Anthony Mason

[Shirley]

Surprising this hasn't already been posted.

http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/story/_ ... rd-dies-48" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Mason was possibly the most unlikely good NBA player I can remember. He had a goofy body and goofy form, but somehow was a really good player.

Hated those teams though. That style of constant grabbing defense really hurt the game of basketball for years (and no, that's not what Virginia does).

[howard]

All that muscle, and such a hard, physical style of play, he had incredibly soft hands and a light shooting touch. It was freaky; it seemed like he had a very high percentage of outside shots that didn't hit the rim, nothing but swish. I had season tickets the season they made the finals, pretty close to the floor, behind the basket so I saw him fairly close up a lot. Between him and Ewing, I never would've believed such big strong guys could have such touch.

Those two, Charles Oakley, Greg Anthony, Starks, what a bunch of brutes.

[Joe K]

Surprising this hasn't already been posted.

http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/story/_ ... rd-dies-48" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Mason was possibly the most unlikely good NBA player I can remember. He had a goofy body and goofy form, but somehow was a really good player.

Hated those teams though. That style of constant grabbing defense really hurt the game of basketball for years (and no, that's not what Virginia does).

I agree that the 1990s Knicks/Heat style was awful for the sport. It really took until the late-2000s for the NBA to recover. (Mike D'Antoni should make the HOF as a contributor for his influence in improving the quality of the NBA game.) But as someone in my early 30s who grew up in upstate New York, I've never cared as much about a pro sports team as I did those Knicks teams.

[Ryan]

We're losing Beastie Boys namechecks at an alarming rate

[DC47]

Yeah, he was a great one. He reminded me of Dennis Rodman, but with skill. A lot of that similarity was attitude. Was anyone more intimidating in the rough-house era he thrived in? Excuse me, I have to go work on my delts and triceps now.

[Bensell]

Easily my favorite Knick of the era when I really cared about the NBA. We went to a Pacers v. Knicks playoff game at Market Square Arena and were almost murdered because we were wearing Knicks shirts

[duff]

Easily my favorite Knick of the era when I really cared about the NBA. We went to a Pacers v. Knicks playoff game at Market Square Arena and were almost murdered because we were wearing Knicks shirts

Loved those series. And it easily could have been me making threats to any Knicks fans during that era.

[The Sybian]

We're losing Beastie Boys namechecks at an alarming rate

As long as we still have Abe Vigoda, who is still working according to IMDB. 94 years old. Not sue if he still has rhymes.