The worst game in NBA history was played on November 22, 1950. Double defending champions, undefeated at home for 29 games, George Mikan’s Minneapolis Lakers host the Fort Wayne Pistons. Convinced of not being able to win fairly, the latter will spoil the meeting by playing anti-game.
As there was no 24-second clock at the time, coach Murray Mendenhall asked his playmaker Boag Johnson to keep the ball as long as possible. The Lakers are forced to make intentional fouls to recover the leather after a throw from their opponents (at the time, a foul while the opponent was not shooting awarded only one throw). But soon, both teams stop playing.
It’s 8-7 for the Fort Wayne Pistons at the end of the first quarter, then 13-11 for the Lakers at halftime. The 7,021 Minneapolis fans in attendance toss coins on the field, newspapers or game programs. Many eventually leave the gym, leaving the Pistons to pick up 17-16 at the end of the third quarter.
“A pregnant woman hit me on the top of the head with an umbrella”
Led by one point (18-17) a few seconds from the end of the match, the Pistons manage to serve their pivot Johnny Oldham on a throw-in, and the latter manages to score despite the presence of George Mikan. “He was our top scorer tonight (with five points), we called him The Gunner,” joked his teammate Fred Schaus. The Fort Wayne Pistons nevertheless succeeded, and they won 19-18 on the floor of the invincible Lakers.
The hardest part begins, however, for the visitors, who have to return to the locker room despite the fans still present…
“Everyone was very upset”confirms the hero of the day, Johnny Oldham. “We took punches on the way to the locker room. A pregnant woman hit me on the top of the head with an umbrella. They also touched the back of my head with a wet towel. We just wanted to go back to the locker room, but there was a long way to go. »
In the press and the governing bodies of the league, there is consternation. For the Minneapolis Tribune, the Pistons made “a black eye in professional basketball”. In the locker room, Lakers coach John Kundla says “just a few more games like this and we can shut down”.
The worst game in NBA history will therefore also be one of the most influential. The league will therefore think of a way to speed up the pace and prevent this trench warfare. A few weeks later, a meeting between the Rochester Royals and the Indianapolis Olympians will bring another argument to this necessity. This match indeed know six extra periods… with only one shot attempted during these six additional periods.
Eventually, the NBA adopted the 24-second clock in 1954 to prevent teams from freezing games. With immediate effect as the average will drop from 79 points per game to 93, then 107 in the fourth year of use.
Article originally published in 2021
