“See y’all tomorrow, young fellas” — the moment Allan Houston knew his team was in trouble
The 1992 original Dream Team is still famous to this day for obvious reasons. The roster was so stacked with all-time greats such as Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird that it is widely regarded by many as arguably the best team ever formed.
So when you think about the Dream Team taking on a couple of young college prospects in a scrimmage, you’ll surely say they’ll outright whoop them. And you’re right because that’s what happened back then.
However, there are several untold stories in between, and we’re fortunate to have former New York Knicks sharpshooter Allan Houston share some of them.
Larry being Larry
According to Houston, even though they were playing the legends, the first day of the scrimmage was just like another day in the office for them. Guys on his team, such as Penny Hardaway, Chris Webber, and himself, went out there and just did their thing. In the process, they beat the Dream Team.
“Penny [Hardaway] is spinning people’s [shots] on the glass, you know, Chris [Webber's] doing his thing. And Bobby [Hurley] ’s just penetrating, you know, and I hit a couple of threes. And the next thing you know, like, we’re feeling a little rhythm,” Houston told The Players’ Tribune’s Knuckleheads podcast.
After the game, Houston and his team were headed back to the hotel when Bird left them a parting message. The message was just like any other goodbye, but Houston realized right there and then that it was more of a warning.
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“So, I remember Bird getting off the elevators like, ‘See y’all tomorrow, young fellas. See y’all tomorrow.’ And it was like, that wasn’t a like a ‘looking forward to seeing y’all tomorrow.’ No, it was like a ‘See y’all tomorrow’,” he recalled.
Houston was right
The following day, Larry Legend put on a show and probably hit eight consecutive shots. Houston’s recollection resembled that of Jamal Mashburn, who was also on the youngsters’ team.
The story entails that Bird did not just drain shots, but he was also calling every move he’d make and how the shots would go in.
“The next day we came in, Magic Johnson fed Larry Bird the ball probably about eight times in a row down the court,” Mashburn recounted. “Larry Bird got the ball on Rodney Rogers and everytime he was about to make a move, he told him what he was going to do.”
It’s safe to say that from that point on, Houston, Mashburn, and the rest of the youngsters who were called up for the famous scrimmage with the Dream Team, knew why Larry Bird is The Legend.
