Briefing: June 5
Remembering Larry Johnson's 4-point play
Good Morning,
Starting off the day with some cold water… Stephen A. Smith said on First Take last night, “I've been told Kyrie Irving has given all indications he's going to Nets."
Of course, Smith said a few weeks ago, “Kyrie Irving is headed to New York City, Kyrie Irving is headed to Madison Square Garden with Kevin Durant...People in his inner circle are trying to bring the Nets into the mix.”
Kyrie’s impact on Durant’s decision: Smith says, “If [Kyrie] decides to go to Brooklyn, KD ain’t interested in going to Brooklyn. As a result, the belief is KD will either go to New York without him, convince him to come to New York, or settle for somebody like Kemba Walker, or KD might decide to stay in Golden State.”
Smith says Durant will only leave the Warriors if they win in the Finals.
On the Anthony Davis front, the Pelicans are listening to offers for the superstar as David Griffin works to reconcile the organization’s relationship with him, per The Athletic.
“Across the NBA, rival executives believe the following teams will be able to compile the best packages: The Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets.”
Knicks remain a strong suitor given their stockpile of assets and long-term interest from Anthony Davis.
The Knicks are one of the teams expected to pursue Marcus Morris as a second tier free agent, per Shams Carania.
As previously reported, the Knicks have been eyeing Marcus Morris for some time: “Besides his numbers, the Knicks really liked the tough, rugged brand of basketball he played during the regular season that spilled over into the playoffs as well.”
Charles Barkley doesn’t think Kevin Durant has the mental make-up to play in New York: "If he's arguing with these teenagers online, he's not going to be able to deal with that New York media. He's a great person, he's a great player. I don't think he has the mental makeup to play in New York, that's just my personal opinion." [Ian Begley]
Former Knicks JR Smith and Al Harrington were in Albany yesterday to lobby for the legalization of marijuana. Harrington, the CEO of a cannabis business called Viola Extracts, thinks diverse communities affected by the war on drugs would benefit from legalization:
“We’re a firm believer in ownership. We want to figure out a way to include ownership at the highest levels. When you talk about vertical integration, there are so many ways to compete in the industry, we want to sure that diversity is represented at each facet of that level.” [NY State of Politics]
Latest pre-draft workout news:
Jarrett Culver will work out with the Knicks today.
Iowa forward Tyler Cook will work out with the Knicks this week.
Tacko Fall and Marques Bolden will meet with the team on Friday.
On this Date: Patrick Ewing sends the Knicks to the Finals for the first time since 1973
Remembering Larry Johnson’s 4-point play on the 20th anniversary
Larry Johnson talks about the magical play: “[Indiana] wasn’t going to let Allan Houston beat them like he did against Miami.” LJ said he was the third option on the play after Houston and Sprewell, but he was ready if the ball came to him: “When I walked on the court, I said, if I get it, I’m shooting it.” [Listen]
Everyone was there that night: LJ says, “There’s been probably about 1.6 million people who come up to me and told me they were at the Garden that night. I ask for a ticket stub now.” [Marc Berman]
Read more: Larry Johnson and Antonio Davis still debate the foul call via Marc Berman
Chris Childs was key in calming down LJ after the made three so he could compose himself for the free throw: “One thing about Larry Johnson that nobody mentions is he’s one of those players that’s been a star, and he came to New York to be a complementary player, but you could always go to tell him something and he listens. He may not always agree, but he’s receptive. So I knew I could tell him, ‘Hey, calm down Larry. We need this free throw.’ He was all excited he looked at me and said, ‘Okay, Chill, okay.’” [Stefan Bondy]
Knicks Fans Remember
by Jonathan Macri
I’m 36 years old, and more than a few years past cynical. Outside of my daughter doing something new and/or cute, its’ incredibly rare that anything really gets to me anymore. Life has a funny way of hardening you (most especially life as a Knicks fan).
So to say that I was shocked at how much your memories about the 4-point play hit me at my core, in a way I was not at all expecting, is an understatement. It’s amazing how many of you shared these experiences with loved ones, and how you associate the memory with those people to this day. It was a reminder that sports, above all else, is a way to bring people together. For as much as we root for the Knicks and against rivals, our collective fandom unites far more than it divides.
For me, I was watching by myself in my bedroom. No crazy happenings, just the recollection of jumping really, really high and a distinct feeling of disbelief. This was pre-cynical Jon, and since those playoffs started, I was convinced the team was making it to the Finals. When they were down three, for the very first time, that belief began to waver. Then the shot went in, and just like that, it was back. The rest is history.
And now, your stories of a night none of us will ever forget. Thank you again for sharing.
@MrTeeBee: “Sold my 2 seats in the blues and got lucky hanging out by the will call window. Was sitting 9 or 10 rows behind Spike's seat that night. When the shot went in I was hugging a woman of around 80 like she was my mother.”
@MrChrisMizell: “I was 14 and on my way home (near 229th and Barnes Ave in the Bronx), nervous because I was late for my curfew. I’m walking down the block thinking about what I’m going to say when I get home. And as I walk, I’m hearing people screaming from their houses. Just a total eruption. I can see the glow of the TV in people’s windows, but I have no idea what’s going on. So I walk up the stairs to our second floor apartment, expecting to hear it from my mom. Instead, she’s in the living room screaming! When I get there, they’re playing the replay of the shot, and we both were just going nuts. To this day, it never even registered with her that I was like an hour late for curfew. Thanks LJ!”
@sonofavigdor: “As an observant Jew I had to VHS record the game since it was played on a Saturday afternoon. I had no idea who won when I played the tape after nightfall. I probably rewound the ending 1,000 times.”
