May 11, 1980: The Baseline Move

PHILADELPHIA - Julius Erving's career has come to be defined by two moments. The first was the foul-line dunk in the 1976 ABA slam-dunk contest, and the second was The Baseline Move in 1980. While the foul-line dunk was impressive, he was by no means the first player to do that, and it happened during an exhibition, with nobody on the floor who was trying to stop him.

The Baseline Move, though, is a different story. Instead of an exhibition, it was an NBA Finals game. Instead of having the court to himself, he was driving into a crowded lane. And in finishing his move, he ended up scoring on one of the best players in NBA history.

Erving's drive has become so famous that it has overshadowed the game itself. For the record, the 76ers won Game 4 105-102 to even the series 2-2. But that's not what people remembered. Everybody remembers Erving's drive and layup in the fourth quarter.

After driving past Mark Landsberger, Erving had what appeared to be an open path along the baseline for an easy layup. He jumped, the ball secured in his large right hand, ready for a dunk. Then, Lakers hall-of-fame center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar jumped up to contest. Erving adjusted in mid air, lowering the ball and spinning his body, before scoping the ball up and off the backboard and in. By the time he shot, every part of his body was behind the backboard except his right hand.

The fans went ballistic, the 76ers were inspired, and the Lakers were shocked. Perhaps the best reaction came from Lakers legend Magic Johnson:

"Here I was, trying to win a championship, and my mouth just dropped open. He actually did that! I thought, 'What should we do? Should we take the ball out, or should we give him the ball back and ask him to do it again?' It's still the greatest move I've ever seen in a basketball game, the all-time greatest."

While the 76ers didn't win the 1980 finals (more on that later this month), they did win in 1983, giving Erving an NBA title to go with two ABA championships. He made 16 all-star teams in his career and is in the hall-of-fame. But he's remembered for dunking from the foul line and for scoring from behind the backboard.