{"id":7636,"date":"2017-10-09T13:12:29","date_gmt":"2017-10-09T17:12:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/?p=7636"},"modified":"2017-12-04T15:27:32","modified_gmt":"2017-12-04T20:27:32","slug":"championship-basketball-pittsburgh-connie-hawkins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2017\/10\/09\/championship-basketball-pittsburgh-connie-hawkins\/","title":{"rendered":"The championship team Pittsburgh forgot"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Pittsburgh Pipers get glossed over in discussions of the greatest teams in Pittsburgh sports history, overshadowed by three other professional teams with 16 championships between them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pittsburghers forget that for one season in the late 1960s, Pittsburgh was home to a professional basketball powerhouse.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While Bill Russell was leading the Boston Celtics to the 1967-68 NBA title, Connie Hawkins was doing the same for the Pipers in the American Basketball Association.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pipers lore begins and ends with that season, but looking back is worth it to give the Pipers their due for their \u201967 glory.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4Wv4ByDy7KQ?list=PL_TiNLHxz_LUUqLaEEmf0snLmdZvZU62F\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Can a basketball team succeed in Pittsburgh?<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7643\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7643\" style=\"width: 192px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img data-attachment-id=\"7643\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2017\/10\/09\/championship-basketball-pittsburgh-connie-hawkins\/mickey-davis-of-the-pittsburgh-condors-press-jan-6-1986\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/DavisPortrait1986.jpg?fit=2325%2C3631&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2325,3631\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Mickey Davis of the Pittsburgh Condors (Press \\\/ Jan. 6, 1986)&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Mickey Davis of the Pittsburgh Condors (Press \\\/ Jan. 6, 1986)&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Mickey Davis\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Mickey Davis played for the Pittsburgh Condors during the 1971-72 season. He was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks of the NBA after the NBA\/ABA merger. (Pittsburgh Press\/Jan. 6, 1986)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/DavisPortrait1986.jpg?fit=192%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/DavisPortrait1986.jpg?fit=656%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-7643\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/DavisPortrait1986-192x300.jpg?resize=192%2C300\" alt=\"\" width=\"192\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/DavisPortrait1986.jpg?resize=192%2C300&amp;ssl=1 192w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/DavisPortrait1986.jpg?resize=768%2C1199&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/DavisPortrait1986.jpg?resize=656%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 656w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/DavisPortrait1986.jpg?resize=224%2C350&amp;ssl=1 224w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/DavisPortrait1986.jpg?w=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 192px) 100vw, 192px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7643\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mickey Davis played for the Pittsburgh Condors during the 1971-72 season. He was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks of the NBA after the NBA\/ABA merger. (Pittsburgh Press\/Jan. 6, 1986)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pittsburgh was not the sports mecca it is today in 1967.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Post-Gazette sports editor Al Abrams used most of his Oct. 24, 1967, \u201cSidelights on Sports\u201d column to bemoan the lack of success among the city\u2019s teams, even though it came after a victory by the Pipers in their first game..<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c[R]emember the Pirates, everybody\u2019s choice to win the NL pennant, finished a miserable sixth,\u201d he wrote. \u201cThe snake-bitten Steelers are now 1 and 5. The Phantoms [Pittsburgh\u2019s NPSL soccer team that was formed and dissolved in \u201867] are said to have lost their owners in the neighborhood of $750,000 the first year. It\u2019s too early to tell about the Penguins. And now we have the Pipers, not a musical organization, but one which plays basketball.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7645\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7645\" style=\"width: 181px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img data-attachment-id=\"7645\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2017\/10\/09\/championship-basketball-pittsburgh-connie-hawkins\/thompson1971\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Thompson1971.jpg?fit=2189%2C3620&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2189,3620\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;George Thompson attempts a layup against Carolina&#039;s Joe Caldwell. (Press\\\/Dec. 18, 1971)&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"George Thompson\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Thompson was the Pipers&#8217;\/Condors&#8217; post-Hawkins star. He even competed in the 1972 NBA vs. ABA All-Star Game against the likes of Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson and Hawkins himself. (Pittsburgh Press\/Dec. 18, 1971)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Thompson1971.jpg?fit=181%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Thompson1971.jpg?fit=619%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-7645\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Thompson1971-181x300.jpg?resize=181%2C300\" alt=\"\" width=\"181\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Thompson1971.jpg?resize=181%2C300&amp;ssl=1 181w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Thompson1971.jpg?resize=768%2C1270&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Thompson1971.jpg?resize=619%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 619w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Thompson1971.jpg?resize=212%2C350&amp;ssl=1 212w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Thompson1971.jpg?w=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 181px) 100vw, 181px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7645\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Thompson was the Pipers&#8217;\/Condors&#8217; post-Hawkins star. He even competed in the 1972 NBA vs. ABA All-Star Game against the likes of Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson and Hawkins himself. (Pittsburgh Press\/Dec. 18, 1971)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cLosers\u2019 Club\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Pipers defeated the New Jersey Americans in Teaneck on Oct. 23, 100-107, \u00a0sparked by a 34-point performance from Hawkins.