(((sigh)))
There's no room in the NBA for a player like Dave DeBusschere anymore.
I doubt that there's ANY contemporary player with the foggiest notion of what "defense" is.
The darn game has degenerated into nothing but sloppy run and gun, nobody "works the ball" anymore. If they can't hang from the rim like a chattering chimpanzee, then they're tossing a Hail Mary from mid-court praying for 3 points.
That crap just isn't basketball.
Back when the Knicks were a good team......
| Dave Debusschere Born: October 16, 1940 Bats: Right Throws: Right Pitching statistics |
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Rest In Peace
But with one bold move GM Eddie Donovan would change everything. On December 19, 1968 the Knicks would send Walt Bellamy and Howard Komives to Detroit. In return, the Knicks received Dave Debusschere. It was a trade that would prove to be the turning point in franchise history.
Bill Bradley: "It was the move that brought all the ingrediants together. He was a strong rebounding forward who could shoot long..who had a great team attitude.. a tough defensive player. He did things on the court that i don't see a lot of other players doing."
Cazzie Russell: "Dave gave us that prototype power forward. A guy that can get in there and get the ball off the board..and I guy that works well with your center...and Debusschere was that... He and Willis really controlled the boards.."
From the moment Debusschere stepped onto the court, it was as if he and Reed had played together all their lives. Like Willis, Debusschere possessed an unquenchable fire that would inspire his teammates.
Dave Debusshere: Really, the key was not just my arrival.. I think the key was that it also put Willis in the center postion, which was vitally important. And the other thing was it really gave Frazier the confidence that he was to run the team. It was his basketball. He was the quarterback so to speak..so let's do it..."
Walt Frazier: "When they traded Komives with Bellamy..I was the guy. I was the starting guy..and it worked beautifully."
With Frazier leading the team, the puzzle was almost complete. Ironically, it would be injuries to Cazzie Russell and Phil Jackson that would provide the final piece. To fill the void in the frontcourt, Bill Bradley would be moved from backup guard to starting forward where he too would flourish.
Phil Jackson: "What happened was those five players of Barnett, Frazier, Debusschere, Bradley and Willis had to spend about 40 minutes on the floor, together, every night."
And together, they would form a unit whose unwavering devotion to teamwork would be the foundation of their greatness.
The Knicks would go on to win 36 of their last 44 games and surge into the playoffs as the hottest team in the NBA. In the opening series they would sweep the Bullets in four games. But in the next series, the defending champion Celtics awaited. And with them an education in post season survival. Boston's playoff hardened veterans would eliminate the Knicks in six games...but it was a lesson that would not be wasted.
Willis Reed: "The focal point of the next season happened in the locker room in Boston, a dreary, rainy Friday night and Debusschere came by and said, "Hey, we're gonna win it next year..it's ours..nobody can keep us from doing it""
For the Knicks, that moment would have to remain suspended in time. But while they waited for a chance to test their convictions, the world did not stand still. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong would take his 'giant leap for Mankind'. A month later, a crowd of over 500,000 would descend on Woodstock, New York to be part of music history. And for New York sports fans, almost equally amazing was the tranformation of the cinderella Jets into Super Bowl champions and the downtrodden Mets into world series heroes. If ever the scene was set for the Knicks it was now. And an expected New York looked to Madison Square Garden for the celebration to continue. They would not be disapponted. The summer was over and the Knicks charged into the 1969-70 season. This would not be a year of finding their stride. The Knicks were at full speed from the opening tipoff. Steamrolling their oppositon, they mounted an early season winning streak that would become a dramatic assault on the NBA record books.
Bill Bradley: "There's an attitude change when you're on a team that wins..and a team that wins and knows how to win.."
That winning attitude would prevail for seventeen consecutive games. But it would be in the pursuit of a record eighteenth straight victory that the Knicks would push it to the limit as they trailed Cincinnati by three with just seconds remaining.
Knicks TV Broadcaster Bob Wolf: "105 to 102, they call time out.."
Dave Debusschere: " I said the only way wer're gonna win this thing is if you take a chance..."
Knicks TV Broadcaster Bob Wolf:" And it's Intercepted........put in by Dave Debusschere...105 to 104.............ten seconds to go..........Intercepted by Frazier.......Frazier shoots..........the follow.....there's a whistle on the play as Frazier went up with two seconds to go!!!"
Walt Frazier: "They called timeout to try to ice me. When we went over to our bench no one was saying anything to me...it's like...oh..these two are in the basket..you know... And then when the buzzer sounded Red (coach Holtzman) said .."Okay Clyde, get em in now.."
Knicks TV Broacaster Bob Wolf: "Knicks trail...two seconds to go..they trail by one point........It's Tied!!!...Fans, if this is pulled out it will be one of the miracles of basketball, the Knicks comeback.. Hold on...Cincinnati will call timeout most probably to get the ball at midcourt......He makes it!!!....the Knicks go in front... they throw in ....Reed intercepts.....Reed shoots...the ballgame.....we have no official word...It's over...it's all over the Knicks win 106 to 105!!!"
While it was the win streak that grabbed New York's attention, it was the Knicks style of play that stole their heart..
