The franchise that puts the fun in dysfunctional is in town tonight for a game that exemplifies March Madness. Knicks embattled boss Isiah Thomas says whenever he sees Wolves coach Randy Wittman at this time of year he can’t help but think about that night in Philadelphia so long ago. Twenty seven years ago this month, Thomas passed the ball to his Indiana teammate just before halftime in the NCAA championship game and Wittman hit a shot from the corner that sent Bobby Knight’s team to victory over North Carolina.

“We struggled in the first half against them and edged our way back in,” Wittman said. “He threw it to me in the corner at the buzzer and we never trailed again. We went out in the second half and kind of took control of the game and won by 13. This time of year always brings back those memories.”

That was the day the Hoosiers and Tar Heels almost didn’t play. That was the day President Ronald Reagan was shot.

“He got shot in the afternoon and we were sitting in the locker room before tip off and they weren’t going to decide to play the game until he came out of surgery. Once he came out and they said he was fine and survived, they said we were going ahead with the game. That was a surreal day. I’ll never forget what day it was played on.”

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