Of all the sports played in the US basketball is arguably the most skilled and athletic, not to mention the most frenetic. Compared with the brute force of much of American Football it’s more like ballet and it makes baseball look like a very long and drawn-out affair. So you wouldn’t expect that luck would play a very big part in the game – but it does. Sometimes players can be undone by twists of fate – not to mention knees – and even whole franchises can be damaged irreparably by events completely beyond their control.
Here are just four examples.
When New York Nets were fined $4.8 million
Back in 1976 when the ABA and the NBA merged the Nets were one of the four teams that had to change leagues and pay the NBA $3.2 million for the move. None of the teams could join the college draft or receive any TV money for 3 years and, to cap it all, the Nets were judged to be infringing on the territory of the New York Knicks and were obliged to pay them an additional $4.8 million in rights. They never really recovered from this financial body blow and even had to move to New Jersey.
When Steve Novak so nearly scored a basket
While we’re on the subject of the New York Knicks, in a match against the Chicago Bulls back in April 2012 Steve Novak so nearly scored a vital three points, only to be cheated by centrifugal source. Take a look at the video and you just won’t be able to believe how it never went into the basket. There was a happy ending though: the Knicks went on to win by the closest of margins by 100 points to 99.
When Chris Webber called for a time out
In a 1993 game between his team, Michigan, and North Carolina there were 11 seconds to go and Michigan were losing 71-73 when Webber thought he heard his bench, supported by fans, calling for a time out. So he signalled for one when many think that if play had continued Michigan could have won. As it turned out North Carolina snatched a decisive victory by 77 points to 71.
When Brandon Knight goes on court
He may not be absolutely one of the unluckiest people in the world but Brandon Knight, currently of the Phoenix Suns, has had far more than his fair share of trips, falls, slips and even plunges into the crowd. So many, in fact, that there’s a 4-minute video compilation of them online.
