Vol I, No I

The Eras Tribune
PRICE: 25 CENTS "Rewriting History One Game at a Time"
Vol 1, No 1, Ed 3 NBA History via MyNBA Eras Oct 28, 1983
Dawkins seals the victory with clutch block on Nique

'Nique Explodes for 51, But Dawkins' Clutch Block Seals Nets' Thrilling Win Over Hawks

Human Highlight Film torches Nets for 51; Dawkins' rising block secures Nets' opening win

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – Dominique Wilkins announced his arrival as a bona fide superstar with a breathtaking, career-high 51-point eruption, but it was “Chocolate Thunder” Darryl Dawkins and the New Jersey Nets who had the last laugh, snatching a nail-biting 96-93 victory over the Atlanta Hawks in a season-opening thriller at the Meadowlands. The game was a seesaw affair from the opening tip, featuring over 20 lead changes and neither team managing to build a lead larger than eight points.

Wilkins was a man possessed, particularly in the opening and closing stanzas. The "Human Highlight Film" poured in 18 points in the first quarter and matched that output in the fourth, willing his team to stay in the fight. He was virtually unstoppable in the first half, hitting an incredible 12 of his first 13 shots en route to 26 points by intermission. Though he cooled off in the third, scoring just seven points on 2-for-7 shooting, his overall offensive onslaught was a sight to behold.

While Wilkins was putting on a one-man show, his supporting cast struggled to keep pace, especially early. In a telling first quarter, Hawks players not named Dominique shot a frigid 3-for-19 from the field. Defensively, Tree Rollins was a monster in the paint for Atlanta, grabbing an astounding 23 rebounds and swatting away 9 shots, anchoring a Hawks defense that tried desperately to contain the deeper Nets.

New Jersey, however, showcased their balanced attack and frontcourt muscle. Otis Birdsong led the Nets with a smooth 28 points, but it was the work on the glass by Buck Williams (22 rebounds) and Dawkins (15 rebounds) that truly wore down the Hawks. The Nets' big men combined for a staggering 37 rebounds, including 15 on the offensive end, leading to a dominant 34-12 team advantage in offensive boards and numerous second-chance opportunities.

The game came down to the wire, and with the Hawks trailing 92-91 in the final 30 seconds, Wilkins drove to the basket, looking for the go-ahead layup. But Darryl Dawkins, a force all night with 12 points and 4 blocks, rose to the occasion, delivering a thunderous, game-saving rejection that sent the Meadowlands crowd into a frenzy and preserved the Nets' slim lead.

Despite Wilkins almost single-handedly outscoring the Nets' starting five, the Nets' overall team play and superior bench depth proved decisive. 'Nique has unequivocally thrown down the gauntlet, signaling his readiness for superstardom. The burning question in Atlanta, however, will be whether his individual brilliance can overcome apparent concerns about the team's supporting cast and their struggles on the boards against the league's elite frontcourts.

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Placeholder image for Cartwright's Record Night article

Cartwright's Record Night Paces Knicks Past Pesky Cavaliers

Knicks big man sets career mark with 27 boards; Bernard King drops 22 in gritty road victory

CLEVELAND, OH – Bill Cartwright hauled down a career-high 27 rebounds and chipped in an efficient 19 points, leading the New York Knicks to a hard-earned 91-79 victory over a surprisingly tenacious Cleveland Cavaliers squad on opening night. While the Knicks, a conference semifinalist last season, were expected to handle the struggling Cavs, they found themselves in a dogfight for much of the contest.

The Knicks burst out of the gates, establishing a quick 10-4 advantage, largely on the back of Cartwright, who seemed to own the paint from the opening tip, snagging an incredible 11 boards in the first quarter alone. However, the young Cavaliers, playing in front of their home crowd, refused to be intimidated. They clawed their way back, weathering several New York runs. Every time the Knicks threatened to pull away and build a double-digit lead, Cleveland would scrap back to within a possession or two, keeping the pressure on. At the half, the Knicks clung to a slim 43-40 lead.

The Cavaliers carried that momentum into the third period, quickly erasing the deficit and tying the game at 46-46, sending a jolt through the Richfield Coliseum. But the Knicks, leaning on their veteran experience and stifling defense, regrouped. In the fourth quarter, New York methodically rebuilt their double-digit cushion, and this time, they wouldn't relinquish it, finally putting the pesky Cavs away.

Cartwright was the undisputed star of the night, his 19 points coming on an impressive 8-of-11 shooting to complement his record-setting rebounding performance. As expected, Bernard King led the Knicks in scoring with 22 points, though he worked for them, shooting 9-for-23 from the field. For the Cavaliers, World B. Free paced their attack with 21 points, but he too struggled with his shot, going 8-for-27.

The difference in the game was ultimately New York's relentless pressure on defense and their dominance on the boards. The Knicks outrebounded the Cavaliers by a significant margin (65-50) and held Cleveland to a frigid 35% shooting from the field. This defensive intensity helped New York overcome a somewhat sloppy offensive performance that saw them commit 15 turnovers, granting the Cavaliers a significant advantage in field goals attempted (95 to 83). Despite the loss, the Cavaliers showed grit, but the Knicks' combination of Cartwright's interior presence and a suffocating team defense proved too much to overcome.

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Jazz Seek Playoff Breakthrough Against High-Scoring Nuggets

Dantley and Dr. Dunkenstein face ultimate test against English and Vandeweghe's high-octane offense

DENVER, CO – The Utah Jazz, a franchise still searching for its first taste of postseason action, will open their 1983-84 campaign with a stiff road test against the explosive Denver Nuggets. The Jazz possess a potentially lethal offensive core, featuring the scoring prowess of Adrian Dantley (30.7 ppg in '82-83, albeit in just 22 games), Darrell "Dr. Dunkenstein" Griffith (22.2 ppg), and John Drew (21.2 ppg in 44 games). Anchoring their defense is the towering Mark Eaton, whose 3.4 blocks per game ranked third in the league last season, while playmaker Rickey Green (14 ppg, 8.9 apg, and a league second-best 2.8 spg) orchestrates the attack. The talent is undeniably there for Utah, but the critical questions remain: can their key cogs stay healthy, and is this the year they finally transform from pretenders to legitimate playoff contenders?

Standing in their way is a Denver Nuggets squad that plays basketball at a dizzying pace. The Nuggets boast the league's top two scorers from a year ago in Alex English and Kiki Vandeweghe, a dynamic duo that combined for a staggering 55 points per contest, with both impressively playing all 82 games. Denver led the NBA with an eye-popping 123.2 points per game last season, though their generosity on the defensive end was nearly equal, surrendering a league-worst 122.6 ppg. The high-scoring attack also features the ageless Dan Issel, the franchise's all-time leader in nearly every major category, who still poured in 21.6 ppg at age 34. While defensive stalwart T.R. Dunn, an All-Defensive Second Team pick, aims to clamp down on opposing guards, the Nuggets' success will likely hinge on their ability to simply outgun their opponents, a strategy that took them to 45 wins and the conference semifinals last season.

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