Knicks alum John Wallace is loving his old team’s run    

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It’s been a quarter century since John Wallace launched a jump shot or grabbed a rebound for the New York Knicks, but lately he’s felt as if he’s still playing basketball for his old team. Only now the games are orchestrated in his mind rather than with his body. It’s mental and emotional, not physical, though there have been times when his heart has been racing.

The Knicks’ former first-round draft pick has been living vicariously through the current players. And that’s been a fun exercise, given his long-time connection to the franchise and the roll this squad is on. Wallace can’t help but feel the elation these players are experiencing as they attempt to do something that hasn’t been done in his lifetime: Win an NBA Championship.

The former Greece Athena High School and Syracuse University All-American was born in Rochester in 1974, the year after the Knicks captured their last title. But thanks to Wallace’s association with the team, which included two years as a player and the last 16 as a community and fan relations rep, he has learned all about that last championship season through numerous conversations with old-time Knicks Walt Frazier, Willis Reed, Bill Bradley and Earl Monroe, and ever-present, court-side superfan Spike Lee.

“Those guys gave me a sense of what it was like back in the day, and what it can be like if we win it all again, which I truly believe we will,’’ said Wallace, who can’t wait for the NBA Finals opener to tip off against the Spurs in San Antonio on June 3. “The city has been going bonkers over what this current iteration of the Knicks has done during these playoffs. I can’t wait to see how crazy it’s going to get when we bring the trophy back to the Mecca of basketball.”

His use of the word “we” was intentional. He clearly is one proud alum.

“Hey, once a Knick, always a Knick,’’ he said, chuckling. “Anyone who’s ever played for the team is feeling the buzz. The guys who came before me, the guys from my era, the guys from all eras of Knicks basketball feel connected to this. We’re all rooting for this group to end the 53-year championship drought. We feel like they are playing for everyone who ever wore the blue and orange.”

Wallace’s current job has enabled him to witness first-hand the unification of the Big Apple during this team’s historic 11-game playoff win streak. At a recent watch party when the Knicks punched their ticket to the best-of-seven Finals, Wallace watched tears of joys stream down fans’ cheeks.

“It was wild,’’ he said. “I saw fans of all ages crying. Old fans. Young fans. Middle-aged fans. It was very emotional. And I understood where they were coming from because I was feeling everything they were.”

Although the Knicks have been steamrolling teams by an average of nearly 20 points per game this post-season, the comeback from a 22-point deficit in the first game of the Eastern Conference finals against Cleveland was the victory that convinced Wallace and his fellow alumni this really could be the year.

“To see them storm back from the dead like that was incredible,’’ said Wallace, who’s had his jersey retired by both his high school and college alma maters. “After that game, me, Stephon (Marbury), Latrell (Sprewell), Marcus (Camby) and (John) Sparks went out and talked for hours. It was just like the 1990s. We’re sitting there in amazement, analyzing that comeback like we had just played the game ourselves.”

Led by former Villanova stars Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart, this team has been nick-named (or should that be Knick-named?) the “Nova Knicks.” But there are plenty of non-Nova standouts, too, with players such as Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby and Jordan Clarkson bolstering a deep rotation that plays tenacious defense and selfless, efficient offense.

“All the ingredients you look for in a championship team are there,’’ Wallace said. “We can go 10-, 11-players deep and everyone knows their role, and knows when they need to step up. In that respect, this team is like the Knicks that last won it all. Yes, that team had Hall-of-Famers like Clyde (Frazier) and Reed, but they also had a deep lineup and bench with a bunch of guys who were equally capable of beating you. They were a true team. This one is, too.”

Perhaps no current Knick knows and plays his role better than Brunson, who’s at his best when the game’s on the line. “He’s the best closer in the NBA, bar none,’’ Wallace said. “When you need someone to finish off a victory, just put the ball in Jalen’s hands.”

Brunson, who’s averaging 26.9 points and 6.6 assists per game in the post-season, is the Knicks’ unquestioned leader. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who grew up a New York Yankees fan, has compared Brunson’s leadership to that of Bronx Bomber Hall-of-Fame shortstop Derek Jeter. Wallace seconds that emotion, noting how Brunson’s actions off the court also have played a huge role in this Knicks renaissance. The All-Star guard’s decision to sign for much less than he could have garnered on the open market enabled the Knicks to acquire the players who have bolstered a championship-contending roster.

“Jalen left a lot of money on the table – I mean a lot – but winning a championship was more valuable to him than extra money,’’ Wallace said. “It was kind of what Tom Brady used to do with the New England Patriots. Brady sacrificed a lot of dough so his teams could win championships. Same thing with Jalen. He’s put his money where his mouth is. It’s just another reason why he’s so beloved by his teammates and the fans.”

Despite being hotter than a nuclear reactor’s core, the Knicks entered these Finals as underdogs. One of the reasons for that is Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs 7-foot-4 center who has been an unstoppable force on both ends of the floor. But perhaps history is on New York’s side. The Knicks can take heart in the fact their 1973 forebearers were in a similar situation while facing dominating center Wilt Chamberlain in the Finals. The Los Angeles Lakers may have had the best player that year, but the Knicks had the best team, as evidenced by their four-games-to-one series victory.

Although Wallace was not a participant in those championship seasons, he is a descendant, along with nearly 600 Knicks alumni. And he’s gearing up for his fan rep role during the Finals. Before attending Game 3 in Madison Square Garden on Monday, June 8, he’ll be representing the team at one of the watch parties, either in the Garden, Radio City Music Hall, Central Park or some other Big Apple venue.

“We’re expecting 40,000-to-50,000 people at least at the various watch parties,’’ he said. “We’ve got things set up in all five boroughs. We’re taking over the city, baby.”

And if the Knicks wind up ending the drought, expect a victory parade and a crowd in the millions. Wallace and scores of other alumni will be there among them, feeling a special connection. Once a Knick, always a Knick.

Best-selling author and nationally honored journalist Scott Pitoniak is the Rochester Business Journal sports columnist.