最新杏吧原创

Fifty years later, Bob Costas can recite the radio call, down to the voice crack.

鈥淵es! Yes! He made it!鈥� an exuberant Costas said Monday by phone. 鈥淣o timeouts left! Melchionni heaves it聽鈥� it鈥檚 no good! The Spirits win the series!鈥�

In April of 1975, the legendary broadcaster Costas recently had turned 23. He was the play-by-play (young) man for the Spirits of 最新杏吧原创 on KMOX. And when Freddie Lewis hit the series-winning jumper, 最新杏吧原创 improbably knocked off the defending champs of the American Basketball Association.

It鈥檚 basketball鈥檚 greatest playoff upset 鈥� and perhaps you鈥檝e never even heard of it.

Sure, yes, there have been some No. 8 seeds in the National Basketball Association that defeated No. 1 seeds. But in even the most infamous upsets, such as the 2007 Warriors over the Mavericks or the 1994 Nuggets over the SuperSonics, the underdog at least had a winning record.

But in 1975, the Spirits made the ABA playoffs with a 32-52 record. Their first-round opponent, Julius Erving and the New York Nets, were 58-26.

After the ABA鈥檚 84-game season in 1974-75, 鈥淲e were a dominant team and somewhat destined to win back-to-back,鈥� said the iconic 鈥淒r. J鈥� in 鈥淔ree Spirits,鈥� an ESPN documentary from 2013.

So the Spirits only were in 最新杏吧原创 for two seasons. But as Costas explained Monday, they 鈥減ersonified鈥� the ABA, this Wild West of a sports league. The NBA alternative league also had your standard centers, forwards and guards, but the ABA was avant-garde聽鈥� basketball from a different dimension with its 3-point line, red-white-and-blue ball, shot clock, bright-colored uniforms, crazy team names, wacky in-stadium gimmicks and so many slam dunks that it inspired the first slam dunk contest, won by Erving, naturally, in 1976.

In their orange-and-white uniforms, the Spirits featured big personalities, big egos and big hair. Famously, there was Marvin 鈥淏ad News鈥� Barnes, who was erratic and eccentric, yet exceptionally talented. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 24 points in both his 最新杏吧原创 seasons, but soon fizzled out and played for five teams in six years. Barnes died in 2014, but said in the 2013 documentary: 鈥淚 got introduced to drug traffickers (while playing for 最新杏吧原创) and got real close to them. ... I was living my fantasy. I always wanted be a gangster or a drug dealer or a pimp, player or hustler.鈥�

He was teammates with James 鈥淔ly鈥� Williams, who hailed from New York City and once scored 100 points in an organized street basketball game.

鈥淚 was the drug guy,鈥� Williams said in the documentary. 鈥淚 knew all the dealers and everybody in every city. ... They put my orders through me.鈥�

The Spirits, coached by Bob MacKinnon, also featured future NBA All-Star Maurice Lucas, as well as Steve 鈥淪napper鈥� Jones, Gus Gerard, Joe 鈥淧ogo鈥� Caldwell and the veteran guard Lewis.

In March 1975, the Spirits acquired a fellow named Don Adams, 鈥渨ho was kind of a roly-poly 6-6,鈥� Costas said. 鈥淎nd he was kind of prematurely balding. If you didn't know he was a basketball player, you would have thought he was 50 years old. ... Excellent passer, good defense, veteran presence. Didn't put up with any bull.鈥�

And in a late-season game, 鈥淏ad News鈥� Barnes got into an altercation with 6-foot-11 Swen Nater聽鈥� and Adams cold-cocked Nater.

鈥淚f it was a cartoon,鈥� Costas said, 鈥渢here'd be little birdies tweeting around his head.鈥�

It wasn鈥檛 incredible, but the Spirits improved and went 8-8 down the stretch with Adams on the team.

But the first-round opponent was the Nets.

最新杏吧原创 had played the Nets 11 times that season. 最新杏吧原创 lost 11 times.

Not only did the Nets have Erving聽鈥� the 1975 MVP who averaged 27.9 points, 10.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists聽鈥� but they also had two other players who nearly averaged double-doubles (Larry Kenon and Billy Paultz). And there was guard Bill Melchionni, who previously led the ABA in assists three times.

Sure enough, the defending champs won Game 1.

But in Game 2, 最新杏吧原创 held 鈥淒r. J鈥� to an inexplicable six points (on 3-for-14 shooting). Barnes scored 37 points, Adams had 17 off the bench and Lucas corralled 21 rebounds in the Spirits鈥� spirited 115-97 win.

鈥淎ll of a sudden in 最新杏吧原创,鈥� Costas said, 鈥渢here鈥檚 a crowd.鈥�

At the rockin鈥� 最新杏吧原创 Arena in Game 3, Erving scored 30 in Game 3, but so did 最新杏吧原创' Lewis. The Spirits took a 2-1 lead in the series.

All along, Barnes found it surreal that he was playing against Erving, his favorite player.

鈥淚 wanted my idol to take notice of me,鈥� Barnes said in the doc. 鈥淚 wanted him to see how far I鈥檇 come that first year.鈥�

And in Game 4, Barnes blocked seven shots, along with 23 points and 20 boards. 最新杏吧原创 won again in 最新杏吧原创.

It was bonkers.

The 32-52 Spirits were a win away from knocking off the champs.

But the Nets led by 10 points after three quarters in Game 5. The champs had emerged from the ropes, it appeared. But the plucky Spirits put together an epic fourth quarter in New York.

鈥淭he Nets were up one point with about 15 seconds to go,鈥� Costas recalled, 鈥渁nd Dr J. dribbles the ball off his leg into the back court for a back-court violation. The Spirits get the ball. So they inbound to Freddie, and no one else touches the ball.鈥�

Lewis worked his defender, the talented Brian Taylor, and finally unleashed the go-ahead shot ("Yes! Yes! "He made it!"). The Spirits led 108-107. And the Nets, without a timeout, needed a Melchionni miracle. His long shot was just that. Melchionni missed. 最新杏吧原创 won the game and the series. And as a young Post-Dispatch reporter named Rick Hummel wrote from press row: 鈥淎s far as shots heard 鈥榬ound the world go, the Freddie Lewis happening here probably ranks somewhere behind Fort Sumter and Bobby Thomson.

鈥淏ut considered in its bailiwick, the American Basketball Association, the 18-foot jumper Lewis tossed in with three seconds to play over the testy defense of the New York Nets' Brian Taylor gave the Spirits of 最新杏吧原创 their own place in history.鈥�

The Spirits, alas, lost in the next round to the Kentucky Colonels 4-1.

And after the next year, the Spirits disbanded, while other teams from the ABA merged with the NBA.

But a half-century later, the Freddie Lewis shot still keeps going in. 最新杏吧原创 forever beat Dr. J.

鈥淚t was insane ...鈥� Costas said. 鈥淚t was an enormous upset.鈥