Adam's 1994 NBA Tour: Iconic arenas and countless

Six games in two weeks, international flights, domestic flights within the USA, train travel, bus rides, a group of fanatical NBA fans from Australia, a terrific experience overall and I'm very thankful to this day. Then you are in our studio right now. You're talking NBA basketball, you're talking great teams, you're talking great individual players. Takes it off and there's number 23 and of course Johnny goes nuts.

saving that as a surprise for you. And now introducing your host for in all airness at home Ryan. Welcome to episode 121. Thanks for joining me. Today I discuss my 1994 NBA tour. Approximately 20 basketball crazies here in Australia, flew to the USA for two weeks of NBA experiences we'll never forget. It was an amazing time that I've occasionally mentioned throughout the course of this podcast

existence. You're about to hear me reflect on that trip, enhanced with additional research and select audio clips. I also share a few unexpected twists and turns that I guarantee even the most ardent fans of the show have never heard before. Once you've listened to this episode, I recommend episode 37. A great mate of mine, Aaron Steen, join me to recap the 1994 NBA season. That conversation

is a perfect complement to what you're about to hear. Show notes for this episode and access to a huge archive of past episodes are available. All at inallannas.com. I'll preface this episode by saying that Michael Jordan's October 1993 retirement from the Chicago Bulls was just weeks after the deposit from our USA trip had been paid. Kramer's lawyer on Seinfeld, Jackie Charles said it best. Now onto

the show. On January 14th of 1994, the trip began. There was a quick flight from Melbourne to Sydney, followed by a long haul flight from Sydney to Los Angeles. Due to time differences between Australia and the USA, we flew out of Sydney on the morning of that night's first game of the NBA tour. It was game one of six Charlotte Hornets versus the LA Lakers at

the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California. It was an incredible feeling just to pull up to the forum. I was a 7.30pm tip off in front of 16,000 and 11 per basketball reference. The Hornets would hold onto win 130 to 122. So a very high scoring game. This was a lunch at mornings second game back from an ankle injury. And he would score 14 of the

Hornets opening 18 points to start this game. Finishing with 30 points. 17 rebounds. Four assists and two blocks. Percy Hawkins had 25 points. Dalk Curry 19. Great friend of the show. Eddie Johnson had 17 points. Mugsie Boggs 10 points and 12 assists. And Scott Barrell, another great friend of the show, had 10 points in just 14 minutes. For the Lakers, Nick the Quick Bound XL for

the second straight game made five three pointers. Tying a then Lakers record for made threes in regular Saising games. The Bound XL had a great game with 29 points and six assists. George Lynch, who won a title with the UNC Tar Heels in 1993 had 24 points and 10 rebounds in just his second NBA start. The Lutty Dvarts had 18 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists.

And Sadal Threat, another great friend of the show, had two points, six assists and two steals. On January the 16th, we flew from LA via Minneapolis and Paul onto Chicago. And just for what it's worth, Minneapolis would be host of the 1994 NBA All-Star Game. Not even a month later. Less than 24 hours after we flew out of California, Los Angeles was rocked by earthquakes. Today's

earthquake officially called the Northridge earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale. Wide spread power outages at a citywide dusted on curfew. One of the hotel staff in Chicago placed a note under the door to my room. And it was a message from my family to check if I was okay. They had a printout of my itinerary at home in Australia. And our traveling group are very

fortunate to have left LA just before this earthquake happened. Now this is back in the day. Less for us it was pre-mobile phones. I don't remember getting my first mobile phone until I was maybe 19 or 20 years old. The second game of our NBA tour was January the 17th at the famed Chicago Stadium in Chicago, Illinois. Philadelphia 17th. 46th at Chicago Bulls. Now this was

a 2.30pm tip off and it was in front of 18.182 fans. This was a rare weekday after noon game for the Bulls played because of the Martin Luther King holiday. It was the first of two such contests in the Bulls 1994 campaign. Now pre-game, I attempted to take a photo outside Chicago Stadium. It was so cold, snowy and icy, I fell over before ever managed to

click the button on the camera. I regained my composure and when I stood back up to take the photo, a perfectly positioned limousine entered the frame. I still get goose bumps when I look back at the photo. The Chicago Stadium was demolished in 1995. Only as recently as February of 2020, I made it back to Chicago and visited the United Center for the first time. In

the game itself, BJ Armstrong led the Bulls with 21 points as they blew out the 76s, 121 to 91. Scottie Pippen had a terrific game with 20 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 7 steals in just 31 minutes. Great friend of the show Bill Wendleton, 18 points and 5 rebounds. Rookie Tony Cuccoach had 15 points and 7 assists. Another great friend of the show, Corey Blunt,

had 14 points and 13 rebounds and will put to 11 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Hiras Grant missed the game for the Bulls with tendonitis in his left knee. For the 76s, Rookie Sean Bradley was the high man. With 18 points, he also had 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Dana Barros had 16 points and 6 assists. Clarence Weatherspoon had 14 points and 6 boards. Jeff

