Nice one Jon. Have a great Knicksmas. I was at that game when King got 60. Being Jewish and in the city up from where i grew up in Tennessee to visit the grandparents in Coney Island, I guess dad thought it would be a good idea to go scalp some tickets. I think he paid maybe $15 a ticket. King was amazing, not a ton of people in the crowd. Remember getting Pizza Suprema across the street too and then 10 years later I'd get my apartment in Chelsea by paying off some guy so i could sign a lease on a rent stabilized apartment on 25th street just a short walk to the Garden. Nice memories. Still wish we'd won the game. King had gone to University of Tennessee where my dad was a professor and we used to drive our old beat up car to a small university gym to watch him and Ernie play college ball. The crowds were wild and it was great fun. Also really disappointing they lost in the NCAA tournament to an underdog. I've never had a winner in basketball. Not sure I ever will.
That is so awesome and thanks for sharing David! My best friend at the time was at the game too. He called me when he got home to tell me all about the game. Awesome memories and a great time in NYC....garbage strikes, prostitutes, and all! 😀
Ha! As a parent of two, both now teens and one having recently been an unwitting cause of some of those darkest moments, I can only agree w you while pointing out the wonders of cognitive dissonance reduction! Beautiful kids, Jon. Happy holidays, KFS friends.
Re the game - not the lowest of lows for me at all. A good game with many correctable errors (and many that must be borne), RJ showing up and turning it on a little earlier than last year, and even at the end I was asking “how will we win this one” instead of looking at a lead and wondering how we’ll lose. Not bad at all. Still on track for 47 wins :)
Remember the Bernard 60 point game very well-I snuck away from my parents’ dinner table to watch it (lucky for me nobody noticed because we had a lot of people over that day). King had 40 points at the half!! Then the Nets assigned a big to guard him in the second half (I want to say it was George Johnson but I’m not sure that’s who it was) and Bernard was “held” to only 20 the rest of the way. None of his points that day were on threes (the three point shot was only taken in those days if it was desperately needed). Bernard King was an insanely talented scorer who opposing players dreaded guarding for fear of embarrassment. My all time favorite Knicksrbocker.
It did suck though that they lost that game-I recall that Micheal Ray Richardson (ironically enough, the player the Knicks traded two years prior to acquire Bernard in a sign and trade deal) had a big second half to win it for Jersey. There also weren’t that many people at that game-played at night-nowhere near a sellout.
Great article, Ray. The double OT win in ‘86 is my fondest Knickerbocker Christmas memory because of who it came against.
Brother Ray. When I saw the title of the post, my automatic thought was: The Bernard game MUST be number 1. We are on the same page my man. As an early adolescent, Bernard was my basketball hero. But my #2 guy was the Great Michael Ray Richardson, which prompted a sit down with my dad as to why his 12 year old son had a thing for a bass head...lol With that being said, that was such an exciting game for me because not only did Bernard drop 60, but my other guy, THE GREAT SUGAR RAY, dropped 36 as well and went off too! What an exciting moment for me and an equally troubling moment for my dad....lol
Nice one Jon. Have a great Knicksmas. I was at that game when King got 60. Being Jewish and in the city up from where i grew up in Tennessee to visit the grandparents in Coney Island, I guess dad thought it would be a good idea to go scalp some tickets. I think he paid maybe $15 a ticket. King was amazing, not a ton of people in the crowd. Remember getting Pizza Suprema across the street too and then 10 years later I'd get my apartment in Chelsea by paying off some guy so i could sign a lease on a rent stabilized apartment on 25th street just a short walk to the Garden. Nice memories. Still wish we'd won the game. King had gone to University of Tennessee where my dad was a professor and we used to drive our old beat up car to a small university gym to watch him and Ernie play college ball. The crowds were wild and it was great fun. Also really disappointing they lost in the NCAA tournament to an underdog. I've never had a winner in basketball. Not sure I ever will.
Fantastic stuff David. The rent stabilized apartment bit had me rolling.
You'll get a winner one day. I know it
That is so awesome and thanks for sharing David! My best friend at the time was at the game too. He called me when he got home to tell me all about the game. Awesome memories and a great time in NYC....garbage strikes, prostitutes, and all! 😀
Thanks man! Yeah, the grit and the grime were exciting to me. It was part of the magic of the city even if it was dangerous and dirty.
Ha! As a parent of two, both now teens and one having recently been an unwitting cause of some of those darkest moments, I can only agree w you while pointing out the wonders of cognitive dissonance reduction! Beautiful kids, Jon. Happy holidays, KFS friends.
Re the game - not the lowest of lows for me at all. A good game with many correctable errors (and many that must be borne), RJ showing up and turning it on a little earlier than last year, and even at the end I was asking “how will we win this one” instead of looking at a lead and wondering how we’ll lose. Not bad at all. Still on track for 47 wins :)
Belated thank you for the sentiments here Ben! And Godspeed to you, having two teens!!!!
Ack! Put this on the wrong post. Yikes!
Love this one too Ray!
Awesome Ray, thanks for offering these for us somewhat "old timers" .
Remember the Bernard 60 point game very well-I snuck away from my parents’ dinner table to watch it (lucky for me nobody noticed because we had a lot of people over that day). King had 40 points at the half!! Then the Nets assigned a big to guard him in the second half (I want to say it was George Johnson but I’m not sure that’s who it was) and Bernard was “held” to only 20 the rest of the way. None of his points that day were on threes (the three point shot was only taken in those days if it was desperately needed). Bernard King was an insanely talented scorer who opposing players dreaded guarding for fear of embarrassment. My all time favorite Knicksrbocker.
It did suck though that they lost that game-I recall that Micheal Ray Richardson (ironically enough, the player the Knicks traded two years prior to acquire Bernard in a sign and trade deal) had a big second half to win it for Jersey. There also weren’t that many people at that game-played at night-nowhere near a sellout.
Great article, Ray. The double OT win in ‘86 is my fondest Knickerbocker Christmas memory because of who it came against.
Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukkah to all!!
Brother Ray. When I saw the title of the post, my automatic thought was: The Bernard game MUST be number 1. We are on the same page my man. As an early adolescent, Bernard was my basketball hero. But my #2 guy was the Great Michael Ray Richardson, which prompted a sit down with my dad as to why his 12 year old son had a thing for a bass head...lol With that being said, that was such an exciting game for me because not only did Bernard drop 60, but my other guy, THE GREAT SUGAR RAY, dropped 36 as well and went off too! What an exciting moment for me and an equally troubling moment for my dad....lol