Billl Bradley: "We were a team, and we knew that none of us were as strong individually as all of us were together. And i think that was a powerful metaphor that a lot of people in New York saw. And then the crowds that came were knowledgable crowds. I mean you'd have people applaud the pass..that led to the pass..that led to the basket. Clyde and I used to have a play we're he'd go backdoor and i'd hit him with the pass. The crowd could anticipate when this play was going to happen. You could do this in other places, they would never understand. They would never appreciate the nuance of the game. So you knew you were playing for a crowd that understood what they were seeing."
What they saw was a team who's motto was hit the open man. And a team whose unselfish philosophy bound together it's members and inspired it's fans..
Walt Frazier:" We had five guy who came from different and varied backgrounds...but when we came to play as a team man it was something beautiful to watch because the ball really moved around the court.."
Dave Debusschere: "I think people identified with our team. The electricity that went through, not only Madison Square Garden, but the whole city. It was a love affair..really.."
The Knicks would finish the season with a league best 60 wins but this year only a championship would be good enough. The first series would pit them against Earl Monroe's Bullets. And from the Pearl's first dizzying spin it was apparant that the series would be a grueling one. But the Knicks would stop Monroe when it counted, using their their trademark helping defense to thwart the Bullets in the clutch and eliminate them in seven tough games.
In round two, the Knicks would face another monumental test in the Bucks and their phenominal rookie center Lew Alcinder (Kareem Abdul Jabbar). Employing Red Holtzman's team concept, the Knicks had led the league in defense. The anchor of that defense, Willis Reed, would now push Alcindor out of his shooting range, while his Knick teammates disarmed him. The Knicks easily wrapped up the series in five games. The finals would soon begin.
Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor and Jerry West...the top three scorers in playoff history would lead LA into the Garden. These legendary superstars would pose the final challenge in the Knicks championship quest. The awesome task of stopping Chamberlain would fall on the broad shoulders of Willis Reed .....and their battle raged as the teams split the first two games in New York. For game three, the scene would shift to LA and Reed and Chamberlain continued their ferocious struggle.....as both teams fought vainly to gain an advantage. ..and the score remained deadlocked into the waning seconds of the contest.
Knicks TV Broadcaster Bob Wolf: "eight seconds left on the clock..seven..six...five..Debusschere shoots.....Hits......three seconds to go..two seconds..one second..West throws it up......he makes it.!! West threw it up and makes it.. the ballgame is tied...Jerry West made it from the other side of the midcourt stripe!!"
Willis Reed: "Now we walk to the huddle..They had to get fans off the floor and everything else...And Barnett came to the huddle and said.."What's wrong guys"? he said..."This game's not over, it's just starting".."
Taking their teammates words to heart, the Knicks stole back momentum and the series lead. But the Lakers would take game four in overtime... And in the crucial fifth game, the Lakers would jump out to an early ten point lead that would suddenly seem insurmountable.
Knicks Radio Broadcaster Marv Albert: "top of the key to Reed..triple teamed..falls down...we get a whistle on the play..and Willis is hurt.."
Bill Bradley: "With Willis falling..all of our hopes fell...i mean it was a crushing blow.."
Knicks Radio Broadcaster Marv Albert: "Willis very slow to get up..."
Walt Frazier: "I was thinking..well, there goes the championship. Willis was the backbone of the team and i didn't see any way that we could contain Chamberlain."
Their captain had fallen, but above all else these Knicks prided themselves on being a team. Now they would have to proof it.
Bill Bradley: " Here we lost our captain...but we still believed we could win. We just had to figure out the WAY to win."
The Knicks would swarm Chamberlain, frustrating him as they hounded his every move.
Knick radio voice Marv Albert: "stolen by Bradley...New York ball..Bradley..."
As the Knicks began to smother the Lakers, chants of DEFENSE began to echo from the Garden's rafters..
Knick radio voice Marv Albert: "downcourt Debusschere ..on the drive ..all the way..a running hook..GOOD!!!! It is sheer bedlam here at Madison Square Garden!!!"
Walt Frazier: "Throughout the game, they never let up...and the crescendo became higher and higher and higher..."
Knick radio voice Marv Albert: "Garrett loses to Frazier..he drives ahead of the field...."
Swept up in a hurricane of emotion, the empassioned Knicks stormed past the stunned Lakers..
Knick radio voice Marv Albert: ".....Cazzie top of the key...crosscourt Barnett.. he jumps from twenty...YES!!..and the Knicks trail by one
......"Cazzie drives left, picked up by Chamberlain in the corner....outside Bradley ..one hander from twenty..YES.... We're tied at 87.....
........"Now Stallworth he sets...drives on Chamberlain ..past the basket..backhander is GOOD!!! ......This must go down as one of the great games in the history of the New York Knicks.. "
But when euphoria faded, the Knicks were left with the sobering reality of facing the Lakers without Willis..And with the Garden's devine inspiration three thousand miles away, game five's magic quickly became a distant memory as Chamberlain shredded the Knicks for 45 points, sending them back to New York for the deciding seventh game, in desperate need of another miracle...