@lominatti: “I was six years old and a little disinterested with following basketball. Nevertheless, I would watch games with my dad. That shot and my family’s reaction started it all, and 20 years later and the Knicks are a part of my everyday life. This shot began my diehard fanhood.”
@sethedel: “That day was Yankees Mets in the Bronx. Charismatic was going for the triple crown as well. I did 6-7 innings of Yankees, car service to the track by 5:30, LIRR to the Knicks, and was in my seat a few minutes into the first quarter. Sat waaaaay up top - the view you can see on some YouTube videos of LJs shot. Was insanity.”
@Junglegumby: “Went to the game with my wife. AMAZING! I have to add that I went to 3-5 innings of Yankees vs Mets, saw Charismatic just miss at the Belmont for the Triple Crown, then saw THE SHOT.”
@laspina_chris: “My dad had never been to a Knicks home game until he went to the LJ 4-point play game. He watches the Knicks religiously. He attended the game, and according to him, someone next to him in the stands said ‘were going to get a 4-point play here.’ And sure enough, LJ tossed it up, got fouled, drilled the 3 and the free throw.”
@paulangelo7371: “I was on a Long Island Railroad train to Penn Station listening on the radio & lost the signal pulling into the station and missed it. I assumed they’d lost. But when I got off the train, the streets outside MSG were full of fans going BANANAS. Was surreal & awesome.”
@Iota_Cephei: “I was watching it with roomies and as soon as he made that shot and was fouled, we all started jumping up and down screaming. We had shoes on so the guy from downstairs came up to warn us about loudness. He was nicknamed Hicksville after that. Some drinking was involved later.”
@CoachAlbino: “My dad is a home theater buff. We’ve had large projectors, big flat screen TV’s, etc. my whole life. Not sure why, probably because he wanted to be with me, but we watched that game in my room on my futon bunk bed on my small TV/VCR combo. The shot went in. We jumped up & down & hugged.”
@dannyhoops: “I was blessed to be in the building for that moment. The single most stark contrast of quiet to LOUD I’ve ever heard in an arena before or since. From pin-drop silence w/ball in flight to deafening cheers. Strangers high-giving, everyone throwing their Ls up all the way home.”
@KnicksTime: “I was 17 y/o and my brother was able to get tickets through someone at work. We literally sat as far up as the Garden went before the renovation. I’ll never forget the way that building erupted when he made that shot. It’s cliché but I really thought the roof was exploding.”
@AlternateJeff: “I was 13. In the car with my dad listening to it on the radio. When we got down 3, my dad thought it was over. Still wildly optimistic, I said without hesitation ‘all we need is a 4-point play to win it’. LJ makes that shot, I screamed. My dad was speechless. Couldn’t believe it.”
@tavraham33: “I was at a concert. At least 100 people gathered around a tiny TV the coat check guys had. They couldn’t start the show until after the game ended because so many people refused to go into the concert hall. Amazing moment of NYC unity.”
@dan_barton: “Watching it in the Daily Freeman newsroom and getting yelled at by the city editor (who was one of those anti-NBA types) for making too much noise.”
@ericguzman: “It was a Saturday night and I had a lot of invitations to go out and party but I said I’d answer after the game. LJ hit that shot and I knew from there that the series was ours. I went crazy running around the living room but also following LJ’s poise to not forget about that FT!”
@mtmeyers: “I missed it. Was in London visiting my sister. Wanted to watch the games against the Pacers but the time difference — and the lack of international interest in the NBA at the time — made it impossible. My best option for getting the score was Sports Phone, which was still a thing. So I found out the score via Sports Phone the next morning, and was psyched the Knicks won, but had no idea how it went down. It was only later in the day, when I called my then-girlfriend and her dad grabbed the phone to explain what happened, that I realized just how insane the game was. And then I had to wait a week until I got home to see the highlight! Now I’ve seen it so many times it feels like I watched it live.”
@DarfKnightRises: “I was 7 years old, at the game with my dad who allowed me to wear a Pacers Mullin jersey even though I was rooting for the Knicks. Suffice to say some fellow fans couldn’t understand why I was celebrating even though I had on the gear of my hometown hero on the other team.”
@jahn_deejay: “I was 12 years old at that time, but that Indiana series was really the start of my fandom for basketball and the NY Knicks. Spree was my first hero, but that particular 4-point play from LJ was f****** awesome.”
@barry211: “I was about 10 years old watching in Sacramento with a few of my dad’s friends. Down by 3 everyone had written us off, so I asked one of my dad’s friends ‘what if someone shoots a 3 and is fouled?’ (frankly I did not even know it was possible) So that guy smugly replied that it was an impossibility. Guess who was smug at the end of the game.”
@dawiggy: “He hit that shot a few days before I signed up for the military..... I'm retiring in September!”
@DelRey: “I was 17 at the time -- a junior in high school -- and I was super lucky because my dad had somehow scored two tickets for us from one of his friends. I don't actually remember much of what happened before THE PLAY. But I can still see the shot going in, the absolute pandemonium that followed, and the feeling that MSG was absolutely shaking -- a LOT. My dad and I then embraced in a giant bear hug, with him lifting me off the ground. Even better, we then turned to our sides and bear hugged two fellow Knicks fans -- each about six inches taller than us -- that we didn't know whatsoever. But that didn't matter at the time. It is easily my favorite in-person sports memory in my 37 years of rooting for New York City sports teams. And I've been to a lot of games. With my dad passing away last year unexpectedly, it's one I cherish even more now. I'm looking forward to carving out similar memories for my 6-year-old son as soon as this team turns it around. It feels closer than ever before.”
Thanks for reading, talk to you tomorrow!