NBA History Project

We all have our favorite players.  I have long thought that, in a sense, we do not choose our favorite players, our favorite players choose us.  What I mean by that is that the reason a player appeals to us, in terms of being wrapped up in what he does on any given night and how he does over the course of his career, is not always entirely clear to us.  We just like watching and cheering for that particular player.

Well, in 1977, when I was attending Rocket games as the son of a season ticket holder, I found a new favorite player.  I ended up cheering for this player throughout the entirety of his career, from Houston, to Charlotte, to Portland and finally Philadelphia, I watched this player from beginning to end.  That player is Robert Reid.  Reid was a very good player, and played a major role on two Rockets teams that ended up in the NBA finals.  He was not, however, the marquee player on any of those teams.  He was a 6'8" forward/guard who played great defense, was a pretty decent scorer, and in his prime, was very athletic.

The reason for this blog is that I am starting a new project, using Cactus League Basketball and Strat-O-Matic basketball, where I will replay every game of Reid's career with the Houston Rockets.  I do not plan to follow him to Charlotte with this replay (I might change my mind), but I definitely want to replay his Rocket's career.  I will be posting boxscores, league standings and my own during the season thoughts.  These two basketball simulations (Cactus League and Strat) are both statistically excellent and I plan to have a lot of fun with it.  I also plan to experiment with one "what if" scenario, by putting the 81-82 Reid on the 82-83 season Rockets.  For those who remember, Reid sat out the 82-83 season.  What would he and the Rockets have done that year if he had been present?  We will find out within the realm of Cactus League or Strat basketball.

I welcome any comments or ideas as I go along.  I welcome any and all NBA fans, and would be happy during this simulation to keep you updated about your favorite players.

I will begin with the 1977-78 season, Reid's rookie year.  It was the year that I saw this rookie from St. Mary's juke left from the corner, go right base line, and jam it home with a very athletic dunk.  It was the year that that dunk solidified in a 14 year old boy's mind, "That is my favorite player!".