Kudos to the Knicks for winning the NBA Emirates Cup.
As a Spurs fan, I obviously wanted them to win. But as a Spurs fan, I was impressed and honestly slightly astounded they made it to the Cup Finals. It hadn’t dawned on me and in previous years, I had not given the Cup competition much thought.
I am not bitter. Last night at rehearsal one of my bandmates said the “refs gave the win to the Knicks.” I don’t agree and fully accept the outcome for what it is.
But what I don’t agree with is turning a win
in a midseason competition in 2025 into redemption for the 1999 NBA Finals.
Patrick Ewing, Allan Houston, Latrell Sprewell…Jeff Van Gundy…1999? Who is looking out for Latrell Sprewell?
C’mon.
First of all, eight of the eighteen currently rostered Knicks weren’t born yet. Mitchell Robinson was in diapers (imagine the size of those Pampers). Another seven were under the age of five. Leaving two players: Jordan Clarkson, who was seven and had moved to San Antonio the previous year and most likely would have been roosting for the Spurs, and P. J. Tucker, who was fourteen at the time.
On the Spurs side, only seven current players were alive, and all under the age of nine.
So the players themselves had nothing vested in the outcome of the 1999 NBA Finals.
Listen, it was hard enough to get the rest of the non-Spursian basketball world to respect the Silver & Black, and it took more than one title since the 1999 Finals took place in a lockout year and were not considered legit by all. (I’m talking to you, Mr Phil “kiss my asterisk” Jackson.)
The NBA Cup is its own thing. It’s four games for all and then three more for those who sustain. Seven games total. It’s not a playoff run requiring 16 wins after an 82-game season. It deserves the respect it gets and the team that wins gets paid and has some bragging rights.
It does not right wrongs from a quarter century ago or validate the players from a bygone era.
So, please, let’s stop using the term redemption to describe the outcome of the 26th game of the season.
Welcome to the Thread. Join in the conversation, start your own discussion, and share your thoughts. This is the Spurs community, your Spurs community. Thanks for being here.
Our community guidelines apply which should remind everyone to be cool, avoid personal attacks, not to troll and to watch the language.
