NBA: No place like the Garden
Madison Square Garden, on the surface, is just another arena. There are 378 others just like it in the United States. But once you dig a little deeper, it becomes abundantly clear that even the aura around ”the world’s most famous arena” is something we’ve never seen before in the sports world. The Garden, which opened on Feb. 11, 1968, is the oldest major sporting facility in the New York metropolitan area and considered the home of basketball in the United States.
“The lighting makes you feel like you’re on a stage. It’s just different,” said Earl Boykins, who played in the NBA from 1999-2012. “There’s no arena in the NBA that is even close to the Garden. It’s the only place in the league where if you play well, even if you’re on the opposing team, the fans will always appreciate it. I’ve always had a great appreciation for not only the Garden but for New York City as a whole.”
Boykins continued: “The first time I was in the Garden was in the lockout year of 1998-99. I was playing for the New Jersey Nets and my first preseason game, we played the New York Knicks in the Garden. You enter underground and you have to get in an elevator to get up to the floor and once you get to the court, the energy of the building is second to none. It’s the Mecca of the basketball world. It’s as simple as that.”
Damien Wilkins, who played for the Seattle Supersonics, shared the same sentiment as Boykins: “I remember the first time I went there. I was a kid and my dad was playing for the Knicks. It being Madison Square Garden and my first NBA game, it was special. It’s a special building within all basketball circles even though there hasn't been a whole lot of championships or anything like that won there. It’s the fans of New York that make it so special.”
Wilkins first attended MSG when his father, Gerald Wilkins, was playing for the Knicks. However, he made his debut in college versus Texas on Nov. 15, 2002. The Longhorns came away with a 77-71 victory, but Wilkins remembered his trip to the famous arena: “I had my best game at MSG when I was in college at Georgia. We were playing Texas, who had T.J. Ford, and that was probably my best overall performance. It’s always interesting to play there under those lights.”
One thing that always comes up when discussing why the Garden is so unique is the way it looks. Both Boykins and Wilkins mentioned the lighting, while the former compared it to being on a stage. As for the actual design of the building, Madison Square Garden’s seating was initially arranged in six ascending levels, each with its own color. After undergoing a $1 billion renovation from 2011-2013, MSG now has a capacity of 20,789.
“I loved the circular design of the arena. I also grew up a boxing fan, and many historic fights occurred there. I’m not even ashamed to say that I watched an NSync concert on HBO live from Madison Square Garden in 2000,” said Johnny Carver, author and trainer. “It is almost as if this arena is the Mecca for not only basketball, but events in general for the United States. In many ways, it feels like the arena belongs to the people.”
Carver, who first attended Madison Square Garden last year, is the author of two books, one titled “Ranketology,” which is based on an algorithm created to determine the greatest NBA players. He also worked for multiple NBA teams and the Arkansas men’s basketball team. Carver trained NBA prospects prior to the 2017 draft and went onto work on the college basketball federal bribery case for a criminal defense firm under Craig Mordock in New Orleans in 2018.
Terry Nelson, who played at Cincinnati from 1991-1993 and was inducted into the Bearcats Hall of Fame, continued the praise for the Garden: “MSG will always be known as the Mecca of the basketball world. Some of the greatest games I witnessed growing up were the great performances by Bernard King, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady and this list goes on.”
Some of the most notable performances in Madison Square Garden history include King’s 60 points on Christmas Day (1984), Patrick Ewing going for 51 points and 18 rebounds (1990), Reggie Miller scoring nine points in eight seconds (1994), Kobe putting up his fifth 60-point game (2009), LeBron dropping 52 points and 11 assists (2009), Stephen Curry connecting on 11 3-pointers (2013), and Carmelo Anthony scoring a MSG-record 62 points (2014).
Boykins recalled his trip to the Garden following Anthony’s trade to the Knicks in 2011: “I was there when Carmelo Anthony first got traded to the Knicks. I was there that night and was playing for the Milwaukee Bucks. It was his first game in New York and the energy in the building that night, you would have thought it was a playoff game. There was an excitement there that it really felt like it was a postseason game. It’s one of the few arenas that can feel like that."
Wilkins went onto mention the performances at MSG that he’ll never forget: “Reggie Miller’s eight points in nine seconds always comes to mind. Jordan’s 50-point game is unforgettable. LeBron and Kobe have also had many great games there. Carmelo Anthony and Bernard King each scored 60+ points. I mean I could go on forever. It’s crazy that one building houses all of those great moments. I don’t think any other building can say that.”
Madison Square Garden is more than just a basketball arena, and that became more and more obvious with everyone I talked to. The Garden is a historical place that holds some of the most memorable and impactful events in sports history, and it carries that importance every single day. MSG will always be regarded as the Mecca of the basketball world, and for good reason, as it stands alone above all other 378 arenas in the United States.
“I remember talking about it with a player who said the lighting inside and the way the seats surround them so perfectly, it apparently feels like you are literally playing a game in basketball heaven,” Carver explained. “Madison Square Garden is the most important venue in New York City, so that makes it the ultimate ‘home court’ for basketball. Basketball was invented in Springfield, Massachusetts, but in many respects, it grew and developed inside Madison Square Garden.”
Photo Credit: Go City.
