Mark Jackson was among a group of current and former NBA players in Manhattan on Tuesday for the premiere of NYC Point Gods, a documentary from Kevin Durant about the history and cultural impact of top lead guards from New York City in the 1980s and 1990s.

During an appearance on the red carpet Tuesday, Jackson took a few questions from reporters.

One question: Does he ever think about what the Knicks could have done if they didn’t trade him?

"Well I do believe that we win a championship," said Jackson, who was traded to the Clippers in a three-team deal that sent Doc Rivers and Charles Smith to New York in 1992. "We had a great team, we had a process moving along, we advanced. We had the ultimate champs on the ropes. So I believe we win a championship if that team stays together. But I’m sure if you ask the opposition, they believe they win anyway."

In Jackson’s final season in New York, which was 1991-92, the Knicks lost a second-round series against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in seven games.

"I believe if we stay together, we beat (Jordan and the Bulls). We were up in the fourth quarter of a Game 7, with Michael Jordan on the team. So I’m not saying something that’s asinine," Jackson said. "They were an all-time great team and they had an all-time great player. But I believe we had a chance to beat him and I think that if we stayed together we would have."

(The Knicks actually trailed by double-digits entering the fourth quarter of that Game 7 and didn’t lead in the quarter. But it’s been more than 30 years since the game, so we can forgive Jackson for the error.)

Jackson starred at Bishop Loughlin HS and St. John’s University, and plays a major role in the NYC Point God documentary. The film will be on Showtime, starting Friday.

FILM HONORS NYC POINT GUARDS

The Point Gods documentary debuts on Showtime on Friday. It was an idea from Durant and Rich Kleiman, his business partner at the Boardroom company and 35 Ventures. Kleiman said the idea was born after the company helped make "Basketball County: In The Water" about Prince George County, Durant’s hometown.

The film examines the impact of New York City point guards from the 1980s and 1990s and includes Mark Jackson, Kenny Anderson, Rafer Alston, Kenny Smith and others.

For Kleiman, a New York City native, the film was a passion project.

"I’ve got to give an incredible shoutout to KD and Rich Kleiman for their support, for their vision," Jackson said. "For them putting New York City point guards on a platform like this. I salute them, I appreciate them and they’ll always be family."

Alston said that there is a connection between the generations of top New York City guards.

"We always wanted the next guy coming after us to be better than us. That’s the fascinating thing about being around all these guys. We were happy to see the next youngster come up through the ranks like we did," he said.

There’s a perception that New York City hasn’t produced as many great players as it once did. Metta Sandiford-Artest believes that gentrification of neighborhoods has played a role in the trend.

"When they started to gentrify New York City, they started to turn the music off. So people from other countries came to live in our neighborhoods and (were) complaining about the music," Sandiford-Artest said. "When you take the music from the tournaments in New York City, you kill it. That’s what they did because there was an interest in gentrification.

"You shut the parks down at 9 (PM), you put the signs up and you kill the game. And we don’t have nobody fighting for that. We need people fighting for that."

STRICKLAND READY FOR LIU

Strickland, who played at Truman High School and with the New York Gauchos, is the new head coach at Long Island University in Brooklyn.

"It was a great opportunity," he said on Tuesday. "It kind of came about quickly. But I made the decision to go for it."

Strickland played nearly 20 years in the NBA. He has also coached at Kentucky, Memphis and South Florida. Most recently, Strickland played an instrumental role in the NBA’s G League initiatives, specifically with the Ignite club. He has strong relationships at all levels of the game.

Now, Strickland is looking forward to coaching at LIU.

"It just fit," he said Tuesday. "I’m looking forward to the challenge."

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