Back To the Future With the ABA
by: Dan MacIntosh

I choose to characterize my recent attendance at a Long Beach Jam basketball game as a sort of "Back to the Future" experience. On the one hand, it amounted to one small step back in time, so to speak, since I still retain vivid memories of the old original ABA league. And to my way of thinking, it’s nearly criminal to speak of those nutty bell-bottomed and afro-headed 70s years, without also mentioning Dr. J and George “Iceman” Gervin, two legitimate stars of this much under appreciated league.

Furthermore, who can ever forget the association that first gave us the three-point shot, not to mention that distinctive red, white and blue round ball? The ABA’s legacy remains with us to this day, as the NBA’s New Jersey Nets, Denver Nuggets, and even the current champs, the San Antonio Spurs, all originated as ABA franchises. But the ABA has a present just as sure as it has a (patriotically) colored past. And, perhaps, it might just have a bright future, too.

The ABA is now back with a seven-team league, just in case you weren’t aware of it, and for aspiring basketball players, any professional play is better than nothing at all. Heck, the only reason why Kobe Bryant speaks fluent Italian these days, is because his dad once played pro ball in Italy. So if guys will cross the ocean and learn a whole new language, just for a little healthy round ball competition, it’s not hard to understand why a revived ABA holds so much appeal for many.

With the exception of a few minor rule distinctions, it’s awfully tough to see any differences between the ABA and the NBA. There is, however, something in the ABA called the 3-D rule. You see, when a team loses ball possession in its own backcourt, this 3-D rule goes into effect. When the 3-D rule is on, a turnover recipient has an opportunity to receive one additional point for its next basket. For instance, a 2-point basket gets counted as three and threes become fours. As soon as a 3-D rule beneficiary scores, attempts a free throw, loses control of the ball or the quarter ends, the 3-D rule ceases to be applicable. By the way, this unusual 3-D rule didn’t much impact the particular game I saw. I have to admit, however, that it brightened my world considerably every time either team created a 3-D opportunity. That’s because red lights, which frame each backboard, light up as visual queues of a 3-D situation. I instantly became giddy because these backboards looked just like houses all decorated for Christmas. Or maybe I just like shiny things. I don’t know. Whatever the reason, though, it sure gives the term Red Light District a whole new positive spin, don’t you think?

Tonight’s game was played at The Pyramid in Long Beach, CA. The Pyramid can be likened to a sort of basketball Field of Dreams, since it also plays host to one of the NBA’s annual summer pro leagues. This SoCal summer pro league, for instance, boasts Tim Duncan, Isaiah Thomas and Magic Johnson among its alumni, which means that quite a few famous tennis shoes have left their indelible skid marks on this particular piece of hardwood. The match-up pitted Long Beach Jam vs. Kansas City Knights. And even though the Jam’s opponent had a name that either sounded just a little too much like one of those lowly Harlem Globetrotter victims-de-jour of yesteryear, or worse still, a predictably pedestrian bar band, the game still amounted to a relatively entertaining one. For the record, The Jam won the contest by a score of 121- 104, in large part because of guard Geno Carlisle’s accurate 3-point shooting, and guard Yuta (pronounced Utah) Tabuse’s unselfish distribution of the ball.

When you’re dealing with a ‘second chance’ league, such as this one, the players’ unique stories are almost as fascinating as the court play itself. The aforementioned Yuta Tabuse, for instance, “was the first homegrown Japanese player ever to participate in an NBA team training camp when he joined the Denver Nuggets last October,” according to The Jam’s media guide. Another notable Jam player, DerMarr Johnson, was a 2000 NBA Draft Lottery Pick (6th overall), before a car accident fractured four vertebrae in his neck and nearly paralyzed him. So playing with the Jam affords Johnson the forum to try and elevate his game back up to NBA standards. And really, who can resist cheering for such an underdog? Oh, and speaking of comebacks -- and, er, dogs -- Dennis Rodman is also on The Jam’s roster and – at 42 – he is also working his way back to the NBA again. But the jury is still out on whether or not this particular comeback is actually a good thing.

It’s likely going take an obnoxiously tattooed ex-NBA star – such as the aforementioned Rodman -- to get this LA Laker-obsessed town’s short attention. In fact, it’s hard to even find any news about The Jam in the local newspapers. And that’s a darn shame, because The Jam put a good product on the court; one that is largely built upon both realistic and unrealistic hoop dreams. But even without matching the glitz, glamour and marquee value of its A-league neighbor, The Jam – and today’s ABA in general -- is one Back to the Future experience well worth revisiting again and again.

posted [02.01.04]

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