The Los Angeles Lakers showtime style brings out the biggest celebs in La La Land, typically led by jocular Jack Nicholson. But the N.Y. Knicks have lured the biggest stars and paparazzi into Madison Square Garden for decades. Film director and front-row super supporter Spike Lee still dresses in his craziest clothes and dandiest glasses, hoping to will the Knicks to their first NBA championship since 1973. Fat Joe, Tracy Morgan, Chris Rock, and Ben Stiller are other frequent high-profile attendees.
Knick Fans Gotta Have It!
Decked out in the distinctive N.Y. Knickerbocker hues of orange and blue, Spike Lee has done his utmost to harass visiting hotshots like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant to distraction. Now the Knicks find themselves in a seven-game dogfight with the Indiana Pacers, led by their latest astro, Tyrese Haliburton. Can Spike Lee muster his mojo to help his team over the hump? Like one of his most famous flicks in 1986, the Knicks´ diehard fans (like “She´s“) “Gotta Have It” (i.e., It meaning another elusive title).
The last time the Knicks won it all was a few years back in 1973. Phil Jackson was still a lanky player, and Princeton´s Bill Bradley was still shooting the lights out before becoming a U.S. senator. Walt ´Clyde the Glide´ Frazier had the quickest hands in the league (and proved it to a reporter by catching five houseflies in his hand all at the same time at his kitchen table), and ruled the New York night in his then-fashionable mink coats and zoot suits.
At that time, the Big Apple was the world´s basketball Mecca. When Wilt Chamberlain, record scorer of 100 points in a single game, came to town to try and steal a championship with the Lakers in the pivotal game of the ´70 Finals, the Knicks injected center Willis Reed´s pain-riddled thigh so he could at least take the court for warmups. Though MVP Reed didn´t play much in the actual game, the MSG roof came down as New Yorkers applauded his bravery and leadership. The Knicks walked away with the win for their first of two titles in the early ´70s.
N.Y. Now Needs More Than Spike Lee
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As a 13-year-old back in 1970, Brooklynite Spike Lee watched that historic Gm. 7 in MSG, and even purchased a piece of the net cord later in homage of those glory days. Lee stated that:
It was a memory I will never forget. Willis Reed coming back, and the Garden went nuts. It was a very special moment in Knicks history.
Another well-known N.Y. native, Jay-Z, paid tribute to the constant courtside presence of Spike Lee in his song, “Empire State of Mind”:
I be Spike’d out, I could trip the referee.
Little did anybody know that the Knicks would battle for 50 years to win another NBA trophy. In fact, the last time they even made it to the Finals was 25 years ago. But now, behind stout talisman Jalen Brunson, the slightly odd pairing of jumpshooter Josh Hart and energetic center Isaiah Hartenstein, along with headman Tom Thibodeau, there´s a glimmer of hope again for New Yorkers. But the Knicks are going to need more than just a few favorable calls from the guys in stripes to trip Indiana. Presently they´ve got their hands full of Pacers.
Is Taskmaster Thibodeau Really Terrible to Play For?
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N.Y.´s head honcho, Tom Thibodeau, doesn´t look too terrifying as he shuffles along the sidelines, constantly muttering ´C´mon man!´ over questionable calls. At the same time, he jolted the Knicks to 50 wins and a second seed this season, their best performance since 2013, even after losing the ever-rambunctious Julius Randle to injury.
For the third consecutive campaign, Thibodeau scored the dubious honor as the NBA head coach that opponents are least likely to play for. Among common complaints were Tom´s tough practices (one vet moaned he was “too old for those practices”). What´s more: Thibodeau was 37 unpopular percentage points up on Milwaukee´s Doc Rivers, the second worst coach to play for, according to an anonymous player poll done by The Athletic´s Josh Robbins and Sam Amick.
But current Knicks Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo stand by Tom´s side in the Apple. The red-headed DiVincenzo claimed that:
Thibs is a great leader. He’s a great head coach, and he’s done an amazing job this year, not only dealing with injuries in and out of the lineup, but also getting the best out of every single player on our team. I’m having a career year. Different guys on the team are having career years.
If the Knickerbockers can indeed get back to the NBA Finals after a quarter-century hiatus, native New Yorkers will surely say that the script to the Spike Lee movie, Do The Right Thing, has finally been properly adapted.
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Like Spike Lee, wily hoops writer Will Beebe was also alive to see the Knicks´ last two titles in 1970 and ´73. His recent book, Soccer Giants of Brazil: One American´s Take on Samba Soccer Culture, is now on Amazon. www.soccergaintsofbrazil.com | Connect with Will on X: @WABeebe11.
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