Walt Frazier: "In the locker room, no one knew if Willis Reed would play or not. He was in the trainers room. The door was closed. Guys were getting dressed saying "Is Willis going?" "Is he not going?"
Knicks trainor Danny Whelan: "He wanted to take a shot of cortizone. He took the shot and Red came by and said.."Well, if you''re gonna play we gotta get out there because it was game time..."
Willis Reed: "Debusschere came by and said.."Big fella if you give us twenty minutes tonight we're gonna win it" he said "That's all we need from you cause we're gonna win this game tonight"
Dave Debusschere: "I remember Willis saying "I'll do anything i can to go out there" At that point he still didn't know if he could play..He was really hurting.. And of course when we took the floor..everybody..the fans..the Lakers..we're warming up and everybody's watching that runway......"
Knicks radio voice Marv Albert: "The big question is will Willis Reed play tonight. There is tremendous doubt right now...."
Willis Reed: "I always remembered one thing. Eventually during my lifetime i will not be a basketball player..twenty years down the road..twenty five years down the road.. I'll be sitting in some lake, fishing.. and i would have to say to myself..'Boy, i wish i'd have played that night". I wasn't gonna let that happen cause that was my moment"
Knicks radio voice Marv Albert: "And here comes Willis!..and the crowd is going wild... Willis passes the scores table..he takes the basketball..the Lakers have stopped...and uh.. they're just watching Willis go through his warmups.. "
Dave Debusschere: "At that moment..I looked down at the Lakers..and they all just stopped shooting.. And as the roar got deafening.. I remember looking at West..I looked at Chamberlain..I looked at Baylor ..and all their faces dropped..and i said...they wanted..They're defeated.. In my mind they were defeated then"
Knicks radio voice Marv Albert: "Here's the tap..controlled by the Lakers..Erickson..crosscourt to Garrett..Garrett along the left sideline..in the corner it goes to Baylor...Baylor moves left side of the circle..top of the key..off the screen..jumps...short..rebound taken by Bradley..New York ball..downcourt to Frazier..guarded by West..left side of the lane...outside Reed...jumps from twenty..YES!!!"
....Barnett to Reed in the forecourt..rightside from twenty jumps...YES..!! ..... Willis has hit on his first two!"
Bill Bradley: "He hits his first two shots..and that tells us all..we can do this....and we did"
Willis would not score again, but he had rallied the Knicks and they would not let their valiant captain down..
Knicks radio voice Marv Albert: "rebound taken by Garrett of the Lakers..he bullets one downcourt that is INTERcepted by Debussschere..fast break for New York...LEADS Riordan..driving shot is good....incredible defense by the Knicks...
.....West across the midcourt line..LOSES to Frazier!..he drives ahead of the field.... down the lane ..layup is good....and a foul..yes and it counts..!!!
With Frazier playing at his clutch best, the Knicks never looked back as they romped to their first world championship in franchise history.
Knicks Radio voice Marv Albert:...."centercourt Frazier as the crowd on it's feet roaring..Frazier top of the key..outside Debusschere...in the corner Frazier...he drives...to Barnett for a jump....YES!......... the Knicks are hugging each other on the bench...confetti from the mezanine areas of Madision Square Garden....And that is it...the New York Knickerbockers have won the 1969-1970 World championship of basketball, ..The New York Knicks are the World Champions..in a devastating rout...
Bill Bradley: "There are no grays.. It's clear. You're the best..and for 24 to 48 hours those chills going up and down your spine turn into a permanent grin so much so that your face aches.
May he rest in peace.
From 1957 until 1966, the Knicks made the playoffs only once, finishing last in their division for seven straight seasons. The league was changing and the Knicks couldn't seem to keep pace.
Carl Braun (Knick player) - "Most of the guards are getting to be six four and six five...and if they get any bigger, they're going to push us right out of the game. I'll be refereeing or coaching..
One of the last holdovers from better times, Carl Braun, soon took his own advice; but his tenure as coach was short lived as he soon quickly joined the growing list of those unable to put an end to the Knicks ineptitude.
The Knicks continued to search for answers, but the only category they managed to lead the league in was coaching changes.
radio voice of the Knicks Marv Albert - "The Knicks were very, very bad. In fact, I was a ball boy for the Knicks for three years. I used to get the idea that they would play the entire NBA schedule, this was when you had nine teams in the NBA, that the basis for playing the entire NBA schedule was to eliminate the Knicks.."
These teams were not without talent. Willie Nauls and Kenny Sears were gifted forwards. At guard, seven time all-star Richie Guerin was one of the league's premier scorers. But what the Knicks lacked was painfully obvious. The search for a dominant big man became a decade long obsession as opposing centers routinely exploited the void in the middle.
The peak of their humiliation came on March 2nd, 1962 when Wilt Chamberlain would pile up an astounding one hundred points against them in a single game. A record drubbing that will likely never be equaled.
But though the Knicks plight often seemmed hopeless, their games were happenings...and their fans loyally treked to the garden to be part of that.
Stan Asofsky (old garden fan) - "First of all, when you went to the garden game you had this area where you walked in where everyone, all your friends, convened........"
Fred Klein (old garden fan) - "under the marquee..."
