Project '86; A Sports World Dynasty

[thakfu]

Why 1986 Won't Be Like.... 1986


This is the official introduction to Project '86. What this project will strive to do is recreate the past 22 years of professional sports in a new and exciting format. We take the modern structures and rules of the sport and apply them to an earlier time period. Big contracts, more teams, modern rules.

Why 1986? Well, call it personal interest I guess. While it would be exciting to apply this project to each sport's ENTIRE history, it wouldnt neccessarily be practical nor easy. 1986 was an exciting year for sports, and for me personaly, the year I began to really take interest in pro sports. From a stand-point of modern technology, only really MLB baseball has a simulation software capable of reliving it's entire history. For NBA and NFL simulations, it's almost currently impossible to undertake a project of this nature to the two leagues very beginnings. So 1986 it is.

So what can you expect?

The basis for this world starts with Government intervention. Yeah, I know... sounds hokey and unrealistic. But it's my project! Anywho... With worries of professional sports heading into dark times, the leaders of the NFL, NBA and MLB align with the Government and, in the interest of America's love of pro sports; modernize (yet preserve) the sports landscapes. Funding is given to allow for cities and franchises on the brink of potential relocation to be held in their traditional place, while paving the way for new cities and franchises to emerge. Free Agency and Salary Caps are adopted across the board to benefit both the athletes and owners/cities, along with stricter policies on off-field conduct and performance enhancing drugs.

NFL
Four exciting new expansion teams enter the league in 1986 as labor peace is established and the Free Agency rule is adopted. The Colts are re-established in their hometown of Baltimore and Oakland re-welcomes the Raiders. Plans are put in place to preserve potential franchise uprootings in Los Angeles and St. Louis, among other cities. Topping it off a mass re-alignment of the league flip-flops it's last set of expansion teams back to their original conferences (Tampa and Seattle).

NBA
A 23 team league just wont cut it anymore. With worries over the overall strength of professional basketball, a huge decision has to be made. 7 more cities to be thrown into the mix means the potential for massive imbalance in the NBA. New commissioner David Stern also brings in a new salary cap structure and brings life (and Jazz) back to the city of New Orleans. Oh, and a 22 year old kid named Michael Jordan gets ready to bring the NBA roaring back to life.

MLB
Despite owner backing, Project '86 only seems to bring a whole lot of debate about the game's current problems. The salary cap comes into play, evening the playing field for smaller market clubs. But what does this mean for the already roster-swollen big market teams? With the controversy of re-establishing teams in former cities brewing in the NFL, could a similar problem arrive in baseball? Cities hosting two major league teams will also come into debate as many cities battle over finding a place in the national pastime. Could baseball end up with the biggest face-lift of all? And has expansion been forgotten?



And other sports? Id like to include NHL in the project but have no current means to recreate recent history in the NHL. Boxing may possibly be included. And pro wrestling? Yeah we all know it isnt a real sport, but it could make for a fun side project.

My goal is for Project '86 to be one entire, living, breathing sports world. Im looking for people to get behind this and get interested. Share your ideas on the forum and follow your favorite teams. It will also be very interactive, and "the fan base" will get many opportunities to dictate the world of P'86.

Simulation will occur on most nights at a clip of 1 week at a time. And seasons will follow their real-life calendar dates. It will all begin with the 1985-86 NBA season. The simulations being used will be Jump Shot Basketball, Front Office Football '07 and Out of the Park Baseball 9. Also, action scenes and player profiles will be generated using 3D EA Sports PC titles.... Madden 07, NBA Live 07 and MVP Baseball 05.

Check out the website for now... it's pretty much just a place holder for the time being. But within the coming days, we will bring Project '86 roaring to life, beginning with the ongoing backstory and the beginning of the NBA Season!

1986 is about to change forever.

You can follow all in-depth stats, schedules and news at the official website...

