'Pistol' Pete Maravich, Who Died Too Young 25 Years Ago Saturday, Could Make Game of 'H-O-R-S-E' Entertaining (Video)

‘Pistol’ Pete Maravich, Who Died Too Young 25 Years Ago Saturday, Could Make Game of ‘H-O-R-S-E’ Entertaining (Video)

by NESN Staff on Fri, Jan 4, 2013 at 4:43PM

Only Pete Maravich could make a game of “H-O-R-S-E” fun to watch.

“Pistol Pete,” who died 25 years ago Saturday at the age of 40, was one of the greatest scorers in high school, college and professional basketball history. While not known as a pure shooter and lacking a huge vertical leap, Maravich was easily one of the most entertaining players to ever lace up sneakers. He led the nation in scoring three times at LSU and averaged 24.2 points per game over 10 NBA seasons before retiring in 1980 after 26 games with the Celtics.

Players in the 1970s were known as much for their showmanship as for their old-fashioned basketball skills, and forward George Gervin was one of the few who could dazzle crowds like Maravich. But even “The Iceman” could not best Maravich in a round of H-O-R-S-E that was televised on CBS Sports. While Gervin stayed with a basic arsenal of jumpers and bank shots, Maravich unleashed a string of trick shots from behind the backboard and from the seat of his pants.

Check out the game in the video below.