Kendall Gill

A safe bet to discover their red and yellow-flamed logo under the word “toughness” in a dictionary somewhere, the Miami Heat — unmoved by the grueling ask of a 50-games-in-three-months sprint — were among few teams positioned to withstand the 1998-99 season’s challenge. Yet, on April 3, 1999, the Eastern Conference’s eventual No. 1 seed ran headfirst into one obstacle it couldn’t conquer during the lockout season: Kendall Gill’s lockdown defense. Cutting through lanes as if he were late for work on the expressway, the New Jersey Nets’ celebrated defender hustles through Terry Porter’s pass attempt, recording both record-tying steal No. 11 and a celebratory two-handed flush. Matching the historic tally in four fewer minutes, Gill’s ambition in the win also encouraged career triple-double No. 3 through a 15-point, 10-rebound, 11-steal showcase alongside three assists and two rejections. Unknowing of how near the exclusive record was, Gill later recounted both additional plays he could’ve added, and one Hall of Famer’s sound advice on patience. The end results proved inarguable, as the 1990 No. 5 pick culminated the year at No. 1 in steals (134) and nightly swipes (2.7), providing a steals-based triple-double that the Association wouldn’t witness again for 18 seasons.

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