NBA / Jul 26, 2011 / 2:00 pm

John Starks And What Really Happened In The 1994 NBA Finals

By

John Starks

John Starks

By now you’re familiar with our “Pass the Mic” series – a feature where he give the pen and pad to some of our best readers to let them drop knowledge on the NBA. We’ve had previous posts on everything from game-saving rule changes to essays on how money is ruining the world’s greatest game to imagining what life would be like without Mike. Today, we’re turning the space over to Michael Kochan, who reflects on what REALLY happened in the 1994 NBA Finals.

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Words. Michael Kochan

As the exciting 2011 NBA Playoffs came to a climax with the NBA Finals, we found ourselves watching a very intriguing match-up between the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat, a rematch of sorts from the 2006 NBA Finals. Both teams were stacked with many NBA veterans looking to break through and win their first NBA Championship. Dirk Nowitzki, LeBron James, Shawn Marion, Jason Kidd, Chris Bosh, Jason Terry, Tyson Chandler, Mike Bibby, Peja Stojakovic were among the long list of veterans hungry to win their first title.

Going back 17 years we also had a battle of two veteran teams looking to break through and win the NBA Championship, as the New York Knicks faced off against the Houston Rockets in the 1994 NBA Finals. Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Oakley, Kenny Smith and John Starks were among the veterans looking to come through and win it for the first time.

Unfortunately for Knick fans, New York came up short losing in seven games. Since 1973, it has been the closest the Knicks have come to winning the NBA Championship, and still till this day, people in New York sulk about that infamous series. Almost every game was closely played and some games went right down to the wire. Sometimes people are found pointing the finger at New York City’s beloved John Starks, who shot very poorly and did not play well in Game 7 (shooting 2-18 with eight points) as the Knicks went on to lose the game 90-84. You still hear about this all the time, references to John’s bad Game 7, in articles and on television.

Just this past January after the Knicks beat the Heat at the Garden 93-88, ESPN’s Ian O’Connor said that “LeBron James shot the ball like John Starks did in Game 7 of the ‘94 Finals”. It’s still to this day a bitter pill to swallow for Knicks fans. Yet the full story of John Starks and the 1994 NBA Finals is never truly discussed and is unknown to many basketball fans.

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  • http://www.dimemag.com Dylan Murphy

    Those were the days. Hopefully Melo and STAT can lead us back to the promise land. Even if his jersey is never retired, he’ll always be beloved by many.

  • Promoman

    Comparing Dirk to John in the Finals isn’t accurate at all. Dirk didn’t have the best line but he was playing sick and injured. He’s a better shooter than John ever was. Dirk’s been called a lot of things but he didn’t and never has been a confirmed chucker like John. The thing about John is that he always had crazy shot selection. He’d shoot when he should pass and pass when he should shoot. I’ll concede that he’d play hard defense and could be a gamebreaker but the dude was one of those guys who singlehandedly kills your chances of winning.I’ve read and heard plenty of interviews over the years from Patrick Ewing and other guys on that Knicks team getting on him and about that choke job and his shooting. He’d also rack up stupid fouls and techs too. That’s another reason why guys like MJ and Reggie Miller would just rape him in the big games. John Starks is the patron saint to guys like J.R. Smith and Russell Westbrook. They may have talent but look elsewhere if you’re trying to go all the way. It’s true that there’s two sides to every story but it only goes so far when somebody willingly chooses to fuck up in most cases.

  • Ian

    kinda agree with proman but ewing cant say shit about starks in the finals ewing avged 18ppg on 33percent shooting thats the reason the knicks didnt win also didnt he miss a layup vs the pacers in the playoffs in a elimination game?

  • bobby stew

    I had a blue John Starks jersey on during this series. I think was at basketball camp. I still had mad love for Starks afterwards

  • Aussie Ric

    Awesome article, really well written. Certainly changes my perception of Starks. As a Rockets fan (and never actually having been able to see the games due to Australia being lame), I’ve always loved getting on my Knicks fan buddies for Starks’ performance. Might have to rethink that strategy…

  • Promoman

    @ Ian

    You’re right about that. While Ewing has a choker resume as well but he isn’t an overrated folk hero like Starks is.

  • http://www.dimemag.com BarbosaSamosa

    Starks’ Jersey hangs on the wall above my bed…legend

  • Josh Tha roc

    @Aussie Ric
    That series was shown in Australia, i watched all 7 games, it was on late at night but it was shown. And Starks was awesome through 6 games but maybe hubert shoulda come in a little earlier.

  • jackass

    olajuwon is a beast, best center ever… bill and wilt who?

  • https://www.sportsbetting.com.au/basketball_betting dcyrilcasa

    Stark surely choked on game 7. And I hated him since then. I lost a lot of money on that game.

  • mark

    I live in NY though I’m a Nets fan, I watched that game 7, and not to be redundant we were all screaming at the tv ..”JUST PASS!” He was cold. It’s not his fault he was cold, some times you go cold. What is his fault is not adjusting to being cold.
    The other side of the story realy is where else were points going to come from. Ewing was out matched and well defended. Then who? Charles “pumpfake fatality” Smith?, Oak, Mason, Rolando Blackman?
    It was a team built on D. with to few options. The Rockets clearly focused on the interior, and Ewing, then rolled the dice that the out side game of NY could not beat them 4 times. They bet right.
    It was not John as much as it was statistics.

  • doc

    John Starks aint no damn great u trippin.And he got his swatted at the end of game 6 no excuses.Nobody talks about that game because after the stinker he put up in game 7 it was meaningless.U hear anybody talking about how Lebron killed Boston?

  • joe

    I still to this day blame the game 7 loss on pat the rat.If he woulda looked down the bench he woulda seen rolando blackman and subbed him in. There must have been a reason why he didnt sub blackman but I guess we will never know.

  • http://deleted dagwaller

    Lol doc always kills it

  • http://www.DarkWingPro.com DarkWing Productions

    lol @ joe’s “Pat the Rat” comment

    I remember watching that series as a youngin’, and it still weighs heavy on my heart till this day

  • joe

    hey dark
    I just callem as I see them.After that game,with my 2 sons,aged 14 and 9 we didnt wanna talk to anyone for days. Even they were yelling at the tv to take starks out and put in rolando. To this day we all blame the rat for that loss and someday its gonna come out why he did what he did. And when it does I hope that some old disgrunted Knicks fan like myself finds that slick haired rat and smacks him upside his stupid head.

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