Dr. J - the Special

Aired on NBATV last night, anyone watch?

I recorded on DVR and then watched about 3/4 before having to call it a night. I forgot how much of an icon he was before joining the Sixers. Some nice snippets from Walton, Riley, Magic and even World B Free! I had an opportunity to spend a few hours with Mr. Erving one night at a celebrity golf tournament and he was truly a patient, engaging, warm hearted, decent person (he insisted I call him Julius). Best quote was I asked him what one play was the most memorable and he said "they're all the same."

 

Damn, what's World B. Free doing these days?

 

Ask Drip.

When is it on regular TV?

 

Are they neighbors?

 

What's regular TV?

 

TNT or ESPN or whatever.

 

Oh, are they planning on showing it on multiple networks? I just assumed it would be on NBATV and then on DVD later. Wouldn't surprise me, I guess, if they replayed it before Game 7 or something if there is one.

 

Kinda off topic, but: on a radio SportsCenter yesterday, items about Lionel Hollins being fired and Maurice Cheeks being hired were read one after the other, which I found to be an odd coincidence. It reminded me how much I loved those early '80s Sixers teams, particularly the way Dr. J carried himself with class on the court.

 

I kept seeing the promos on TNT so I thought it was on that station or TBS or ESPN.

Sucks if it's only NBA-TV. I want to see it.

 

Yeah. You might could find it online somewhere. No idea how NBA TV works in terms of putting their documentaries online or available on iTunes or something. I might try to watch it tonight if I have time. Looking forward to it.

 

Doug Collins was on some of those teams, too. Lot of coaching material there. I always thought Bobby Jones would have made a good coach, too.

 

I wasn't on the NBA beat when his career finished, but I was a sidebar guy for his last game ever, a Game 5 playoff loss to the Bucks in 1987.

I'd forgotten some things about that game, including Don Nelson getting ejected and Del Harris taking over. But I remember my sidebar being on Dr. J and the front page of that section being framed on the wall of a bar for many years.