Posted by Magic Dynasty  5/24/2019 3:54 pm | #1 |
Hey everyone! I'm the same Magic Dynasty from the CCSLC, and I've been wanting to start this up there for a while. However, my design skills are pretty terrible. While I still have an idea of what I want teams to look like (and even have a timeline set out for the original 6 teams, as well as the first 4 expansion teams), and will periodically post hand-drawn designs, that's not the priority with this league. While my storytelling is not great currently (and I hit writers block a lot), I really want to improve it over the course of this series. Anyway, here is the story of the Continental Basketball League.
HOW I SIMULATE
CURRENT SEASON: 1957-58Before the beginning of every season, every team is assigned a number value from 1 to 10. This reflects their relative strength, with 5 being a mid-table team, 8 a championship contender, and 3 a rebuilder. While this doesn't always follow the pattern (1954 Philadelphia was a 3, but finished in a three way tie for first), it maps out getting better or worse over time. I then go into the List Randomiser at random.org (https://www.random.org/lists/), and place the team name in that many times. The home team gets two more entries than their actual score, to account for home court advantage. The team at the top is the "winner" of said game. Continue for all games in the schedule. It actually doesn't take as much time to simulate a season as it sounds - although this may change when the league grows bigger.
Current Teams: New York Mammoths, Boston Blueshirts, Philadelphia Conductors, Cleveland Stars, Cincinnati Lions, Pittsburgh Robins
Champions List:
A few years after the Professional Basketball Association, the first attempt at a national basketball league, had fallen apart, basketball was increasingly growing too large to continue in the confines of a regional league format. In 1952, representatives from teams in the three largest leagues - the New York Mammoths and Boston Blueshirts from the Northeastern Basketball League, the Philadelphia Conductors and Pittsburgh Triplets from the Pennsylvania Basketball Confederation, and the Cleveland Stars and Cincinnati Lions from the Basketball League of Ohio - met in a stuffy office room in New York. Here, the groundwork for another try at a national league, to be launched in 1953, was laid. Interestingly enough, Pittsburgh appeared to get cold feet about the project and pulled out at the last minute. They were replaced by the Albany Robins of the NEBL. On July 16, 1953, the Continental Basketball League was officially founded, and quickly built up to its first game in October.1953-54: Cincinnati Lions
1954-55: New York Mammoths
1955-56: Boston Blueshirts
1956-57: Cincinnati Lions
1957-58: Boston Blueshirts
Season 1 should be up by the end of today!
Last edited by Magic Dynasty (6/11/2019 8:25 am)
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Posted by Magic Dynasty 5/24/2019 8:52 pm | #2 |
SEASON ONE (1953-54) - CREATION, STABILITY, AND TWO-TEAM DOMINANCE
With the entire basketball community watching, the Continental Basketball League tipped off on October 24, 1953, with the Mammoths facing the Stars in a sold-out Astoria Coliseum in Queens. While the first two weeks or so featured tons of competition at the top of the table, two teams quickly established that they were head and shoulders above the competition. The New York Mammoths, lead by superstar center Gus McProme, and the Cincinnati Lions, lead by the power forward Jerry Sprott, sprang ahead and entered a two-way race for the title. Originally, the championship was going to be awarded to the winner of the regular season. However, it was quickly realized by league officials that this would not work. After a bit of discussion, they announced that the top two teams would play each other in a 5-game series to determine the champion. While the standings were dominated by New York and Cincinnati, there were many other storylines. The Conductors, who were seen as the weakest side coming in, surprisingly finished tied for third with a young core of George Olson and Steve Sheaves. On the other hand, the Blueshirts largely disappointed, finishing only ahead of an Albany team that was overwhelmed in a league that they should not have been in. Finally, at the end of the season, the table was updated for the final time:
1) New York Mammoths (21-9)
2) Cincinnati Lions (20-10)
3) Cleveland Stars (14-16)
4) Philadelphia Conductors (14-16)
5) Boston Blueshirts (12-18)
6) Albany Robins (9-21)
Due to the rule changes made earlier in the year, there would be a 5-game series between New York and Cincinnati to determine the champion. After a grueling series, the Lions won on the road in Game 5 to take the first championship in CBL history.
