1992 The Bulls began defense of their first NBA title on the 24th of April..After a short,dominating 3 game sweep over the upstart Miami Heat the Knicks rolled into Chicago as the underdogs and completely overlooked by the Bulls. It was a huge mistake by Chicago because the Knicks punched them in the mouth in their own place. The New York D was tenacious....annihilating Jordan and Pip when they drove the lane. Ewing and Oakley completely dominated Grant and Cartwright,physically dominated. It was a huge shock to fans and players alike that the Knicks could do this...and thus begin what is one of my all-time favorite play-off series. It was a total,brutal war. The whole series was hard fought. Many flagrant fouls and many hard fouls..lots of people at the floor when they drove the lane and the Knicks firmly established themselves as an Eastern powerhouse where as Chicago had dig way down within themselves to find what they needed to win. It was constantly back and forth. Knicks win one,Bulls win the next and everygame was the same. In my mind I thought the Knicks had finally landed a knockout blow in game 6. They hammered the Bulls in MSG,thoroughly beat them and ended up winning the game by 14. I thought it was the final nail in the coffin of Chicago,but MJ came out in the seventh game and showed why he is considered the greatest. He took over the game and ensured the Bulls would advance,but it was also clear in that seventh game that the series had emotionally drained New York they had let it all hangout in game 6th and their tank was empty. But I think had the Knicks gotten past Chicago they would have won the title,furthermore I think the '91-'92 Knicks were the Knicks' best team of the 90's and represented their best chance for winning a championship. I know the Knicks sent two teams to the finals in the years to follow but I think the '92 squad was indeed the best. As for the Bulls team,nothing that I can say that hasn't been said many times over. But it just goes to show you why Jordan was the greatest to ever play the game. They said that a team couldn't be successfully built around a guard,but Jordan proved them all wrong. What do you guys think...had the Bulls been eliminated could the Knicks have gotten past the Daugherty led Cavaliers? Could the Blazers have stood up to the Knicks? Could they have taken them on down low? Or were the Blazers good enough all the way around in '92,that they could have beaten New York?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting BigNasty:</div><div class="quote_post">What do you guys think...had the Bulls been eliminated could the Knicks have gotten past the Daugherty led Cavaliers? Could the Blazers have stood up to the Knicks? Could they have taken them on down low? Or were the Blazers good enough all the way around in '92,that they could have beaten New York</div> I think the Blazers would've beaten the Knicks....they were just so good up and down...that was when Jerome Kersey was actually good and Buck Williams wasn't that old!!
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting notMuchgame:</div><div class="quote_post">I think the Blazers would've beaten the Knicks....they were just so good up and down...that was when Jerome Kersey was actually good and Buck Williams wasn't that old!!</div> I'm not very familiar on this sort of thing. I'd be willing to learn. I was wondering if you and Big Nasty could elaborate on these teams and their players in comparison to the Bulls. That'd really help me to understand this some more. Thanks.
Well in my mind...during the '91-'92 Playoffs there were three teams that had what it took to be NBA Champion. The Knicks,the Bulls and the Blazers... <u>Knicks of '92</u> C - Pat Ewing F - Gerald Wilkins F - Xavier McDaniel G - John Starks G - Mark Jackson Bench Charles Oakley Kiki Vandeweghe Greg Anthony Anthony Mason (There were more but these cats were the key ones) <u>The Bulls OF '92</u> G - Michael Jordan G - BJ Armstrong F - Scottie Pippen F - Horace Grant C - Bill Cartwright Bench John Paxson Craig Hodges Will Purdue Stacy King <u>Blazers of '92</u> G - Clyde Drexler G - Terry Porter F - Jerome Kersey F - Clifford Robinson C - Buck Williams Bench Kevin Duckworth Danny Ainge Robert Pack Alaa Abdelnaby Now of all these teams,I think New York is the strongest top to bottom....the most depth and some good scoring punch off the pine. The Blazers were deep too just not as deep or as strong as New York,I think the Knicks' D would completely overwhelmed Clyde and the Blazers. Of course,in all this MJ defies logic and defeats the Knicks,almost by himself,in game 7 of the ECSF.
Well, I kind of think McDaniel and Wilkins were on the downhill of their careers... The knicks were always a physical team, but I think Portalnd could match up with that in Kersey and Williams...I don't think there was anyone on that knick team that could stop Drexler...
