"Bob f'ed them up" - Tim Hardaway recalls watching Bob McAdoo dominate Alonzo Mourning and P.J. Brown in knockout

bob-mcadoo

The Miami Heat didn’t win a title during the 1990s, but they consistently had good teams that were a lot of fun to watch. As much as fans enjoyed cheering them on, the guys on the squad enjoyed playing with each other, too.

As is often the case, these players find unique ways to have fun with each other throughout the course of a full 82-game season. And according to Tim Hardaway, he got quite a kick out of watching Bob McAdoo’s knockout games with Alonzo Mourning and P.J. Brown.

Tim’s knockout story from his Heat days

Hardaway was traded to the Heat midway through the 1995-96 season and immediately found himself on a pretty deep team. Mourning was already onboard, Brown would join the ensuing season, and McAdoo was working on Pat Riley’s staff as an assistant coach.

McAdoo enjoyed a Hall of Fame career as a player, so now that he was retired, Mourning and Brown would tease him and challenge him to games of knockout. That decision ended up backfiring because Bob beat them so badly that he got in trouble with Riley.

“They used to get on Bob, P.J., and ‘Zo,” Tim said on ‘The OGs.’ “They got gray heads like Bob playing knockout. I put on my ice, and I sat right there, and I was the instigator s***-talk guy. Bob f***ed them up. Oh my God. I mean, he was shooting deep. One dribble, bag ‘em back. Then he’s like, ‘Ah, you mad because I made that.’ ‘We had to practice for two-and-a-half hours.’ I said, ‘But y’all wanted to play him. That’s y’all fault. Bob is killing y’all.’ P.J. was mad.”

“Next thing we know, the window open up. ‘Hey Bob, come here, Bobby; let me talk to you for a second.’ That was Pat (Riley). We like, ‘Ohhh!’ He had to go to the principal’s office. The next day we was like, ‘What’s up Bob?’ ‘Oh, motherf***ers, y’all got me in trouble.’ I said, ‘For you kicking their a**, you in trouble? They was talking s***.’ He was like, ‘Yeah, I know. I was taking their confidence away,’” Hardaway added.

McAdoo shut Alonzo and P.J. up real quick

For those unfamiliar with the game of knockout, it involves a line of players shooting from the free-throw (or three-point) line in succession. If the person behind you hits their shot before you do, you’re out, and the last person standing wins.

Hardaway simply sat back and played the instigator role in this situation, and he ended up getting a front-row seat to the action. Mourning and Brown were fed up that they couldn’t beat Bob, which led to Riley stepping in to tell McAdoo to stop hurting their confidence.

This shouldn’t be surprising, considering McAdoo’s career. He was a five-time All-Star, a three-time scoring champion, and the 1974-75 MVP. Mourning and Brown were both talented players, but they never reached the heights Bob reached.

He may not have been able to play full games anymore, but McAdoo didn’t lose his scoring touch after he retired, and Mourning and Brown found that out the hard way. Just because a guy retires doesn’t mean his skill evaporates, and Bob certainly proved that to be true.