can’t wait for tonight… so… #NBA#STRAYA Never Forget!

***SPOILER ALERT FOR THE LAST DANCE***… but… 

THE LONG DANCE… on this day, 22 years ago, big Lucien Longley — aka Lucky Luc, aka Cool Hands Luc, aka the Thunder from Down Under, aka Aussie Bill Russell — tugged on his Big’N’Tall #13 Chicago jersey, and carried America’s answer to Andrew Gaze (Michael Jordan) & the rest of theBulls past the world’s most annoying pair of talking ears & skinny arms (Reggie Miller) and the Pacers to the ’98 Finals! 

Yep, as befits an Aussie legend that’s like some sort of holy combo of David Boon, Justin Madden and Makybe Diva, in only 29 minutes Lucky Luc dipped into his bag of tricks deeper than the Mariana Trench and toweled the grinning Dutchman Rik Smits like Boonie toweling tins on the plane to smash the Poms in ’89!  

That’s right — with Scottie Pippen having another whinge & faking another injury or something while going 1-of-9 — the Giant Sandgroper stood up like the behemoth he is, and beat Rik Smiths and the Davis Brothers like a cadre of red-headed stepchildren, while also dominating Mark Pope so thoroughly that the poor bugger gave up religion.

The Pacers learned one thing that night: that going into the paint against big Luc Longley is like introducing your wife to Garry Lyon: you just don’t do it.

Destroying Rik Smits like he was Billy Brownless at a Smorgys Sunday All-You-Can-Eat Buffet, Lucky Luc shot 4-of-10 from the field but was a PERFECT 4-for-4 from what Kyle Sandliands’ missus calls her Brazilian (the charity stripe) for a crucial, and an almost-team-high 12 points.

Playing with more speed, force and grace than Brocky fanging down Conrod Straight, Big Luc also ripped down 8 rebounds — it would’ve been 28 but that thieving prick Dennis Rodman stole the rest — and handed off 3 assists more perfect than the 1-minute-and-48-seconds that make up Grinspoon’s ‘Just Ace’.

The Thunder From Down Under also had one steal so devastating that poor bloody Chris Mullin still wakes up in a cold sweat every three weeks after hearing Big Luc’s footsteps in his nightmares.

12 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal in a Game 7 to get to the friggin’ NBA Finals!!!! Legend has it that, just for good measure, Big Luc ALSO reverse kanga’d the United Center’s visitor dunnies! 

And of course, as we all know, a few weeks later the Aussie Bill Russell would carry MJ, Pippen and the Bulls to their third-straight NBA title! 

Not bloody bad Luc, not bloody bad. 

#ONYA Big Lucien, a true-blue Aussie ledge! 🇦🇺🏀💪

**smash the #NBA#Straya podcast right here: https://apple.co/3fPHUg9 **