Pat Riley Made The Knicks Team Watch Michael Jordan's Dunk On Patrick Ewing For 10 Straight Minutes

• Pat Riley needed the New York Knicks to win Game 6 in the 1992 Eastern Conference Semifinals

• He made the Knicks watch Michael Jordan's dunk on Patrick Ewing for 10 straight minutes before the game

• The Knicks won Game 6 but ultimately fell short in Game 7 despite the motivation

Not many NBA teams in the 1990s can claim they took Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls to seven games in a playoff series. Pat Riley's New York Knicks in 1992 were one of the exceptions though, and they did it interestingly. 

In 1992, on their way to a second consecutive NBA championship, the Bulls were 3-2 up against the Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals. And Pat Riley used an epic motivational trick to get a Game 6 win for his team. 

"As the players sat at their lockers waiting for Riley's talk before Game 6, the coach wheeled a TV and VHS machine into the middle of the room," Chris Herring wrote in his book, 'Blood In The Garden.' 

"He popped in Salmi's tape, then hit play. Footage from the prior year's postseason began playing... The clip concluded with Jordan throwing down a huge tomahawk over a helpless Ewing.

"For somewhere between five and ten minutes, while his team sat in stunned silence, Riley showed them that same play -- with Jordan schooling three of the Knicks' best players on their home floor-- displaying the lowlight on a loop. 

"It was Clockwork Orange-style aversion therapy, with Riley forcing his players to repeatedly watch their misdeed."

The dunk in question was from the 1991 NBA playoffs when Michael Jordan and the Bulls swept the Knicks in three games in the first round. 

And it wasn't just the video that Pat Riley wanted to display for his entire team, what followed was a motivational speech that showcased why he is one of the greatest NBA personalities of all time. 

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Pat Riley Followed Up The Clip With An Incredible Speech To His Knicks Team

Michael Jordan averaged 30.1 points per game during the 1991-92 season and stopping him was the highest priority for the New York Knicks. 

Having acquired Pat Riley, the team hoped he would bring some of his charisma and winning ways from the Showtime Lakers and help them past the hurdle. The Knicks gave Riley everything he asked for except for paying for his dry cleaning. 

And he showed why he was worth it with his speech, saying, "This makes me sick to my stomach. One of you is gonna step up, knock Michael Jordan to the floor, and not help him up. 

"We can't show him deference just because of who he is, or how good he is. Not anymore. You can achieve whatever you want in life, but no one - especially not Michael Jordan - is gonna give it to you.

"You have to take it. Michael isn't just gonna play poorly. You have to force him to play that way."

Pat Riley was hellbent on stopping Michael Jordan, it's the reason he also didn't allow Patrick Ewing and Charles Oakley to have dinner with the GOAT. And while his tactic worked a little, it didn't get the job done entirely. 

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The Chicago Bulls Blew The New York Knicks Out In Game 7

The Chicago Bulls were on their way to writing their names into NBA history, and Pat Riley wasn't going to be able to stop them. Although his words led to a 100-86 win in Game 6, that's all that he was able to get out of his team. 

The New York Knicks got blown out 110-81 in Game 7 of that series, and Michael Jordan scored a whopping 42 points by himself. The magic that Riley conjured up only lasted for one game, that's all he could do. 

The Knicks would eventually beat the Bulls in a 7-game series in 1994, but that was only because Michael Jordan was no longer on the floor. This story shows how legendary Pat Riley was, but also what an absolute beast Michael Jordan was. 

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