The day is June 2nd; there is
a mammoth thunderstorm outside, so petrifying everyone has been advised to stay
inside for safety. There is an outlandish man outside, donning a threadbare
Allan Houston jersey, sitting adjacent to a tree, with a gloomy look on his
face, with a complete disregard for everything that is around him. The more I
look at him, the more I realize this man is a similitude for not only the current state of mind for Knicks fans around
the world, and more importantly, this day should be considered the worse day in
Knicks history.
The day was June
2nd 1993; with the series tied two games apiece, the New York Knicks
faced the two-time defending champion Chicago Bulls in a pivotal game five of
the Eastern Conference Finals. Unlike last year, when the Knicks lost to the
Bulls in seven games in the semifinals, the Knicks were favored to dethrone the
Bulls and reach NBA Finals for the first time in 20 years. After winning the
first two games in New York, the Knicks lost the next two in Chicago. But the
Knicks, winners of 27 in a row at Madison Square Garden, were confident they
were going to win the game, and ultimately win the series. The game was akin to a heavyweight fight; the
game seesawed back and forth throughout.
But the last 20
seconds will live in Knicks’ infamy forever. Down one, the Knicks had the ball;
Starks initially went up for a shot, but judiciously decided to pass it to
Ewing. He drove to the rim, passing it to Charles Smith, before tangling with
Stacy King and falling down. Charles Smith a soft player, who Knicks
traded Mark Jackson and a first round pick for, halfheartedly attempted four
shots at the rim, all which were blocked by Grant, Jordan and Pippen. Just like
that, the game was over, as well as the Knicks’ chances of winning the series.
To this day, I have never seen Jordan enthusiastic after winning a basketball
game. Sure, there was another game to be played, but everyone, including Jordan
and the Knicks team, knew it was over.
The Knicks proved everyone right, losing game six in Chicago, 96-88, becoming the
first team since 1977 to lose a seven game series after winning the first two
games.
In hindsight, the Knicks’ dreadful free throw shooting
(20-35) prevented them from winning game 5, but at that moment, Smith was lucky
he got out of Madison Square Garden alive. Sure, he may or may not have been
fouled, but at 6’10, he should have gone up stronger than that. Now, whenever Knicks fans hear the name
‘Charles Smith’, all they think about him getting stuffed at the rim four
times, costing the 93 Knicks, possibly the best Knick team of all time, their
best shot of beating Jordan, and winning the title.
Exactly seven
years later, it was game six of the Eastern
Conference Finals; this time, the Knicks
were down 3-2 to the Indiana Pacers. Unlike last year, when the Knicks miraculously
defeated the Pacers in six games, the Knicks have been completely outplayed
this series during the first five games of the series, but the Knicks were
looking to win another nail biter at Madison Square Garden[1], to
extend the series to a seventh game. Ironically Patrick Ewing due to a foot
injury, missed the two games the Knicks won.
Unfortunately, game six was no exception, Reggie
Miller dominated, scoring 17 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter, as the
Pacers defeated the Knicks 93-80. With the win, the Pacers advanced to their
first ( and only ) NBA finals, in franchise history.
If losing to the goddamn Pacers was bad enough, this game wound up being Patrick Ewing’s last
game in a Knick uniform. Ewing, who believed he was being treated unfairly,
insisted to be traded. Unfortunately for
Knicks fans, his wish was ultimately granted.
On September
21, 2000, instead of waiting for Ewing’s contract to expire, the Knicks traded
Ewing to the Seattle Supersonics, in part of a four team trade ,receiving peripheral players in Glen Rice, Luc
Longley, Travis Knight, Vladimir Stepania, Lazaro Borrell, Vernon
Maxwell, two first-round draft picks and
two second-round picks.
"The one
thing I know is that Patrick is happy," said one of his best friends,
Alonzo of Miami. "Based on the way New York treated him the last
couple of years, it was disheartening to him that what he gave to that
organization wasn't appreciated."
It’s great to
know the best player from ,one of the Knicks vastest rivals, was more concerned
with how Patrick Ewing is beating
treated, than the Knicks were.
... I guess it’s karma, the Knicks have been the
NBA’s laughing stock since.
Fifteen years
later, the Knicks still haven’t found a player who can be considered a Patrick
Ewing facsimile, Phil Jackson grosses $12 million a year to be a
figurehead, fans can’t decipher whether
Derek Fisher is an NBA Head Coach, or a mime, and the Knicks just finished
their worse season in franchise history.
Not to mention, J.R. Smith, and Iman Shumpert, two
Knick cast-offs, are four wins away from accomplishing something Patrick Ewing
never did in his 17-year illustrious career.
Two hours
later, it’s still raining, and the
outlandish man is still by the tree, but sun will shine sooner or later.
…Who are we
kidding? Knicks fans have been saying
that on this day every year since 1993.
