Darnell Hillman: The Game I’ll Never Forget, 1972

[ABA great Darnell Hillman is remembered as “Dr. Dunk.” But during his 1971-72 rookie season with the Indiana Pacers, the 6-foot-9 Hillman was called “D,” “Dar,” and just plain “Rook.” But Hillman was more than just a “Rook” that season. In fact, in Hillman’s view, he played his most unforgettable game in his first year. The big performance came on March 12, 1972, a Sunday afternoon matinee against the Floridians at the State Fair Coliseum. The game also featured an appearance by pop singer Bobby Goldsboro, who belted out his hit song “California Wine.” But Hillman, a Northern Californian, was by the fourth quarter finer than any Mondavi cabernet sauvignon, earning a headline the next day in the Kokomo Tribune: “Darnell’s Derring-Do Wows Floridians.” Hillman’s reflections on his most memorable game appeared in Basketball Digest, though for the first time I don’t have a citation. The text came in an old email that arrived sans citation.] **** We were playing the Floridians in March of…