Andrew Gaze and Lanard Copeland have teamed up again. This time, replacing basketballs with audio equipment. The NBL legends have just released their debut episode of The Alley-Oop Show, where they discuss all the goings-on inside and around the world of basketball.

‍

The inaugural episode did not disappoint. In their segment, Magic Moments, they shine the spotlight on a memorable moment from years gone by. It was only fitting that for the first-ever magic moment, Gaze and Copeland relived arguably the greatest comeback in NBL history. 

The year was 1993 and the Melbourne Tigers were sitting fifth on the NBL ladder. They were coming up against their crosstown rival, the South East Melbourne Magic, who sat comfortably at the top of the ladder. 

Copeland described the intense rivalry between the two teams, “I still get goosebumps when I talk about playing against the Magic. They hated the Tigers and we hated them. The problem was that we shared the same venue!”.

The game was huge in the scheme of the 1993 season and Gaze helped set the scene, “This was such an important game for us. We trailed it by as many as 17 (points). With just under a minute to go, we trailed it by 7. Then with 24 seconds remaining….”

Flinders Park. Packed House. Enter Lanard Copeland.

After Tony Ronaldson of the Magic missed his free throw, the Tigers got the rebound and the ball ended up with Copeland. He didn’t hesitate and went for the win. The rest is history.

The main memory Copeland has of the experience was the celebration, “I have never been as tired in my life because I had the whole team grabbing my head and holding onto me. I couldn’t breathe! But it was well worth it!”.

Gaze joked that he was trying to get off that final shot, “I did whatever I could to get that shot off but I couldn’t get it off”. In hindsight, it was a good thing he passed it off to backcourt buddy.

Watch the full game here

The Melbourne Tigers went on to win the NBL championship in 1993.

To relive this moment with the duo, check out their first episode here.

In addition to Copeland’s game-winner, they explore:

- the return of the NBA

- the NBA bubble

- Patty Mills donating his salary

- the Opals boycott

- Vince Carter's retirement

- Black Lives Matter and what it means to be a black man in Australia

- and Kanye's new shoe

‍

Listen to The Alley-Oop Show wherever you listen to podcasts, watch on YouTube and IGTV, and check out the show notes and more at www.nofilter.media/alleyoop

‍