Certainly, Game 1 of this series was "wild" even by ABA standards. Ever seen a professional basketball game played without any visible game clock? That was the situation as the new McNichols Arena scoreboards and clocks were inoperational. The complete breakdown was the result of a blown fuse and broken computer (yes, a broken computer). No backup equipment was available. When informed of the situation an hour before gametime, ABA brass allowed the game to proceed.

Official time was kept by stopwatch, at the scorer's table. By agreement, Denver PA announcer Gene Price announced time remaining on a periodic basis. He also counted down the last 5 seconds of each quarter, with an airhorn to indicate the buzzer. This would come into play in a very controversial finish.

Denver maintained a small lead over the defending champs throughout. Clutch 4^th quarter scoring by Ralph Simpson, David Thompson & Chuck Williams seemed to have the game in hand at 109-104 late. Jan van Breda Kolff converted a 3-point play with 0:04 left to cut the lead to 109-107. Louie Dampier then intentionally fouled Williams with 3 ticks left. Williams made the 1^st shot, but missed the 2^nd. Claude Terry batted the ball out where Kevin Joyce grabbed it and passed to Dampier. Dampier launched a 3-pointer that swished through the net. The basket would have tied the game and sent it into overtime. The Colonels felt that the shot came just before the end of the PA announcer's countdown of the last three seconds. The referees summarily disagreed, ruling that the shot didn't count.

A furious Hubie Brown engaged both referees in a shouting match, and then chased them to their locker room, to no avail. "We got screwed, it's terrible," Brown told reporters after he calmed down. "They're trying to tell us three seconds went by. The guy on the PA says '3, 2, 1,' the game's over. You can't do it like that. You've got to go 1,001, 1,002, 1,003. And then when it's over they [the officials] just walk off the court. Incredible. You'd think in a situation like that that they'd go to the table and talk to the guy on the clock. But my protest is nothing. What can we protest? There was no clock! We agreed before the game that we'd play under these primitive conditions. You know, we're playing for big money and prestige and this is our first game on their floor. A big thing for us. And then to have the game end like this is ridiculous. It's a difficult thing to accept."

Colonels GM David Vance decided to protest the game to the ABA Commissioner's office. Kentucky's protest was denied. But the Commissioner's office did fine the Nuggets $2,500 for what it termed "conditions detrimental to the game of basketball."

MEMORIES OF J. ANDERSON: "I went to high school in Colorado and was fortunate enough to be selected to the 1976 All-State basketball team. One of the "perks" for this was that I, my mother, and my high school coach, (along with all of my teammates) were guests of the Denver Nuggets at an ABA playoff game. We saw the Denver Nuggets play the Kentucky Colonels at the brand new McNichols Arena in Denver. I remember that Denver won, but I more vividly remember that the arena's scoreboards and clocks broke down. "

The Colonels picked up with they left off in Game 3; shooting the lights out. They made 13 of their first 23 attempts. This enabled the Colonels to build a 9-point lead in the 2^nd period.  Denver's trapping defense finally cooled off Kentucky and Denver tied the game at 41. After that, neither team would lead by more than 6 points for the rest of the game. 

Denver was hampered when both Dan Issel and David Thompson picked up their sixth fouls in the fourth quarter. With Kentucky holding a 4-point lead and the ball with 2:11 to go in the contest, Denver seemed on the brink of defeat and a 3-1 deficit in the series. However, Chuck Williams nailed an 18-foot jumper with 1:51 to go. Then Ralph Simpson sank two crucial free throws to tie the game. With 15 seconds left, Beck grabbed an Issel miss and put the ball in to give Denver a 106-104 lead. Beck hit his head on the floor after his putback and had to leave the game.

This was only the start of a frenetic finish. Gilmore set a devastating pick on Gus Gerard that freed van Breda Kolff for the game tying layup with only 4 seconds left. Larry Brown reinserted Thompson with 6 fouls for the final play. When Gus Gerard inbounded the ball to Thompson, Bird Averitt left Chuck Williams alone to trap Thompson. His gamble backfired when the unselfish Thompson found Williams a step inside the 3-point line. Williams' high-arching shot just beat the buzzer and gave the Nuggets the victory.

The normally-cool Williams tore off his protective mask, jumped with sheer joy, and raced to the other end of the court. His teammates mobbed him. Moments after the wild celebration, Williams said: "I've hit some big shots in my life, but this was the very biggest. I knew it was good the second it left my hand. It was really an emotional experience and I just felt great about it. I wanted to win it so bad and when I got the shot I didn't want to let the guys down. I was a little bit surprised at my reaction because normally I conceal my emotions, but it had to come out."

Some Denver reporters called it the biggest shot in the history of the ABA Nuggets/Rockets. It certainly brought the Nuggets back to life in the series.