This is the second of three stories told by “Reign Man” Shawn Kemp of the 1990s Sonics. He discusses a memorable game guarding Larry Bird, two of his famous dunks, and the Chicago Bulls player who really kept Kemp and Seattle from an NBA title in 1996.
Kemp’s Defense Made A Believer Out Of Bird
Knee pain was hampering Xavier McDaniel on the night of Dec. 13, 1989 in Boston. That meant the assignment of guarding Larry Bird, at least in part, would fall to Seattle Sonics rookie Shawn Kemp. Far from intimidated, Kemp relished the opportunity.
“I look in the mirror, I’m like, ‘Well, I’m about to give this ****er fits.’ I was rubbing my hands, looking at him like, ‘I’m about to get your ass.'” Kemp smiled as he recounted the story on the All The Smoke podcast.
“That morning, a USA Today article came out, saying ‘Larry didn’t have it no more.’ So he came out that night to make a statement. Before the game, he just shook his head at me. He said, ‘Man it’s going to be a ****ed up night for you.'”
To be fair to Kemp, most of Larry Legend’s damage was done against Sonics teammates. Kemp played just 13 minutes to Bird’s 46 minutes. By the time Boston’s 109-97 victory went final, Bird had scorched Seattle on 17-27 shooting, 40 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
“He was actually calling out bank shots. He would say, ‘Next time, bank shot left side. I’m gonna pump-fake you. Your dumb ass gonna go for it.'”
At least when it came to trash talk, Kemp, who had just turned 20, kept up with Bird, who a week earlier had celebrated his 33rd birthday. “I said, ‘First of all, I’m gonna be so close to you that if you shoot the ball, I’m going to try to rip your ****ing arm off.’ What do you think he did? Quick pump-fake and ‘Ahhh!’ (a basket).”
Superstar & Rookie Had Both Made An Impression
“I guarded his ass so tough that after the game, he sent a letter to me. He was like, ‘I’ve had nobody play defense that hard on me. I appreciate you.’ Then he was like, ‘I got a little all-star game. Why don’t you come work out with me this summer.’ That meant everything to me. It went from him whooping my ass to him teaching me a few things, so I surely appreciated it.
“That’s the old NBA. That’s how it used to be. The league suffers now because they don’t have enough veterans. You got to have two or three veterans on a team. They should have had that in the bargaining contract; always keep a couple of vets for words of wisdom out on the court, pitfalls off the court.”
Kemp gave as an example Quintin Dailey, who was in his 8th NBA season when Kemp was a rookie.
“Quintin Dailey was a beast, man. He used to say little things to me. ‘Instead of shooting the ball, get to the paint; put a body on them; work on your mid-range game,’ all that little s***. The old-school game, it used to be working that spot, getting into that mid-range, getting solid jump shots off, shooting a high percentage.”
Two Signature ‘Reign Man’ Dunks In One Playoff Game
Kemp’s single most celebrated dunk, the “Lister Blister,” came in a home playoff game against Golden State on April 30, 1992. Kemp threw down a one-handed windmill posterization on Warriors center Alton Lister. Surprisingly, the Reign Man is equally fond of another slam later in the same game. Kemp calls that one “Rattling Gatling,” his thunderous dunk over Chris Gatling.
“(Gatling had) tried to hurt me, kind of slammed me to the ground. I told him, ‘I know how to get you back. I ain’t gonna fight you because I’ll get kicked out, but I’m going to put you on one of these posters.'” And so he did, with the promised authority. The 6-10 rookie was so impressed, he immediately congratulated Kemp with a handshake. “The ‘Rattling Gatling’ is one of my favorite ones because I couldn’t believe (Gatling) gave me dap. I loved it, man.”
Trivia: The Sonics in 1989 traded the very same Alton Lister to the Warriors for a 1990 1st round draft pick, which they would use to select Gary Payton second overall. When Kemp was dealt from Cleveland to Portland as part of a three-team trade in 2000. one of the players the Cavaliers received in return (from Miami) was Chris Gatling.
Missed Opportunities Came Before 1996 NBA Finals
The 1995-96 Sonics came within two wins of a championship. That doesn’t gnaw at Shawn Kemp nearly as much as Seattle bowing out in the first round of the postseason each of the previous two years.
“Michael (Jordan) was retired and Houston won those two championships. That’s when we were supposed to take advantage of the situation.” The “situation” was Jordan’s two-year sabbatical from the league, leaving NBA titles up for grabs. “We were supposed to get one of those rings right there.”
What went wrong? “It don’t take but one or two bad people to (mess) up the chemistry. Someone doesn’t want to pass the ball late in the game; once somebody does that, the next person starts doing that. A couple years we had problems with selfish play with some players. The result is, if you don’t bring it, you’re going to lose.”
The pair of players Kemp is likely referring to are Kendall Gill and Sarunas Marciulionis. Both clashed with coach George Karl, unhappy with playing time and how they were featured in the offense. Both were traded in the summer of 1995, the season (coincidentally?) Seattle reached the championship round.
A Kissing, Winking, Frustrating ‘Worm’
As to the Chicago Bulls beating the Sonics 4-2 in the 1996 Finals, Kemp says it was one of Jordan’s teammates who made the difference.
“Michael wasn’t the reason, he didn’t beat us in the championship. We were on his ass. Dennis (‘The Worm’) Rodman is the one who beat us. We had no no answer, every time they needed a second shot or something special or extra rebound or tip-in. His defense was great, man.”
“(Rodman) was flying and kissing and winking, frustrating everybody on the team. He had my team just flustered. Dennis started wearing color contacts during the championship, with some lip gloss. He was trying to kiss Frank (Brickowski’s) arm. Frank just couldn’t take it. Dennis knew what buttons to push. We needed Frank to rebound. He got him all discombobulated.”
In tomorrow’s concluding part 3, Kemp talks about his lifelong friendship with Gary Payton, forged during their careers with the Sonics.
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