Category: Sports News

Two-time NBA All-Star Reggie Theus remembers the 1981 playoffs. In a “big time” opening round series, his Chicago Bulls faced the New York Knicks. The first game tipped off in one of the world’s most famous arenas, Madison Square Garden, and it included stars such as Artis Gilmore, Bill Cartwright and Michael Ray Richardson. The Bulls won game one and went on to win the series, playing Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics in the next round. Theus scored 37 points in the clincher against New York, an overtime victory in the Windy City. But it was a thrill he never quite felt again.

While Theus made the playoffs three more times in his long career, he never again featured in such a glitzy postseason showdown like Chicago versus New York. During his 13-years in the league, the he suited up for teams like the Kansas City and then Sacramento Kings (the team relocated to NorCal in 1985) and Orlando Magic. In a way, he was like a kettle moving from the front to the back burners. Indeed, more often than not, the NBA’s glamour markets – cities like Los Angeles, Boston, New York and Chicago – get the attention. But those aren’t its only teams, nor are they necessarily the places with the most success in any one season.

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In this year’s playoffs, many of the franchises came from small markets, including the top seeds in each conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers, as well as several of its now-Conference finalists. But while big markets like New York, Miami or Golden State can draw free-agents thanks to their reputations and attraction for nightlife and entertainment, it’s hard not to wonder what life is like for the pros who live and hoop in smaller, more modest locales?

For Theus, who played more years in places like Sacramento than he did Chi-town, the difference felt obvious. “You just get that hometown feel that small markets have,” Theus says. “Everyone sort of knows each other on a personal level.” Some teams, he says, just have a family feel to them. One organization he cites is San Antonio. While Theus never played for the Spurs, he sees how the culture that squad built over decades led to winning, stability and consistency. “There aren’t a lot of different things getting in the way there,” he says.

While some fans may think that small town life for an NBA star is boring, Theus explains that it was quite the opposite. “You end up doing what the city has to offer,” Theus says. “I’m an archer and [Sacramento and Orlando] had a lot of hunting and fishing for me. It was great. I don’t know anybody that was bored or didn’t have fun. You did a lot more things together with your teammates. Small towns are personal, which is part of the charm.”

When Theus played in the 1980s and 1990s, life was different than it is today. If you were in Sacramento, there wasn’t much national media exposure. Today, though, the reigning NBA MVP, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, has already been featured in a number of significant TV commercials. As have players like Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo. Thanks to social media, NBA League Pass and streaming services, any player anywhere can become a household name. But when Theus played, it wasn’t nearly so easy to get national attention.

“Small markets sometimes feel like they’re on an island by themselves,” he says. But there’s also a big benefit to that, he notes: “[The players] become closer.” Theus says he is still in regular touch with teammates he had in Sacramento and Orlando. But that’s not the same with those in Chicago. It’s a tradeoff. In smaller markets there’s less attention but with that comes, perhaps, a more normal life.

“If you’re in Chicago, LA, New York, there are no other places like that,” Theus says. “Those are the three biggest media markets around. So, obviously there’s no place like that. The nightlife – and when I say the nightlife, I’m thinking of dinner spots, entertainment and so forth – those three places are unique.”

Age can also be a factor in how you see playing in a smaller market. When Theus played in Chicago, he was in his early 20s – and the world was his oyster. When he was in Orlando, he was more mature, and in his 30s. In between, he was in sleepy Sacramento. Today’s NBA stars earn tens of millions of dollars a year. That affords a lavish life, from private jets to vacations around the globe. If you’re young and want to party, you can find a way today, even if you’re in a smaller city. Still, though, when it comes to a city’s reputation or celebrity fans? Some have all the luck.

“There is no place like Madison Square Garden,” four-time All-Star Michael Ray Richardson tells the Guardian. “Sugar,” as he was known then, played in the Big Apple for four years before suiting up across the river in the smaller New Jersey for four more. “In New York, you got all the movie stars and actors and all of that,” he says. “In New Jersey, you really didn’t have none of that.”

For Richardson, who now lives in Lawton, about 70 miles south of Oklahoma City, he’s seen what a winning team can mean to a region that is otherwise devoid of major pro sports. It’s something to rally around, he says, to enjoy together as a community. A winner like OKC can make a state feel like one giant college campus. “The whole state is going crazy,” says Richardson, “because there’s no other professional team here. So, if you go to an Oklahoma City Thunder game, it’s like a college atmosphere. It’s unreal.”

Robert Parish won three titles with Bird and the Celtics in the prime of his career, and a fourth with Michael Jordan’s Bulls. But in between, he played for two years in Charlotte, which at the time was an expansion team in one of the NBA’s smallest markets. Comparing the places, Parish says tradition stands out. If there’s history, there’s more to cheer for, although history is not always connected to size – just look at how the Packers are intertwined with the lore of Green Bay and the NFL. The same goes for the Spurs in San Antonio

“The obvious difference is reputation,” Parish says. “The larger cities [often] have that long, rich history of being loud, loyal and appreciative with crazy fans.” Still, Parish says, victories translate to both types of NBA cities. “The celebrity athletes got the love [in Charlotte] because the Hornets gave the fans a reason to be proud – winning! Same reason for the fan loyalty in bigger markets.”

There may be no team in the world with as much tradition as the Celtics – thanks, in part, to Parish. But it’s something Theus recognizes, too. “When you think about the Boston Celtics,” Theus says, “when you think about LA and Chicago, the sports history is a big factor. The lineage runs deeper because it’s been there for so long.” He adds, “Of course, Sacramento has grown up quite a bit now. But when we first got there, we had to tell the fans they weren’t supposed to clap so hard for the other team! … There was a real learning curve.”