Harnessick, 12 points and 4 rebounds. Chicago blew the game wide open in the 3rd quarter when they outscored Philadelphia 33-19. Now per the Chicago Tribune, there's some great little tidbits here. The 76s had endured their worst offensive performance in over 3 decades, 2 days prior at Cleveland and they were thumbed to 110 to 67 by the Cavaliers. The Tribune also noted that early birds witnessed a

display of trick shots by the Bulls Rookie Tony Cuccoach, who sank several from the free throw line with shots that came from behind the back and over his head. We did not see those however. I referenced the extreme weather, the condition outside Chicago Stadium. Our tour group was based in the windy city for 3 nights and we endured an average temperature of minus 6 below 0

per WGN Chicago's Tom Skilling. It was the city's coldest week, January 14 through 20 in recorded history. Record call today minus 8 to minus 12 if the official reading stays below minus 11. It'll be the coldest day ever recorded in Chicago history. Minus 6 below Fahrenheit. That translates to minus 21 Celsius, incredibly, incredibly cold. The scheduling gods were not on our side for a few of

the games we saw in person on this tour. The results weren't as close as we obviously would have hoped them to be. The Bulls next two games, for instance, also played at home in Chicago, were 1 point wins versus Washington, and then a most memorable victory over rival Reggie Miller and his Indiana Paces. Five seconds, four seconds, three. Here he comes. See how it is. Yes,

mother, that's a bad one. That's not a three. With eight hits of a second, Ryan and Reggie Miller takes the balls at the stadium in Chicago. Tony got it. Put it up. Look out. He got it. The third game of our tour was on January the 18th. We traveled on a bus from Chicago to Milwaukee to watch the pistons take on the box at the Bradley

Center, played in front of 12,879 fans. It was a 730 PM tip off. I made my way caught side pre-yam and witnessed recently. They acquired piston a 1993 All-Star Sean Alliad hit a tremendous streak of consecutive shots within the confines of the three point arc. It was just great to be there. Only meters away from him just behind the stanchion. I was watching as he hit

swish after swish after swish. He was the only player on the floor at the time. So clearly we arrived very early ahead of the game that night. 1994 was the only season in Sean's 12 year NBA career that he wasn't wearing his familiar San Antonio spurs colors. The pistons for 292 days before returning to Texas and being named an All-Star for a second time in 1996.

Milwaukee managed to hang on for a 32 point victory in this game. However, it wasn't the laugh that it may have seemed. The bucks had a 13 point lead after three quarters and then blew it open with a 39 to 20 final quarter. During this game, the Aalb Blue Edwards dunked the ball so hard the game had to be halted as the stanchion needed realignment. The

final score was Milwaukee 123 to Detroit 91. John Barry had 21 points for the bucks. It was a then career high for him. Eric Murdock had 18 points and 10 assists. Todd Day had 17 points including 13 in the fourth quarter. Frank Prakowski had 15 points and eight rebounds. Derek had a strong going with 12 points and 10 rebounds and Ken the snake Norman slithered his

way to 11 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Four Detroit Allen Houston had 19 points. Greg Cadillac Anderson had 17 points and 11 rebounds. The great Isaiah Thomas had 10 points, 9 assists and four steals in 30 minutes of action. Joe Duma did not play. He had a right knee contusion. The pistons tied a single season club record for consecutive losses with 14. On January the

19th, we flew from Chicago to Boston. We settled into our Boston accommodation in the evening and then turned on the TV to see what games were on. We're fortunate to catch the last quarter of the goal. The Golden State Warriors visit to the Atlanta Hawks. I finished that 9-890s NBA fans are definitely familiar with. At least we managed to see a fantastic finish on our trip

even if it had to be through the television. Our two group would be watching the Warriors closely in the coming days. On January 21, our group traveled by bus to the basketball hall of fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. It was a cold snowy day but inside the atmosphere was fantastic. It was a real thrill to walk around the hall of fame and soak up the history of

the sport. I also made my best purchase of the trip that day. I bought a replica of the Chicago Bulls iconic home warm-ups from the gift shop. Later that same day we made our way to the venerable Boston Garden. To watch the hometown Celtics take on the A4 mentioned, Golden State Warriors in front of 14,890 fans. This was the fourth game of our tour. A 7.30pm

tip off, pregame, I made my way down to the floor level and snapped some great photographs. I worked my way even closer to the court and stood just a couple of meters away from Chris Weber as he warmed up. I still remember it vividly. So too, moments later, watching Chris Mullin shoot free throws during his warm-up. This was an enjoyable game throughout. Boston extended to a

21 point lead in the third quarter before the Warriors fourth away back. The Charles Spreewell and Chris Mullin each scored 23 points for the Warriors. Weber, who was scored us in the first half, ended the game with 18 points. Avery Johnson added 15 points and 9 rebounds. D Brown led Boston with 22 points. Six points for the first time. Six rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals.

