the east coast I really didn't know to much about the teams out west until GS beat Washington....great to go back to being 12 years old agian!
True. WIlkes was a major contributor to the Lakers' 1980 championship drive; Haywood, on the other hand, played little in the FInals. He was deep into the drugs by then. In fact, Haywood was released from that team before the championship because he fell asleep during practice. I think the Lakers just recently awarded him a championship ring for the 1980 title.
that was Charles Johnson...who was with the Warriors that year and was with the Bullets in 1978 when they beat Seattle and won their title....Wilkes came to the Lakers for the 1977-78 season.....John Jonhnson who played on Seattle 1979 Title team, was probably still with Cleveland or Houston at that time
@threeby8887 it's been told that Calvin Murphy got into 8 fights the most infamous which he beat Sidney Wicks into a bloody pulp, as well as Kermit Washington punching and nearly killing Rudy Tomjanovich.
Also in the 1976-77 season, Seattle's Slick Watts got into it with Houston's Calvin Murphy, and Wardell (I think that was his first name) Gray fought a Nets' player. The point is, there were a LOT of fights during the 1970s in the NBA and the ABA. Pro basketball back then was almost like the NHL at that time.
Correction: Leonard Gray fought Houston's Mike Newlin early in the 1976-77 season, not many nights after Murphy-Wicks. The fight in the Sonics-Nets game was between Dean Tolson and Mel Davis; Gray might have gotten into it with someone that night also.
Man basketball was SO MUCH funner to watch at this time... Notice how players don't just drive to the hoop expecting a foul... The current NBA doesn't let you play defense in the paint anymore... it's more of a jump shooting game back in the day because players know driving too the hoop means you get knocked on your ass .... NBA is such trash compared to what is was...
They didn't have the three pointer back then, so they worked more plays, and running the clock down, to either a drive to the basket, or set up for a jumper. More team play and passing. Whereas now days they often just come down and take a quick three.
Bart Bell .... Yeah, 3’s and driving to the basket, get a foul call.... Low post defenders pretty much have to get out of the way or get 6 fouls by halftime ... It’s ridiculous
No, I care! Slick was THE MOST POPULAR ATHLETE in Seattle for a couple years. I met him and got his autograph too back then. Along with Jim Zorn, Lenny Wilkens and Spencer Haywood, he owned the city of Seattle. I actually played him twice in tennis tournaments and he is a great guy. Awesome video.
Thanks for telling me all of this. I remember, Charles Johnson was given only a 10-Day Contract when he was first picked up by the Washington Bullets. The Bullets liked what they saw of him, nad made him a part of the team back in 1978, and the rest was history. And as a Laker Fan, I remembered #52 very vivdly back in the Early 80's when Jamaal Wilkes was called "Smooth as Silk", when he made his "15 Foot Layups". He was a Laker until 1985. Where is Jamaal Wilkes now?
Rick Barry was never underrated, but on this Sonics team you have the terribly overrated Slick Watts, who cheapshotted a Warriors' rookie into the stands the next year, & the rookie never played again. I think Charlie Johnson came out of Cal. "Silky" Wilkes was great for both the Warriors & the Lakers, and of course, this Warriors team had Clifford Ray, who the SF Aquarium called in to reach down a dolphin's throat to grab something that had gotten stuck there.
Rick, like many past greats, is more overlooked and forgotten, than underrated. At least in his time, folks knew how great he was. Same for Baylor, West and Havlicek. His old teammate Thurmond, too.
Yes, Barry has never been underrated. He was celebrated plenty in his time. He is somewhat forgotten just due to how many years have passed and how many good players have come along since. He stood out during his time because he was such a good passer and one of the league leaders in steals from a forward position as well as a high volume shooter. Field goal percentage was low, not much of rebounder for his size- his rebounds per minute stats compared to players shorter than him are a little embarrassing. He scored a lot but shot a lot to get it.
Bird vs Barry in their prime is a dead heat. Do you like Apples or Oranges? Barry was faster &quicker . Bird bigger stronger . Both could shoot, pass, what can you say?
@slip satch Bird all the way. The guy was a magician. Shots made between his legs, scooped off the floor, from behind the backboard- you name it. Clutch shooting, three pointers raining down. The best passer in NBA. Rebounds, nose for the ball. He could run the fast break...
Absolutely correct...but he started on cocaine first! He couldve had a few more yrs in the NBA if it wasnt for this. Cocaine and crack was one of Marvin Barnes' downfall too.
@slip satch russel was coach in seatlle 1974 1975 and he did not like how brisker play,so after 29 games in seatlle ,nobody want him and he go to africa and he fight for idi amin army
Johnnie Johnson was a Warrior back then in their Championship Season? I remembered him as a member of the Supersonics when they won their Championship in 1979. When did Keith(Jamaal) Wilkes come to the Los Angeles Lakers?
