Missing the Thugs

For some reason in 1994 I decided to spend my summer staying atcollege in Madison Wisconsin. If I would've known ahead of time about the Knicks or even OJ, I probably would've gotten my ass home. 1994 was the summer of the New York Knicks or rather The Thugs. Oak, Mase, Ewing, Starks, Harper. Riley. They were a street gang disguised as a basketball team.

Here's something about me as a fan. I don't tend to root all that much for players. I never got that into saying "this guy is my favorite" or needing to sleep with a Bernard King jersey on. It was never about the players for me. Maybe it's a little Norman Dale of me but i was more about "team team team: five players on the floor functioning as one single unit." And in rooting for team what i always have been rooting for the NYC and that's why i loved the New York Thugs. They were bad ass motherfuckers who didn't give a shit. You think Oakley gave a fuck? You know better. Mase? Come on now. Starks? Press play on that baseline drive over MJ and then answer me. During his years on the NY sidelines, Pat Riley was the best dressed pimp in town.

The two teams I've loved the most as a fan were the 1986 Mets and the 1994 Knicks. The reason. They were New York. They were New York like a cab driver sticking his middle finger out the window after cutting you off. They were the "fuck you pay me" part of the NYC and rooting for them made this jewish kid from queens feel like an extra in the Warriors.

So now I am sitting here, NBA Finals tip on Thursday and I am wishing for some Thugs on the set. I want one more afternoon of Go New York Go in my tape player volume set for Apocolyptic just before tip off. I want DWade to drive in the lane once and be introduced to Oakleys forearm. I want Mase with whole paragraphs sculpted into his head D up'd on Dirk I want Starks doing THE DUNK: THE SEQUEL over both Shaq and Zo. I want Derek Harper just sitting on the top of the key eye to eye with the Glove and letting it rain and keeping his wrist in release for the photo op. I want Ewing one more time on the top of the scorers table after CORRECTLY predicting the Knicks win game 7 over the Cubans. Give me this one and tell me I'm not dreaming. Give me Marv and "The New York Knickerbockers are the NBA Champions."You telling me either of these teams could deal with what those Knicks had to offer? I haven't even mentioned the possibility of Greg Anthony leaping off the bench in his Thug wear to beat on Jason Terry.



I know the Rockets beat them in 7 but Starks was on crack, Riley forgot that he was allowed to make substitutions and we have all deleted it from memory. (Ro Blackman is still pissed at Riley about that shit) How about this? I know the NBA wants to forget the Thugs ever existed. That's fine. Let's doit this way. Mavs v Heat for the NBA whatever championship. Riley gets a ring. Stan Van Gundy is allowed to speak again, Mark Cuban whines. Hasselhoff consoles Dirk. Ok so when that's settled we do the real deal. Cool? Just one thing. THUGS got next.

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Stephen Palgon is an actor/writer/producer or sometimes, depending on the pay check, the other way around. He's produced features and documentaries for ESPN and HBO including "Legendary Nights: Hagler Hearns" and "Star Crossed: The Shakespearean Tragedy of Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden". He wants it known that Oscar De La Hoya is a fraud and Marvelous Marvin got a raw deal all around. He's man enough to admit that he's seen every season of the Real World, is a member of the Axial Theater Company and loves a duo called Hall and Oates. He saw LJ's four point play live and remains in mourning for his beloved Knicks.