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It was Oct. 2, 1968. In St. Louis, Bob Gibson and the Cardinals squared off against Denny McLain and the Detroit Tigers in Game 1 of the World Series. In Denver, Broncos coach Lou Saban announced that Marlin Briscoe would start Sunday’s AFL game against the Bengals, making Briscoe the first Black quarterback to start in the Super Bowl era. A preseason basketball game in Flagstaff hardly registered, but it provided a glimpse of what the NBA, then a league of two divisions and 14 teams, was like six decades ago. The night started with the Suns and Lakers sharing a bus from the hotel to the gym. It ended with Chamberlain, riding back to Phoenix with injured Suns forward David Lattin, changing a tire off of Interstate 17, a moment hard to believe and a story seldom shared.
Ducey accepted the challenge Wednesday morning and even issued a little trash talking. "Still feeling good after Game 1? You're on, @GovEvers." He said he'll wager a 12-pack of Tower Station from Mother Road Brewing in Flagstaff, Arizona. Ducey added the Suns "don't fear the deer," a reference to the Bucks' rallying cry.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals is Tuesday and most of Arizona will be rooting for the Phoenix Suns to win. But in Holbrook, a town about 90 miles east of Flagstaff, some people may be feeling conflicted. Mike Budenholzer, head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, was born and raised in Holbrook along with his six siblings. His family is almost like royalty in the small town of a little over 5,000 residents.
Kellan Olson: I asked Monty how this compares to training camp in Flagstaff and that second training camp they had between the preseason and regular season. He said he notices Book and DA are more comfortable leading now. They were learning 0.5 and other things like everyone else before.
Len, 20, has been out of the boot for a week and is on schedule to be ready to participate when Suns training camp opens in Flagstaff in late September. He lost weight after his surgery but has gained back 10 pounds during his rehabilitation work in the past month. “I’ve got two more weeks of rehab and then I’ll be back about 85-90 percent,” Len said. “I’ll be back for training camp and be ready for the season. The ankle’s feeling great. I have no pain.”
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The Suns are headed back toward being Arizona’s home team all year long. The Suns are in talks with Northern Arizona University to return training camp to the Flagstaff campus for the first time since 2004. Since then, the camp has been in Tucson 2005, 2007 and 2008), Italy (2006), the San Diego area (2009, 2010 and 2012) and Phoenix (after the 2011 lockout).
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