All Episodes of Basketball: A Love Story
Browse all episodes of Basketball: A Love Story
Season 1
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N/A/100 votesPatriots to Protest
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 9/18/2018
Oscar Robertson and Jerry West lead the U.S. Olympic team in a symbolic win against the USSR during the Cold War in 1960. In 1968, players face a difficult choice to play or not to play when a boycott by prominent Black athletes is implemented.
Director: Unknown
Writer: Unknown
N/A/100 votesABA: The Red, White, and Blue
Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 9/18/2018
The American Basketball Association became one of the first upstart leagues to challenge the dominance of the NBA. A hilarious and nostalgic look at some of the tactics used by early executives and players to gain attention.
Director: Unknown
Writer: Unknown
N/A/100 votesThe Dipper and the Winner
Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 9/18/2018
One of the greatest rivalries in basketball - Wilt Chamberlain versus Bill Russell. Russell and his Celtics continue to get the best of Chamberlain's teams, including in the iconic 1965 Eastern Conference Finals.
Director: Unknown
Writer: Unknown
N/A/100 votesMayhem in Munich
Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 9/18/2018
The 1972 Olympics will forever be remembered for the tragedy that took the lives of 11 Israeli athletes. That year, the US again faced off with the USSR, in one of the most controversial finishes in Olympic history.
Director: Unknown
Writer: Unknown
N/A/100 votesRupp's Reckoning
Season 1 Episode 18 - Aired 9/18/2018
There are endless stories of racism, but also humanity, in the early days of college basketball, including the era of Adolph Rupp at Kentucky, the integration of the college game at Texas Western, and the strength of Charlie Scott.
Director: Unknown
Writer: Unknown
N/A/100 votesThe Eighth Wonder of the World
Season 1 Episode 20 - Aired 9/18/2018
Lew Alcindor, one of the greatest players of all-time, led UCLA in the "Game of the Century" against Elvin Hayes and the University of Houston. The Houston upset is seen as paving the way for college basketball to be widely televised.
Director: Unknown
Writer: Unknown
N/A/100 votesTitle IX: Immaculata
Season 1 Episode 21 - Aired 9/18/2018
Title IX gave rise to the women's game at the college level, and the first great team emerged from Immaculata University. Immaculata won 3 consecutive NCAA Titles from 1972-1974 and played in the first ever televised NCAA Women's CBB.
Director: Unknown
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N/A/100 votesOscar and the West: Bittersweet Victories
Season 1 Episode 23 - Aired 9/18/2018
Oscar Robertson joins forces with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the Milwaukee Bucks, and Jerry West teams up with Wilt Chamberlain on the Los Angeles Lakers. Two of the greatest pairs ever to play together, but even with each victory, their past will haunt them.
Director: Unknown
Writer: Unknown
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N/A/100 votesDavid vs Goliath
Season 1 Episode 26 - Aired 9/18/2018
After winning six national championships, the UCLA dynasty continued through the Bill Walton era. The Bruins dominated until they came up against David Thompson and his NC State team, who finally knocked them off and claimed a title of their own.
Director: Unknown
Writer: Unknown
N/A/100 votesWild Days: Upsets, Brawls, and No-Calls
Season 1 Episode 29 - Aired 9/18/2018
The league continues its intense ways during 1976 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Phoenix Suns, which culminated in a Celtics championship and produced a triple-overtime Game 5, which is considered by some to be the greatest NBA game ever.
Director: Unknown
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N/A/100 votesDo or Die
Season 1 Episode 30 - Aired 9/18/2018
George Gervin and David Thompson competed down the wire in one of the NBA's tightest races for the scoring title ever. The two were within fractions of a point in scoring average entering the last game of the season, and both put on a show.
Director: Unknown
Writer: Unknown
N/A/100 votesTailspin
Season 1 Episode 31 - Aired 9/18/2018
In the '70s, the NBA's image was at an all time low due to rampant cocaine use and an increase in on-court violence. Only the birth of the greatest individual rivalry in the sport's history could keep it afloat: Magic Johnson v Larry Bird.
Director: Unknown
Writer: Unknown
N/A/100 votesPortland's One Year Dynasty
Season 1 Episode 32 - Aired 9/18/2018
The Portland Trailblazers, led by Bill Walton, win the 1977 NBA Championship against the Dr. J-led 76ers. Though it appeared a dynasty was being born, continuous injuries to Walton in the subsequent years derailed the team's chances.
Director: Unknown
Writer: Unknown
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N/A/100 votesDon't Call Me Buckwheat
Season 1 Episode 34 - Aired 9/18/2018
Lenny Wilkens is the consummate underdog. Despite a childhood of poverty, racism and the untimely death of his father, Wilkens fought his way to the top of professional basketball, eventually coaching the Seattle Supersonics to their first and only title.
Director: Unknown
Writer: Unknown
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N/A/100 votesGeorgetown Culture: John Thompson's America
Season 1 Episode 36 - Aired 9/18/2018
The creation of the Big East conference gave rise to the Georgetown Hoya teams under John Thompson. Led by Patrick Ewing, Georgetown showed its dominance on the court. Off the court, their importance to the Black community is explored.