Jamaal Wilkes joined the Lakers in the 1977-78 season. Also, that’s a different Johnson (Charles Johnson) playing for the Warriors. Not John Johnson who won a ring with Seattle in 1979.
As to the Bird and Barry comparisons, look at their FG% and tell me that Barry was anywhere near Bird when it came to decision-making and precision. And while, yes, Barry was an excellent passer and not a bad defender, Bird was a much better rebounder and ballhandler. Here's what we don't have: footage of Barry during his second year in the NBA, when he was unstoppable and still very athletic. We'll never know just how good he was at that point because we have no visual evidence.
Bird had a superior FG% I believe, cause he had a better post up game and was simply better inside scorer (and offensive rebounder) as well. Barry was quicker and faster.
pudman31 You can't really compare stats with NBA players. The game was different in the 60s/70s than it was in the 80s, and today it's a world different than what it was like in the 80s. One of the big reasons Wilt Chamberlain averaged 50 a game one year (besides that he was awesome) was because probably 50% more shots per game were being taken back then. Up through the 1970s the 120-115 game was the norm.
+pudman31 Rick Barry scored, passed and stole the ball as well as any forward in NBA history. If you truly want to know how good a player was, ask the greats that played against him. Listen to Oscar, West and Cunningham rave about Barry over and over as color men for NBA broadcasts. Wilt said Barry was the best athlete he ever saw. In 1975, after the Bullets beat the Celtics in 6 games, they were so feared by the NBA that most felt they would sweep the Warriors. When Barry took the court for that final, he didn't have McHale, Parrish, D.Johnson, and Ainge on his side to take court pressure off of him. Barry had Butch Beard, C. Johnson, Clifford Ray, and Keith Wilkes next to him. It was basically 1 on 5 offensively, and despite that Barry torched the Bullets so badly that they felt the need to physically attack him in game 4. If Bird was better than Barry, and he might have been, God bless him.
This guy Frank Gleiber was known as "The Round Mound of Sound". Good announcer. But the best NBA announcers on TV of all time is Marv Albert and Dick Stockton. Gleiber also called Dallas Cowboys radio broadcast before Verne Lundquist took over. Verne was great too!
![1995-1996 Seattle SuperSonics: Sonic Boom! The Glory Years | Gary Payton | Shawn Kemp [#4]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/KB6lWPYIxLk/mqdefault.jpg)
THANKS SOOOOO much for posting this!!! Please post more Old Seattle SuperSonics videos!! I grew up adoring the early 1970’s Sonics. Wilkens, Haywood, Snyder, Kojis, Heard, Clemens. Winfield, Smith, Watts, Cross, Gray. Thank you!!!
I always liked the Sonics for some reason. Probably had to do with being a night owl and loving watching the Sonics play the late game from the West Coast. Hope Seattle gets another team.
This series (maybe even this game) had a brawl ignited by Gray (Seattle) and Dickey (Golden State).
I understand the Sonics also had bench-clearers with Boston and Phoenix during the 1975-76 season. I know they had a big fight with the Lakers during the 1973-74 season. Golden State had a Rick Barry-Sidney Wicks donnybrook during the 1976-77 regullar season, then a big melee with Detroit which also involved Warrior fans during the 1977 playoffs.
The first NBA game I ever went to was in '75 and it was between these two teams. I was 7 years old and I don't remember too much about it but I'm sure it wasn't this particular game because the game I went to, the Warriors blew the Sonics out of the gym by 25 or so. Slick Watts inadvertently made about an 85-foot shot (it was originally intended as a full court pass to Burleson streaking down court for a breakaway but the pass went in the basket instead).
Even though the Supes got their ass handed to them that day, it hooked me on hoops and sports for life and I've been bleeding Sonic green ever since.
Thanks so much for posting this video.
I was a ten-year-old fan of the Golden State Warriors when this game was player. I still like the Warriors.
Six rookies on Seattle? Wow, don't see that everyday! I remember this season pretty well but living on the east coast I really didn't know to much about the teams out west until GS beat Washington....great to go back to being 12 years old agian!
You're right. And Leonard Gray was Seattle's enforcer during the mid-'70s.
Spencer Haywood and Jamaal Wilkes played together on the Lakers 1980 world championship team..
True. WIlkes was a major contributor to the Lakers' 1980 championship drive; Haywood, on the other hand, played little in the FInals. He was deep into the drugs by then. In fact, Haywood was released from that team before the championship because he fell asleep during practice. I think the Lakers just recently awarded him a championship ring for the 1980 title.
@@dmichael100 Haywood damn near ruined every team he was on. Fine, even rare talent. But a major self destructive component about him.