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But the Pipers\u2019 home opener at the Civic Arena on Oct. 24, 1967 turned out to be quite the letdown, as they fell to the Minnesota Muskies, 104-86, in front of a crowd of 5,719 fans.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMuskies\u2019 3rd Period Rally Crushes Pipers,\u201d blared the headline in the Oct. 25 edition of the Post-Gazette. Sports reporter Jimmy Miller called the defeat \u201chumiliating,\u201d also writing, \u201cThey could win on the road but failed dismally at home.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mr. Abrams\u2019 column on Oct. 26 officially inducted the Pipers into the city\u2019s \u201cLosers\u2019 Club,\u201d which at the time included the Steelers, Pirates and Phantoms. Harsh, considering they were just three days into their franchise\u2019s history.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe hope the Pipers can shake off their lethargy,\u201d he wrote. \u201cThis city needs a winner badly.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>A star is born<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7638\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7638\" style=\"width: 222px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img data-attachment-id=\"7638\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2017\/10\/09\/championship-basketball-pittsburgh-connie-hawkins\/connie-hawkins-holds-his-aba-mvp-award-with-coach-vince-cazzetta-press1968\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/HawkinsMVP1968.jpg?fit=2591%2C3500&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2591,3500\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Connie Hawkins holds his ABA MVP award with coach Vince Cazzetta. (Press\\\/1968)&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Connie Hawkins holds his ABA MVP award with coach Vince Cazzetta. (Press\\\/1968)&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Coach and star\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Pittsburgh Pipers star Connie Hawkins holds his ABA MVP award alongside his coach, Vince Cazzetta. (Pittsburgh Press\/1968)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/HawkinsMVP1968.jpg?fit=222%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/HawkinsMVP1968.jpg?fit=758%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-7638\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/HawkinsMVP1968-222x300.jpg?resize=222%2C300\" alt=\"\" width=\"222\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/HawkinsMVP1968.jpg?resize=222%2C300&amp;ssl=1 222w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/HawkinsMVP1968.jpg?resize=768%2C1037&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/HawkinsMVP1968.jpg?resize=758%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 758w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/HawkinsMVP1968.jpg?resize=259%2C350&amp;ssl=1 259w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/HawkinsMVP1968.jpg?w=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/HawkinsMVP1968.jpg?w=2400&amp;ssl=1 2400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 222px) 100vw, 222px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7638\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pittsburgh Pipers star Connie Hawkins holds his ABA MVP award alongside his coach, Vince Cazzetta. (Pittsburgh Press\/1968)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the Pipers\u2019 inaugural season continued, it was clear the team had a superstar in the 6\u20198\u201d Hawkins, who went on to lead the ABA in scoring with 26.8 points per game that season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cHe was totally unselfish, a pleasure to play with,\u201d Pipers backup guard Jim Jarvis<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.post-gazette.com\/sports\/2008\/03\/31\/Pittsburgh-had-its-basketball-kings-for-a-day-in-68\/stories\/200803310156\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">told the Post-Gazette\u2019s Milan Simonich<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in 2008.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ira Harge, who spent part of the \u201867 season with the Pipers before being traded to the Oakland Oaks, told Simonich that the then-25-year-old Hawkins was a father figure to many of his teammates.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cHe was the superstar, but he didn\u2019t act like it,\u201d Mr. Harge said. \u201cConnie knew Pittsburgh, married a girl from Pittsburgh and he was the one who told us where it was safe to go and not go. He was the one who directed us to the good jazz spots in the Hill, and helped us find places to get our hair cut. He was very gracious.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hawkins would go on to play for the NBA\u2019s Phoenix Suns, but only after the league awarded him a $1.3 million contract as legal retribution for falsely accusing him of conspiring with a gambler to fix college games.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He may have only earned about $23,000 a year playing for the Pipers, but Pittsburgh was where he won his only professional basketball championship.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong style=\"font-size: 1em;\">Title run<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On May 4, 1968, the Pipers beat the New Orleans Buccaneers 122-113 to win the ABA championship. The team rallied from a 3-2 deficit, once on their home court and again at the Civic Arena to earn the series win.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe Pipers drove New Orleans crazy and drove 11,457 fans wild last night as they won the American Basketball Association championship,\u201d wrote the Post-Gazette\u2019s Bill Heufelder on the pivotal Game 7 in the paper\u2019s May 5, 1968, edition.