The year was 1994 and the Rockets and Knicks were battling fiercely in a pivotal Game 5 of the NBA finals with the series tied at 2-2. The winner of the fifth game of a seven game series has the best statistical chance to win the series, so the importance of Game 5 could not be underscored anymore. Well it turned out that at least for NBC, Game 5 was not as important as OJ Simpson fleeing the LAPD in a white Ford Bronco, so they cut away from the NBA Finals which angered many fans, myself included.
Amazingly, word of the OJ Chase spread so quickly that even players and coaches on the court knew that OJ was in trouble. Kenny Smith revealed at a TNT luncheon that the Rockets players even talked about the chase during a team huddle.
“I go in the huddle, I’m like, ‘O.J.’s on the run!’ Then [head coach] Rudy [Tomjanovich] comes into the huddle and we’re all talking.
‘What are you guys doing?’ [he asked.]
“OJ’s on the run!”
‘What are you doing? We’re in the middle of the NBA Finals!’
He draws a play up, we start walking out and he pulls me back, [and asks,] ‘Is he really on the run?'”
Is that the reason the Rockets ended up losing Game 5 to the Knicks? Probably not. However, if the Rockets did not end up winning the series like they did in 7 games, Kenny Smith probably takes this story to his grave.
Flip the page to see video of how the OJ chase coverage interrupted the 1994 NBA Finals.