The NBA Finals date back to 1947 (when they were known as the Basketball Association of America Finals) and the very 1st NCAA tourney was held in 1939. Olympic basketball competition is even older: it debuted as a demonstration event in 1904 and the men’s version became a medal sport in 1936, with the women finally getting their chance to go for the gold in 1976. The United States has dominated Olympic basketball competition from the start: the men have won 15 gold medals in the 18 tournaments they have participated in during the past 84 years, while the women have won 8 gold medals in the 10 tournaments in which they have competed during the past 44 years. Those of you who were looking forward to the 2020 Olympics opening ceremonies in Tokyo on July 24, 2020 will have to wait an extra 364 days, as the coronavirus caused a postponement until July 23, 2021. Due to the absence of college basketball since mid-March, HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel decided to fill the void by trying to interview as many prior Olympic players/coaches as possible so that you have something to read this summer while not watching the Summer Games. We continue our coverage by chatting with Mike Bantom about the most controversial basketball game in Olympic history. Today marks the 48th anniversary of Mike scoring a team-high 18 PTS in a 99-33 win over Japan in Olympic round-robin pool play.
(photo credit: theafricanamericanathlete.com)
You were born/raised in Philly: what made you choose St. Joe’s? When I was in high school the Big 5 basketball schools were very popular/competitive and got a lot of local TV coverage. I did not play varsity basketball until my senior year of high school so the 1st schools to heavily recruit me were the local ones. St. Joe’s had the reputation of playing hard and I liked watching them play. Villanova had Howard Porter and La Salle had Kenny Durrett and Penn was a top-5 team so it seemed like St. Joe’s could have used me the most. I felt like I needed to go to a program where I would have the opportunity to develop.
In the 1971 NCAA tourney you had 20 PTS/14 REB in a loss to eventual national runner-up Villanova: what was it like to play a fellow Big 5 team in the postseason? The interesting part of that is that we had played them twice during the regular season: once in Kansas to start the season and once at the Palestra later that season. We were built around a bunch of sophomores so Villanova was much more experienced than we were. However, we were playing much better by the time of the NCAA tourney. We won our conference but still had to play the #1 Independent team in the East. We played them more competitively the final time and it was a great experience to face Porter: I never envisioned playing at his level.
You played for team USA at the 1972 Olympics: who do you blame the most for the controversial loss to the USSR (Bill Walton for not playing, Hank Iba for using a slow tempo, the Secretary General, the timekeeper, the refs, other) and how crushing was “the 1st time I ever cried over a basketball game”? I think it was a combination of the Secretary General and the other administrators who refused to follow the rules of the game and do what should have been done. I do not fault Iba because he just taught us the controlled tempo that he knew. We had not played a lot together so when you play up-tempo you need some familiarity with your teammates. We beat all of the other teams pretty handily before running into a group of experienced Russian men who were probably targeting us from the start of the Games. It was pretty crushing for a 20-year old who spent all summer practicing 2-3 times/day harder than I ever had before. When you put in that sweat equity and then win it makes you so happy, and to have it unfairly reversed and feel so helpless that they would not change their minds hurt a lot. It was 1 of the 1st times I ever experienced outright unfairness where the good guys did not win. I also cried after losing in the Finals against the Lakers: we put our heart and soul into it and did not think that we would lose until we actually did. I did not cry on the floor or in the locker room but did so in my hotel later on: sports are emotional.
You averaged 20 PPG/13.7 RPG during your 3 years on the varsity and in 1973 you were named an All-American: how were you able to balance your scoring with your rebounding, and what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? I was coached to just play as hard as I could: my high school coach Speedy Morris was outstanding. I did not have a lot of basketball skills but was tall/athletic and played hard. At St. Joe’s I played for Coach Paul Westhead who wanted to make me the scoring focus of our team as a freshman. I also tried to get rebounds and help us win and the numbers just took care of themselves.
In the spring of 1973 you were drafted 8th overall by Phoenix (3 spots behind Kermit Washington): did you see that as a validation of your college career, or the realization of a lifelong dream of reaching the NBA, or other? I cannot say that it was a lifelong dream but it started materializing after I made the Olympic team because most of the previous Olympians had been drafted. The ABA had also come into existence so underclassmen leaving school early had started to become a thing. I did not know if I would actually be drafted but I gained a lot of confidence during the Olympic Trials. There was not as much media coverage back then so I did not know exactly how good everyone else was, but I competed pretty well against the 63 other players at the Trials. My Olympic coaches added another layer to my game so I expected it to happen. It meant a lot to what my future would look like so I was excited.
