I see these threads about people jumping ship because of Lin or the Nets, I think they are funny...Man I watched the Nets back then too..They were never the Knicks and never will be...But as a hoops/NBA fan in NY..U had to love Doc, Super John Williamson, Larry Keenan (poor man's Doc), Billy Paultz, etc., the red, blue and white ball...The Spurs with Gervin and Artist Gilmore...Don't fear the Nets to Brooklyn, one love guys...Knicks will always rule NY, check out Knicks fandom on the road, it's real!!!! And why do u care who watches the Nets, can't figure that one out, oh well....Can't promise I'll watch any Net games this season except those against the Knicks, but I want to take my son to just one game in the new arena, just because it's Brooklyn and it's where I basically grew up...

It's been a long time since I've been at the Garden when games really mattered...Caught two Championship games in '94 against Houston and a couple of Rangers Stanley Cup matches same year...I was there when Jordan dropped 55 on us in his come back game...He dished the game winning basket to Bill Wittington alone under the basket after Jordan was doubled...Man I hated Jordan then!!!!..Just pure hate...My days were good if the Knicks won the night before and miserable when they lost...Pretty much same as now....Sorry for the rant...

. . . of the late 1980's. More than the Knicks, my dislike of Chicago drove me to being a Knicks fan. Then in the 90's learned to love John Starks and the Knicks on their own terms. I remember watching the Dunk in real time on TV -- such a crucial point in the game, and Chicago was expecting the pick and roll -- Starks going for the dunk was equal parts courage and genius. But more than any of that, I just loved the intensity with which Starks played the game. I also liked watching Anthony Mason bring the ball up court -- for a big physical guy, he seemed to be rightfully proud of his ball handling.

Uptown wrote:26-30 years. Been a die-hard fan since Bernard King, Louis Orr, Rory Sparrow, Ray Williams, etc. Chuck Buck is right, the 80's were the definition of mediocrity. We had some really bad years (when King got injured). Drafting Ewing ensured a promising future despite the immediate present still looking bleak (We were still bad during his rookie year). However, beating the Celts on Christmas in 86 was a big time highlight. I still remember that game. We made ahuge run to come back from a huge deficit. Pitino entered towards the end of the 80's and really gave the franchise a jolt of life.

Haha although the 80s sucked big dong, there was some great memories sprinkled in between:

-Bernard King's Back to Back 50 point games
-Bernard King going toe to toe with Isaiah Thomas in the playoffs
-Patrick Ewing's 3 pointer to beat the Celtics in the playoffs
-Mark "Action" Jackson' rookie of the Year campaign
-Kenny "Sky" Walker winning the Slam Dunk for his recently deceased father
-Bernard King's first game back with the Knicks following double knee surgery
-Trent Tucker's 3 with 0.1 seconds left (The Trent Tucker Rule)
-Rick Pitino's "Bomb Squad" leading the highest octane team in the league

Yes, the 80s were a decade of mostly futility, but I still see the bright spots.

That Game 5 was on a Friday night at Detroit, and they had to play at Joe Louis Arena because I think there was a monster truck show that night at the Silverdome. Joe Louis Arena was where the Red Wings played, and it was a hot night, and the arena was like a sauna. I remember Hubie Brown tearing off his jacket at one point, and coaching in short sleeves the rest of the night. Anyway, the Knicks won in double-OT, with Bernard scoring like 40 and Isiah going off for around 45, including some of the sickest 3-pointers from 25, 26, 27 feet you will ever see. Isiah single-handedly kept the Pistons in the game with a monster fourth quarter and I think first OT. Bernard had to be carried off the floor after the game due to heat exhaustion. To this day that remains my favorite Knicks game.

They went on to play the Celtics in the second round, and ended up taking a classic Boston team to seven games (blown out in Game 7). I was at all those home games, and the electricity at the Garden for Game 6 (again, a Friday night) was something I will never forget. The Knicks were down 3-2 in the series, and the crowd was into it starting as soon as the players took the floor for pregame layups, with a chant of "Boston sucks!" breaking out a few seconds after Bird, McHale and company took the floor. Dancing Harry was at the game. Knicks won by around 8 points or so.

That 1983-84 season still may be my favorite Knicks season. Hubie did one of the best coaching jobs you'll see. He really got every ounce out of that team. He played two distinct units, often subbing five at a time. Let's see if I remember this. Starters were Rory Sparrow, Ray Williams, Bernard King, Truck Robinson, Patrick Ewing. Bench was Darrell Walker, Trent Tucker, Ernie Grunfeld, Louis Orr, Marvin Webster. And who can forget Eric Fernsten deep on the bench!!!!

Had season tix throughout the 90s, and was at just about every Knicks-Bulls game from 1992 through the end of the decade. Holfresh pointed out that Jordan-to-Wennington pass to win a game (I did not realize that was Jordan's 55-point game). That is the one Jordan play I always use as an example of what made MJ so great. The whole world thought MJ would take the game-winning shot, because he was the greatest player in the world. But MJ also was the smartest player in the world, and he knew that we knew he'd take the shot. So he found a wide-open Wennington underneath the basket for an easy layup that left us Knicks fans speechless as usual. It showed MJ's trust in his teammates as well. Just amazing that my favorite Jordan play is a simple pass.

