30 for 30 Shorts: Slick, Nancy and the Telethon
Think of what the NBA would be if there were no Indiana Pacers. No Reggie Miller draining 3s, no Larry Bird coaching them to the 2000 Finals, no professional team in the spiritual home of basketball. That came close to happening, if it weren't for one special night when the fans stepped in to save the Pacers. On July 3, 1977, coach Slick Leonard, a favorite son of Indiana, and his wife Nancy, the de facto general manager, decided to hold a telethon to stave off the creditors and keep the Pacers in Indianapolis. In this evocative film directed by Michael Husain, the still loving couple travel back in time to relive the tension and deliverance of that night. The Pacers may have never won an NBA title, but then no other NBA fan base can lay claim what they can. The telethon was, as Slick says, "as big as winning the championship."
You can find Slick, Nancy and the Telethon on the ESPN web site at http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=14745874.
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