INDIANAPOLIS – Around 10 pm on Sunday, some of you were probably putting Karl-Anthony Towns in the trade machine. Maybe it was for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Maybe Kevin Durant.

Other Knick fans were cursing Tom Thibodeau’s coaching or Jalen Brunson’s turnovers.

Things looked bleak at the time.

The Knicks were 12 minutes away from a 3-0 deficit in the Eastern Conference Finals and probably a few days away from the start of their offseason.

And then, improbably, Towns saved the Knicks’ season.

Towns’ 20 points in the first seven minutes of the fourth quarter gave the Knicks life in a game where they looked stuck in the mud.

When Towns started scoring, the Knicks were down 10. When he hit a 30-foot three pointer with 5:07 to play, New York led by four and had a clear path to win No. 1 in the Eastern Conference Finals.

They sealed the win with a big basket from Brunson, huge rebounds and clutch free throws from Josh Hart.

But none of it would have mattered without Towns’ 20 points.

“Fourth quarter is different. It’s a whole ‘nother game,” he said afterward. “Forget that last game and those last three quarters and just focus on giving yourself a change to win the game.”

THE RIGHT ROTATION MOVES

Thibodeau shook up the lineup ahead of Game 3, inserting Mitchell Robinson and moving Hart to the bench.

He also changed his rotation, giving minutes to Landry Shamet and Delon Wright ahead of Cam Payne.

After the game, Thibodeau didn’t go into great detail when asked to explain the decisions.

“Whatever gives your team the best chance to win. I know you try to put everything into a box. I don’t work that way,” Thibodeau said in response to a question about his rotation. “People think, ‘I want a low-scoring game.’ No, I just want more point than they have. I don’t care if it’s low scoring, high scoring, medium scoring. I just wanna win. That’s the bottom line.

“Whatever gives us the best chance to win, that’s what we’re gonna do. And so, that’s what I felt was gonna give us the best chance to win tonight’s game, so that’s why we did it.”

The Knicks starting lineup had been outscored by 29 in the first two games of the Pacers series.

They were a +1 in 14 minutes on Sunday.

The Knicks’ original starting lineup – Brunson, Towns, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Hart – was a +9 in 3:30 in the game.

Whether you agree with Thibodeau’s moves or not, you can’t say they didn’t lead to success on Sunday night.

With Miles McBride in foul trouble, Thibodeau went to Wright and then Shamet.

Shamet had been out of the rotation since early in the Detroit series. Wright hadn’t played regular minutes in roughly seven weeks. But both players contributed to the Knicks’ fourth-quarter comeback.

McBride had nine points and a steal in 14 second-half minutes.

New York outscored Indiana by 12 with McBride on the floor in the second half.

“Coach did a great job with moving things around and we figured it out,” he said.

HART TO HART WITH THIBS

Hart had a huge contested rebound of a Myles Turner missed three with 20 seconds to go. The Knicks led by two at the time. Hart drew a foul on the rebound and hit both of his free throws to give New York a two-possession lead.

He was everywhere in the fourth quarter, finishing with five rebounds (two offensive), two assists and one steal. He also hit all four of his free throws.

Not bad for a bench player.

After the game, Hart said that he played a significant role in Thibodeau’s lineup decision.

He’d been thinking about the lineup change since late in the Boston series when he was having a tough time against Luke Kornet. When it was time to make the switch, Hart was fully on board.

“It was kind of my decision. I was comfortable with it,” Hart said after the game. “It was something that I’ve had in the back of my mind and I’ve always been wiling to do. Down two (games against the Pacers), especially with how (Robinson) played last game, that was something that we had to do. And obviously that’s a group decision that really boils down to Thibs and myself (agreeing on it).”

The decision obviously worked out well on Sunday.

The same can be said for Thibodeau’s decision to bring Brunson back in the game with 1:37 to play and the Knicks up by two. New York played for the previous five minutes with Brunson on the bench with foul trouble. Brunson also wasn’t producing for much of the game (he was 4-for-14 with three turnovers and one assist through three quarters).

But Brunson came in the game and hit a huge runner with 1:17 to go. The shot gave the Knicks a two-point lead that they would hold onto for the rest of the game.

“I knew we had to have him down the stretch,” Thibodeau said afterward.

And he knew the right time to get him in the game. After two tough games to open the series, Thibodeau deserves credit for the way he coached in Game 3.  

The Knicks needed someone to step up offensively on Sunday night. 

Time and time again this season that person has been Jalen Brunson -- there’s a reason he won the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year award -- but this time it was someone else’s turn to put the team on their back. 

After a rough first two and a half frames at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the Knicks found themselves struggling to get into a groove and trailing the Indiana Pacers by double digits late in the third. 

Finally, Miles McBride came off the bench and put together a 7-0 scoring run of his own to get them back within single digits heading into the fourth. 

New York ran with that momentum from there and Karl-Anthony Towns completely took things over offensively -- dominating during an incredible scoring run in which he put the team square on his back.

“He made some tough shots for us,” Josh Hart said. “He showed his ability to get to the rim, his ability to post-up, his ability to space the floor. He’s a tough matchup for anybody in the league when he has it going like that -- it’s great for us.”

The most notable bucket during that stretch was a monstrous slam on Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard, which gave the Knicks their first lead since early in the first quarter -- and they went on to pull out the come-from-behind win. 

Towns became just the second player in franchise history to put together a 20-point quarter in the playoffs. 

“My teammates were just putting me in spots to succeed and I wanted to capitalize on the opportunity,” Towns said. “All of us were just doing whatever it takes to win the game and put ourselves in a position to get back in the game -- shoutout to the locker room.”