You made the 1974 All-Rookie 1st-team: how were you able to make such a smooth transition from college to the NBA? I played center in the low post but we had a movement offense so I told my coach that it would help me become a better all-around player. My nickname was “Stick” so battling down low against big guys was not the most productive thing for me! I had to learn how to play on the wing during the Olympics so when I was picked by Phoenix I was able to run the floor and handle the ball as a forward. I also gained great experience from the Baker League where Sonny Hill/John Chaney taught me how to play defense, which is what a rookie needs to do to stay on the floor.
Take me through the 1982 NBA playoffs for Philly:
In Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals you had 6 REB in a win over Boston: how were you able to become the 2nd team to ever beat the Celtics in a Game 7 in the Garden, and what was your reaction after hearing the fans chant “Beat LA! Beat LA!” as the clock ticked down? That was a hell of an experience. I was not there the previous year when the 76ers blew a 3-1 lead. In 1982 we were up 3-1 and then lost 2 games in a row so nobody gave us a shot to win Game 7 in Boston. We had a team meeting the day before and I shared my perspective of being captain of the Pacers the previous year. We were competitive and made the playoffs. I said I did not understand how the f— we were losing to this team because we were better than Boston and should have beaten them. We were very determined and played great defense against them. I had to guard Larry Bird in the 2nd half and kept denying him the chance to have an impact, which is why Coach Billy Cunningham got me. I do not know if they would have let us return to Philly if we had lost that game! The fans had been talking a lot of trash and calling our hotel rooms so to convert them felt really good.
In the NBA Finals you lost to the Lakers in 6 games: how close did you come to winning a title? It all hinged on Game 1 because we had home-court advantage. Billy mentioned during 1 of our final regular season games that if we won then we would have home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. We had a big lead early when “Showtime” ran off something like 28 PTS in a row, and from that point on every team won its home games so we just ran out of time. We were confident that we would win Game 6 but that fast-break led by Magic Johnson could erupt at any time and put us on our heels. It was a little easier for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to do his thing: we just did not have an answer for him.
You played 9 years in the NBA and 7 years in Italy: what was the biggest difference between basketball in the US vs. basketball in Italy? There are more elite players in the NBA with great players even sitting on the bench. In Europe you only have a few. The Italian national team consisted of 12 elite players and 3-4 young players who would eventually replace them. If you made it at age 20 then you would stay in the core group until age 35. In the US there was more turnover because we had more talented players coming up through the system. When I played it was the 1st time where Italy was going after veteran players who could offer experience/professionalism, rather than younger guys who could not make it in the NBA. Later you had guys like Bob McAdoo/George Gervin who would anchor their teams.
Since retiring as a player you have worked for the NBA as a licensing manager, director of marketing, senior VP of player development, and executive VP of referee operations: how has the NBA changed over the past few decades, and how have the refs changed? The league has gotten younger/more athletic and is more perimeter-oriented. Back in the day every offense was built around a big man who the guards would feed the ball to, but now it starts at the 3-PT line. They talk about “position-less basketball”, which allows a faster-paced game. From top to bottom the players now are more skilled and referees have had to adjust. The mechanics were based on that slower game so the territories that were divided up involved keeping a focus on the interior space in the lane. Now there is more focus on what is happening on the perimeter: we have seen rule changes about not allowing a 3-PT shooter to land on his own feet. We also increased the in-season and offseason training so that they are better at their craft: you have to keep pace with the players concentration-wise.
In 2017 you were inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame: when people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? I am hoping that there is still some more to go! I give my high school coach a lot of credit because I could not play a lick until he put me on the JV team as a junior. He told me that if I worked hard enough then I could accomplish anything and I put that to good use. I did not have a lot of role models growing up but by grinding it out I was able to play in the NBA and become a senior executive, which I could never have imagined as a high schooler. I made the most of what God gave me and hopefully there is still something left in the tank.
For more info about the 1972 US Olympic team check out “Stolen Glory” by Mike Brewster and Taps Gallagher at: www.amazon.com/Stolen-Glory-Mike-Brewster/dp/1882383796