New York Knicks vs. Atlanta Hawks 1999 Playoffs

On May 20, 1999, the New York Knicks beat the Atlanta Hawks in game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals 77 to 70. Lead by the raw talented defensive/offensive minded Latrell Sprewell with 31 while D. Mutombo had 17pts along with 17 rebounds. This game was saturated with half court grinding defense, hence is why we see the score below 80 for both ball clubs . The most underrated guard (Mookie Blaylock) in history had 17 pts and 8 rebounds and beside him the sharp shooting Steve Smith was held to just 9 points. Steve Smith was the Hawks leading scorer during the regular season which speaks Volumes about the #Knicks defense. When you have players like #Larry Johnson, #Patrick Ewing, and #Marcus (Umass) Camby waiting in the paint. It will be a long game. Also you have Chris Child's #punchKobe, Chris Dudley, Herb Williams, Allen "assassin" Houston and Charlie Ward #FSU. Although Hawks lost, they did not lay down. They put up a dog fight with players like Grant Long, Chris Crawford, Tyrone Corbin, Roshown Mcleod, Mark West, Anthony Johnson and Ed Gray. Please pay close attention once again to the way the NBA game was played. The half court offense was the most common way to play during the early days. Players posted up constantly because of their size and power of backing down their opponents to the basket. The NBA was considered dangerous to pop culture during this time due to the constant contact and refs letting players play ball. This is not a game like today where you run the floor and put up 150 points per game with no defense. We understand the rules had to change for entertainment purposes, hence is why the game has been watered down for scripted movies. Do not compare Eras.