TAMPA BAY 1985-86 1986-87 EASTERN DIVISION CHAMPIONS

TAMPA BAY THRILLERS 1985 CHAMPIONS

TAMPA BAY THRILLERS 1986 CHAMPIONS

Tampa Bay Thrillers
CBA 1984-1987

Although Bill Musselman was the first man to coach in four professional leagues - the NBA, the ABA, the WBA and the CBA, his first stint in the CBA, with the Sarasota Stingers, was unsuccessful, with a 6-13 record and a midseason firing. His stay in Tampa Bay, however, was much more productive, as the Thrillers won two CBA championships - and a third, after they left Tampa Bay.

The Thrillers, named after pop singer Michael Jackson's successful album, was owned by restaurateur Jeff Rosenberg, who at 30 was the youngest owner in CBA history. New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner even purchased the team's first two season tickets. Musselman stocked his roster with veterans in that first year, and made several shrewd trades throughout the season - acquiring CBA All-Star forward Ron Valentine from the Detroit Spirits; snagging forward Charlie Jones from the Bay State Bombardiers. Tampa started the sason with an 11-4 record, and eventually stretched that out to a 22-6 domination.

In the 1984-85 playoffs, the Thrillers zoomed past the Lancaster Lightning in three straight games, then faced the Albany Patroons in the semifinals. During the series, Musselman and Albany sharpshooter Frankie J. Sanders had verbal arguments back and forth throughout the game. In the hotel room in Tampa after Game 2, Sanders received a telephone call from Musselman. Sanders later told anyone who would listen that Musselman had threatened his life, that Musselman would bring two goons to Albany's next playoff home game to take care of Sanders personally. And sure enough, Musselman arrived at the Armory the next day with two big musclemen. It took CBA Commissioner Jim Drucker to settle the situation down (essentially telling both men that nobody would get paid for the playoffs if this continued). Despite all this turmoil, Tampa Bay beat Albany in the semifinals, three games to two, to face the Detroit Spirits in the 1985 CBA Finals.

Detroit held on as best they could, even thwarting Tampa Bay's chance to win their initial CBA title on Florida soil, as Detroit's Tico Brown scored 35 points in Game 5 to give Detroit a 107-103 win and stave off elimination. The next game, held in Detroit, saw Tampa Bay's Freeman Williams scoring 47 points to give the Thrillers a 109-105 victory - and their first CBA championship.

The Thrillers' 1985-1986 season began on the other side of Tampa Bay, as the team moved to the Spartan Sports Center in Tampa. Musselman continued his mastery of the player trade, acquiring the league's two top scorers, Don Collins and Kevin Williams, to keep his team competitive throughout the year. Several of Musselman's trades had Tampa Bay fans scratching their heads - he acquired an overweight Ed Nealy from the Sarasota Stingers in exchange for Michael Holton. But Holton only played a few games with the Stingers before he received a call-up with the Chicago Bulls; and Ed Nealy played 20 pounds off his frame to continue the Thrillers' march to the playoffs. Don Collins, another player Musselman traded for, was involved in a car accident - but four weeks of rehab could not stop Collins from taking the court once again.

But it was the acquisition of Rod Higgins, who played for - and was waived by - four NBA teams in a single season. Each time Higgins was waived, he would suit up a day or two later in a Thrillers uniform. In fact, Higgins' last waiver - from the Chicago Bulls - allowed him to help Tampa Bay in the playoffs, where the team won its second championship in a row.

The 1986-87 season may have been successful on the court, but off the court there were problems. The move to the Spartan Sports Center did not increase team attendance, and the Thrillers moved back to the Bayfront Center for another season. In fact, only three times during the regular season did the Thrillers have more than 1,000 fans in the building.

But for those who attended the games, they saw an exciting team march to the playoffs with their third consecutive 30+ win season. The Thrillers started off with a seven-game winning streak, with both Don Collins and Michael Brooks having 40-point games in the season. But the winning streaks didn't increase attendance. The Thrillers' final regular-season game, a 155-119 (7-0) crushing of the Savannah Spirits, was seen by only 888 fans.

The next day, the team relocated to Rapid City, S.D., and played their entire playoff season - and won their third championship - in the Black Hills.

             W   L   QW     QP   Result


1984-1985   35  13  108.0 213.0  Won CBA Championship
1985-1986   34  14  109.0 211.0  Won CBA Championship
1986-1987   34  14  119.0 221.0  Moved at the end of regular season

1984-1985 Won in quarterfinals over Lancaster, 3 games to 0
          Won in semifinals over Albany, 3 games to 2
          Won CBA Championship over Detroit, 4 games to 3
1985-1986 Won in quarterfinals over Albany, 4 games to 3
          Won in semifinals over Bay State, 4 games to 1
          Won CBA Championship over LaCrosse, 4 games to 1
1986-1987 moved to Rapid City, S.D. after the regular season ended