Last week, ESPN Insider David Thorpe wondered aloud: Could the NBA have Deflategate?
Is it possible a team could get away with shady tactics to gain a competitive edge?
The answer to that question comes from Phil Jackson, nearly 20 years after the fact.
Todd Radom, the graphic designer behind some of sports' more recognizable logos, tweeted a screenshot Wednesday of a December 1986 article by Sam Smith of the Chicago Tribune. In it, Jackson details how the famed 1970s Knicks teams he played for used to strategically deflate the basketball.
Less air pressure slowed down fast-break teams, helped the Knicks clear the boards -- since the ball wouldn't carom as far off the rim -- and didn't hinder the flow of New York's offense, which relied more on passing than dribbling.
Jackson, who is now president of the Knicks, said the team carried around inflation needles to let air out of the ball.
As Radom's tweet found traction on social media, Jackson clarified that the Knicks' pressure alteration was legal:
joy of tweet is correcting errors. Knicks used under inflated balls. wrong! ball has7-9lbs psi. we wanted 7 psi softer but not illegal.
— Phil Jackson (@PhilJackson11) January 28, 2015Jackson was coaching in Puerto Rico in 1986. He was hired to Doug Collins' Bulls staff the following year.