Stan Asofsky (old garden fan) - ".....You used to talk basketball. When the game was over, we didn't go right home. We discussed it under the marquee...
Al McGuire (former Knick player and Marquette head coach) - "The old garden, first of all, what hits me is ..Nedicks. I remember Marty Glickman when a guy made a shot he'd say, "Good like Nedicks!". And the other side of the rotunda was an Adams Hat store. In those days everyone wore hats.."
John Condon voice of the Garden: "The old garden, the marquee..well, you know, it should have been put in the Smithsonian Institution. That's what should have happened to it. And the lobby of the old garden was a club. They made it a club. They just congregated there. If you wanted to meet somebody who was going to the fights or going to the game you walk in the lobby, you'd know where they were."
Stan Asofsky (fan of old garden) - "You knew the old garden. You walked around. You knew which hot dog stand had the best hot dogs. Which one served the drinks with ice and all that.."
Fred Klein (fan of old garden) - "It's like a relative. It's like a best friend. It's something that's a part of you..."
In the spring of 1964, the Knicks would make Jim Barnes the first pick of the college draft. He was to be their center of the future. In the second round they would choose another center whom they hoped to convert to forward. His name was Willis Reed. While Barnes first season in New York would be his last, Reed would win rookie of the year.
Veteran guard Dick Barnett had become unhappy as a Laker reserve. In 1965 he would be traded to the Knicks and flourish as a starter..
That same season, Cazzie Russell was completing his career at Michigan. The nation's most coveted collegian, he would join the Knicks a year later, helping them make the playoffs for the first time in eight years..
1967 would see Walt Frazier journey to the Garden to lead Southern Illinois to the NIT title. Two months later the Knicks would make New York his permanent home....
While Frazier was becoming a Knick, Bill Bradley was winding up his two year Rhodes scholarship at Oxford. Nationally celebrated in his playing days at Princeton, Bradley too would join the Knicks that year, crossing the Atlantic to make his highly publicized NBA debut...
With the additions of young guards Bradley and Frazier to a team that had made the playoffs the year before, the Knicks expectations were higher than they had been in over a decade. But when the 67-68 season began, the Knicks found themselves inextricably struggling, in need of new direction. They would hand the team's reins to their chief scout. And so a reluctant William 'Red' Holtzman became coach of the Knicks.
Red Holtzman - "I didn't want to coach and I tried to get out of it. But they said, "There's nobody else." "It's you." "You got the job."
Willis Reed - "Red came in and he was demanding. He said there were certain things that he would put up with and certain things that he wouldn't put up with..and I think guys respected him for that..."
Under Holtzman's stern guidance, the Knicks began to win with regularity. Catching fire down the homestretch, they would qualify for the playoffs for the second straight year. And though they would lose a tough opening round series to Chamberlain's Sixers, the Knicks felt that their fortunes were once again on the rise.
Opening their first full season in the new garden on 33rd street, the Knicks began the 68-69 season with high hopes. But from the outset it was apparant that something was wrong.. Bradley struggled at guard, unable to keep up with quicker opponents. Frazier too was not living up to his potential. Limited in playing duty behind veteran Howard Komives, Fraziers play was often erradict. And to add to the Knicks problems, while Willis Reed played out of position at forward, Walt Bellamy was not getting the job done at center, making it increasingly apparant that in the pivot, two was a crowd.
But with one bold move GM Eddie Donovan would change everything. On December 19, 1968 the Knicks would send Walt Bellamy and Howard Komives to Detroit. In return, the Knicks received Dave Debusschere. It was a trade that would prove to be the turning point in franchise history.
Bill Bradley: "It was the move that brought all the ingrediants together. He was a strong rebounding forward who could shoot long..who had a great team attitude.. a tough defensive player. He did things on the court that i don't see a lot of other players doing."
Cazzie Russell: "Dave gave us that prototype power forward. A guy that can get in there and get the ball off the board..and I guy that works well with your center...and Debusschere was that... He and Willis really controlled the boards.."
From the moment Debusschere stepped onto the court, it was as if he and Reed had played together all their lives. Like Willis, Debusschere possessed an unquenchable fire that would inspire his teammates.
Dave Debusshere: Really, the key was not just my arrival.. I think the key was that it also put Willis in the center postion, which was vitally important. And the other thing was it really gave Frazier the confidence that he was to run the team. It was his basketball. He was the quarterback so to speak..now let's do it..."
Walt Frazier: "When they traded Komives with Bellamy..I was the guy. I was the starting guy..and it worked beautifully."
With Frazier running the team, the puzzle was almost complete. Ironically, it would be injuries to Cazzie Russell and Phil Jackson that would provide the final piece. To fill the void in the frontcourt, Bill Bradley would be moved from backup guard to starting forward where he too would flourish.
Phil Jackson: "What happened was those five players of Barnett, Frazier, Debusschere, Bradley and Willis had to spend about 40 minutes on the floor, together, every night."
And together, they would form a unit whose unwavering devotion to teamwork would ultimatley be the foundation of their greatness.
