It was supposed to be a classic early season match. A simple Philadelphia – New Jersey in November. But it became one of the most incredible meetings in NBA history, with a scenario never repeated since. November 8, 1978, therefore. Young Bernard King’s Nets travel to Philadelphia to face Julius Erving’s Sixers. The match is balanced. Then, it changes in the third quarter.
On a penetration from Bernard King, winger Steve Mix comes to defensive aid and causes an offensive foul. The Nets player is furious and takes his anger out on the referee. Except that he already took a technical foul at the start of the match. So he takes a second, and here he is expelled.
“It all started with that whistle on Bernard”, remembers Harvey CatchingsPhiladelphia player that evening in November 1978. “Then Kevin got mad and the only thing I know is the match got out of hand with all the technical fouls. »
Bernard King and Kevin Loughery each take three technical fouls!
The Kevin that Harvey Catchings speaks of is Kevin Loughery, the coach of the Nets. Because Bernard King was not only taken out of the game for two technical fouls, he received a third (which is not possible in the NBA) from referee Richie Powers, for hitting a chair when reaching the changing rooms.
Kevin Loughery wanted to explain himself, on the floor, to the referees but he also collected three technical fouls – Richie Powers, again. “I love Richie, but he was trigger-happy with technical fouls”explains the coach, also expelled on the spot.
Once this moment of tension has evaporated, the Nets find themselves without Bernard King or Kevin Loughery. It is therefore an assistant who must take control of the New Jersey bench. Even if Eric Money replaces Bernard King perfectly in scoring, with 37 points, the Sixers end up winning 137-133 in double overtime.
This slightly crazy match is over, but the story is not over.
An end to the match to be replayed…
The Nets did not want to stop there. They contacted the league, which had little appreciation for Richie Powers’ avalanche of technical fouls. As a result, NBA boss Larry O’Brien suspended the referee for five games.
Second measure imposed by Larry O’Brien: replay the end of the match, from the moment control of the game was lost. The calendar does not allow this moment to be placed before March 23, 1979. Why this date? Because the two franchises face each other that evening, in Philadelphia. A solution was therefore found and accepted by both teams: we replayed the end of the match of November 8, 1978 in the afternoon and then, immediately and in the evening, the match already scheduled.
See you on March 23, 1979, more than four months later, to resume at 5:50 in the third quarter. But surprises still arrive and will transform this longest match into the craziest match.
…with players changing sides
Between November 8, 1978 and March 23, 1979, there is the date of February 7, 1979 which will rock this game into the NBA history books. Indeed, that day, the Sixers and the Nets reached an agreement for a transfer: Harvey Catchings, Ralph Simpson and money were sent to New Jersey in exchange for Eric Money and Al Skinner.
What about the match on March 23 then? In which side will the players who have just changed teams have to play to resume the November 1978 meeting? The league decides: the transferred players will play with their new team. Unprecedented situation: players will play the same match but have worn the jerseys of both teams!
“The strangest situation I have ever been in.” I laughed about it, Julius Erving too. It was funny for everyone”summarizes Ralph Simpson. “I saw my former teammates on the floor and it struck me”adds Harvey Catchings. “I didn’t think it would be possible, then you see players with whom we spent more than four seasons. That’s crazy. »
So there are 17:50 left to play and the Sixers lead 84-81. A player like Eric Money who, remember, had scored 37 points on November 8, 1978 with the Nets, finds himself in the colors of the Sixers and will finish the meeting with 23 points. He therefore lost 14 points in this meeting like no other, but he is also the only player traded in February who scored that afternoon in March 1979 (four small points).
Eric Money therefore scored points for two different teams in the same meeting…
A grotesque situation and match sheet
The improbable scenario of this match did not upset its conclusion. Like in November, the Sixers won again, 123-117. The meeting that began on November 8, 1978 is therefore finally over. The players were then able to go to the locker room to take a shower and take a breather, before leaving a few hours later to play the match scheduled for March 23, 1979.
And once again, the Sixers won 110-98. Spectators therefore enjoyed five quarters plus five minutes and fifty seconds in the same day. “The fans got their money’s worth”notes Kevin Loughery. “There were two matches for the price of one. »
Above all, they witnessed an unusual episode in the history of the NBA, with an extended match and players playing on both teams in the same match. As if all this wasn’t already crazy, the two teams will find themselves in the playoffs a few weeks later. With always the same result: a qualification for Philadelphia.
On the official NBA website, we can read this sentence: “The absurdity of this situation makes it more likely that we will see someone break Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point record than that we will see three transfer players again (Al Skinner did not play on March 23) find yourself on both benches at the same time. »
An observation seems to be shared by Ralph Simpson: “Years later, I still don’t believe it. Yet it happened. I know, I was there. »
