Maurice Lucas

15 Years Ago in Sports IllustratedTennessee's Ernie Grunfeld and Bernard King shared our Feb. 9, 1976, cover. In that issue we also reported on the first-of-its-kind slam-dunk competition, at the ABA All-Star Game in...

•Lou Gorman, Boston Red Sox G.M. on his two phone calls to Mike Mitchell, father of pitchers John and Charlie, both recently traded by the Sox: "I don't think I made a good impression on him."

So, how do you beat the NBA jinx—the failure of any team to repeat as champion since the Celtics did it in 1968 and 1969? The LOS ANGELES LAKERS might do it this way: with a center named Abdul-Jabbar, who at 38 has...