So there's a terrific game there for D. Dino Raja added 21 points and 9 rebounds. Sherman Douglas had 18 points and 12 assists. The Chief Robert Parish had 18 points and 14 boards. Rick Fox had 17 points. Kevin Gamble had 12 points. The X-Man is Avery McDaniel, great friend of the show, had 9 points and 1 technical fail for what it's worth. Boston would win the

game 124, 116. A quick tidbit here for minutia lovers. The Celtics Ed Pinkney did not play in this game. He was suffering from a hyper-extended right elbow. I actually saw Ed near a concession stand at the game. However, I was too in awe to approach him and say hello. You seriously can't make this stuff up. On January 22nd, we traveled from Boston to New York on

an Amtrak train. And that was a great experience, something a bit different to just having flights across the country. It was really good just to sit back and take in the countryside as we went along. That evening, I was really excited to see the World Cup. The World Cup was the fifth game of our tour. We called a bus from New York City to watch the

Golden State Warriors again. This time they were playing at New Jersey at Maddo Lands Arena. Per basketball reference, the crowd was 20,049. It was a 7.30pm tip off. I'm a little skeptical about the crowd because in the arena that night, I distinctly recall crowd noise being pumped in through the speakers. So I can't imagine there being that many fans. New Jersey was far too good for

the Warriors on this occasion. The highlight of the game for me was no doubt a LaTrell Sprewell 360 breakaway jam. The game itself was the net's fifth straight win at that time. Arm and Gilliam, resting piece, led New Jersey in scoring with 23 points. Great friend of the show Kenny Anderson had a terrific game with a 20 point 10 rebound 10 assist effort. Derek Coleman had

17 points and 10 rebounds and Benoit Benjamin, Big Ben had 11 points. After a lackluster opened to the game, the net tied a then franchise record for most points in a half, scoring 82 after the main break, which is quite remarkable. Now the Warriors leading Scorer on this occasion was Chris Weber. He had a really good game, 23 points and 12 rebounds. Sprewell added 17 points,

8 rebounds and 7 assists. And Chris Mullam was by his lofty standards rather quiet with 13 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists in 40 minutes of action. The sixth and final game of the tour for me was January the 23rd at the World's Most Famous Arena. And the third and third at the World's Most Famous Arena. It was the fourth and fourth game of the year.

I would have turned 19 in June of 1994. I was 4.5 years her senior, but for clarity, we didn't meet until later in 1999. This was an entertaining game. It was a 6 p.m. tip off. Sealed in the closing moments when former ball star Orlando Warridge hit a running one hand up from the fair line to extinguish the next chance of victory. Jeff Horn is a

great game. 23 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Tim Perry was also great with 18 points in just 27 minutes. The ever reliable Clarence Weather Spoon had 17 points and 8 rebounds and Dana Barros added 16 points and 6 assists. Sean Bradley struggled with 5 points, but he did have 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks. The 76ers improved to 16 and 23 with the win,

the next dropped to 26 and 11. Patrick Ewing had a superhuman performance, 36 points and 21 rebounds. That was not enough to get New York the win as Philadelphia hung on 99 to 92. John Starks was great with 20 points, 3 rebounds and 9 assists. Charles Oakley had 14 points and 8 rebounds. And another great friend of the show, Shane Marcel Promotion is off the charts

in this episode. Orlando Blackman had 4 points in 13 minutes. The next led by 9, 3 different times, but scored only 15 points in the last quarter. It was great to be able to watch the next even in a losing effort given they would be NBA finalists less than 5 months hence. There was just a certain electricity in the building and most fans knew that New

York were going to be a team to be reckoned with. Even though it was not one of their better performances. There actually was an optional leg of the NBA tour that we could have paid. I was a little bit extra to be a part of. It was a flight to Florida to watch some guy named Chiquillo Neal and the Orlando Magic. However, as my trip was

funded by my wonderful parents, I chose not to visit Orlando. I'm forever indebted to mum and dad for lots of things. Of course, this trip being one of them and they gave me the opportunity to head over to the USA age just 18 to further enhance my ever growing love for the NBA. On January 26, I flew from New York via Memphis and Dallas Fort Worth

to LA and then from LA to Sydney. Our flight back to Sydney had its arrival delayed, which actually meant I missed the connecting flight back home to Melbourne in Victoria. Eventually, I did return to Melbourne and had my mum, dad, my brother Luke and my grandparents. I'm my mum side, Jim and I. All waiting for me at the airport. It was just an incredible trip and

something I still think back on regularly to this day. Six games in two weeks. International flights, domestic flights within the USA, train travel, bus rides, a group of fanatical NBA fans from Australia. A terrific experience overall and I'm very thankful to this day. Thanks for listening. I welcome your interaction with the show. Tap the microphone icon on my website to send me a voicemail. You can

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