But why is that even considered the Mecca when the Boston Garden was home to like 100 championship squads?
What about the Fabulous Forum, Chicago Stadium/United Center or even whatever arena the Spurs play in?
Why is New York City considered the Basketball "Mecca" when the Knicks only have 2 championships...
- Thread starter tuckgod
- Start date
But why is that even considered the Mecca when the Boston Garden was home to like 100 championship squads?
What about the Fabulous Forum, Chicago Stadium/United Center or even whatever arena the Spurs play in?
Now that you are asking all these questions, who decided that it was the Mecca??
My only guess is because of all the street ball legends from New York City..
I guess, but looking at how those "legends" paned out when they went up against players from other states, how legendary were they really?
mastermind
Rest In Power Kobe
NYC used to have a great HS and college bball sports scene which sprouted a lot of talent.
There isn't any mecca in American sports anymore as everything has become organized and commodified, but NYC still has a place in many hearts.
There isn't any mecca in American sports anymore as everything has become organized and commodified, but NYC still has a place in many hearts.
staticshock
Veteran
That nikka spent 5 minuets in NY
AnonymityX1000
Veteran
Maybe, but they are the most important minutes. lol
RhodyRum
Mark Gassed-A-Heaux
No one considers NY the mecca of basketball besides New York media and NY stans
This is the absolute truth. And you can blame the NY Islanders. You see, the Garden management understood years ago that their 2 inhabitants, the NY Knicks & the NY Rangers, while 2 flagship teams in their respective leagues, also have some of the SORRIEST histories in their leagues. As noted, the Knicks only have the 2 chips they won in the early 70s, and the Rangers only have 4 (and before 1994 - which is 24 years ago btw - their last Stanley Cup occured in 1940).
By contrast, the NY Islanders played their first game in 1972 (compared to the Rangers playing their first game in 1926). By 1984, a mere 12 years after their birth, they made 5 consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Finals (1980-1984), won 4 straight (1980-1983), beat what would become probably the greatest offensive show in NHL history for their last one (1983 vs Gretzky's Oilers), set probably the most impressive record in team sports that will probably never be broken (19 consecutive playoff series won 1980-1984), produced 5 Hall of Famers, with at least 1 player from each of the 3 position levels. Oh, and they produced maybe the hardest thing to do in pro sports: a dynasty. All by the time the organization was 12 years old.
Meanwhile, by the summer of 1984, the Rangers were celebrating the 44th anniversary of their last Cup victory and the NY Knicks were a franchise well removed from their glory days, and were a few months away from beginning the execution one of the greatest tank jobs in history to secure this big, athletic, defensively dominant center out of Georgetown who went by the name of Ewing.
So by the time the Oilers beat the Islanders for their first Cup in 1984, both of those Broadway Blues that inhabited 4 Pennsylvania Plaza looked like straight up
outfits. Two "historic" franchises who's futures looked no brighter than expansion teams. So what does Garden brass do? What any parent of a kid who has sh!t-for-brains do: Let's not highlight them for what they've accomplished, let's highlight the sideshow aspect of them!
So now, they decided (more than ever) to interweave those 2 franchises with NY itself, and everything that NY represents, the bright lights, the glitz, the glamor, celebrity row. And if you're gonna have an arena in the heart of Manhattan, it better be a "MECCA" of everything. Granted, that little sh!t-hole in Suffolk County has been partying hard with championships since 1980, and are totally outclassing us in every way, but we're NYC gat-dammit, we're just gonna tell everyone that this is THE PLACE to be, and their gonna listen, the record of our inhabitants be damned!
And since NY is actually the "Mecca of the Hypebeast", of course this strategy worked, of course the networks repeat that Mecca nonsense ad nauseum, of course those two woeful teams became (or stayed) a hot ticket. It doesn't matter if they win, as long as we import a big name every 5 years or so (Ewing, Riley, Messier, Gretzky) and give these
It's too bad the Nets didn't hold up their end of the bargain and accomplish what the Islanders did, then you would have seen a MAJOR change in attitudes at MSG. Luckily for them, hockey was easily swept under the rug, but not to REAL NY sports fan who can read the tea leaves and see through the BS.
And if you're wondering if this marketing strategy works, look no further than the 90s Knicks. An absolutely disappointing lot who couldn't muster one ring, orchestrated playoff choke after playoff choke, yet are revered in NYC as if they did. But every night during their playoff runs you heard they were the team who represented "The Mecca of Basketball." The problem is MSG has no intention of fielding a Ny Knicks team worth worshiping.
Long winded I know, but I hope this sheds some light on NYC's perpetual overratedness.
I've been on this Earth damn near 40 years and I've never seen this sprouting of talent you speak of.
I've heard a lot of hype and stories, but I haven’t witnessed much talent.
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I feel bruh.
mastermind
Rest In Power Kobe
The Earth is a little older than damn near 40 years.
staticshock
Veteran
Ok, the first black NBA player entered the league in 1950, 28 years before I was born.
Name the star NYC players from between 1950 and 1978 that would justify the city being considered the Mecca of basketball.
The Knicks won 2 championships in the early 70s, a couple years before I was born, and haven't won any since I've been alive and I'll be 40 this year.
This looks like another case of NYC shyt only being great in NYC, but when they have to prove their greatness against the rest of the country, they fail every time.
AnonymityX1000
Veteran
Answering a question with a question brehs?Where did he grow up?
I've always laughed at NYC's attempts at claiming MJ and Aaliyah.
MJ learned how to play basketball going up against North Carolina boys that got in his ass (pause) until he couldn't take it anymore.