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Made in Dedication to Shannon Aldworth
THE SHOW. Pete Maravich lived for it. A skinny 6'5" white guard from LSU, Pete Maravich was the stepchild of the human imagination. Perhaps the greatest offensive genius the game has ever seen, Pete could do things with a basketball others hadn't even dreamed possible (making the David Copperfield and the Harleem Globetrotters look conventional). Maravich invented so many moves that it's arguable that no one has invented one since. The original creator of Showtime, he showed the world how to slip a baskeball through a straw.
With his floppy grey socks and dazzling ballhandling, Pete Maravich put pazaa in the game of basketball. When he stepped onto a basketball court, spectators and opponents had to have a carefully trained eye because "Pistol Pete" rarely duplicated the same move twice. Maravich's offensive repertoire was endless: Passes flew behind his back backwards over his shoulder, between his legs, around his head, and even between his opponent's legs, applying all kinds of spin, eyes looking one way and the ball heading another..all with pinpoint accuracy through the tighest of openings.. His deft dribble often twisted defenders onto their heels. Shots came from all angles and distances.
Basketball fans died to see it. While Pistol Pete is the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer, average 44.2 points game (without a three point line), it was his game show that dazzled, as he displayed his creative genius, the kind of sleight-of-hand artistry that left crowds gasping.
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