among them, Michael Jordan, despite being eter- nally with the Chicago Bulls, always said of the Gar- den that it is “The Mecca of Basketball”. Contributing greatly to this were the fans, who not only love the- ir team, but are also known as the audience with the best sporting education in the world. And among them, right beside the parquet, sit all the celebrities. The cream of the international jet set in the shadows of the two-metre giants next to whom they are worth little. Only in New York does the audience whistle at Justin Bieber. Only in New York does the whole hall whistle at Donald Trump, who had just bought them the best player on the team. One of the oldest fans of the Knicks, and him- self a symbol of New York, the city he celebrated in a thousand ingenious and neurotic ways, was Woody Allen. After him, places in the stands were taken by Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford, and finally, to this day, the symbol of the first order became and re- mains Spike Lee. He became a version of Jack Nic- holson from New York, given that the famous actor has for decades been the personification of the Los Angeles Lakers. In America the favourite argument is precisely on that topic – who is the bigger basketball nut – Jack or Spike. It’s mostly a dead heat. However, like no one before or after him, Lee had an opportunity to influence the result. In the fifth game of the Eastern Conference in 1994, he swore so much at Reggie Miller that this legend of the Indiana Pacers, motivated by pure rage, scored 25 points aga- inst the Knicks in the final quarter! Testifying to the kind of figure the engaged director represents is the fact that Jay-Z sang about him in a song, dubbing the line of famous people sitting courtside as – Spike’s line ... Next to Spike and comparing left to right. But let’s return to the Knicks themselves. It all started for them in the NBA league. They were foun- ded in 1946 and, along with the Boston Celtics, are the only club never to have changed their home city. Their full name is “The New York Knickerbockers”, a name for which they can thank Dutch people for their famous trousers with rolled up legs. The Knicks didn’t start great, but fans remember the 1969/70 season, and swear by Willis Reed and the rest of the team that brought them their first NBA title. Reed’s move in the final of the aforementioned season – when he came on the court against the Los Angeles Lakers limping
U Americi je omiljena svađa ko je veći košarkaški zaluđenik Spajk Li (Niksi) ili Džek Nikolson (Lejkersi). Uglavnom mrtva trka. In America the favourite argument is who is the bigger basketball nut – Spike Lee (Knicks) or Jack Nicholson (Lakers). It’s mostly a dead heat.
po Menhetnu, da bi se na kraju po- zicionirao na vrhu jedne od glav- nih železničkih stanica, na stani- ci Pen, i to 1969. godine. Postao je dom Njujork Niksima i Rendžersi- ma i, bez premca, najuzbidljivija i najomiljenija hala na planeti. Bilo da su igrali za Nikse ili protiv njih, svi su košarkaši hteli u Medison. Verovatno najbolji među njima, Majkl Džordan, iako večiti Čika- go Buls, za Garden je uvek govo- rio da je meka košarke. Tome su mnogo doprineli navijači koji ne samo da vole svoj tim nego važe i za sportski najobrazovaniju publi- ku na svetu. A među njima, pored samog parketa, sve same face. Krem svet- skog džeta-seta u senci dvometra- ša, pored kojih malo vrede. Samo u Njujorku publika zviždi Džasti- nu Biberu. Samo u Njujorku cela hala zviždi Donaldu Trampu, koji im je baš kupio najboljeg igrača u timu. Jedan od najstarijih fanova Niksa, i sam simbol Njujorka, gra- da koji je proslavio na hiljadu ge- nijalno neurotičnih načina, jeste Vudi Alen. Za njim su svoje mesto zauzeli Dastin Hofman i Robert Redford, da bi konačno, do dana današnjeg, simbol prvog reda bio i ostao Spajk Li. Postao je neka ver- zija Džeka Nikolsona iz Njujorka, budući da je slavni glumac deceni- jama personifikacija LA Lejkersa. U Americi je omiljena svađa baš na tu temu – ko je veći košarkaš- ki zaluđenik Džek ili Spajk. Uglav- nom mrtva trka. Ipak, kao niko pre ni posle nje- ga, Li je imao priliku da utiče na rezultat. U petoj utakmici fina- la Istočne konferencije 1994. godi- ne toliko je psovao Redžija Mile- ra da je legenda Indijana Pejsersa iz čistog besa u poslednjoj četvrti- ni dao Niksima 25 poena! Kakva je
Ovde su najveće face na
svetu samo
Here the most famous faces in the world are just passersby. That’s because New York is the only real star in New York. And then immediately after that come the NBA giants
prolaznici, jer Njujork je jedina prava zvezda u Njujorku. A odmah
potom dolaze NBA divovi
Medison skver garden: Majkl Džordan, iako večiti Čikago Buls, za Garden je uvek govorio da je meka košarke Madison square garden: Michael Jordan, despite being eternally with the Chicago Bulls, always said of the Garden that it is “The Mecca of basketball”
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