NEW YORK -- There was no game in the NBA Finals on Saturday. There is always a game, however, at the West 4th Street playground in Manhattan.
On the court where Mario Elie, Jayson Williams, Anthony Mason and others once scuffed their soles, a game between the Flatbush Suns and Chaz Hoop attracted a large crowd on a sunny afternoon.Dozens of onlookers gazed through a fence surrounding the court as the teams played in one of the oldest and best summer basketball tournaments in the country. The West 4th Street Pro League is in its 22nd year, with a history some would argue is as rich as the NBA's.
"The team that wins out here sometimes gets by just on athleticism," said Ken Graham, the league's founder. "But when they get into a game with a team that can match their athleticism and can use their heads, that's the team that wins."
Elie, the steady guard who has helped the San Antonio Spurs take a 2-0 lead over the New York Knicks in the finals, already has two NBA championship rings earned with the Houston Rockets. But he also played for a team that arguably was the greatest New York playground dynasty ever.
Elie was a three-time MVP of the West 4th Street league during Harlem USA's run of five straight championships from 1978-82. Graham said Mason's team, Prime Time, was the playground power of the early 1990s.
"When Mario first came out here, he was a skinny little kid," Graham said. "He got pushed around, because it was so physical. He couldn't even get on the court.
"By the time he finished playing here, he was doing that move where he swoops to the basket like he did last night against the Knicks. I saw him do that 100 times out here."
The summer tournament is much more sophisticated than plain old pickup games. There are referees, uniforms that feature -- of course -- Nike swooshes, and a public address announcer. The announcer and fans, including girlfriends or wives who sit on chairs in the first row behind the basket, seem to know the players by their nicknames.
"Big Daddy Boogie to the hole ... NO GOOD!" the announcer shouts through a megaphone.
Graham is asking Nike to help him organize a search for the 50 greatest players in the history of West 4th Street basketball, similar to the list the NBA came up with for its 50th anniversary two years ago. He hasn't had much success yet. For every NBA player groomed on the playground, there were thousands who never made it.
"Some of them are still playing," Graham said. "Some of them just rode off into the sunset."