Editing Pittsburgh Condors (section)

===Pittsburgh Condors (1970–1972)===
====1970–71 season====
It was reported in late May 1970 that the team launched a name contest that would run until June 6. It was reported in the media at that time that one name in "Pioneers" was already to be discarded quickly because of the downtown [[National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics|NAIA]] school Point Park College (now [[Point Park University]]) was already using the label. Early suggestions for names ranged from ones relating to the city such as "Bridgers" and "Allemonos" (in reference to the spans across the rivers in the city) to "Pedros" to even "Zodiacs".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://newspaperarchive.com/raleigh-register-may-29-1970-p-7/ | title=Raleigh Register Newspaper Archives, May 29, 1970, p. 7 | date=May 29, 1970 }}</ref> Strangely enough, on June 25, 1970, the winning entry for the name (of around 2,000 selections) contest was by Donald E. Seymour, a law student that received lifetime seats and $500 for his entry - Pioneers. The team would go under the name for acquisitions for the remainder of the month but soon encountered trouble. <ref>{{cite web | url=https://newspaperarchive.com/oil-city-derrick-jun-26-1970-p-14/ | title=Oil City Derrick Newspaper Archives, Jun 26, 1970, p. 14 | date=June 26, 1970 }}</ref> In early July, a woman named Angela B. Weaver (of Wexford, Pennsylvania) actually sued the team in common pleas court because she claimed that her entry of "Pioneers" actually won the contest because the rules said an explanation had to be "25 words or under", and Seymore's apparently was in 57 words.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://newspaperarchive.com/morgantown-post-jul-03-1970-p-13/ | title=Morgantown Post Newspaper Archives, Jul 3, 1970, p. 13 | date=July 3, 1970 }}</ref> Point Park College soon was reported to be in meetings with Pittsburgh management about the name. Ownership resolved the objection and under the suggestion of general manager Marty Blake, the ABA team changed their name to "Condors", as reported on July 23, 1970.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://newspaperarchive.com/monessen-valley-independent-jul-24-1970-p-11/ | title=Monessen Valley Independent Archives, Jul 24, 1970, p. 11 | date=July 24, 1970 }}</ref> Blake called the condor a "regal bird", although he expressed ignorance at the fact that the condor was part of the vulture family and that it thus thrived on dead animals.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://newspaperarchive.com/oil-city-derrick-jul-24-1970-p-12/ | title=Oil City Derrick Newspaper Archives, Jul 24, 1970, p. 12 | date=July 24, 1970 }}</ref>

[[Jack McMahon]] took over as coach. [[John Brisker]] and [[Mike Lewis (basketball)|Mike Lewis]] played in the [[1971 ABA All-Star Game]], but the Condors could only manage a 36–48 record, fifth place in the Eastern Division and out of the playoffs (one game behind [[The Floridians]]). While the Condors had a potent offense (fifth in the 11-team ABA with 119.1 points per game), they were often undone by their defense (fourth-worst, allowing 121.8 ppg). Attendance remained poor, with an announced average of 2,806, though some observers close to the team thought the actual average was less than half that. After a slow (4–8) start, general manager Marty Blake decided (in an infamous ABA stunt) to ''give away'' every available seat for an early-season game against Florida on November 17. The game attracted the biggest crowd that the team would ever draw under the Condors name as 11,012 tickets were given out; however, only 8,074 (in a 12,300-seat arena) actually showed up. (3,000 season ticket holders didn't even bother to attend the contest, which Pittsburgh lost, 122–116.) Ownership was not amused, and Blake was fired soon after.

The most memorable moment of the season came when [[Charlie Hentz|Charlie "Helicopter" Hentz]] destroyed two backboards in a game against the [[Carolina Cougars]].

====1971–72 season====
For the next season, Haven tried to change the Condors' image, with a new logo and uniforms, plus a slick marketing campaign. In October, they lured the defending [[NBA]] champion [[Milwaukee Bucks]] (and star Lew Alcindor) to Pittsburgh for an exhibition game, guaranteeing the Bucks $25,000. A local ad proclaimed "Bring on Alcindor" and that "the [[ABA–NBA merger]] is here". (The merger would not actually happen until 1976, and it would not include Pittsburgh.) Unfortunately for the Condors, Alcindor—who had changed his name to [[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar]] just a few days before the game—was injured and did not play (the Bucks won anyway, 129–115). Only 8,881 fans showed up, and the Condors "took a bath" on the deal—not a good start for the season.<ref name="remember"/>

After a 4–6 start, general manager [[Mark Binstein]] fired McMahon and named himself head coach, citing a need for the team to have "more discipline".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.pghcitypaper.com/arts-entertainment/the-abas-pipers-later-condors-make-a-mixed-case-for-pittsburgh-as-a-basketball-town-25689491 | title=Pittsburgh was briefly a basketball town. Could it happen again? }}</ref> The move backfired disastrously; the Condors only went 21-50 the rest of the way.

As the season progressed, attendance dropped below 1,000 fans per game, fueling speculation the Condors would fold before [[Christmas]]. While they did manage to survive into the New Year, Haven had finally seen enough and announced the Condors would be playing elsewhere for the 1972–73 season. In the meantime, they began relocating home games, first to other cities in [[Pennsylvania]], and then to farther-away places. On March 24, 1972, the Condors hosted the [[Kentucky Colonels]] in [[Birmingham, Alabama]]; four days later, the Condors hosted the Colonels again, this time in their last 'home' game, in [[Tucson]], [[Arizona]].

[[John Brisker]] and [[George Thompson (basketball)|George Thompson]] played in the ABA All-Star Game. The Condors finished in sixth place in the Eastern Division at 25-59 and failed to make the playoffs. They averaged 2,215 fans per home game—a figure that would have been even lower if not for the gates brought in at both Birmingham (an estimated 3,000) and Tucson (reported as 5,000). These were significantly better than the ones in Pittsburgh; the Condors drew only 689 at their final game at the Civic Center.