The Knicks would go on to win 36 of their last 44 games and surge into the playoffs as the hottest team in the NBA. In the opening series they would sweep the Bullets in four games. But in the next series, the defending champion Celtics awaited. And with them an education in post season survival. Boston's playoff hardened veterans would eliminate the Knicks in six games...but it was a lesson that would not be wasted.
Willis Reed: "The focal point of the next season happened in the locker room in Boston, a dreary, rainy Friday night and Debusschere came by and said, "Hey, we're gonna win it next year..it's ours..nobody can keep us from doing it""
For the Knicks, that moment would have to remain suspended in time. But while they waited for a chance to test their convictions, the world did not stand still. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong would take his 'giant leap for Mankind'. A month later, a crowd of over 500,000 would descend on Woodstock, New York to be part of music history. And for New York sports fans, almost equally amazing was the tranformation of the cinderella Jets into Super Bowl champions and the downtrodden Mets into world series heroes. If ever the scene was set for the Knicks it was now. And an expected New York looked to Madison Square Garden for the celebration to continue. They would not be disapponted. The summer of waiting was over and the Knicks charged into the 1969-70 season. This would not be a year of finding their stride. The Knicks were at full speed from the opening tipoff. Steamrolling their oppositon, they mounted an early season winning streak that would become a dramatic assault on the NBA record books.
Bill Bradley: "There's an attitude change when you're on a team that wins..and a team that wins and knows how to win.."
That winning attitude would prevail for seventeen consecutive games. But it would be in the pursuit of a record eighteenth straight victory that the Knicks would push it to the limit as they trailed Cincinnati by three with just seconds remaining.
Knicks TV Broadcaster Bob Wolf: "105 to 102, they call time out.."
Dave Debusschere: " I said the only way wer're gonna win this thing is if you take a chance..."
Knicks TV Broadcaster Bob Wolf:" And it's Intercepted........put in by Dave Debusschere...105 to 104.............ten seconds to go..........Intercepted by Frazier.......Frazier shoots..........the follow.....there's a whistle on the play as Frazier went up with two seconds to go!!!"
Walt Frazier: "They called timeout to try to ice me. When we went over to our bench no one was saying anything to me...it's like...oh..these two are in the basket..you know... And then when the buzzer sounded Red said .."Okay Clyde, get em in now.."
Knicks TV Broacaster Bob Wolf: "Knicks trail...two seconds to go..they trail by one point........It's Tied!!!...Fans, if this is pulled out it will be one of the miracles of basketball, the Knicks comeback.. Hold on...Cincinnati will call timeout most probably to get the ball at midcourt......He makes it!!!....the Knicks go in front... they throw in ....Reed intercepts.....Reed shoots...the ballgame.....we have no official word...It's over...it's all over the Knicks win 106 to 105!!!"
While it was the win streak that grabbed New York's attention, it was the Knicks style of play that stole their heart..
Billl Bradley: "We were a team, and we knew that none of us were as strong individually as all of us were together. And i think that was a very powerful metaphor that a lot of people in New York saw. And then the crowds that came were knowledgable crowds. I mean you'd have people applaud the pass..that led to the pass..that led to the basket. Clyde and I used to have a play we're he'd go backdoor and i'd hit him with the pass. The crowd could anticipate when this play was going to happen. You could do this in other places, they would never understand. They would never appreciate the nuance of the game. So you knew you were playing for a crowd that understood what they were seeing."
What they saw was a team who's motto was hit the open man. And a team whose unselfish philosophy bound together it's members and inspired it's fans..
Walt Frazier:" We had five guy who came from different and varied backgrounds...but when we came to play as a team man it was something beautiful to watch because the ball really moved around the court.."
Dave Debusschere: "I think people identified with our team. The electricity that went through, not only Madison Square Garden, but the whole city. It was a love affair..really.."
The Knicks would finish the season with a league best 60 wins but this year only a championship would be good enough. The first series would pit them against Earl Monroe's Bullets. And from the Pearl's first dizzying spin it was apparant that the series would be a grueling one. But the Knicks would stop Monroe when it counted, using their their trademark helping defense to thwart the Bullets in the clutch and eliminate them in seven tough games.
In round two, the Knicks would face another monumental test in the Bucks and their phenominal rookie center Lew Alcinder (Kareem Abdul Jabbar). Employing Red Holtzman's team concept, the Knicks had led the league in defense. The anchor of that defense, Willis Reed, would now push Alcindor out of his shooting range, while his Knick teammates disarmed him. The Knicks easily wrapped up the series in five games. The finals would soon begin..and the Lakers were headed to New York.
Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor and Jerry West...the top three scorers in playoff history would lead LA into the Garden. These legendary superstars would pose the final challenge to the Knicks championship quest. The awesome task of stopping Chamberlain would fall on the broad shoulders of Willis Reed .....and their battle raged as the teams split the first two games in New York. For game three, the scene would shift to LA... and Reed and Chamberlain would continue their ferocious struggle.....as both teams fought vainly to gain an advantage. ..and the score remained deadlocked into the waning seconds of the contest.
Knicks TV Broadcaster Bob Wolf: "eight seconds left on the clock..seven..six...five..Debusschere shoots.....Hits!!!......three seconds to go..two seconds..one second..West throws it up......he makes it.!! West threw it up and makes it.. the ballgame is tied...Jerry West made it from the other side of the midcourt stripe!!"
