Fansided

Hardwood Paroxysm’s favorite historical NBA teams

By HP Basketball Network

Apr 8, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; TNT broadcaster Chris Webber during the NBA game between the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 8, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; TNT broadcaster Chris Webber during the NBA game between the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Long Live the 1953-54 Minneapolis Lakers

By William Bohl (@BreakTheHuddle)

There are people in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, the suburbs clinging to them, and every corner of the Land of 10,000 Lakes who dismiss professional basketball with derisive chuckles and small shakes of the head. “Who cares,” these folks say. “The Timberwolves are terrible. Every good player just wants to leave. What a joke.”

Indeed, the current incarnation of Minnesota’s NBA franchise, owned by Mankato’s own Glen Taylor and run by former Golden Gopher Flip Saunders, has won barely 40% of their games throughout their 26-year history. They’ve been to the playoffs eight times, advanced past the first round just once, and have missed the postseason for ten consecutive seasons. That seems like a long time. “You can’t build a winner here,” they say, shoveling snow and speaking in accents only “Fargo” extras could love. “No one wants to play in Minnesooooota.”

But those ignorant fools need a history lesson, because from 1948 until 1954, Minnesoooooooooota was home to one of the greatest dynasties in the history of professional sports: George Mikan’s Minneapolis Lakers. The 6’10, 245 pound giant from Joliet, Illinois led the Lakers to five titles in six seasons, dominating the NBA’s early years in Ruth-ian fashion. He was first team all-league six times, a four time scoring champion, a two time rebounding champion, led the league in defensive win shares five times and averaged 24 points and 14 rebounds at a time when the average team scored fewer than 80 points per game.

The 1953-54 season was Mikan and the gang’s last hurrah, and oh, what a gang he had. I mean, check out these names: Slater Martin. Vern Mikkelson. Whitey Skoog. Pep Saul. Jim Holstein. Dick Schnittker. (Read that last one again. Read it out loud. SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS. DICK. SCHNITTKER.)  It’s not just the hilarious old-timey names that make me love the team – four members of the ’53-54 squad were eventually inducted into the Hall of Fame (Mikan, Mikkelson, Martin and Jim Pollard) as well as their coach (John Kundla).

Despite the fact that the style of play has no bearing on modern times (seriously, follow the YouTube link above, the differences are astonishing) the memory of the Mikan-era Lakers ought to endure as proof that a winning basketball team CAN be built in the Twin Cities. They overcame discrimination by the league, who widened the lane from 6 to 12 feet in 1952 specifically to counteract Mikan’s dominance (he responded by leading the Lakers to titles the next two seasons anyway) and were only stopped by father time (injuries to Mikan forced him into retirement at 31) and a greedy owner (Bob Short, who moved the team to Los Angeles in 1960).

The Timberwolves haven’t exactly been a sterling successor to the original Lakers’ mighty run, but now that Karl Love (or whatever his name is) has been/will be shipped away for Andrew Wiggins, bright times are finally ahead. The glory days of hoops are returning to the frozen north, and a Canadian shall lead the way.

When it happens, the true fans will know that the spirit of the ’53-54 team, Schnittker and all, is back in Minnesoooooooooooota. The NBA began with a run of Twin Cities basketball dominance, and sometime before the end of the world, it’ll happen again.

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