A few days ago Donnie Walsh handed Danilo Gallinari, the Knicks’ promising young forward, a DVD that could alter the trajectory of his career. Walsh, the Knicks’ president, gave Gallinari a collection of Larry Bird highlights, a captivating 30-minute compilation highlighting many of Bird’s best moves, passes, post-ups and rebounds.

Gallinari said he had watched the tape at least 10 times over the past three days and that every move was seared into his mind. The one play Gallinari enjoyed the most, he said, was when Bird told the former SuperSonic Xavier McDaniel that he was about to shoot a 3-pointer over his head and there was absolutely nothing McDaniel could do about it.

"And then he did it," Gallinari said, shaking his head. "What’s better than that?"