The New York Knicks of the 1990s are a who's who of elite defensive players with guys like Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley, John Starks and Xavier McDaniel, but there was one more who was perhaps the best of the bunch, or at least the most versatile; and that was Anthony Mason. A small forward built like a linebacker who could guard all 5 positions, Mason took an unlikely route to the NBA that saw him have multiple short stints in the NBA, overseas and in other leagues like the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and United States Basketball League (USBL) but when he finally got his chance with New York going into 1992, he made it count. Mason was one of the best bench players in the league and was a major part in the Knicks reaching back to back conference finals in '93 and '94 as well as their first NBA FInals appearance in over 20 years in 1994 vs. the Houston Rockets. And it was in this series when he put his defensive on full display as he made life very difficult for Hakeem Olajuwon, he would win the sixth man of the year in 1995 and after one more season in New York who be traded to the Charlotte Hornets where he would have a few great years alongside guys like Glen Rice and Eddie Jones. It was in Charlotte that he was able to show his complete game as he became a legitimate offensive threat and was voted to an All-NBA team as well as an All-Defensive Team. He would be traded to the Miami Heat in 2001 where he would be reunited with Pat Riley, his coach in New York who he had feuded with. He was brought in to come off the bench and play alongside Miami staples like Tim Hardaway and Alonzo Mourning, but a serious kidney issue suffered by Mourning would push Mason into the starting role, where he would even be voted to his first and only NBA All Star Game. He spent his last two years in a very dysfunctional situation with Milwaukee Bucks as they were breaking up their trio of Glenn Robinson, Ray Allen and Sam Cassell, before retiring after the 2003 season, then sadly passing away in 2015 at the age of 48. Anthony Mason was the complete package who had a skillset that you wouldn't expect a player that looks like him to have, but he could score efficiently, push the ball up court and pass quite well. But he was always elite at the things you'd expect him to be elite at like locking up the opposing team's best player, inhaling rebounds and being an enforcer. But nowadays his names barely comes up when talking about the great defenders in NBA history even though he was the blueprint for a Draymond Green type player.
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26 сен 2023