Willis Reed: "Now we walk to the huddle..They had to get fans off the floor and everything else...Dick Barnett came to the huddle and said.."What's wrong guys"? he said..."This game's not over, it's just starting".."
Taking their teammates words to heart, the Knicks stole back the momentum and the series lead. But the Lakers would take game four in overtime... And in the crucial fifth game, the Lakers would jump out to an early ten point lead that would suddenly seem insurmountable.
Knicks Radio Broadcaster Marv Albert: "....top of the key to Reed..triple teamed..falls down...we get a whistle on the play..and Willis is hurt.."
Bill Bradley: "With Willis falling, all of our hopes fell. I mean it was a crushing blow.."
Knicks Radio Broadcaster Marv Albert: "...Willis very slow to get up..."
Walt Frazier: "I was thinking, 'Well, there goes the championship'. Willis was the backbone of the team and without him I didn't see any way that we could contain Chamberlain."
Their captain had fallen, but above all else these Knicks prided themselves on being a team. Now they would have to proof it.
Bill Bradley: "Here we lost our captain. But we still believed we could win. We just had to figure out the WAY to win."
The Knicks would swarm Chamberlain, frustrating him as they hounded his every move.
Knick radio voice Marv Albert: "one bounce pass...stolen by Bradley!!!...New York ball..Bradley..."
As the Knicks began to smother the Lakers, chants of DEFENSE began to echo from the Garden's rafters..
Knick radio voice Marv Albert: "downcourt Debusschere ..on the drive ..all the way..a running hook..GOOD!!!! It is sheer bedlam here at Madison Square Garden!!!"
..."West across the mid court line...LOSES to Frazier!!!...He drives ahead of the field..down the lane..layup is GOOD!!!...seventy six to sixty eight...a minute and five to go in the quarter...West losing at center court to Frazier..."
Walt Frazier: "Throughout the game, they never let up. And the crescendo became higher and higher and higher..."
Knick radio voice Marv Albert" "...they have ten seconds to attempt the shot..inbound pass to Erickson..a side jump..rims the basket..the rebound is taken by Baylor, he took it away from Stallworth...one hander from the side is missed..and the rebound to Debusschere..ahead it goes to Bradley across the mid court line..Bradley spins to the top of the key..on the left side Frazier...inside Stallworth..short jump...hits the rim and bounds through!!!"
"...Garrett to the forecourt as West gets set to report back in...Garrett in the corner..hemmed in by Frazier..a one bounce pass is STOLEN by Bradley!!!....New York ball...Bradley across the midcourt line..downcourt Debusschere from twenty one hands...it's off the front rim and over the backboard..."
"....The Knicks want that basketball. West to the forecourt..as he makes his move he turned the ball over...He is called for palming..."
"...Frazier top of the key...goes to Bradley..crosscourt Stallworth...he drives right..on the right it goes to Barnett...he veers to his left..picked up there by Baylor...now one bounce pass to Stallworth in the corner...five seconds on the clock..inside Barnett..spins away for the shot...it's knocked away, but he is fouled!!..and Barnett will go to the line for two shots.."
"...the second foul shot by Barnett is good..the Knicks trail by three, 84 to 81.... zone press, West almost lost it..flips ahead to Counts...fires downcourt to Baylor..he drives across the lane ..the shot is deflected ..whistle on the play..the shot was tipped in ..it will not count as Baylor was fouled and he will go to the line....."
Swept up in a hurricane of emotion, the empassioned Knicks stormed past the stunned Lakers..
"...86 to 81 ..Frazier goes crosscourt to Bradley....Bradley hold the ball, holds it away from Erickson...now crosscourt to Stallworth..one hander from the side...Good!!"
"....Now West moves it across as Barnett falls back...West to the forecourt..rightside of the circle..doubleteamed...one bounces to Erickson..Erickson fires crosscourt to Counts...side one hander..short..rebound is taken by Russell of New York..a fast break for the Knicks..Cazzie across the midcourt line..top of the key..crosscourt Barnett from twenty he jumps..YES!!! ..and the Knicks trail by one, 86 to 85 with 8:20 remaining in the game... and the Lakers call for time!!...."
radio voice of the Knicks Jim Gordon "...inbound pass to Walt Frazier...Frazier holds it high over his head...ducks around to the top of the key and gives outside to Cazzie Russell...in position...can't take a shot..fakes..Chamberlain comes out to get him...to Bradley outside..GOOD!!!...BRADLEY!!..7:37 to go as Bradley ties it up at 87...."
"...out of the backcourt with the ball is Jerry West...he hits Elgin Baylor with an outside shot...it is..good by Baylor...foul on New York..it's not on the shot..."
..."shot is no good ..rebound to New York..Stallworth downcourt to Barnett...from the righthand side he shoots..short off the rim..rebound high in the air..Cazzie comes out with a one hand pass to the corner...the shot from the corner is ..GOOD!!... Dave Stallworth!!! 89 89 with 7:01 to go"
"...Jerry West from behind the key...cuts across the top of the circle..the pass to Erickson..back to Elgin Baylor from the rightside..the shot is up and good...Baylor...91 89 ..an incredible comeback by the Knicks without Willis Reed around.."
