"It's not until I checked the newspaper the following day and saw who was on the backside of that play. When I saw it was Michael Jordan I was like, (laughing) "yeah, I got you"!-John Starks to J.B. Smoove on 'Four Courses'.
Read all about the sweetest bite of Big Apple, Knickerbocker glory. The city of New York needed this. This was hoops history in the making. Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls where the two-time NBA champions about to make their first three-peat mark on the golden era of the 90's, that belonged to Jordan just like the Garden of Madison Square everytime Mike entered it via the service elevator. Someone was rising higher than that though. In the worlds most famous arena, in the planets most recognizable city of dreams, their Knick Basketball team at the peak of its notiriety and the sports popularity was still an underdog. Despite the record breaking and pacing 60-win season and despite having the greatest basketball player of all-time and his equally great team on the receiving end, winding down seconds of a 2-zip series lead. A commanding, home-court presence that amazingly they'd lose over the next four straight. Still in a moment that rivals Broadway or the Rucker for the sport, team and cities greatest moment none of that mattered. B.J. Armstrong's D, didn't matter. Neither did the presence of defensive hounds Horace Grant or Bill Cartwright, because hey Michael Jordan was about to be in another poster for the bedroom walls, but my friends he didn't make it...instead he made this moment that much more special in a different way. With all the mite of his trademark passion, hustle, enthusiasm and energy, John Starks saw an opening, a couple of steps was all it took and then BOOM! His Hall Of Fame and frame moment came in something that still sells in N.Y.C. tourist stops to this day . As the Knick ironman John Starks went all Tony Stark confident this Avenger flew. As electric as Times Square, he rose higher than the Empire State as cheers could be heard all the way in Central Park between the hot dogs and pretzels. What a dunk, what a play and what a guy! A guy that embodies the underdog status of New York and their Knick franchise perfectly. An All-Star, Hall Of famer from blood, sweat, tears and blue-collar years with the orange. BANG! The perfect dunk, they still talk about over dinner today. You've seen J.B. Smoove's 'Four Courses' and in fact that inspired this new feature (so thank you J.B.). Some 'Instant Replay' moments last forever all you need to do is look back. New York and it's garden of Eden has never made so much of a Stark exclamation!. TIM DAVID HARVEY.
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