The Official Homepage of Project '86

I will be posting the weekly sim news and notes here as well as there. Im looking to kick this thing off tomorrow night. Right now I have a few more details to finish up and the back story to post. Enjoy the page right now, but dont put too much stock into any scores or news there, as they are just placeholders. (The expansion draft results for NFL and NBA are official, however.)

[thakfu]

Back-story Part 1

In late 1982, the leaders of the three largest professional sports leagues in America decided to come together and come up with a plan to help protect and preserve their respective interests.

Concerns were beginning to grow over the ammount of teams beginning to seek relocation from their current cities. Local governments were growing less and less interested in protecting the interests of fans or taking proactive means to save franchises from leaving. Many cities couldnt not adequately fund needed new facilities for their teams.

On other fronts, players and owners continued to clash over issues involving pay. Most namely, the salary cap and free agency. Many invisioned a future in which players held small market teams hostage seeking salaries these franchises could not afford.

The time had come to organize, to prevent a potentially grim future for professional sports in America.


Enter the Congressman

In the fall of '82, Michael Kent, a young congressman from Wisconsin appeared on an edition of ABC's Nightline dedicated to rash of sports franchises threatening to uproot from long standing homes. He spoke of the concerns of teams in his area and fears that they may one day be relocated. He called for the leaders of the NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL to step forward and work with the Government to make necessary changes now, before it was too late. Kent believed through a shared financial system and revenue sharing that the leagues could pool away a central fund to be used to assist clubs needing upgraded home arenas. Paired with a extremely small taxpayer contribution, an American sports landscape free of heartbreaking relocations was a total certainty.

He titled his proposal... Project '86. Centered on the belief that by the year 1986, American sports franchises could be operating under a government supported umbrella that would ensure prolonged success and funding needed to make changes necessary to support their cities indefinately.

Almost immediately, the NBA, NFL and Major League Baseball hopped onboard. The NHL, namely it's Canadian franchises, decided to pass on the offer, atleast for the time being.


Preparing the Landscape, Convention '83

Kent, along with the leaders of the 3 "Major Leagues" knew the first step towards gaining public support for a funding tax was to create a firm and united vision. It was decided a national convention was needed as a first step in showing the leagues' commitment to changing the American sporting landscape.

Under the code-name NAPSI (North American Professional Sports Initiative) the leaders of the 3 major leagues decided to hold the first annual American Sports Convention in Chicago in July of 1983... coinciding with Major League Baseball's All Star Game (not to mention the off-season of the NBA and NFL). The leagues would use this event to paint the picture of what their respective organization would look like come the 1986 pro sports season.

[thakfu]

Back-Story Part 2

The Convention

NBA

It was Larry O'Brien who originally contacted Pete Rozelle with the idea to band together and get government backing, and with good reason. The NBA was quickly losing it's grip in the American sports market. Even the emergence of new stars Magic Johnson and Larry Bird hadnt completely turned the tide. With the assistance of NBA Vice President David J. Stern, O'Brien had already taken the first steps towards the implementation of the salary cap (though a soft cap, giving teams leverage to re-sign their current players despite the cap figure.). At the convention, O'Brien announced his intention to official hand over control of the league to Stern, who he felt was the new blood needed to re-energize the NBA.

After the salary cap announcement, Stern turned his focus towards cities. The major announcement was the league's plan to expand to 30 teams by the year 1990, with the first 3 hopping on board in 1985-86. Only one city would be announced immediately... New Orleans. Stern told the gathered media that an agreement was in place to move the Jazz back to New Orleans, while installing an expansion team, the Grizzlies, in Salt Lake City. Stern felt the move would make a big impact for both cities, and would help each area establish (or re-establish) a distinct identity.

The Jazz wouldnt be the only team on the move. Despite the NBA's commitment to keep teams in place, the league felt their was no possible future for the NBA in San Diego, nor was their enough interest from the city. The Clippers would move to another California city... Sacramento, which had been longer rumored to be a prospective location for the cash strapped Kansas City Kings, one of a handful of NBA teams which would be given a cash infusion towards a new arena through the Project '86 "Central Fund".