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hawkins averaged 30.7 points per game throughout the playoffs, and almost put up a triple-double in the deciding game against New Orleans, finishing with 20 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pipers Coach Vince Cazzetta told the Post-Gazette\u2019s Roy McHugh that the first three quarters of the game (before the Buccaneers momentarily surged in the fourth quarter) were some of the best basketball you will ever see.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cFor three quarters, this was as good a team as you\u2019ll find anywhere,\u201d he said. \u201cThe passing was sharp, the dribbling, the shooting, the rebounding. Defensively, they were blocking out and everything was perfect.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pipers Owner Gabe Rubin, whose venture was anything but a guaranteed success, expressed his sense of vindication to Heufelder after the team\u2019s victory.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI was a little nervous,\u201d he said. \u201cIt makes you feel like it was all worthwhile.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7648\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7648\" style=\"width: 473px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-attachment-id=\"7648\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2017\/10\/09\/championship-basketball-pittsburgh-connie-hawkins\/champaigne\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Champaigne.jpg?fit=2007%2C1150&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2007,1150\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Victory\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Pipers players celebrate their 1967-68 ABA championship win with champagne. (Screenshot via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Champaigne.jpg?fit=300%2C172&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Champaigne.jpg?fit=800%2C459&amp;ssl=1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-7648\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Champaigne-300x172.jpg?resize=473%2C272\" alt=\"\" width=\"473\" height=\"272\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Champaigne.jpg?resize=300%2C172&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Champaigne.jpg?resize=768%2C440&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Champaigne.jpg?resize=1024%2C587&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Champaigne.jpg?resize=611%2C350&amp;ssl=1 611w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Champaigne.jpg?w=2007&amp;ssl=1 2007w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Champaigne.jpg?w=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 473px) 100vw, 473px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7648\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pipers players celebrate their 1967-68 ABA championship win with champagne. (Screenshot via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>A champion crumbles<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite the team\u2019s success in Pittsburgh, \u00a0Rubin sold the Pipers to a Minnesota lawyer who promptly moved the team to the North Star State for the 1968-69 ABA season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt came as a shock,\u201d Jarvis told Mr. Simonich in 2008. \u201cWe were starting to catch on with the fans in Pittsburgh, and then we were gone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7650\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7650\" style=\"width: 283px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img data-attachment-id=\"7650\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2017\/10\/09\/championship-basketball-pittsburgh-connie-hawkins\/helicopter-hentz-drives-past-indianas-roger-brown-pressnov-13-1970\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Hentz1970.jpg?fit=2567%2C2724&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2567,2724\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;\\&quot;Helicopter\\&quot; Hentz drives past Indiana&#039;s Roger Brown. (Press\\\/Nov. 13, 1970)&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;\\&quot;Helicopter\\&quot; Hentz drives past Indiana&#039;s Roger Brown. (Press\\\/Nov. 13, 1970)&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"The Helicopter\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Charles &#8220;Helicopter&#8221; Hentz played for the Condors during the 1970-71 season. He is best known for breaking not one, but two glass backboards during a game against the Carolina Cougars on Nov. 6, 1970. (Pittsburgh Press\/Nov. 13, 1970)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Hentz1970.jpg?fit=283%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Hentz1970.jpg?fit=800%2C849&amp;ssl=1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-7650\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Hentz1970-283x300.jpg?resize=283%2C300\" alt=\"\" width=\"283\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Hentz1970.jpg?resize=283%2C300&amp;ssl=1 283w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Hentz1970.jpg?resize=768%2C815&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Hentz1970.jpg?resize=965%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 965w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Hentz1970.jpg?resize=330%2C350&amp;ssl=1 330w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Hentz1970.jpg?w=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Hentz1970.jpg?w=2400&amp;ssl=1 2400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 283px) 100vw, 283px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7650\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Charles &#8220;Helicopter&#8221; Hentz played for the Condors during the 1970-71 season. He is best known for breaking not one, but two glass backboards during a game against the Carolina Cougars on Nov. 6, 1970. (Pittsburgh Press\/Nov. 13, 1970)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Pipers moved back to Pittsburgh for the 1969-70 season, but they never were able to capture the city\u2019s attention the way they did in \u201967. The team rebranded itself as the Pittsburgh Condors for the 1970-71 season, but it was all for naught, and the Pipers\/Condors folded after the 1971-72 season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Condors played their last home game at the Civic Arena on March 26, 1972, squeaking out a 131-130 victory over the Virginia Squires. The headline for Phil Musick\u2019s game story in the March 27 edition of the Post-Gazette read morbidly, \u201cCondors Refuse to Die at Their Own Wake.