There are 14 seconds left on the clock, and Latrell Sprewell has the basketball in his hands and Vince Carter in his face. It's the second game of the first-round playoff series between the New York Knicks and the Toronto Raptors. With the Knicks behind by a point, Sprewell gathers himself in the left corner, the seconds ticking down and the crowd noise building up. Then he springs toward the lane, pulls up and hits a silky six-footer that floats over Carter's head. New York wins 84-83 and, four nights later, terminates the Raptors in Toronto.
The Knicks-Raptors match-up was supposed...