Also discussed by the NBA to be implemented in 85-86; a change to the draft lottery format (mimicking the current real life format), a short list of prospective cities for expansion, and the potential creation of a developmental league.


MLB

Not all of the sports league openly embraced the idea of government intervention, and Major League Baseball was one of them. After the announced pairing of the NBA and NFL, Major League owners took a vote to join in with their counterparts. 70% of MLB teams voted in favor and Major League baseball was to be a part of NAPSI, despite 2 major internal opponents... Commissioner Peter Ueberroth, and New York Yankees owner, George Steinbrenner.

The agreement and announcement of a salary cap and the discontinuation of arbitration would be baseball's lone moment of solidarity in a week filled with dissension and controversy. The problems began on the convention's first day, when a group of 9 Major League owners, led by Milwaukee Brewer's owner Bud Selig submitted a proposal to move 3 teams out of cities currently occupied by two MLB franchises. It was suggested, that the teams be the Mets, White Sox and Angels... keeping the Yankees, Cubs and Dodgers installed in their currently locations. Many other owners immediately jumped on board, offering a compensation package on top of either a potential sale or relocation. Steinbrenner and Ueberroth immediately backed the 3 franchises, calling the proposal "an outrage". The deadlock would haunt the entire proceedings.

With the dispute over the 3 team relocation, little to no ground would be made on issues of expansion or compensation for struggling franchises. NAPSI President Michael Kent would later step in and that MLB, as well as the other 2 sports leagues would each be given an unbiased government director, to help settle any issues of this nature. But the announcements would not come in time for the convention, and for the moment, MLB had a 1986 gameplan consisting of a salary cap, but nothing else.



NFL

Pete Rozelle could easily be considered NAPSI's biggest supporter and largest contributer, so it was no surprise that the NFL took the biggest leaps towards the future at the convention. With a strike looming large, Rozelle and the heads of the players association worked hard to lock in a fair salary cap system and free agency. By the convention's second day, the NFL had established the labor peace it feared it wouldnt be able to accomplish.

Next on the schedule would be expansion... and the NFL came hard, announcing an immediate expansion to 32 teams for 1986. With so many franchises on the verge of relocation, their seemed no other option to help appease potential new cities. Meanwhile, St. Louis, Baltimore and Los Angeles among others would benefit from financial backing for new stadiums, saving long-standing franchises. Rozelle and Al Davis would also agree to once-and-for-all re-root the Raiders in Oakland.

The last issue.... a new league alignment and schedule. (Mimicking the current NFL with a few minor changes).


The Plan of Action, and the Vote.

Kent prepared to take the plan before congress in the summer of 1983. But before making the move, he decided to appoint Chairpersons to each sport. He chose former NFL quarterback Jack Kemp to work with the National Football League. Kemp himself a political figure, would be a central figure in NAPSI and it's development. At the request of NBA commissioner David Stern, Kent would appoint Wisconsin Senator Herb Kohl to be Chairman of Government Relations with the NBA. Kohl was an aspiring NBA owner and would immediately go to work in finding new home cities for the NBA's upcoming expansion teams. Finally, it came time to appoint a Chairman to help the splintering leadership in Major League Baseball. Kent also wanted to find a man who would not only connect with the owners, but also give Project '86 credibility with the United States Government. That man would come in the form of the son of the Vice President of the United States... George Walker Bush. Though younger then the other chairman, Kent felt Bush could act as a problem solver and work to resolve the issue of relocation in MLB.

The four man committee would bring their proposal before Congress and President Reagan, seeking the funding needed to begin work. Their was alot of speculation as to if Congress would back such a radical proposal that would require a great deal of tax-payer contribution. The proposal spent months bouncing through the system before finally, on November 18th, 1983, Project '86 and NAPSI would become a reality. The tax on all sporting related products, equipment and apparel, as well as all goods and services at major professional sporting events would go into effect January 1st of 1984 and begin collecting into a "central fund" which would become available for use on January 1st of 1986.

