New York Knicks: Appreciating John Starks’ 1994 NBA Finals performance
New York Knicks legend John Starks has a bad rap after the poor Game 7 of the 1994 NBA Finals, but it shouldn’t overshadow his brilliance through the series.
John Starks‘ New York Knicks career was a great story of overcoming the odds from an undrafted guard to NBA All-Star in 1994. His thrilling 3-point baskets and emotion on the court made him an immediate fan favorite in New York City, constantly sending Madison Square Garden into a frenzy during the early 1990s.
His magical season carried into the playoffs, helping to propel the Knicks back into the NBA Finals for the first time since the 1970s. Starks had quickly established himself as a legit second option next to perennial All-Star Patrick Ewing, creating a devastating inside-outside combination.
New York matched up against the Houston Rockets, led by Hakeem Olajuwon, and battled them through each close contest. Starks was the catalyst down the stretch, averaging over 20 points per contest in five of the seven games. His biggest game took place in the potential Game 6 clincher on June 19, 1994 on the road in Houston.
Starks scored 27 points in 46 minutes of action, becoming the go-to guy for New York as it sought seeking its first title since 1973. Starks even took the possible game-winning 3-point shot at the buzzer, but his attempt was partially blocked by the outstretched finger tips of Olajuwon, ending the game.
After Game 6, Rockets head coach Rudy Tomjanovich praised Starks for keeping New York alive in the game and on the brink of a title.
"“I just have to give John Starks a lot of credit,” Tomjanovich said. “The guy’s amazing. We were in a defense where we’re never going to leave Starks, and we’re running another man at him. There’s a little crack in the defense and it’s only there for a split-second, yet the guy is getting the shot off.”"
The good fortune did not continue in the following game, as Starks would go a woeful 2-for-18 from the field, finishing with only eight points. The Knicks would go on to lose the game and the championship, as Starks became the ultimate scapegoat for the franchise’s misery of never winning the big one.
The horrible Game 7 will forever remain a lightning rod for Knicks fans to point blame on the lost title. Starks expressed how haunting the trip to Houston was during an interview with the NY Post back in 2004.
"“I thought we were going to win Game 6, but we didn’t play a complete game,” Starks said. “I put pressure on myself to try to duplicate my fourth quarter in Game 6. When you do that, you don’t play a relaxed game. And you have to play relaxed in a game like that. I pressed the whole game.“The nature of that whole season, I would be cold during a stretch of the ball game and Coach Riley had been through a lot games knowing if I hit one shot, it turns,” Starks said. “He was banking on me hitting that one shot, but it never came. It was a trust factor myself and Coach Riley had.”"
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Starks currently serves as a member of the Knicks front office helping with fan development continuing to promote the greatness of those 90s teams that came up short. His legacy shouldn’t be marred with criticism for one bad game but instead honored for representing the tough hard-working fan base that related to his efforts.