Obscure sports trivia

I seem to recall Jerry West has a huge game in the 1970 Finals, so I’ll guess him next.

 

The final answer is James Harden. 61 points in 2019.

 

I was there too! On the NBA TV clip that they made about the game, they show a crowd shot and you can see my Dad, and most of me for a second.

 

One of my best friends in HS had a neighbor who was a cop who worked security at the Garden. The people who had luxury boxes back then were sponsors (Coke, McDonalds, etc). Union Carbide was a sponsor and after the Bhopal tragedy, there were protests at their box and it was empty. So my senior year in HS, I sat in that box for like 15 games, including the Christmas game.

 

Name the two-time Stanley Cup champion and Conn Smythe trophy winner selected with a draft pick obtained in a trade for Jim Craig. Granted, won't be "obscure" for hockey folks.

 

Since I make my living in the hockey stats world I will recuse myself but that's a good one

 

The answer is Mike Vernon

 

Who’s the last Western Conference team outside of California or Texas to win the NBA title before Denver?

 

I’m going to guess the SuperSonics … either the Seattle version or the “zombie Sonics” of OKC.

EDIT: As I think it over, Durant never won an NBA title until he left the Thunder. So it must be the Seattle team from the late 1970s.

 

That’s it, in 1979. Since then, the Lakers have won 11 titles, San Antonio five, Golden State four, Houston two and Dallas one.

 

Went down a rabbit hole.
Since 1980, there have been 10 Western and 12 Eastern franchises to make the Finals. In the West, every franchise but Denver made it at least twice. Six of the 10 won titles. Nine of the 12 East franchises made it at least twice. Eight won titles.

West
Lakers 17 appearances, 11 titles
Golden State 6 and 4
San Antonio 6 and 5
Houston 4 and 2
Dallas 2 and 1
Portland 2 and 0
Phoenix 2 and 0
Seattle/OKC 2 and 0
Utah 2 and 0
Denver 1 and 1

East
Boston 8 and 4
Miami 7 and 3
Chicago 6 and 6
Detroit 5 and 3
Cleveland 5 and 1
Philadelphia 4 and 1
Orlando 2 and 0
New Jersey 2 and 0
New York 2 and 0
Milwaukee 1 and 1
Toronto 1 and 1
Indiana 1 and 0

 

This beloved National Leaguer had just 14 strikeouts in 489 AB when he was MVP, but also led the league in GIDP and IBB. Who was this gentle giant?