@@Amick44 Yes, that self destructive component was called cocaine.
WHERE'S BRISKER?!?!? Wish there was some John Brisker games on here. Especially in his prime of the ABA.
5 51 sitting on floor this was his last season.
There's a short film (or at least there was) of a Virginia Squires--Pittsburgh Condors game from 1970-71. Brisker appears on that.
I have read a lot about Brisker but never saw him play. Was he similar to Jimmy Butler?
@@JAWrightonline he was good player even better but he love fight with everyone he play in nba only three season he disappear in Uganda 78
Amazing footage. Thanks!!!!
this was a great team of sonics,@clewey44,brisker sitting on the floor 5.51.
the Lakers eventually gave Spencer his ring years ago
that was Charles Johnson...who was with the Warriors that year and was with the Bullets in 1978 when they beat Seattle and won their title....Wilkes came to the Lakers for the 1977-78 season.....John Jonhnson who played on Seattle 1979 Title team, was probably still with Cleveland or Houston at that time
@threeby8887 it's been told that Calvin Murphy got into 8 fights the most infamous which he beat Sidney Wicks into a bloody pulp, as well as Kermit Washington punching and nearly killing Rudy Tomjanovich.
Grays first name was len.
Also in the 1976-77 season, Seattle's Slick Watts got into it with Houston's Calvin Murphy, and Wardell (I think that was his first name) Gray fought a Nets' player.
The point is, there were a LOT of fights during the 1970s in the NBA and the ABA. Pro basketball back then was almost like the NHL at that time.
I meant Leonard Gray.
Correction: Leonard Gray fought Houston's Mike Newlin early in the 1976-77 season, not many nights after Murphy-Wicks. The fight in the Sonics-Nets game was between Dean Tolson and Mel Davis; Gray might have gotten into it with someone that night also.
is there a whole game version of this ?
Man basketball was SO MUCH funner to watch at this time... Notice how players don't just drive to the hoop expecting a foul... The current NBA doesn't let you play defense in the paint anymore... it's more of a jump shooting game back in the day because players know driving too the hoop means you get knocked on your ass .... NBA is such trash compared to what is was...
They didn't have the three pointer back then, so they worked more plays, and running the clock down, to either a drive to the basket, or set up for a jumper. More team play and passing. Whereas now days they often just come down and take a quick three.
Bart Bell .... Yeah, 3’s and driving to the basket, get a foul call.... Low post defenders pretty much have to get out of the way or get 6 fouls by halftime ... It’s ridiculous
Even when the ABA had it, it was a 25 ft. shot. Teams used it, but it was more of a gadget than a strategy.
tellthetruthg
You are right on. Bird and Barry had great commonalities and strengths. You named them perfectly. Similar in range, passing.
Rick Barry certainly was on Bird's level.
Damn close. Bird a better rebounder, post up player. Barry a superior defender (esp man to man) and driver.
Thats the late Frank Gleiber doing pbp for CBS. He was more noted for football.
i know nobody cares but i got Slick Watts signature and a picture with him
No, I care! Slick was THE MOST POPULAR ATHLETE in Seattle for a couple years. I met him and got his autograph too back then. Along with Jim Zorn, Lenny Wilkens and Spencer Haywood, he owned the city of Seattle. I actually played him twice in tennis tournaments and he is a great guy. Awesome video.
@threeby8887 Oh can't forget game 2 of the '77 Finals
I love that song
Do you have any Rockets games from 1971-1979? Perferably home games... thanks
This was a little bit before my time, although I do remember when the Sonics won the championship
Where is slick watts
Don mackie. Hawaiian
Hey money money 1993
Thanks for telling me all of this. I remember, Charles Johnson was given only a 10-Day Contract when he was first picked up by the Washington Bullets. The Bullets liked what they saw of him, nad made him a part of the team back in 1978, and the rest was history.
And as a Laker Fan, I remembered #52 very vivdly back in the Early 80's when Jamaal Wilkes was called "Smooth as Silk", when he made his "15 Foot Layups". He was a Laker until 1985. Where is Jamaal Wilkes now?
Wilkes is a very successful businessman here in Los Angeles, specializing in home loans and insurance.
Rick Barry was never underrated, but on this Sonics team you have the terribly overrated Slick Watts, who cheapshotted a Warriors' rookie into the stands the next year, & the rookie never played again.
I think Charlie Johnson came out of Cal. "Silky" Wilkes was great for both the Warriors & the Lakers, and of course, this Warriors team had Clifford Ray, who the SF Aquarium called in to reach down a dolphin's throat to grab something that had gotten stuck there.
