Other coaches had similar problems adjusting to its reality. One ABA coach admits that at first, he never used the 3-pointer unless his team was losing late in the game and was desperate for points. In the late 1960s, when the ABA introduced the 3-pointer, a generation of coaches had to rethink everything they knew about the game, and it made things hectic. While certain college basketball conferences experimented with it in the early '80s, the NCAA didn't universally implement a 3-point line until 1986, with high school basketball following suit a year later. The league didn't adopt the 3-pointer until 1979- Magic Johnson and Larry Bird's rookie season. The NBA stayed firm in the game's traditions. The 3-point shot, at first, wasn't part of the package. In 1976, the ABA and NBA merged, with four teams joining the NBA-the Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets and New Jersey Nets. "We called it the home run, because the 3-pointer was exactly that," Mikan said in the book. Coincidentally, the commissioner of the ABA and a big proponent of the 3-pointer was George Mikan, a 6-foot-10 NBA legend who probably would've never shot one during his playing days. They had a red, white and blue basketball, a slam dunk contest, and of course, the 3-point shot.Īccording to the book Loose Balls: The Short, Wild Life of the American Basketball Association, which chronicled the nine-season history of the ABA, league organizers had planned to use the 3-pointer from the beginning. The ABA, which started in 1967, differed from the NBA in its experimentation of fan-friendly ideas. But when a new league competing against the NBA was dreamed up in the mid-1960s, the 3-point shot was back in the spotlight. The NBA, which had been around since 1946, never seriously considered it at that point. The ABL only lasted 1 ½ seasons before folding, so the 3-pointer quickly went away.
#Bomber long shot 5 professional
The 3-point line's first use in a professional league was back in 1961 in the American Basketball League. Once it became mainstream, though-with the ABA leading the charge in 1967-basketball would never be the same again. The NCAA was even slower to adopt the rule. The NBA considered it gimmicky for years. It's a safe bet that nobody under the age of 30 has any recollection of college or professional basketball being played without a 3-point line.īut, in fact, basketball was played for a long time without the 3-point shot. These days, the 3-pointer is second-nature to basketball players and fans. A 3-pointer.' Then we were celebrating again, because we found out that we won the game." That was a 3-pointer,'" Harkness said in the book Loose Balls. "We were running off the floor to huddle up for the overtime when the official, Joe Belmont, came up to me and said 'Jerry, it's over. His shot won the game for the Pacers, 119-118. In fact, he was 68 feet behind the brand new 3-point line. A lot of the 2,500 in attendance that day thought that the Harkness miracle tied the game and forced overtime. You see, 1967 was the first year of the 3-point shot among basketball's top leagues, and the players and fans weren't used to it. Pandemonium erupted in Dallas, but for all the wrong reasons. It smacked off the backboard and went in.
With no time to do anything else, Harkness threw a towering Hail Mary heave toward the goal. Indiana inbounded the ball to Jerry Harkness, who was 92 feet away from the basket. Get into Fishing and Outdoor World to snag a few Long Shot Bombers while they still have some in stock.On November 13, 1967, the Indiana Pacers of the American Basketball Association were losing to the Dallas Chaparrals, 118-116, with just one second left on the clock.
#Bomber long shot 5 series
Probably the biggest change to the original is the weight the Long Shot series now feature a weight exchange system that assists in super-long casts, particularly in windy conditions. They’ve finally done away with the three hook arrangement and all sizes now feature 2 large 4X strong VMC trebles, which is a smart move as it will result in better hook holding on big fish and less damage to fish destined for release. Featuring a more durable body with 3D eyes and gill plates, in a range of colours, they really look the goods. The new Long Shot Bomber series is set to raise the bar higher again. Well 20 years later not a lot has changed! Bombers are still the go-to lure for most barra addicts and account for some huge fish every year. I used those gold Bombers until all the metallic paint had flaked off and they still continued to catch heaps of barra. I was guiding back at Barra Base in the late ’80s when visiting journalist John Mondora handed me this awesome-looking gold lure that he said was the best barra lure ever made. I STILL remember the first time I laid eyes on a gold Bomber.