Talk:New Jersey Reds

Notes on the Globetrotters upset
I am not actually convinced that the 1971 Reds win ever occurred:
 * The Globetrotters were having a labor dispute that year and this may have been a way to humble them. *It may have also been a way to make the kayfabe games look more competitive.
 * That this happened in a town like Martin reminds me of when wrestling promoters would have phantom title changes in Alberqueque or Rio.
 * Were these teams actually set up to play overtime?
 * Why would Louis Klotz have shot that winning basket and screwed up the scripted finish?
 * Supposedly, Klotz got his buddy Eddie Mahar a Boston Celtics tryout out of this, so it may have been a way of putting him over as a great player.

My theory is that Meadowlark Lemon genuinely messed up and lost track of time. He then had to scramble to regain the lead and save the scripted finish. Unfortunately, he missed the "winning" basket and the Reds "won." Then they made up the story about orange soda and all that.

What is posted here follows wikipedia policy on verifiability, but I would love to know the true story. This was one of the best angles in sports entertainment history. By letting Klotz's klutzes "win" one, the Trotters gained credibility as serious competitors. Yakuman 03:02, 23 March 2007 (UTC)

Yakuman - some interesting points raised. But your bullet points seem to suggest a more complicated situation than your final theory (that Meadowlark simply screwed up and ran out of time). I kinda like your first implication - that the Globetrotters loss was as scripted as all their wins. Is there a source for your statement that the Globetrotters were having a labor dispute in 1970-71? That's certainly an interesting coincidence. MBelinkie 17:13, 18 April 2007 (UTC)