Sometimes a single piece of paper can spark a decade of bad blood. Vice TV’s The Grudge revisits one of the NBA’s most infamous feuds this Wednesday, exploring how a fax machine became a weapon in the war between Pat Riley and the New York Knicks.
Airing at 10 PM ET, Pat Riley vs The Knicks (Season 1, Episode 12) goes back to the 90s, dissecting Riley’s abrupt departure from New York and his even more abrupt method of announcing it. His resignation-by-fax lit the fuse on a rivalry that would define a generation of basketball.
Every subsequent playoff meeting, every on-court scuffle became instantly amplified by the backstory—two teams locked in a perpetual loop of trying to get the last word (and win).
The Grudge specializes in digging into sports’ most bitter clashes. This week’s episode zeroes in on a feud that had real-world repercussions.
The Grudge airs on Vice TV, Wednesdays at 10:00 PM ET.