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe unloved orphans of the American Basketball Association faded from the local scene last night before 681 pallbearers at the House of Grief, the Civic Arena,\u201d Musick wrote (his entire story reads like a eulogy for a team nobody will miss). \u201cThe Condors left, not as they lived, but victorious.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7652\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7652\" style=\"width: 220px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img data-attachment-id=\"7652\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2017\/10\/09\/championship-basketball-pittsburgh-connie-hawkins\/condors-office-which-has-a-broken-key-in-the-door-lock-pressfeb-12-1972\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Office1972.jpg?fit=2715%2C3698&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2715,3698\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Condors office, which has a broken key in the door lock. (Press\\\/Feb. 12, 1972)&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Condors office, which has a broken key in the door lock. (Press\\\/Feb. 12, 1972)&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"The end\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;The Condors organization folded less than two months after this photo was taken. The door to this team office has a broken key in the lock. (Pittsburgh Press\/Feb. 12, 1972)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Office1972.jpg?fit=220%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Office1972.jpg?fit=752%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-7652\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Office1972-220x300.jpg?resize=220%2C300\" alt=\"\" width=\"220\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Office1972.jpg?resize=220%2C300&amp;ssl=1 220w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Office1972.jpg?resize=768%2C1046&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Office1972.jpg?resize=752%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 752w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Office1972.jpg?resize=257%2C350&amp;ssl=1 257w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Office1972.jpg?w=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Office1972.jpg?w=2400&amp;ssl=1 2400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 220px) 100vw, 220px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7652\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Condors organization folded less than two months after this photo was taken. The door to this team office has a broken key in the lock. (Pittsburgh Press\/Feb. 12, 1972)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That last sentence is ironic given that the franchise won a championship only four years prior. Pittsburghers\u2019 sports memories are short, and that \u201967 Pipers\/Condors season would eventually be forgotten as the city celebrated six Super Bowls, five World Series and five Stanley Cups.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But on May 4, 1968, as the Pipers fought hard to win the city\u2019s only professional basketball championship, Pittsburgh acted like a city ready to let basketball into its sports DNA.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI went on radio and TV and pleaded for the people to come out and make it look like a championship game,\u201d Cazzetta told the Post-Gazette\u2019s McHugh after his team won. \u201cOK, it was the last game of the season and the World Series of ABA basketball. But tonight, the city of Pittsburgh supported us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><strong>\u2014 Joshua Axelrod<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><b>CORRECTION, posted Dec. 4, 2017:<\/b>\u00a0In an earlier version of this story, the wrong team was credited with winning the 1967-68 NBA championship. The Boston Celtics won the title that season.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Pittsburgh Pipers get glossed over in discussions of the greatest teams in Pittsburgh sports&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a class='more-link' href='https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2017\/10\/09\/championship-basketball-pittsburgh-connie-hawkins\/'>Look at the pictures<span class='screen-reader-text'>The championship team Pittsburgh forgot<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":7641,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[944],"tags":[962,1377,1260,1378,971,1375,1336,1380,1379,1250,1376,1244],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/197071TeamPhoto.jpg?fit=3706%2C2201&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6834,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2016\/06\/08\/how-did-the-penguins-get-their-name\/","url_meta":{"origin":7636,"position":0},"title":"How did the Penguins get their name?","date":"June 8, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Pittsburgh's NHL team could have been the Aardvarks, or worse.","rel":"","context":"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Web.Digs66_67Hockey009a.jpg?fit=1200%2C784&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8693,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2018\/05\/22\/great-moments-in-pittsburgh-sports-history-1970-1989\/","url_meta":{"origin":7636,"position":1},"title":"Great moments in Pittsburgh sports history: 1970-1989","date":"May 22, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The Post-Gazette\u2019s Out of the Archives: Sports is a photographic tour through the city\u2019s rich sports history. 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From the Penguins\u2019 Stanley Cup championship this past June to the Pirates\u2019 World Series victory in 1909, fans can both learn by peering decades into the past and relive more recent glory by\u2026","rel":"","context":"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/22.-2003-Big-East-tournament-.jpg?fit=920%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1320,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2013\/10\/09\/dreaming-of-the-world-series-too-soon-you-say\/","url_meta":{"origin":7636,"position":4},"title":"Dreaming of the World Series\u2026 Too soon, you say?","date":"October 9, 2013","format":"gallery","excerpt":"It\u2019s not done yet. 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