[thakfu]

Some quick hits on the events leading up to 1986.

(Things to note: a couple of subjects that wont really be covered in this dynasty are coaching and arenas. While arenas would seem to be a central part of this dynasty, the operating assumption is that their will be no relocation in this world. Teams will be able to secure the funds needed for new stadiums and stay in place. Their will be exceptions in the near future in both MLB and NFL, reguarding the on-going controversy of whether cities with two franchises should be allowed to keep both.

All coach firings and staff changes will just be assumed, or you can follow the movement of the fictitious coaches on the sim websites. None of the sims have a database of real coaches.)

NBA

The league would announce Miami, Florida and Minneapolis, Minnesota as it's expansion sites to join Salt Lake City. Miami would name it's team the Heat while Miineapolis would choose Minnesota Timberwolves. Also, the league and both franchises involved agreed that the Jazz would carry it's history and roster with them to New Orleans while the Utah Grizzlies would be an entirely new franchise.

The New York Knicks win the first ever NBA Draft Lottery and would select Patrick Ewing 1st overall in the 1985 draft.


NFL

The NFL would name it's expansion teams on two seperate occasions. The first 2 announced would be Phoenix, Arizona and Indianapolis, Indiana; both long rumored to be potential sites for relocation. The Phoenix franchise would choose the name Arizona Mavericks while Indianapolis would be named the Jaguars. The second expansion announcement would introduce the North Carolina Panthers and Tennessee Titans to the NFL.



MLB

Major League Baseball remained mostly gridlocked in the ongoing debate over New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. In late 1985 it would be announced that the teams would stay in place as is through the end of 1986, but a final decisions would need to be made by the winter meetings of 1986. MLB would offer all three owners a generous package of an undisclosed amount of cash plus the guarantee of replacing the lost team with a Triple A minor league affiiate for that city. MLB would also agree to fit the bill for any demolition costs should the city opt to tear down the vacated stadium. Despite this, all 3 owners decided to hold off until the deadline to decide.

MLB would begin the 1986 season with the same structure as in previous years, but would announce later that "one way or another" atleast two new cities will gain major league teams in 1987.

[RetroNFL]

Hey, just wanted to let you know I'll be following your project. It's a really fun concept. Could you use whatifsports.com for the NHL? Just an idea.

[NoSkillz]

Wow. Talk about a big project!

Best of luck...I'll be following along.

[thakfu]

Phew!!! Scary moment.

Just a quick update...

No this isnt dead. I had a very eventful weekend and early part of this week. Including a wedding, a car failure, minor gum surgery and scariest of all... a major database error with the basketball sim. Game crashed after the games of December 13th and when I reset the game all the teams had been removed from their divisions, blanking the standings! As Ive said before... Jump Shot Basketball is kinda a mess.

But..... I think I fixed it.... I ran the latest week and everything seems to be in place. Standings are restored and looking accurate. Ive yet to notice anything messed up. I had neglected to do daily backups after the last 2 sim periods and boy did I learn my lesson... lol

So for my 1-3 loyal fans, you will get an update... =]

Ill likely post at some point tomorrow (3/10). Perhaps late afternoon, perhaps after 10pm... I have another full day ahead of me. right now I need sleep. =P


2 things quickly....

If you got a spare moment, id greatly appreciate if you could sign-up for the forum on the P86 site. Im not looking to steal people away, just wanna hear some response to my poll questions. Namely... the Charlotte nickname.

Secondly... id like to hear any suggestions you guys might have for trades. im not sure if it's a sim issue, a database issue or just the way of the sim but to this point we've had no real transactions. Id like to see a few teams make some moves.

Thanks!

