I love the NBA playoffs (What a simple introductory statement). I know I'm in the minority, but I prefer the NBA playoffs over the NFL playoffs, MLB playoffs, NCAA Tournament, UFC and basically any other sporting event you can name (other than UT football and maybe U.S. Open tennis). There's something mesmerizing about a best-of-seven series featuring the greatest athletes in the world.
As a born and bred Tennessean, I have often been asked, "How in the world did you become a New York Knicks fan?" Well, let me recite the story. As a youngster, I enjoyed NBA games, but I went into the '90s without a true "favorite" team. Just about all of my friends jumped on the Michael Jordan/Chicago Bulls bandwagon, and I didn't want to go down that road. Jordan was clearly the best player in the world, but I didn't see the joy in rooting for that Bulls bunch.
Going into the 1992 NBA playoffs, the Chicago Bulls were the defending champions and #1 seed while the New York Knicks were the #4 seed. In the '91 playoffs, the Bulls swept the Knicks 3-0 in the opening round in the 1-8 match up. One year later, the teams met up in the Conference Semis, and there weren't many pundits who expected any different of a result than the beat down that had occurred the year prior. What actually resulted was a tough, testy 4-3 series win for the Bulls. In fact, I would argue that series was the toughest the Bulls faced in their first 3-peat.
The '91-'92 Knicks were hard-nosed and tough as nails. They were led by Hall-of-Fame Center Patrick Ewing who played a tough, defensive brand of basketball. Ewing's toughness was supplemented by mean, front line players in Charles Oakley, Anthony Mason and Xavier McDaniel. At guard, the Knicks were led by Mark Jackson at the point and the up-start John Starks at the two-guard. Starks was as volatile as any player in the history of the league. Pat Riley coached this bunch, and Riley didn't allow his players to show any mercy (Cobra Kai style). The volatility, passion and lunch pail mentality are what drew me to the New York Knicks. Most of the other teams in the league seemed to hold Michael Jordan and the Bulls in some sort of reverence where they almost conceded defeat before the ball was even tipped. The Knicks didn't get that memo. They challenged, fought, clawed, scratched and competed vs. the Bulls with complete disregard for the reverence of Air Jordan. Although the 1992 Conference Semis series didn't end with the Knicks as the victors, I decided during the battle to hitch my fandom wagon to the New York Knicks.
Now let's fast forward to right now. I'm currently watching game 3 of the Heat/Bulls as I type this. The '12-'13 Miami Heat are the '92 Chicago Bulls. They are the prohibitive favorite and clearly the most talented team in the NBA. LeBron James is the NBA's current version of Michael Jordan, D. Wade is their Scottie Pippen, and Chris Bosh is their Horace Grant. The Miami Heat are coached by Erik Spolestra, but make no mistake, Pat Riley is the driving force behind that entire franchise. The six championship Bulls teams boasted the greatest coach in NBA history on their side in Phil Jackson.
This year's Bulls team is undermanned due to injury, and even at full strength, they're clearly not as talented the Miami Heat. That notwithstanding, this Bulls team reminds me of the early '90s Knicks. Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and Carlos Boozer are their Oakley, Mason and McDaniel. Jimmy Butler is not as crazy as John Starks, but he's their hard-nosed two-guard so the comparison works. Nate Robinson has a ton of Starks in him as well, and he's instant offense. The Bulls head coach is defensive-minded Tom Thibodeau who actually was an assistant for the Knicks from '96-'03. Finally, Derrick Rose is their Patrick Ewing (best player), but he's not involved in the series due to a long absence from an ACL tear.
This Bulls bunch doesn't take any of LeBron's crap, and they don't hold him in any special regard. The Bulls and Heat didn't shake hands before tonight's game, and Nazr Mohammed has already been ejected tonight for shoving King James. I don't expect the Bulls to win this series, but I love watching their competitive fire and grit. A few days ago, Colin Cowherd called this Bulls team "the most likable team in professional sports", and as a basketball fan who loves defense and rebounding, I have to agree. That doesn't mean I am now a Bulls fan by any stretch (Knicks and Grizz, baby), but if I were a youngster looking for a squad to all in love with, this Bulls team would be tops on my list.
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