Good Old-Fashioned Rivalry

A matchup everybody has been waiting for!

It's long been said that the NBA is better when the New York Knicks are playing well. As a Knicks fan, I can vouch for the accuracy of this statement. There were a few pleasant seasons when Carmelo Anthony was our superstar, and Knickstape culture was booming from Madison Square Garden, across New York City to the basketball-shaped globe. Apart from that, the Knicks haven't exactly been a great team for the last 20 years.

Why, then, you might legitimately ask - are you even a Knicks fan in the first place?! Well, my friend - it's because I'm old. Old enough to remember when the Knicks were an Eastern Conference powerhouse in the 1990s. When they feared no one, when Jordan would leave MSG with cuts and bruises, when Oakley and McDaniel bumped chests with Scottie. When the passion of Starks and Ewing would get The Garden crowd going crazy. They would be NBA finalists twice, in 1994 and again in 1999... but Lauryn Hill spat it best with the lyric; "run game like the Knicks, build you up just to lose the championship'. Sad, but true. 

Despite the lack of championship rings, the era was still golden, and the biggest factor was the fierce Knick rivalries. The most famous of which involved the Bulls, the Heat and, of course, The Indiana Pacers - led by Reggie Miller 'The Knick Killer'. If you don't hate Reggie, then you're not worthy of rocking anything orange and blue. This is simply factual information.

After falling short to the Knicks in both the 1993 and 94 playoffs, the Pacers would finally defeat the bad boys of the East in dramatic fashion. It was game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, Madison Square Garden. In the closing 20 seconds of a seemingly wrapped-up victory for the Knicks, Miller would go on a scoring rampage, scoring 8 points in 9 seconds, with 6 points coming from icey 3-pointers. Miller was already hated by Knicks fans, fueled by the 'chocking' gesture that was communicated to Knicks Superfan, Spike Lee during a Pacers playoff game victory in the previous year. 

This outrageous and incredible scoring sequence would cement this hatred, with the sentiments never to be forgotten by any Knicks fan unfortunate enough to witness it. The game 1 loss in 95 would set the tone for the rest of the 7-game series, with The Pacers eventually coming out victorious.

In the closing 20 seconds of a seemingly wrapped-up victory for the Knicks, Miller would go on a scoring rampage, scoring 8 points in 9 seconds


Why do I say all this? Well, last night's victories by both the Knicks and Pacers will mean that they'll face off in the playoff matchup that this basketball world has forgotten that it needed. No offence to the Sixers and Bucks, but these hard-nosed teams reviving a clash for the ages is what the basketball world needed - a good old-fashioned rivalry. It reminds us why basketball is the greatest sport in the world... and why the NBA is a better place when Madison Square Garden is rocking. 

The passion will be felt across the globe.

By Sammy G

Sammy is Bouncewear's Community Manager for the UK. He connects with athletes, clubs, communities and events to further extend the Bouncewear Family. This guy has more SLAM magazines then career points but don't let that fool you or you might get crossed!