[thakfu]

I dont know exactly how many people have been following this but this may come as a dissappointment.

Im deciding that Im going to re-start.

The reasoning behind this is that through a month and a half of the NBA season Im just greatly disappointed with a number of things in the database. It was my own fault for not doing a better test run.

* No transactions are occuring, and many teams are chosing to play with as little as 7 man rotations rather then utilizing their depth. This is mostly due to the fact that their are very few free agents and certain players stats were adjusted to be very low due to limited NBA activity.

* The rosters being used are end of season based, and not opening-night.

* The schedule is a just a mess.

* Teams line-ups are somewhat inaccurate.

* I did the expansion draft before I really understood the teams and players... I may or may not redraft.

But their are positives as well... the stats have been awesome, the teams are performing at about the levels they should be. To this point the results have been good... Im just worried that with another expansion in 86-87, their wont be a good population of free agents and things will continue to be very dry in the transaction department.

I did happen to get very lucky yesterday tho... im my travels i found a used book store that had (get this) the 1985-86 Official NBA Guide! Using this im going to tweak the database and schedule and get this thing humming again. I couldnt have been happeir to stumble upon this little jewel.

I apologize to any fans Ive acquired. This process will be very short. Id like to think the database could be fixed by the weekend and then Project '86 will be restored no later then monday. The backstory will be unchanged and basically things will pick back up with NBA opening night and go from there.

Ill post back shortly. Thanks for following. Ill see you all again very soon.

[thakfu]

Woot!

The restart will commence beginning tomorrow night.

I ran a couple of full season test runs on the new database and it's very awesome! Seen some cool trades, rosters working well and pretty similar results to the actual 85-86 season. Each run saw a pretty interesting "blockbuster" type deadline deal. Im excited to see some real activity in the new Project 86

I didnt change the schedule, aside from re-generating it. But it seems to have been made a little more streamlined this time around. Less instances of teams playing on like 4 or 5 consecutive nights.

I had considered adding in real life coaches and arenas, but Im deciding to stick to my guns and have the focus of this world remain ON the field and not OFF it.

I beefed up a few players that had injury issues that season (Jordan, Griffith, Bernard King, Cartwright, etc) and installed a whopping 40 new players as free agents! All of which were actual NBA players who entered 1985 on team training camp rosters.

Rosters are much more accurate to opening day 1985. Some players who were left off for whatever reason are reinstalled. The Bulls have Orlando Woolridge. The Knicks have Bernard King. The Grizzlies (Utah Jazz) have Darrell Griffith. These 3 players were missing last time around.

The other big news is that expansion was changed. Miami and Minnesota will be pushed back a year (and as a result, Orlando and Charlotte to 87-88 atleast). I decided it made more sense for the Jazz to move to New Orleans in name only and become an expansion team, and the Utah Jazz franchise just rename itself the Grizzlies. So New Orleans will enter as an expansion team in the West, and Kansas City will move to the East. The Clippers are still going to Sacramento.

Expansion Draft
New Orleans Jazz

PG - Dirk Minniefield - Cleveland
PG - Franklin Edwards - Sacramento
PG - Ray Williams - Atlanta
SG - Steve Colter - Portland
SG - Scott Wedman - Boston
SG - Dudley Bradley - Washington
SF - Chris McNealy - New York
SF - Carey Scurry - Utah
PF - Kurt Rambis - Los Angeles
C - Kurt Nimphius - Dallas
C - Dave Corzine - Chicago
C - Jim Petersen - Houston

JAZZ NBA DRAFT CHOICES
Round 1 - Charles Oakley, PF
Round 2 - Mike Smrek, C


Anyways, the first sim is in the book... ill post the results tomorrow night.