1953-54 Champions - Cincinnati Lions
Last edited by Magic Dynasty (5/24/2019 9:28 pm)
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Posted by Magic Dynasty 5/24/2019 9:28 pm | #3 |
SEASON TWO (1954-55) - PARITY, FINANCIAL TROUBLES, AND NEW FRONTIERS
After the great success of the original season - in fact, a success far larger than any league officer expected - the CBL was cruising into their second year. However, disaster struck just after the season started. After defaulting on their arena lease, the Albany Robins were kicked out of the Capital Arena. Without a home or money, the team traded players to lower payrolls and moved into the small Schenectady Palace for the year, while the league desperately looked for investors to keep the team afloat. However, aside from Albany, the rest of the teams were performing well, both in finances and on the court. The Cleveland Stars had an incredible 11-4 start, but flopped in the closing stretch, finishing with just three more wins and a match of their record from the previous year. This year, Philadelphia and Boston joined New York and Cincinnati at the top, with the four all battling for the top spot. It was unclear if the "playoff" system from the previous season would remain, but with two weeks to go the league announced that it would. In a thrilling finish, New York, Boston, and Philadelphia all ended up tied at 17-13, with Cincinnati one below at 16-14. Due to the unlikeliness of the situation, the league office had not even thought of a three way tiebreaker - especially for the championship. Eventually, the verdict came in - the three teams would hold a round-robin tournament, with the best record winning the championship. The 1954-55 standings were as follows:
1) Philadelphia Conductors (17-13)
2) New York Mammoths (17-13)
3) Boston Blueshirts (17-13)
4) Cincinnati Lions (16-14)
5) Cleveland Stars (14-16)
6) Albany Robins (9-21)
The round-robin tournament commenced one week after the end of the regular season. Between the end of the season and the start of the tournament, however, the question of the Robins' fate was finally answered. An ownership group from Pittsburgh had bought the team, and would move them to the city starting next season. They will retain their signature black and orange colors, as well as the name. This move effectively bankrupted the Triplets, who were now sorely regretting their decision to back out of the CBL just two years prior. Once the playoffs began, the Mammoths, lead by another superhuman effort by McProme, only lost one game out of the four played and claimed their first title in franchise history, right after their defeat last year. The tournament finished like so:
1) New York Mammoths (3-1)
2) Boston Blueshirts (2-2)
3) Philadelphia Conductors
1954-55 Champions - New York Mammoths
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Posted by JG36 5/24/2019 9:46 pm | #4 |
Good start so far, write me down as a Blueshirts fan. Expansion in the 60s?
May or may not be a Celtics fan after July 1st
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Posted by DoctaC 5/24/2019 10:06 pm | #5 |
I like the story behind the 1954-55 Season and Playoffs.
I'll be rooting for Cincinnati. Go Lions!
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Posted by MyTeamIsDr.Pepper 5/24/2019 10:42 pm | #6 |
Count me in on Cincinnati!
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Posted by MyTeamIsDr.Pepper 5/24/2019 10:42 pm | #7 |
Double post on accident.
Last edited by MyTeamIsDr.Pepper (5/24/2019 10:43 pm)
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Posted by Steelman 5/25/2019 12:49 am | #8 |
I LOVE the Triplets nickname, too bad they have to stay the Robins. Because a black & orange team in Pittsburgh is puke worthy. As a Pittsburgh fan, I'm officially lobbying for a name and color change!
In all seriousness, good start to the series. Some intel on some of the top players for each team would be interesting.
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Posted by Magic Dynasty 5/25/2019 9:39 am | #9 |
Steelman wrote:
I LOVE the Triplets nickname, too bad they have to stay the Robins. Because a black & orange team in Pittsburgh is puke worthy. As a Pittsburgh fan, I'm officially lobbying for a name and color change!
In all seriousness, good start to the series. Some intel on some of the top players for each team would be interesting.
While I really like the Triplets name too, I wanted to keep continuity between the Albany and Pittsburgh. However, they’ll most likely make a change to black and yellow in the next few years, especially if they continue to flounder at the bottom of the standings.
Some top players include:
C Gus McProme (NY) - The powerhouse of the Mammoths. While he alone will make New York good, he’ll be 33 headed into next season, and is on the decline.
PF Jerry Sprott (CIN) - Sprott is a revolutionary player, as he is one of the first to fully utilize the mid-range jump shot. Due to his size (6’10) and lankiness, he just shoots over everyone. However, despite only hitting 27 by next season, he is very injury prone.
PG George Olson (BOS) - While he struggles to score by himself, he has the best vision in the entire CBL. In both seasons, he has been the assist leader. The best part (for Boston)? He’s only 25 headed into this season.
C Steve Sheaves (BOS) - Sheaves is the zig to Olson’s zag. Despite not being the best individual player, his chemistry with the rest of the team (especially Olson) makes him one of the best at what he does - get buckets in the paint.
SG Terry Stevens (PIT) - The only bright spot on an otherwise abysmal Robins, Stevens has made incredible individual efforts to carry the team to a few wins. However, he’s very unhappy with the current situation in Albany/Pittsburgh. Rumor has it he wants to head to his hometown of Cleveland, but the Robins have stubbornly refused to trade him. Yet.
C Pat Roberts (PHI) - THE reason Philadelphia made such a jump in 1954. He was one of the stubborn few who didn’t join the CBL in the first year, but after it’s success joined the Conductors, who were in need of a center. His input brought them into a championship contender. He’ll be 26 heading into the season, meaning he’s only going to get better over time.
Last edited by Magic Dynasty (5/25/2019 10:39 am)
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Posted by Magic Dynasty 5/25/2019 9:40 am | #10 |
Good start so far, write me down as a Blueshirts fan. Expansion in the 60s?
The first expansion is scheduled for 1959, and there will be no expansion council because I have a specific storyline for that expansion. After that, though, there will be fairly rapid expansion in the 60s, which will have a council.
