When An Absolute MADMAN Stole A Finals Game...

Do you remember the time when this absolute madman stole a finals game from the heavy favorite Spurs? Well, just 18 months prior, Latrell Sprewell was fighting for his NBA career. After shocking the entire basketball world by beating up his Warriors coach PJ Carlesimo in ‘97, Spree’s reputation was in ruins. But then came New York, and by the summer of ‘99, the league’s ultimate villain had transformed into the heartbeat of one of the most improbable playoff runs in NBA history! Down by a point against the no.1 seeded Heat in a deciding game 5, Sprewell poked the ball out of Hardaway’s hands on their last possession, which ultimately led us to this iconic moment. Allan Houston freezes Pat Riley and the Heat with the game winner at the last second, amazing! In the 2nd round, the Knicks swept the Atlanta Hawks with Spree averaging a team high 22.5 points per game. But then came the Pacers and Reggie Miller in the Eastern Conference Finals. And in a heartbreaking game 2, Knicks fans saw their legend - Patrick Ewing falling down with a season ending injury. So, being heavily undermanned and written off by everybody, New York came up with another miracle in game 3. Larry Johnson causes mayhem in the Garden by completing a crucial 4 point play to take over the lead which eventually secured them the win. Unbelievable. This was a breaking point in the series and the Knicks finished the job in 6 games. Heading into the Finals, Sprewell led the entire NBA in playoff scoring, cementing himself as New York’s focal point. However, they had to face Goliath in the end. The Spurs had the best record in the entire league and fueled by the Twin Towers, Duncan and Robinson, won game 1 and 2 comfortably at home. Back in the days, the finals format was 2-3-2, so despite trailing 0-2 in the series, the Knicks' hopes were high playing the next 3 games at MSG. And the place was rocking. It was Houston who led the Knicks with 30 points through the 1st - 3 quarters… But despite all of that, the Spurs were right there, trailing only by 3 points heading into the 4th. And this is where our hero steps in. Sprewell slices through the defense for a spectacular up and under finish against Duncan. And on the next possession, Marcus Camby almost brought the house down. The Camby Man destroys the rim with a ferocious putback slam and the fans are roaring! Then, off of Duncan’s miss here, look at Spree outrunning everybody in transition. He was the original Russell Westbrook, a thousand miles per hour on the fastbreak. And after drawing the foul here, Latrell gave the Knicks a 7 point lead from the free throw line. Larry Johnson, who was shooting a horrible 1 of 11 from downtown in the series thus far, got a wide open look from the corner and nailed it. 2 possessions later, Allan Houston got his 1st bucket of the quarter to put New York up by double digits for the 1st time in the finals. And look at this graphic for Christ sake, the trio of Sprewell, Houston and Johnson combined for 67 of the team’s 78 points. Damn. That was the reality, so Latrell needed to keep his foot on the gas. So, down by 9 inside the 5 minute mark, the Spurs knew that it was time to ramp up the pace… Sean Elliot cuts the lead to 4 points in the clutch, forcing Van Gundy to call a timeout. And coming out of it, the Knicks needed an answer to fend off the favorites. Houston and Camby with back-to-back buckets gave the Knicks an 8 point lead with little over 2 minutes to play. But they’ll need more than that to secure the win, as we see Eliot coming right back to cut the deficit to 6 points. So, with 70 seconds left in the game and the entire arena on its feet, Sprewell goes for the kill! Latrell completes his scoring spree in the 4th quarter with 10 of his 24 points, putting the Spurs away for good. This made Ewing proud and Knicks fans are still wondering till this day what would’ve happened if he’s been fully healthy. #nbafinals #knicks #spurs