[thakfu]

Visit the official Project 86 NBA Site

Week 1 (11/2/85 - 11/9/85)

Not A Typo: Utah Beats Jazz


Salt Lake City, UT
11/7/85

Adrian Dantley scored 28 and Darrell Griffith added 27 points as the newly named Utah Grizzlies beat the team bearing their former namesake; the New Orleans Jazz. It was just the fourth game for the expansion Jazz, whose owner purchased the Jazz identity from the Utah franchise. For the first time ever, home fans in Utah cheered AGAINST the Jazz. To rookie Karl Malone, the irony was not lost.

"I imagine it had to be a unique experience for the fans who were so used to cheering for the Jazz. Now the Jazz are a rival team. It's time to establish the 'Grizzlies' name in Utah."

The Jazz were lead by Kurt Nimphius' 16 points. New Orleans falls to 1-3 with the loss.


Around the association...

* Michael Jordan scored 40 points to lead the Bulls past the Pistons.

* Houston is the NBA's best team after the first week, posting a 4-0 record.

* Two triple-doubles to start the season... Larry Bird's on opening night, and one by Fat Lever of Denver.

* Sly Williams of the Boston Celtics underwent surgery on his right shoulder and will miss one year of playing time.

[thakfu]

Visit the official Project 86 NBA Site

Week 2 (11/9/85 - 11/15/85)

Magic Records Triple-Double, Lakers Stop Cavs


Los Angeles, CA
11/10/85

Magic Johnson recorded what should be the first of many triple-doubles this season with a 24 point, 11 rebound and 15 assist performance in a 111-108 win over Cleveland. Johnson also hit a go-ahead 3 pointer inside of one minute to play to seal the deal.

"They played hard tonight, but we kept at 'em. Thats all there is to it, we played hard... Im proud of this team."

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar added 22 while the Cavs were lead by World B. Free's 27 points.

Magic's triple-double was the 3rd of the young season, joining Fat Lever and Larry Bird.


Around the association...

* Dominique Wilkins scored 40 points as the red-hot Hawks slowed down the Bucks.

* No undefeated teams remain in the NBA, Philadelphia and Chicago currently hold the league's best mark at 4-1

* Maryland star Len Bias said he is planning on heading to the NBA for the 1986 Draft. Bias is considered by many to be a top 5 pick.

[BYU 14]

That stinks that you had to restart it, thankfully it was early at least. Still following

Really nice touch with the screen shots BTW.

[thakfu]

Visit the official Project 86 NBA Site

Week 3 (11/16/85 - 11/22/85)

Jordan Scores 40, Nique Scores 39


Chicago, IL
11/18/85

Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins traded baskets all night in a hotly contested game in Chicago. Jordan's 40 topped Wilkins' 39 as the Bulls late rally led to a 127-117 victory.

The Bulls, who currently sit at 9-2 are the NBA's best team, but Atlanta remains hot on their heels.

"We played them tough, but they are the best team in the league right now. Until someone finds a way to stop Mike, I dont know how far they can go." - Wilkins.


Around the association...

* Magic Johnson of the LA Lakers fractured his left foot in a game against Sacramento. The superstar guard could miss between 6 to 8 weeks of playing time.

* Charles Barkley recorded his first career triple-double in a 76ers loss to the Bulls.

* Sleepy Floyd recorded a near triple-double to lead his Warriors past the Mavericks.

