Sports Then and Now

With the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers about to meet for the NBA’s Eastern Conference title, NBA fans are excited for the latest installment of a legendary rivalry that captivated fans during the 1990s.

In the pantheon of great NBA rivalries, few matchups were as intense, dramatic, and personal as the New York Knicks vs. Indiana Pacers during the 1990s. From 1993 to 2000, these two Eastern Conference foes clashed in the playoffs six times, creating unforgettable moments, unforgettable villains and heroes, and a storyline that embodied the gritty, physical nature of 1990s basketball.

At the center of the storm was Reggie Miller, the Pacers’ sharpshooting provocateur, and the Madison Square Garden faithful, who loved to hate him. On the other side were the bruising Knicks, led by Patrick Ewing and a cast of enforcers. Every meeting between these teams was a war, often decided by physicality, willpower, and late-game heroics.

The Origins: 1993 Eastern Conference First Round

The rivalry’s spark came in the 1993 Eastern Conference First Round, when the second-seeded Knicks met the seventh-seeded Pacers. At the time, the Knicks were considered legitimate title contenders, while the Pacers were still trying to establish themselves as a postseason threat.

New York, led by head coach Pat Riley, played a bruising, physical style centered on Ewing, Charles Oakley, and John Starks. They swept the Pacers in three games, but the intensity was unmistakable. Though the series was one-sided, it planted the seeds of hatred and set the tone for what would follow.

1994: The Rivalry Erupts

The rivalry exploded into full bloom during the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals. The Knicks were again contenders, while the Pacers, now coached by Larry Brown, had developed into a dangerous team built around Reggie Miller, Dale and Antonio Davis, and veteran point guard Mark Jackson.

The series went the full seven games, but it was Game 5 at Madison Square Garden that defined the rivalry. Reggie Miller scored 25 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter, raining down three-pointers and engaging in a memorable, animated exchange with Knicks superfan Spike Lee. Miller’s theatrical taunts and the iconic “choke” sign aimed at Lee became part of NBA lore.

After joining the rest of the country in taking a pause back in March, the NBA is looking to get back to work with a return to game action this week. If all goes well, the NBA hopes to crown a 2019-2020 champion by mid-October.

Unlike Major League Baseball, which is attempting to play games in home cities, the NBA made the decision to create a bubble at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando with all games being played at one location. Like MLB and other leagues, they will be playing in an empty arena.

Given the challenges that MLB has already seen after just one weekend of teams staying in hotels and traveling on airplanes, it looks like pretty good strategy by the NBA to take the travel element out of the equation and instead have everyone in one location without regular outside contact.

Of course, given the nuances that the COVID-19 virus has shown, there is no guarantee that even creating a bubble can keep 200+ athletes safe for an extended period of time. However, if odds were being given, I would have to say I feel the NBA is more likely to be playing to the conclusion of their season than MLB or even the NFL, which also plans to play in home stadiums beginning in September.

As of Thursday night, the eight teams that lead the NBA in Defensive Rating have a combined 245-111 (.688 winning percentage). The bottom eight teams in that metric have a combined 120-235 (.358 winning percentage). Every bottom-eight team has a sub-.500 record and just one team (Orlando Magic: 21-24) has a sub-.500 mark from the top-eight group. Therefore, even in today’s offensive-oriented, perimeter-centric NBA, defense matters… a lot.

The top-eight teams (Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Magic and Utah Jazz) share some of the most crucial components of a sound defense. It is no surprise that the people who give out NBA expert picks are making a killing betting these teams this season. All of these teams do a great job with limiting high-percentage shots in the paint, creating turnovers, box out and grab boards and, in turn, limit opposing second-chance points. In many ways, their defensive prowess sets the tone for their offense. Creating turnovers often times leads to fast-break opportunities and high-percentage shots around the rim or wide-open looks on the perimeter. Repeatedly getting stops leads on defense also leads to some impressive scoring runs on the other end of the floor, where the offense can feed off of the momentum. 

With the NBA season nearly a month old it seems safe to say that after nearly a decade of struggles the Los Angeles Lakers are back on top of the NBA and the Western Conference. Of course, adding Anthony Davis to a squad that already included one of the all-time greats in LeBron James certainly helped hasten their rebuilding.

Currently 17-3, the Lakers are clearly among the betting favorites and you can get your list of all betting offers to back them up. Other betting sites are anticipating the Lakers to win the playoffs at 3/1 in average, meaning stakes are high. You could use this fact to your early advantage and place a bet now on the LA Lakers.

In many ways, the start of this season is a reminder of how quickly things can change in professional sports.

After being the dominant team in the NBA over the last five years, the Golden State Warriors have been devastated by injury and are off to a league worst 4-18 start. With Klay Thompson likely out for the season and Stephen Curry expected to be sidelined for at least three months with a broken hand, their chances of returning to the playoffs is very doubtful and bookies are giving them odds as low as -450.

In a complete contrast, the Lakers were 37-45 last year and haven’t made the playoffs since the 2012-2013 season. However, their off-season acquisition of Davis has paid immediate dividends.

Perhaps no sport is more associated with fashion than the NBA. The competition among players to dress the best is fierce, and it’s become a big part of the news cycle surrounding the league.

Players receive a lot of chances to flaunt their fashion choices. The most notable is the pre-game walk through the tunnel. Traveling to and from games, press conferences and other events provide opportunities as well.

Over the last few decades though, the story of the NBA and fashion has moved beyond just pre-game and press conference outfits. Players such as Russell Westbrook and James Harden make regular appearances at world-famous fashion shows and on the covers of style magazines. Many players also have their own fashion lines and brand collaborations. Westbrook even wrote a book, titled Style Drivers, about his relationship with fashion.

In 2017, the NBA officially recognized the importance of fashion for the league by introducing the NBA Style Award, which the league gave out alongside awards for most valuable player and rookie of the year. Westbrook took home first place, followed by Cleveland’s Iman Shumpert and Chicago’s Dwyane Wade. Read the rest of this entry →

The Sports Then and Now Vintage Athlete of the Month may have had a pretty common name, but his iron man streak as an NBA player was anything but ordinary.

In a streak that lasted more than a decade, Randy Smith played in 906 consecutive NBA games to establish an NBA iron man record that lasted more than a decade.

That Smith made it to the NBA at all was somewhat of an underdog story.

A three-sport standout at Bellsport High School in Long Island (basketball, soccer and track), Smith also was a three-sport All-American at Division II Buffalo State College. He helped lead the Bengals to three straight basketball conference championships and a spot in the 1970 Division II Final Four. Read the rest of this entry →