Trama

Jackie Moon, the owner-coach-player of the American Basketball Association's Flint Michigan Tropics, rallies his teammates to make their NBA dreams come true.

Three men, three dreams. It's 1976 in Flint, Michigan. Jackie Moon's American Basketball Association team languishes in last place, with few fans in the seats. Jackie dreams of a merger with the NBA. A tough-minded point guard named Monix is at the end of his career; he's played on the champion Celtics but accepts a trade to Flint to be close to Lynn, the love of his life. Clarence "Coffee" Brown dreams of stardom: he's the Tropics' best player, but he's a hotdog who doesn't value teamwork. When the trio learns that a merger is in the works that won't include the Tropics, they pull the team together to try to achieve the impossible. Can dreams come true in Flint?—<jhailey@hotmail.com>

Set in 1976, Jackie Moon (Will Ferell) is a singer who has used the profits from his one hit single Love Me Sexy, to buy a basketball team in the American Basketball Association, the Flint Tropics, becoming the owner, head coach, starting power forward, and Pre-game announcer. At a team owner's meeting, Alan Ault, ABA Commissioner announces a plan to merge the league with the National Basketball Association, but only four teams will move to the more established league. The Tropics, the worst team in the league, are in danger of dissolving. Jackie, thinking fast, argues that the teams with the four best records should be merged. Some of the owners agree and vote in favor of Jackie's recommendation. The Commissioner reluctantly accepts Jackie's offer.

Now that the Tropics have somewhat of a shot to be an NBA franchise, Jackie trades away the team's washing machine to the Kentucky Colonels for Ed Monix (Woody Harrelson), former backup point guard for the NBA Champion Boston Celtics. Soon, the Commissioner reveals that as well as having a top-four record, the Tropics will also need a stable fan base and have an attendance of at least 2,000 fans at every remaining home game of the season.

Jackie begins to stage extremely desperate halftime show stunts in order to boost attendance, including wrestling a live bear and free corn dogs for the audience should the Tropics score over 125 points to attract the required number of fans.

Monix becomes fed up with Moons antics which has caused them to lose a series of games and when Clarence called Monix out as someone who was benched during the playoffs, Monix threw his championship ring at Clarence, citing he would never play in the NBA. After a brush with the law and reconnecting with his ex-girlfriend, Lynn (Maura Tierney), Clarence urges Monix to coach the Tropics.

Monix agrees to the position much to Moons dismay. Monix trains the team rigorously with a play he calls the "Puke", as the players are to run it until they literally throw up. When Moon revealed that he had never puked, even as a baby, Monix struck him in the jejunum, causing Moon to puke.

The Tropics begin playing better with Monix, as well as the increased intensity of Clarence Withers/ Sugar Dunkerton/Downtown Funkystuff Malone (André Benjamin). Monix soon takes over as offensive and defensive coordinator, as well as starting point guard, leaving Jackie merely the title of head Coach. Monix trains the team rigorously with a play he calls the "puke", as the players are to run it, without a ball, until they vomit.

The squad includes Bee Bee Ellis (DeRay Davis) Guard/Forward and also the sixth man for the Tropics, Twiggy Munson (Josh Braaten) Small Forward, Scootsie Double Day (Jay Phillips) Point Guard, Vakidis (Peter Cornell) Soviet/Lithuanian center.

Others include Dick Pepperfield (Andy Daly) Play-By-Play Announcer for the Tropics, Lou Redwood (Will Arnett) Color Commentator for the Tropics and former player. While calling the game, he smokes cigarettes and drinks Scotch, Bobby Dee (Andy Richter) General Manager for the Tropics, Father Pat the Ref (Matt Walsh) Although a priest, he is the referee for almost all ABA games, not just the Tropics home contests, Dukes (Jackie Earle Haley) an unemployed hippie and number-one fan. Meanwhile, Jackie owes Dukes, an unemployed hippie $10,000 after Dukes scored a shot from the halfway line, and the large check Jackie provided was fake.

From Monix's training, the Tropics go on a winning run, moving them up from last to fifth. Suddenly Jackie, now extremely excited about the possibilities in his grasp, gets a visit from the Commissioner. The Commissioner tells the team that the NBA does not think that Flint has a large enough media market and will not allow the Tropics into the league even if they beat the first place San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.

Distressed, Jackie admits that he stole "Love Me Sexy" from a napkin his mother wrote on three weeks before she died. Now realizing that all his assets, including the team, are basically stolen, Jackie trades Withers to the Spurs so that he may realize his dream in the NBA. Monix inspires the team to leave everything on the court as, while they may not be able to continue the franchise after this season, they have come very far and still have a lot to prove.

Going into the Spurs game, which Jackie declares the "MegaBowl", the Tropics are in fifth place and with a win they would make it into fourth, although they have no chance in making it into the NBA. The game begins and the Tropics fall behind quickly. In the closing seconds of the first half, Jackie gets fouled hard by Spurs player Petrelli while going up for a shot and is injured. Withers decides he has seen enough and rushes into the Tropics locker rooms with the rest of the team, which angers the Spurs players and Coach.

During halftime, an unconscious Jackie imagines that he is in heaven with his mother. He apologizes for stealing her song and then she gives him a weapon in order to win the final game of the franchise. Awaking in the locker room, he tells the team what they are going to do to win. Back on the court, the Tropics reveal their new weapon: the Alley-Oop. With the return of Withers, it is very effective, and he leads the charge. At first, the referee calls the play a foul, but after some persuasion by Jackie and Monix, is soon convinced that it is a legitimate score. The Tropics take advantage of this new strategy and begin coming back.

After the Spurs start defending against the Alley-Oop, Monix then takes a charge and calls for them to run the "Puke" with 12 seconds left and down by two points, 115-117. The play gives Jackie the ball, but he gets fouled hard again with two seconds left. Shooting granny style, Jackie sinks the first basket. The second rebounds off and Monix tips it in right at the buzzer for two points to score a victory for the Tropics.

The Coach of the Spurs offers Withers his position back on the team. The now-former ABA Commissioner offers Jackie a position on the staff of the NBA Assistant Commissioner, as a marketing director. Just as Jackie is about to accept, the Commissioner is mauled by the bear Jackie wrestled with earlier.