Atlantic
team	league	pct	gb	conf	div	home	away
Knicks	4-1	0.800	0.0	1-0	1-0	1-0	3-1
Celtics	5-3	0.625	0.5	3-2	1-1	3-0	2-3
Hawks	5-4	0.556	1.0	2-4	1-1	4-1	1-3
76ers	4-4	0.500	1.5	2-2	1-0	2-3	2-1
Nets	4-5	0.444	2.0	1-4	0-1	3-4	1-1
Bullets	4-7	0.364	3.0	2-5	1-2	3-5	1-2
Central
team	league	pct	gb	conf	div	home	away
Bulls	9-2	0.818	0.0	7-1	3-0	7-1	2-1
Kings	6-4	0.600	2.5	5-1	2-1	3-1	3-3
Bucks	4-3	0.571	3.0	4-2	4-0	2-0	2-3
Pistons	4-4	0.500	3.5	1-3	0-3	2-1	2-3
Cavaliers	3-8	0.273	6.0	3-3	1-1	2-4	1-4
Pacers	2-9	0.182	7.0	2-6	0-5	0-3	2-6
Midwest
team	league	pct	gb	conf	div	home	away
Rockets	8-2	0.800	0.0	6-1	3-0	6-0	2-2
Grizzlies	6-3	0.667	1.5	5-2	3-2	3-1	3-2
Mavericks	6-6	0.500	3.0	3-5	1-4	2-2	4-4
Spurs	6-8	0.429	4.0	4-7	3-3	4-4	2-4
Nuggets	3-6	0.333	4.5	3-3	3-1	0-3	3-3
Jazz	3-9	0.250	6.0	1-6	0-3	2-1	1-8
Pacific
team	league	pct	gb	conf	div	home	away
Blazers	8-3	0.727	0.0	4-2	2-2	4-1	4-2
Lakers	9-4	0.692	0.0	5-3	2-0	7-1	2-3
Warriors	9-5	0.643	0.5	9-3	6-1	4-2	5-3
Clippers	5-7	0.417	3.5	4-5	2-4	5-3	0-4
Sonics	3-6	0.333	4.0	2-4	1-2	3-3	0-3
Suns	1-8	0.111	6.0	0-5	0-4	1-4	0-4

[thakfu]

Im alive! Barely.... very very long week. Was out of town last weekend to attend the Midwest Gaming Classic and see my beloved Bucks lose AGAIN. My 13th game in 3 years and not ONE single win. =[

And this week, well... ive been deathly ill and stressed out dealing with lay-offs at our company. But Im not letting P86 die. The re-start has been going great to this point!

A couple of notes as I kick this back into gear.

1) I just updated the website with the latest sim period. Im planning on doing a 2nd sim tonight to get things caught up a bit more.

2) For now im gonna axe the monthly newsletter, it too far too much time to compile last time. But I will do a "news and notes" post very soon with a draft preview and power rankings. Probably to co-incide with the new year (1986). Perhaps as I get multiple sports going and get a season under my belt ill create a monthly column to give this more personality.

3) Incase you didnt realize... the website I post with each update has ALL the scores, results and news for each sport after every update. So if you wanna see how your favorite team or player is doing, give it a look!

4) Tonight a MAJOR, MAJOR news announcement will be posted. It will rock the world of Project 86 to it's foundation!


Anyways....

Visit the official Project 86 NBA Site

Week 4 (11/23/85 - 11/29/85)

King Leads Knicks Back From 19 Down


East Rutherford, NJ
11/29/85

The New Jersey Nets took a 19-point lead into half-time and a 14-point lead into the 4th quarter, but still managed to fall at home to the Knicks 111-108. The Knicks outscored the Nets 37-20 in the 4th quarter, thanks in great part to Bernard King. King scored 33 points in the win.

"We showed alot of heart tonight. Everyone played tough down the stretch."

Each team had 6 players in double figures. Albert King led the Nets with 22 points. Rookie Patrick Ewing had only 12 points for New York. The win improved New York to 5-3


Around the association...

* Despite missing Magic Johnson, The Lakers won their first of two NBA Finals Rematches with the Celtics; 107-97 in Boston

* Charles Barkley set a season league high with 25 rebounds vs the Nuggets

* The Sacramento Clippers dealt veteran Junior Bridgeman to the 76ers for Leon Wood and a 2nd Round Draft Choice.

[thakfu]

BREAKING NEWS!

Officials representing the US Government's Funding Operation for professional sports (NAPSI) and the leaders of the NBA, MLB and NFL met for four hours last week with Canadian Government Officials and the heads of the National Hockey League, hoping to iron out an agreement to pave the way for similar government sponsorship of Canadian based sports teams, thus bringing the American based teams of the NHL under the banner of NAPSI's "Project 86".

