A NEW York State of Mind - 1984 NPSBL Press Conference

[NY_Magic_Garrett]

[The Big Boss, unlit cigar in his mouth, steps up to the podium, adjusts mic] -- *Looks around the room*

*The pause continues. It's noticeable* [reports start to murmur]

[Big Boss finally takes the wet cigar out of his mouth] -- "That is exactly how much noise this franchise made last year. We knew our roster wasn't complete, but frankly it was hard to bear. Silence doesn’t belong in Madison Square Garden. Not in October. Not in February. And definitely not in April. That is why we knew we had to redesign this roster and bring winning basketball back to this city.

But there was still questions about our intentions this year..Would we be complacent again and build with the bundle of picks we brought in? Ha, hell no. We put on a show here in New Yuok. We did exactly what everyone expected us to do. Pushed our chips in. Sometimes that takes tough decisions and one of them was dealing our boy DG across country to Golden State. Big fan favorite, signed a big deal, but we needed a new show in town, something to get excited about, so that is exactly what we brought in"

[Big boss waves his cigar stage left] -- "Bring em out..yeah, yeah and the jerseys too"

"I want everyone to get a good look at New York's next 2 stars. Bernard King and Moses Malone everyone! Go on hold up those jerseys boys"



"Pairing these 2 with Johnny and David is something we are very excited about here ya see. This league has never been more competitive and we are ready to stand toe to toe with any of ya. Even this kid Jordan down in San Antoin everyone seems so excited about..I dont know, I dont see it. The real show is here

Alright ask a couple questions, make em quick. We gots dinner plans. Im taking the boys to Umberto’s Clam House.

[WigNosy]

Steve Duin, the Oregonian...

Any concerns that your preseason performance is indicative of potential underperformance during the season?

[logpmess]

How does Moses feel about switching coasts? Is he relieved to be away from the Blazers physical play? Which team in the East is he most worried about throwing elbows his way?

[NY_Magic_Garrett]

Steve Duin, the Oregonian...

Any concerns that your preseason performance is indicative of potential underperformance during the season?

Ahhh no no. We've been down this road before. These guys and this staff need time to find the right game plan for this group to thrive, but we have mature, elite ball players in their prime so we expect there to be plenty of wins in the near future.

Thanks for comin

[NY_Magic_Garrett]

How does Moses feel about switching coasts? Is he relieved to be away from the Blazers physical play? Which team in the East is he most worried about throwing elbows his way?

Moses is right here...What do you think son? Do you like your new scenery? Scared of anyone out here?

Moses: "Switchin' coasts? Man, coast don’t matter. Basketball is basketball—rim ten feet high on both sides. I ain’t worried about no zip code. What matters is winnin’, and I came here to win. Golden State... it didn’t click. Me and Parish gave it a shot, but the fire wasn’t there. I ain’t into excuses, but it’s time for a new chapter."

As for the Blazers? Look, they play hard, they play rough, I give ‘em that. But I ain’t never been scared of nobody throwin’ elbows. That’s the kind of game I live for—down low, grind it out, bleed for rebounds. So relieved? No. I’m ready. I got 82 games to give out some of my own.

You askin’ who I’m worried about in the East? Ain’t nobody I’m scared of. Celtics got them young towers—Ralph and Hakeem, they gon’ be somethin'. But they still learnin’. They ain’t ready for the war that’s comin’ outta New York. This Knicks team? We're grown. Now Buck and Larry down in D.C.? That’s a real fight. I respect them boys. That’s trench work, man. I’m ready to battle them anytime, anyplace, seven nights a week. But they bleed like we bleed. I turn 30 this year, but that don’t mean I’m slowin’ down. That means I’m smarter, meaner, and still puttin’ up twenty and twenty on your favorite big man.

New York got me now.

Thanks for comin