"...Frazier behind the circle, righthand side...to Bill Bradley..Bradley cuts across to the foul line...to Cazzie who goes up for the shot..it is..off the rim..it's going out of bounds..outside..it goes to LA.."
"...91 89 the score...six minutes and twenty eight seconds to go...West works along the righthand side..trailed by Dick Barnett...knocked out of his hands by Barnett!!!..recovered by New York!!...to Barnett who breaks for the basket!!...lays it up..no good...foul called....."
radio voice of the Knicks Marv Albert: "...we're tied at 91 in what has become a classic ballgame...six ten remaining...Baylor in the corner...goes inside..STOLEN by Frazier!!....Frazier holds it in the backcourt..ahead it goes to Russell..the Knicks can move in front for the first time tonight...New York ball we're tied at 91..Stallworth drives right..hands to Bradley..long one hander...GOOD!!!...and for the first time tonight the Knicks lead the Lakers!!!"
"...it is a five second violation!!... Lakers took too much time in inbounding...The Knicks take over..the inbound pass to Bradley...the shot is blocked by Chamberlain...and taken off by West..the Knicks by two....five oh five (5:05)remaining in the ball game...West to the forecourt ...West along the left sideline..a full block by Chamberlain..West turns and jumps..off balance shot..no good....."
"...rebound Frazier...Frazier whips it crosscourt then takes the return pass .. moves across the midcourt line..Walt looking very cool....in the right corner Stallworth..one hand bomb...no good....rebound Bradley..outside to Frazier...Frazier goes crosscourt to Stallworth..he drives...running one hander ...IS GOOD!!!..."
Knicks radio voice Jim Gordon: "...Jerry West across the mid-court stripe..throws the ball to the righthand sideline to Elgin Baylor...Baylor starts to work in on Cazzie Russell...There's a whisle..and a foul called on New York...At the foul line Elgin Baylor..it's good...it drops..."
"...four team fouls on the Lakers..bounce pass to Cazzie ..righthand side ..at the foul line..looks for position and shoots a one hander...it's GOOD!!!...off balance shot by Cazzie Russell!!!.....97 92 ..three forty five to go (3:45).."
"...West in the forecourt ..around Barnett..to the back of the circle and shoots....no good...rebound..scramble for it..still a scramble...Erickson..there's a whistle..the basket will not count...The shot by Erickson..good...97 93 a four point lead New York...."
"...controlled by Dave Stallworth left hand side line two steps in.....now to Cazzie Russell from behind the circle...Cazzie looks right..starts to move right on a Bradley pick and can't get in close enough...it goes to Stallworth..six seconds to go...Stallworth dribbles right..four on the twenty four second clock..in the corner with two ..he shoots off balance...off the rim...rebound..IN!!!..tapped in by Cazzie Russell!!! on the rebound..three oh seven (3:07) to go......99 93 New York..."
"...Jerry West hits Baylor behind the key...he drives on Bradley..foul is against New York....the shot is up...it's no good..rebound..Lakers...Baylor..no good..rebound New York..."
"...Stallworth with the ball to Walt Frazier in the backcourt...Time ..two fifty two..Frazier needs help in the backcourt...gives the ball to Stallworth....Stalls across the midcourt line ..behind the circle...drives...goes in..lays it off..from the corner Barnett shoots...no good..and the rebound...taken by LA..."
"...Erickson with the ball ..to West in the backcourt...two thirty seven to go...99 94 the score ..the New York Knicks on top..West has the ball..and there's a whistle..."
Radio voice of the Knicks Marv Albert: "..Erickson looks to inbound..he one bounces to Tresvant...played tough by Bradley..Tresvant one bounces back to Erickson..fans thought that Tresvant travelled, the call not made...Erickson to the right sideline..then goes inside..it's STOLEN by Stallworth!!!..."
"....Stallworth holds it high over his head..flips it ahead to Russell..and ahead it goes to Frazier...New York Ball with two minutes and ten seconds remaining in the game...they have the lead by five..Russell along the right sideline..Cazzie to the top of the key...he drives left..stolen by Baylor but a foul called!!!"
radio voice of the Knicks Jim Gordon: "...up...GOOD!!!..two oh four to go..seven point lead!!! .....in the forecourt...rightside Erickson..it goes to West...bounce pass back to Erickson..Erickson looking for help..then passes the ball to West..West to Baylor..knocked out of his hands but a foul called...."
"...one minute fifty two seconds to go...can the Knicks do it now?.. holds the ball away from Baylor...pick by Bradley.. pass out to center court it goes to Frazier..then back to Caz...eight seconds on the twenty four second clock...Stallworth drives on Chamberlain..goes in...lays it up..GOOD!!!!...103 96 ..a minute and a half to go!!!..Knicks with the lead.."
"...Backcourt foul against New York....backcourt foul on New York.......Tresvant up...and good..."
