Blood and Iron in New York

While everyone is mourning the 2004 Pistons and reminiscing about how tough the 2008 Celtics' defense was, many have forgotten the New York Knicks of the '90s, overshadowed by the glory of His Airness. There was no flashy Showtime here, only the clash of iron will and muscle, and ugly “IN-OUT” plays. There was Gorilla Ewing blocking shots, the muscle-bound Oakley and Mason, the workhorse Starks, and later, Grandma Larry Johnson. They perfectly embodied the spirit of '90s New York: ordinary talent, doing things their own way, working tirelessly, and ultimately making it big. If Isiah Thomas, the biggest disaster in New York history and the NBA's most charitable man in 2003, had never descended upon the Big Apple, could that spirit have lived on? Could seven years of foreknowledge help him build a New York Knicks team even stronger than the one from the '90s? Only time will tell.