Recap
The American Basketball League opened the new season with only one franchise shift when John Donlin moved his club from Brooklyn to Baltimore in search of paying customers. The other seven teams in the league appeared to be in solid shape, but as the season unfolded many weaknesses were uncovered. Kingston remained a consistent winner on the court (8-4 record), but a heavy loser at the box office. In mid-December, Troy owners Marty and Ed Conner bought the struggling franchise and merged the two teams. One month later, the Jersey Reds were forced to follow suit, and merged with Eddie Wilde’s New York Jewels. The shakeout was completed in early February when the Wilkes-Barre club folded.
Troy and Washington benefited most from the reshuffling of players. Troy was buried in the cellar until the infusion of talent from Kingston propelled them to 16 wins in their last 22 games and a third-place finish. Washington tied Philadelphia for first place with the help of Phil Rabin from Jersey (via Philadelphia), Ben Kramer from Kingston, and Moe Dublier from Wilkes-Barre. Eddie Gottlieb’s Philadelphia club remained the strongest franchise on and off the court, finishing tied for first place while performing before consistently large home crowds.
The Sphas tangled with Washington in a one-game playoff for the regular season title. Fans slumbered through two dull periods before the action ignited in final period outbursts of scoring and fisticuffs. Philadelphia center Moe Goldman and ex-Sphas Mike Bloom squared off in the preliminary bout, and were soon followed by Shicky Gotthoffer and Ash Resnick, who engaged in a bloody fight before being banished from the game. Almost incidental to the boxing, the Sphas won the game 34-27. All five teams that survived the season then entered an eight-game round robin for the post-season championship. Philadelphia went undefeated in the tourney to claim their fourth ABL title.
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