Knicks superfan Spike Lee had an epic courtside battle with Bulls great Michael Jordan, the director recalled at the Montclair Film Festival in New Jersey over the weekend.
“I had the honor and honor of being called ‘Motherf’s Car’ many times by the GOAT himself, across the river from the most famous arena in the world,” the Brooklyn native said of his time at Madison Square Garden while speaking in the Garden State.
Lee was asked to recall the famous “double nickel” game at MSG in 1995 when Jordan dropped an astounding 55 points against the Knicks.
“Anytime the Bulls would come, me and Mike would get into it,” Lee recalled with a laugh. “At one point he said, ‘Sit that skinny black ass down!'”
The “Do the Right Thing” director also recalled the media frenzy following the Knicks’ blowout loss at Indiana in the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals. This is when Reggie Miller made his infamous choke sign in a game against MSG before the Knicks finally won the series.
“If we had lost that (next) game, I would have had to transfer. The Post, the Daily News, Newsday, they all chalked it up to me,” he said.
After making the move to Hollywood, Lee also talked about working with Denzel Washington and improvised lyrics to Nas’ “Illmatic” to A$AP Rocky in the film “Heist to Roast.”
“In my mind I’m like, ‘What the heck?’ But this is the great Denzel Washington, so I wouldn’t say cut,” Lee said.
The Academy Award winner was recently interviewed by Stephen Colbert after his comic book show on CBS was abruptly canceled.
When Lee left the panel to say they should talk more, Colbert jokingly said, “Spike, I have great news. I’m free in June.”