Rick Barry is the most underrated player in nba history, he was flat-out amazing, a white dwyane wade
Rick, like many past greats, is more overlooked and forgotten, than underrated. At least in his time, folks knew how great he was. Same for Baylor, West and Havlicek. His old teammate Thurmond, too.
Yes, Barry has never been underrated. He was celebrated plenty in his time. He is somewhat forgotten just due to how many years have passed and how many good players have come along since.
He stood out during his time because he was such a good passer and one of the league leaders in steals from a forward position as well as a high volume shooter. Field goal percentage was low, not much of rebounder for his size- his rebounds per minute stats compared to players shorter than him are a little embarrassing. He scored a lot but shot a lot to get it.
Bird vs Barry in their prime is a dead heat. Do you like Apples or Oranges? Barry was faster &quicker . Bird bigger stronger . Both could shoot, pass, what can you say?
@slip satch Bird all the way. The guy was a magician. Shots made between his legs, scooped off the floor, from behind the backboard- you name it. Clutch shooting, three pointers raining down. The best passer in NBA. Rebounds, nose for the ball. He could run the fast break...
6 out of their 15 players were first year pros??
Barry was a bad dude,great player.
Absolutely correct...but he started on cocaine first! He couldve had a few more yrs in the NBA if it wasnt for this. Cocaine and crack was one of Marvin Barnes' downfall too.
Was John Brisker still with the Sonics that season?
@slip satch yes hw was there in this game sitting on the floor near bench
@slip satch russel was coach in seatlle 1974 1975 and he did not like how brisker play,so after 29 games in seatlle ,nobody want him and he go to africa and he fight for idi amin army
@slip satchyes but idont believe that brisker is alive
@slip satch sonics 1975 was a good team brisker watts haywood. you watch brisker in seatlle?
@slip satch was brosker good player in seatlle'no fight in nba?in aba brisker was fughter he fight with ervyvone, in nba he was good?
I Typed John Brisker Highlights & Got This ?
Yes
On this clip he sit on floor but you can find one game when he play in condors
Johnnie Johnson was a Warrior back then in their Championship Season? I remembered him as a member of the Supersonics when they won their Championship in 1979.
When did Keith(Jamaal) Wilkes come to the Los Angeles Lakers?
Jamaal Wilkes joined the Lakers in the 1977-78 season.
Also, that’s a different Johnson (Charles Johnson) playing for the Warriors. Not John Johnson who won a ring with Seattle in 1979.
As to the Bird and Barry comparisons, look at their FG% and tell me that Barry was anywhere near Bird when it came to decision-making and precision. And while, yes, Barry was an excellent passer and not a bad defender, Bird was a much better rebounder and ballhandler. Here's what we don't have: footage of Barry during his second year in the NBA, when he was unstoppable and still very athletic. We'll never know just how good he was at that point because we have no visual evidence.
Bird had a superior FG% I believe, cause he had a better post up game and was simply better inside scorer (and offensive rebounder) as well. Barry was quicker and faster.
But we know he was damn good and tough to deal with!
pudman31 You can't really compare stats with NBA players. The game was different in the 60s/70s than it was in the 80s, and today it's a world different than what it was like in the 80s. One of the big reasons Wilt Chamberlain averaged 50 a game one year (besides that he was awesome) was because probably 50% more shots per game were being taken back then. Up through the 1970s the 120-115 game was the norm.
+pudman31 Rick Barry scored, passed and stole the ball as well as any forward in NBA history. If you truly want to know how good a player was, ask the greats that played against him. Listen to Oscar, West and Cunningham rave about Barry over and over as color men for NBA broadcasts. Wilt said Barry was the best athlete he ever saw. In 1975, after the Bullets beat the Celtics in 6 games, they were so feared by the NBA that most felt they would sweep the Warriors. When Barry took the court for that final, he didn't have McHale, Parrish, D.Johnson, and Ainge on his side to take court pressure off of him. Barry had Butch Beard, C. Johnson, Clifford Ray, and Keith Wilkes next to him. It was basically 1 on 5 offensively, and despite that Barry torched the Bullets so badly that they felt the need to physically attack him in game 4. If Bird was better than Barry, and he might have been, God bless him.
+katylied24
Superb analogy. Barry and Baylor are right there with Bird. I agree, Bird may have been a bit better, but we are splitting hairs here.
This guy Frank Gleiber was known as "The Round Mound of Sound". Good announcer. But the best NBA announcers on TV of all time is Marv Albert and Dick Stockton. Gleiber also called Dallas Cowboys radio broadcast before Verne Lundquist took over. Verne was great too!
nobody has a left hand dribble
Verne is still great!
the 3-pt line is trash
This was a little bit before my time, although I do remember when the Sonics won the championship
This was a little bit before my time, although I do remember when the Sonics won the championship