Anyway, sorry for the rant, but the Knicks have been a huge part of my life, so nice to share some of these memories with you guys.

holfresh wrote:

Nalod wrote:

holfresh wrote:My cousin played for the Buffalo Braves, so as a kid, got early tickets and was court side to meet the players during the '73/'74 campaign...My cousin had NBA players coming to the house and that was really cool...I loved Frazier and Monroe back then, I used to see Dick Barnett every morning when I was going to work on Lexington Ave back in the early 90s, I didn't want to roll on him at 6:30 am like a dork...Cal Ramsey doing color as Jesse said and even Butch Beard later...Games weren't even shown live...The love ran deep since the mid 70's...Watched through the Ray Williams and Rory Sparrow era, Ken "he Animal" Bannister baby!!! to Trent Tucker...Ewing changed everything...We just couldn't get that second scorer to help him...Man he was a warrior, misunderstood by the media...

I see these threads about people jumping ship because of Lin or the Nets, I think they are funny...Man I watched the Nets back then too..They were never the Knicks and never will be...But as a hoops/NBA fan in NY..U had to love Doc, Super John Williamson, Larry Keenan (poor man's Doc), Billy Paultz, etc., the red, blue and white ball...The Spurs with Gervin and Artist Gilmore...Don't fear the Nets to Brooklyn, one love guys...Knicks will always rule NY, check out Knicks fandom on the road, it's real!!!! And why do u care who watches the Nets, can't figure that one out, oh well....Can't promise I'll watch any Net games this season except those against the Knicks, but I want to take my son to just one game in the new arena, just because it's Brooklyn and it's where I basically grew up...

It's been a long time since I've been at the Garden when games really mattered...Caught two Championship games in '94 against Houston and a couple of Rangers Stanley Cup matches same year...I was there when Jordan dropped 55 on us in his come back game...He dished the game winning basket to Bill Wittington alone under the basket after Jordan was doubled...Man I hated Jordan then!!!!..Just pure hate...My days were good if the Knicks won the night before and miserable when they lost...Pretty much same as now....Sorry for the rant...

I can relate to your post.

Most of the N*t talk is not from anyone than others accusing others........They do more than anyone is talking!

1974 hurt so bad and looking back that pain far exceeded any joy with the N*t's winning!

I too will to to a game cuz its Brooklyn. Last N*t game I was at was the very last ABA game ever played in 1976. It was on NY soil in Uniondale. Most likely very polluted soil!

Ironic they are doing a pre-season game there. I have not been to Nassau Coliseum in decades but stayed at the Marriott next door about 5 years ago and was blown away how bad it looked. The BUilding looked ignored and the same since the 70's. The landscaping was all dead and from what I have read the place is just nasty. That was once the best franchise in the league roster wise as they won 4 straight cups and lost the 5 season in the finals to Gretzky's Oilers. True champions that defended the cup all the way to the bitter end. If you gotta lose, thats some noble shyt right there.

Knicks playing in that derelict building just don't seem right. I wonder if they'll do retro uni's for that preseason game?

For those that were around the ABA the KNicks and N*ts were not competing. Knicks were far the more popular team. They were the elegant Manhattan team while the N*ts were the suburbs. They just co-existed.

I remember the first starphuch! It was when we got Bob McAdoo and Spencer Haywood moved to forward. Me and the boys took a radio to the "drink beers in the park on Fri nite" and we got excited as the Knicks beat the Celts in McAdoo's first game. We did not know of Spencers coke problem at the time and why his career was flushing down the drain. Spencer had a Jazz program on the radio and as a 15 year old kid would listen to it. IT was "COOL" man!!!!!!

Spencer was the Amare of the day in many ways. He was actually married to the famous model "Iman" (Later remarried and still is to David Bowie)and in the fashion world also. His game was based on athletic quickness and could jump out of the building. The money, drugs, NY, fame all got the best of him like many before and after. Amare is far more grounded than Spencer and the NBA tests for drugs.

Spencer Haywood made the USA olympic team as an underclassman and became a Hero during the 1968 games in Mexico City. He was not well known being from the University of Denver but made quite a splash. USA had a hard time as the Russians and others were sending older players. Recall the next olympics we lost in Munich! Spencer left as an underclassmen and the NBA at the time did not take plyaers then so he played for the Denver Rockets (ABA) before jumping to the Sonics in a highly public move that involved lawsuits. Spencer became a star player. When Spencer came to NY we were excited but did not know of the Demons that followed. Before the Internet it was not easy to follow the players around the league and keep up with stats.

LIttle History lesson on the birth of Knick Starphuching! Next installment will be Marvin "The human eraser" Webster!

Good memories from u and Erniecat...I remember the Knicks getting McAdoo and Haywood...Iman still looks hot by the way, she has to be at least pushing 60, no?...Then we got Webster after he had a monster year in Seattle, he sucked with the Knicks...Come to think about it...Did any player the Knicks got by starphucking ever work out for us...I don't think so...Steve Francis had to be the worse get that of course after admitting Jerome James wasn't really a star...I can't believe I supported Isiah all those years...What a clown....

Spree had a fairly nice run for us. One missed j away from pushing us to Game 6.