The year was 1955 and the players were wearing Chuck Taylors, Pro-Keds and short shorts. The Baltimore Bullets had recently folded, and teams in the Rust Belt cities of Fort Wayne, Rochester and Syracuse were nearing the end of their runs.
It was the NBA's first season with a shot clock, Bob Cousy and Bob Pettit were taking two-handed set shots and professional basketball was a very different game.The Philadelphia 76ers reminded us of those black-and-white times Wednesday night by sinking to a new low in their already abysmal season.
They managed only 57 points, tying the post-shot clock record set by the Milwaukee Hawks in 1954-55, in a 66-57 loss to the Miami Heat.
"There's no excuses for something like this," said Philadelphia coach John Lucas, whose squad dropped its fifth straight. "During a season, you'll have four or five games when you're flat, but not that flat."
"Ironically, we were trying to be uptempo and get up the floor. Funny, huh?" Lucas said.
The combined total of 123 points was the second-lowest in NBA history since the inception of the shot clock. The Hawks and Celtics managed a combined 119 points in 1955 when Milwaukee beat Boston 62-57.
The third-lowest total was 133 points by the Knicks and Pistons in 1992.
"I looked up at the scoreboard a couple of times and did a double-take, but we'll take any win we can get," said Pat Riley, whose team lost nine of its previous 10 on the road.
The Sixers made just 22 of 69 field goals (31.9 percent), misfired on 18 of 19 3-pointers and had 19 turnovers. Their 24 second-half points tied another NBA record.
Philadelphia had a chance to get past 57 points, but Derrick Alston missed the second of two free throws with 41 seconds left, then missed a short baseline shot with 10 seconds left. Clarence Weatherspoon got an offensive rebound and missed a follow shot, and Miami then dribbled out the clock.
Magic 99, Pacers 97
Dennis Scott hit a twisting, fallaway 18-footer at the buzzer to give Orlando its first victory in Market Square Arena since 1992.
Scott had eight 3-pointers and 32 points, Shaquille O'Neal had 25 points and 11 rebounds and Anfernee Hardaway 21 points.
Mavericks 93, Kings 91
Jason Kidd had 20 points, nine assists, six rebounds and a game-deciding layup with 1.3 seconds left.
Jim Jackson scored 21 points and Tony Dumas 17, while Lorenzo Williams had a career-high 20 rebounds for the Mavericks. Sacramento lost its eighth in a row.
Nets 94, Bucks 92, OT
At Milwaukee, the Nets won their season-high fifth in a row.
Armon Gilliam scored 23 points, surpassing 10,000 career points, and hit two critical baskets in overtime, while Chris Childs also scored 23.
Timberwolves 120, Rockets 101
At Minneapolis, Kevin Garnett scored 11 straight points and had two rebounds and two blocked shots - all in a two-minute stretch. He finished with 17 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks.
Suns 120, Celtics 107
At Phoenix, Wesley Person was 6-for-6 on 3-pointers and scored 26 points, Charles Barkley had 27 points and 16 rebounds and Kevin Johnson 22 points and 12 assists.
Lakers 112, Clippers 108
At Los Angeles, the Lakers proved they can still win without Magic Johnson.
Johnson missed the game with a strained calf muscle, sitting on the bench and playing cheerleader. He'll travel on a two-game trip to Texas, and his status is listed as day-to-day.
Anthony Peeler wrapped up the victory with a 3-pointer from the corner with 2.9 seconds left.
Knicks 113, Pistons 110, OT
At Auburn Hills, Mich., Willie Anderson played his second game for New York and had 13 points, seven assists and six rebounds in 33 minutes. He made the go-ahead jumper in overtime as the Knicks concluded a season sweep of Detroit.
Warriors 95, Spurs 92
At Oakland, Joe Smith had 27 points and Latrell Sprewell added 21 for Golden State, winners of seven of nine games. San Antonio had a chance to send the game into overtime, but Chuck Person's 3-point attempt at the buzzer rimmed out.
Hornets 96, Bullets 92
At Charlotte, Larry Johnson had 32 points and 16 rebounds and blocked a last-second shot by Juwan Howard to help push the Hornets over the .500 mark for the first time since Nov. 7.