According to published reports, the NHL is asking for 3 more teams to be added to Canadian cities and for the US to continue to "pick up the tab" on it's 2 MLB teams until 1990. The NHL would like to immediately expand teams into it's Capital of Ottawa, Hamilton, Ontatio and one more team in a smaller city, perhaps Halifax. It is reported a plan could be put into place by week's end, which will put the NHL's 1986-87 season under the banner of Project 86.

The Canadian Government is also calling on the NBA and MLB to keep Canadian cities up for consideration for future expansion teams.

Stay tuned for developments.


Visit the official Project 86 NBA Site

Week 5 (11/30/85 - 12/6/85)

Griffith Sinks Spurs At Buzzer


San Antonio, TX
12/6/85

With the Grizzlies trailing by 2 with just seconds left... Darrell Griffith raced down the court and sent off a quick three with the clock expiring to send Utah to a 9-5 mark with a 112-110 win over the Spurs. Griffith had 28 in the game, second only to Adrian Dantley's 31 points.

"They pay me to shoot three pointers, so it's my job. Usually I like to have a second or two to line it up, but sometimes you have to improvise"

The loss was the second in a row for the Spurs, who dropped below .500.


Around the association...

* Triple-Doubles this week for both Larry Bird and Clyde Drexler

* Bill Laimbeer wasted no time equaling Charles Barkley's season-high of 25 rebounds. It took him one week.

* The expansion New Orleans Jazz lost their top draft selection, Charles Oakley to injury this week. He will miss the remainder of the 1985-86 season.

[thakfu]

Visit the official Project 86 NBA Site

Week 6 (12/7/85 - 12/13/85)

Turn Back The Clock



See the entire Hardwood Classics Night Gallery HERE!!!

NBA Cities
12/13/85

10 NBA Teams celebrated the leagues 40th Anniversary on the 13th by wearing classic uniforms. The "throwback" idea was created by NAPSI's Chairman to the NBA, Herb Kohl.

Kohl said, "It's a great way to honor the history of these teams, while at the same time looking forward to the future with our great talented young players."

Most unique was seeing young Bulls Megastar Michael Jordan don the attire of the 1970 version of the Bulls.

Jordan smiled, "Yeah, it was a little different to be playing in gear that hasnt been worn in 15 years, but the fans really enjoyed seeing the old colors again."

Fans thats traveled atleast, as the Bulls played in Cleveland, where the host Cavaliers chose not to dress up.

Roy Hinson joked about the team's choice after the game...

"I dont think it matters what year your uniform is from when you're gonna play against Jordan. He'll make you look bad in any colors."




Around the association...

* Jordan most have enjoyed his new 1970s threads... he dropped 45 on Cleveland in a big win. Two nights earlier, he recorded the season's first 50 point game.

* San Antonio lost guard Johnny Moore to a bulging disk in his back. Moore may need upwards of a year of rehab time.

* Milwaukee has moved to the second best record in the east on the heels of a 7 game winning streak.

[thakfu]

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Week 7 (12/14/85 - 12/20/85)

P86 Is Back! And So Is Boston!


East Rutherford, New Jersey
12/17/85

Larry Bird's 35 points helped guide the Celtics past the Nets 124-121. Bird hit a 3 pointer with 33 seconds remaining to put Boston up by 3. Otis Birdsong's attempt to tie the game late drew back iron and sent Boston to an 11-12 record, as the team tries to pull itself back up after a slow start.

Robert Parish added 23. Michael Ray Richardson led the Nets with 24.

Kevin McHale left the game with an injury, and is day-to-day.




Around the association...

* Chicago has now won 8 consecutive games to improve to 24-3

* Houston improved to 13-5, best record in the west.

* Cleveland's John Bagley had 19 assists in a loss vs Detroit, establishing a season record.