Director: Unknown
Writer: Unknown
N/A/100 votesNBA: It's Fantastic
Season 1 Episode 37 - Aired 9/18/2018
Former NBA commissioner David Stern is profiled, and the Stern era - considered to be the time in which the NBA's popularity exploded - is explored. One thing that helped: the star-studded "NBA: It's Fantastic" advertisement campaign.
Director: Unknown
Writer: Unknown
N/A/100 votesContempt: LA vs. Boston
Season 1 Episode 38 - Aired 9/18/2018
Boston Celtics vs Los Angeles Lakers. The NBA's greatest team rivalry included a tough coach named Pat Riley leading the Lakers to titles over the Celtics. A look into the rivalry that was fierce on the court and acrimonious off it.
Director: Unknown
Writer: Unknown
N/A/100 votesThe First Lottery
Season 1 Episode 39 - Aired 9/18/2018
A look at the first NBA Draft Lottery in 1984, made all the more interesting by the prize awaiting the first winner: Patrick Ewing. When Ewing went to the New York Knicks, rampant conspiracy theories began to emerge.
Director: Unknown
Writer: Unknown
N/A/100 votesBorn to Coach
Season 1 Episode 41 - Aired 9/18/2018
5-Star Camps, started in the late 1960s by Howard Garfinkel, became the place where top high school players and college coaches showcase their talents. Later, Rick Pitino puts Providence on the map with an NCAA tournament run.
Director: Unknown
Writer: Unknown
N/A/100 votesGlasnost: The Walls Come Down
Season 1 Episode 42 - Aired 9/18/2018
A look at how the game of basketball became international, starting with coach John McLendon and later a wave of stars. In light of the emerging international talent, the US is unexpectedly beaten at the 1988 Olympics, finishing with the bronze medal.
Director: Unknown
Writer: Unknown
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N/A/100 votesCollege Coaches: The Changing of the Guard
Season 1 Episode 46 - Aired 9/18/2018
The success stories of Jim Valvano at NC State, Rollie Massimino at Villanova, and Denny Crum at Louisville opened the door for other unique styles of coaching that supplanted the success and star power of their predecessors.
Director: Unknown
Writer: Unknown
N/A/100 votesDream Team
Season 1 Episode 47 - Aired 9/18/2018
After a disappointing performance at the 1988 Olympics, USA Basketball negotiates to get NBA players into the Olympic Games. The Dream Team went on to blow out all of their opponents, win the gold, and help raise the sport's profile even further.
Director: Unknown
Writer: Unknown
N/A/100 votesThe Coach and the Killer: Phil Jackson and MJ
Season 1 Episode 48 - Aired 9/18/2018
Phil Jackson brings outside-the-box thinking and tactics to his role as the coach of the Chicago Bulls. His blend of psychology and the triangle offense is just the formula to get the most out of his roster of big personalities.
Director: Unknown
Writer: Unknown
N/A/100 votesThe Spurs Way
Season 1 Episode 51 - Aired 9/18/2018
Gregg Popovich and the Spurs embrace the globalization of basketball to create a dynasty in San Antonio. Pop's coaching roots are traced back to Larry Brown and the University of Kansas. With the Spurs, he turns international players into NBA superstars.
Director: Unknown
Writer: Unknown
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N/A/100 votesTriangle: Kobe, Shaq, and Phil
Season 1 Episode 53 - Aired 9/18/2018
The Master takes on his next challenge: trading in MJ, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman for the glitz and glamour of LA and his next pair of superstars: Shaq and Kobe. The results are a dynasty arguably as great as the one he constructed with the Bulls.
Director: Unknown
Writer: Unknown
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N/A/100 votesAmerica's Game
Season 1 Episode 57 - Aired 9/18/2018
With stifling defense, the early 2000s Detroit Pistons become the model for how franchises can be dominant without a true superstar. Off the strength of his performance with this Pistons, Larry Brown is tapped to coach the 2004 USA Olympic team.
Director: Unknown
Writer: Unknown
N/A/100 votesBattles Royale
Season 1 Episode 58 - Aired 9/18/2018
When LBJ took his talents to South Beach, some thought it was a foregone conclusion that the Miami Heat would easily walk away with a championship. "The Big 3" quickly learned that each championship would need to be battled and earned on the court.
Director: Unknown
Writer: Unknown
N/A/100 votesGolden State Emerges
Season 1 Episode 60 - Aired 9/18/2018
Selecting future superstars Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green through the NBA Draft, the Golden State Warriors emerge as a dominant force in today's NBA using the principles of small ball and catch-and-shoot.
Director: Unknown
Writer: Unknown
N/A/100 votesBasketball Hysteria
Season 1 Episode 61 - Aired 9/18/2018
A celebration of both the fully immersive experience of modern basketball ‒ complete with daily games across the globe, social media interaction, and new technologies ‒ as well as the core tenets of the game that have made basketball great for years.
Director: Unknown
Writer: Unknown
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