If that was an average team, Arkansas would have never made it that far. I guess you’re implying that Moncrief was better than Larry Bird. So sad. Michael Jordan was on an average team with the bulls until he got Jackson as HC Jordan could not even lead them to the playoffs until he got Jackson
I saw the prior games at Allen FH. Bird v Va Tech. Arkie over Weber St (with player Ben Howland). Sycamore fans booed the hell outta Billy Packer when he appeared on the court for the pre-game.
@@chiefrief2940 . . . name rings a bell. Was he in the Arkansas band? Yes, we did heckle Larry Bird a lot! One of the Arkansas fans held up a sign that said “Flip the Bird.”
@@chiefrief2940 Oh MY! JOE REIFER! Yes, I DO remember him! In fact, he sat right next to me during that game! Watch the clips you might find him. He was as wound up as I was in the game! That was during our Freshman year at Arkansas. How is your dad doing these days? He was a red blooded Razorback fan all the way, and a pretty good Trombone player too. If he’s still around please tell him Clay Cartwright said hello!
2020 college basketball fan: “ College basketball has to have a shot clock and 3 pt line otherwise it’s SO BORING”. 1979 Bird and Moncrief: “Hold my beer.”
76s an celtics always wanted 1st seed in east. That is because the bucks were the 3rd best team in east for 6 7 years. Moncreif, Marques Johnson, Jr. Bridgeman, Winters only had no low post scoring. The had Lanier at end of his career but his knees were shot.
I remember the game when Bird had 87 points 65 rebounds and 34 assists 26 steals and 19 blocks. And Moncreif has 64 points 45 rebounds 67 assists 33 steals and 15 blocks. In the first half. lol.
Great game. Double team on bird throughout and he still manages to score over 30. There really wasn't another big time player on Indiana State that could make the other team pay for double teaming Bird. That's why teams rarely doubled Bird when he got into the NBA. Double Bird, he'd find the open man for an easy basket. For Arkansas, Sidney showed why he would go on to be one of the greats in the NBA.
When I was in college, I went to a home game when Indiana State visited my school. Next thing I know this white guy was killing us. He must have scored 40 points. He scored inside. He scored long distance shots I had never heard of him before. It was Larry Bird. I always telling people when Bird was a pro that I thought he was a way better shooter than what he showed in the pros. In college he was sick good. And look at the swag. He was like a pro playing against kids
His pointer finger on his right hand was mangled in a softball game between the time of his last college game and when he signed his contract with the Celtics and started his NBA career. He said he never had the same feel for the ball. Multiple surgeries but it's still oddly bent.
Agreed that the traveling call on Reed was bs. Zahn didn't try to challenge nor contest Heaton's layup he just stood there and watched him shoot albeit left-handed but damn put your hands up. Still a classic game to watch. Thanks for the upload.
Wrong, once U.S. REED stumbled to the ground he could not change the position he stood up in. He did. Its obvious. He had to stand straight up, and not move his leg one inch because he skidded slightly when he went down. He failed to do that. If you allow players to stand up and move their feet or even one foot after falling down and skidding, you will see them use that to their favor if they get trapped out there. Read the rulebook.
I met Steve Schall once, and if I'd remembered the end of this game, I would've asked him about him clearly calling timeout with a second to go. Back then the clock didn't stop on a made basket in the last minute. If they had had a chance with a second left, you never know what will happen.
It's an ABA line, The Kentucky Cols played 14 games in 75-76 at the Riverfront Coliseum. I think it's 25', 22' in the corners, definitely longer than NBA. No cheap 3s then.
LeBron, if you're watching, this is greatness. Imagine having to work with the existing team? You can't ask for trades. You can't have the coach replaced. You aren't wearing MJ's number. I'm sure it's unfathomable, but don't scratch your head too hard. Those plugs were expensive, remember.
very entertaining basketball, imo, better than the present game, no 3 pointers, no timeclock, just great basketball and lots of seniors. as a college soccer player who went to a national final, I can tell you that the diff between year 1 and year 2 is like being wet behind the ears, and being in charge, and that's just year 1 and 2, so being in a program for 4 years, well, you'd feel like a pro at that point, and the players in these games seem to know how to play, how not to foul, very few turnovers, lots of great shooting etc
It's extremely fortunate for everybody that Larry Bird left Indiana and Bobby Knight. Like John Wooden, Knight's teams always played in a very strict ridged disciplined team style with not a lot of wiggle room for Bird's free-form style and obvious talents. Knight would have stifled Bird, probably to the point that today we would probably have forgotten all about him. It happened to more than one of Knight's star players in the past. Indiana State's coaches were a PERFECT fit for Larry Bird.
Had season tickets for Bird's three years at ISU. Seen him lose 1 home game in three years!!! I loved Bob Knight and the Hoosiers, but couldn't agree with you more seattwa. I think Bird made the right decision to play at ISU. Anyhooo, it turned out okay for the both of them.
