Sports Poets Society

GRACE SMITH/INDYSTAR - Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton celebrates  on May 27  during  Game 4 of the NBA Eastern Conference finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.  The Pacers defeated the Knicks 130-121. 8 Jun 2025 - The Indianapolis Star Nat Newell Indianapolis Star USA TODAY NETWORK Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton had a game for the ages May 27, scoring 32 points with 15 assists, 12 rebounds, four steals and no turnovers. Where does it rank among the best playoff performances by a Pacers? Here's a look. Roger Brown, 5/23/1970 vs. Los Angeles Brown closed out the 1970 ABA finals with 45 points on 14-of-27 shooting, including 7 of 12 from 3, with 11 rebounds and two turnovers in the 111-107 victory. In a Finals clinching win, this is the pick. Reggie Miller, 5/7/1995 vs New York How do you rank eight points in 9 seconds? It's the iconic moment for the Pacers' NBA history but Miller "only" scored 31 points on 7-of-18 shooting, including 3 of 7 from 3, ...

20 Dec 2023 - The Washington Post Reading that Hall of Fame basketball player George Mcginnis died reminded me of one of the Washington (then) Bullets’ most unusual advertising ploys [“Hall of Fame forward with one-handed jump shot dominated in ABA, NBA,” obituaries, Dec. 16]. At the time, the team highlighted the opponents’ stars to try to sell tickets. Having touted Mr. Mcginnis’s appearance with the Philadelphia 76ers, the Bullets were chagrined — and the fans who had come to see him were disappointed — when Mr. Mcginnis got ejected early in the game. The next time Philadelphia came to town, the team advertised “Guaranteed Mcginnis Night”: The fans in attendance would get a ticket to another game if Mr. Mcginnis got tossed again or fouled out. If I recall correctly, Mr. Mcginnis lasted until a lategame ejection for telling off a referee. My friends and I thought that with the outcome no longer in doubt, Mr. Mcginnis had done so just to trigger the guarantee. Intentional or not, the ...

Eric Mann 20 Dec 2023 - The Decatur Daily Democrat I’m not a basketball historian, but one of my favorite hoop tales is about the awesome George McGinnis: the Hoosier high school and professional all-star who died on December 14 at age 73 . This story is about his exploits in the only all-star games I care about: the high school wars between Indiana and Kentucky. In 1969, a few months after leading Washington High School of Indianapolis to a 31-0 record and the state championship (with Big George as Mr. Basketball), he did the same thing in the two state vs. state all-star tilts. In game one, McGinnis (at 6-8, 235) put up 23 points and made only eight of 26 shots from the field (but grabbed 14 rebounds) as the Hoosiers won. That led Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball (Ron King from Central HS) – who cares what his name is – to tell the news media that McGinnis was “overrated,” a word he used twice! When McGinnis read that, he told the other Indiana all-stars and the coaches that he wanted the ...

George McGinnis, a Hall of Fame forward who was a twotime ABA champion and threetime all-star in the NBA and ABA, died Dec. 14. He was 73. 16 Dec 2023 - The Washington Post BY ASSOCIATED PRESS Hall of Fame forward with one-handed jump shot dominated in ABA, NBA The cause was complications from cardiac arrest last week, according to the Indiana Pacers, one of his former teams. Mr. Mcginnis also struggled to walk in recent years after undergoing multiple back surgeries because of a hereditary condition. Mr. Mcginnis was an Indianapolis prep star who became an unstoppable force in his one and only college season at Indiana University before eventually taking the Indiana Pacers to two titles. “From his all-state high school days to his time as an IU allAmerican and, of course, to his legendary ABA championship runs with the Pacers, George Mcginnis shaped so many of the fondest basketball memories for generations of Hoosiers,” said a statement from the Simon Family and Pacers Sports & E...