<![CDATA[Deadspin: american basketball association]]> http://cache.gawker.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/deadspin.com.png <![CDATA[Deadspin: american basketball association]]> http://deadspin.com/tag/american basketball association http://deadspin.com/tag/american basketball association <![CDATA[ Land Of The Giants ]]> nighthawks.jpgOne would think that a team with four seven-footers in the starting lineup wouldn't need a last-second shot to win. But this is the American Basketball Association, where the official rules more resemble Calvinball than anything. Why didn't someone inform us earlier that, in their finale against the Cape Cod Frenzy (yep) on March 11, the Nighthawks started the tallest lineup in professional basketball history, at least according to the Guinness Book of World Records: Sun Ming Ming (7-foot-9), former Washington Bullet Gheorghe Muresan (7-6), Ayo Adigun (7-1), Deng D'Awol (7-0), and Barry Mitchell (6-8). If stacked on top of each other, they stand 36 feet tall, and yet the Nighthawks finished with a losing record this season (15-17, fourth in their division). Yeah, in retrospect maybe they could have used a guard.

Enjoy this video of the final 10 seconds of their final game, as Maryland's Hugh "Baby Shaq" Jones sinks a halfcourt shot to win it. In case you're confused, those count as four points in the ABA. Unless you're touched by the babysitter flag.

World Record Game Ends With Wild Finish, Nighthawks Win 132-128 [Maryland Nighthawks]

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Wed, 21 Mar 2007 12:45:52 EDT rickchand http://deadspin.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=245830&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ New ABA Coach Has Cleanest Rain Gutters In His Neighborhood ]]>

We love the Dodge City Legends' motion offense; the one in which their center sets picks at the top of the key. Because it's important to keep the tallest player in the history of organized basketball as far away from the basket as you can at all times. You've probably heard of Sun Ming Ming, a native of China who, at 7-foot-9, makes Yao Ming look like Porky from the Our Gang comedies. Sun has been in the U.S. for a couple of years now and was just signed by the Maryland Nighthawks of the American Basketball Association. He isn't very athletic and has only been playing the game for five years (hello, New York Knicks!), but he's recovering quickly from recent health problems and hopes to one day play in the NBA.

Nighthawks coach William Rankin expects Sun to be able to play about 28-30 minutes a game; his debut comes Saturday. That will also be Rankin's debut with the Nighthawks — he was hired about a week ago from a junior college team. "When I interviewed for the job, I asked, 'Do we have a 7-footer?"' Rankin recounted. "And (Doyle) laughed and said, 'We have someone who's almost an 8-footer."'

We love watching the video above because it reminds us of Nerf basketball in our room on rainy afternoons, and of course this. Oh, and if Sun is looking for a little female companionship, the Connecticut WNBA team has possible dating material.

7-Foot-9 Chinese Player Joins ABA Team [MSNBC]

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Thu, 01 Feb 2007 11:00:48 EST rickchand http://deadspin.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=233103&view=rss&microfeed=true