We'll never know, but we shouldn't underestimate Knight's genius. The only other player Knight coached who was nearly as as good as Bird was Isiah Thomas, and Knight showed some flexibility with Isiah, making him captain of the 1980-81 team midseason as a sophomore. Knight was too smart to not see Bird's talent, plus Bird would have been a natural lineup fit on the '76-'78 teams after (perhaps) sitting most of '75 as a freshman behind May and Green. It's obviously true that by Bird's staying at IU the amazing 1979 ISU story doesn't happen. However, it doesn't mean that Bird would not have excelled in the NBA, although it's also true that had he stayed at IU and been part of 1-3 national championship teams, he couldn't possibly have been hidden such that Auerbach could draft him for the Celtics a year early, meaning that he probably would have played elsewhere in the NBA. It's a fascinating counterfactual.
@@chrismorfas7515 If Larry stays at IU the Celtics don't get him. He doesn't set out a year and play college ball the year his HS class is NBA eligible. 77-78 and 78-79 Celtic teams were bad and Red wouldn't have had the option to wait on Larry. Whoever he would have drafted would not be Larry in 78. So we pretty much agree on the whole deal.
That's actually not true. Knight has spoken many times about Bird. As a player Knight knew exactly what he had in Bird. If Bird stays at Indiana they wouldn't have lost a game for 4 years. Knights failure with Bird was not recognizing that he needed help fitting in.
@@chrismorfas7515 I think part of what made Bird "Larry Bird" WAS his time at ISU. And his team. The entire experience, including staying to get his degree.
I was just thinking the same thing as I finished watching ISU vs Depaul Final Four game in which Bird had 35 points, but was called one time for a travel, which the announcers and myself believed was NOT a travel. But, the point is, they called things back then that were probably not travels whereas in today's NBA it is a joke and the referees LOOK THE OTHER WAY for most of the POS players.
@@dougcmelik2442 As would most of today's players, especially in the NBA. Back then, if you just looked like you might have traveled, you were called for it, and you didn't dare let your hand get anywhere near the side of the ball, while dribbling.
Bird wore #33 because his older brother wore the number before he did in high school. His older brother wore #33 because of, if I'm remembering the details correctly, a player who also came from Indiana who had gotten national recognition and was on the cover of Sports Illustrated. This player wore #33. I don't remember the guy's name tho.
Amazing difference between this and today's game! One half of play and they called so many walking/travelling violations-against the POTY and runner up POTY no less and the biggest difference-not a single 3 point shot!
Check out the video at 42:27. Hastings pulls off the PERFECT euro step, they call travel and, to the announcers - and anyone at the time - it seemed like an obvious travel.
Did you hate the call when ISU got called for being out of bounds and the ball given to Arkansas when we can clearly see the line that was stepped on was the 3 pt line on the court and not the outside boundary?
Indiana State in this game showed it had more talent than just Bird. But it also was clear that the Sycamores' season likely would not have been undefeated had they played stronger teams, like Arkansas, and of course, Michigan State.
I'm not so sure. During this period of time the Missouri Valley Conference was extremely competitive. Any conference win on the road was a great win. My family moved to Terre Haute in 76. Was hearing a lot about this Bird guy at school. I finally decided to see what all the fuss was about and watched the local live broadcast of the NIT game at Houston. This would've been Bird's sophomore year. Bird was amazing and even though they lost the game, I would watch on tv, or listen on the radio, every second of every game for the next two years. Was fortunate enough to see a handful of games at Hulman Center. This was the most amazing season ever. And I'm really a football fan and have witnessed my team win multiple super bowls. But nothing compares to the ride the Sycamores took us on this season.
I found the answer "While certain college basketball conferences experimented with it in the early '80s, the NCAA didn't universally implement a 3-point line until 1986, with high school basketball following suit a year later." This must have been the court of a team in a conference that experimented with it. NBA didn't adopt it until the 1979-80 season.
52:11 Billy Packer was wrong here, and Jim Simpson tried to correct him without showing him up. Arkansas had committed six fouls. The next foul would have been the seventh and would have put Indiana State on the line.
the 81 finals mvp didn't get awarded to larry bird while the scoring from larry bird didn't equal the scoring from michael jordan and with help from robert parish and kevin mchale that caused the bulls to go 0-6 in the 86 and 87 playoffs vs the celtics
Larry, with his bad back & beginning Achilles problem, was the healthiest player on that 87 team when they swept the Bulls. McHale played on a broken foot & Parish with a sprained ankle.
BTW... Thank you Troy for this. No foul I agree, but traveling call was wrong! Decided the game. Should have been a play on. US Reed didn't travel!!! This is when media began to influence.
I played back then ...that was traveling..when he fell with ball he could not get back up. Once he did it was traveling..he could have passed it off when he was on floor..cause once he fell he lost his dribble...when he gets up its traveling...that was rule...