"....inbound pass comes inside to Dave Debusschere..lefthand side ..back in the game...doubleteamed ..passes back to Dick Barnett..LA doubleteams again..."
radio voice of the Knicks Marv Albert: "...flips it ahead to Russell who drives..in the corner to Debusschere..one hander from twenty..hits the rim and bounds off...rebound batted...saved by Erickson..but his saving pass goes to Frazier...and there is a break for the Knicks....thirty seconds remaining..Frazier to Bradley...back to Frazier at centercourt..puts it on the floor...flips it ahead to Russell...outside to Debusschere..in the corner to Barnett..twenty seconds remaining...back to Debusschere...standing ovation from the capacity crowd at the Garden...Debusschere drives..crosscourt Frazier...in the corner Debusschere...turns and one hands...it's short..rebound Garrett....he fires downcourt...INTERCEPTED by Frazier!!.. with eight seconds...Frazier to the forecourt...along the left sideline..stops..jumps...YES!!!!"
"...A sensational victory by the New York Knicks, doing it without Willis Reed, moving in front three games to two...This must go down as one of the great games in the history of the New York Knicks....
But when euphoria faded, the Knicks were left with the sobering reality of facing the Lakers without Willis..And with the Garden's devine inspiration three thousand miles away, game five's magic quickly became a distant memory as Chamberlain shredded the Knicks for 45 points, sending them back to New York for the deciding seventh game, in desperate need of another miracle...
Walt Frazier: "In the locker room, no one knew if Willis Reed would play or not. He was in the trainers room. The door was closed. Guys were getting dressed saying "Is Willis going?" "Is he not going?"
Knicks trainor Danny Whelan: "He wanted to take a shot of cortizone. He took the shot of cortizone and Red came by and said.."Well, if you''re gonna play we gotta get out there because it was game time..."
Willis Reed: "Debusschere came by and said.."Big fella if you give us twenty minutes tonight we're gonna win it" he said "That's all we need from you cause we're gonna win this game tonight"
Dave Debusschere: "I remember Willis saying "I'll do anything i can to go out there" At that point he still didn't know if he could play..He was really hurting.. And of course when we took the floor..everybody..the fans..the Lakers..we're warming up and everybody's watching that runway......"
Knicks radio voice Marv Albert: "The big question is will Willis Reed play tonight. There is tremendous doubt right now...."
Willis Reed: "I always remembered one thing. Eventually during my lifetime i will not be a basketball player..twenty years down the road..twenty five years down the road.. I'll be sitting somewhere in some lake, fishing.. and i would have to say to myself..'Boy, i wish i'd have played that night". I wasn't gonna let that happen cause that was my moment"
Knicks radio voice Marv Albert: "And here comes Willis!..and the crowd is going wild... Willis passes the scores table..he takes the basketball..the Lakers have stopped...and uh.. they're just watching Willis go through his warmups.. "
Dave Debusschere: "At that moment..I looked down at the Lakers..and they all just stopped shooting.. And as the roar got deafening.. I remember looking at West..I looked at Chamberlain..I looked at Baylor ..and all their faces dropped..and i said...they wanted..They're defeated.. In my mind they were defeated then"
Knicks radio voice Marv Albert: "Here's the tap..controlled by the Lakers..Erickson..crosscourt to Garrett..Garrett along the left sideline..in the corner it goes to Baylor...Baylor moves left side of the circle..top of the key..off the screen..jumps...short..rebound taken by Bradley..New York ball..downcourt to Frazier..guarded by West..left side of the lane...outside Reed...jumps from twenty..YES!!!"
....Barnett to Reed in the forecourt..rightside from twenty jumps...YES..!! ..... Willis has hit on his first two!"
Bill Bradley: "He hits his first two shots..and that tells us all..we can do this....and we did"
Willis would not score again, but he had rallied the Knicks and they would not let their valiant captain down..
Knicks radio voice Marv Albert: "rebound taken by Garrett of the Lakers..he bullets one downcourt that is INTERcepted by Debussschere..fast break for New York...LEADS Riordan..driving shot is good....incredible defense by the Knicks...
.....West across the midcourt line..LOSES to Frazier!..he drives ahead of the field.... down the lane ..layup is good....and a foul..yes and it counts..!!!
With Frazier playing at his clutch best, the Knicks never looked back as they romped to their first world championship in franchise history.
Knicks Radio voice Marv Albert:...."centercourt Frazier as the crowd on it's feet roaring..Frazier top of the key..outside Debusschere...in the corner Frazier...he drives...to Barnett for a jump....YES!......the Knicks are hugging each other on the bench...confetti from the mezanine areas of Madision Square Garden....And that is it...the New York Knickerbockers have won the 1969-1970 World championship of basketball, ..The New York Knicks are the World Champs..in a devastating rout...
Bill Bradley: "There are no grays.. It's clear. You're the best..and for 24 to 48 hours those chills going up and down your spine turn into a permanent grin so much so that your face aches.
The Knicks were triumphant heroes and an adoring New York hungered to know about them. What they found was a unique group of individuals whose incredible diversity made their unity all the more compelling.
Walt 'Clyde' Frazier: "The press started to focus on Walt Frazier and how I liked to go out....and then with the Rolls Royce and with the girls..It became synonomous with the Clyde image.."
Nicnamed for gangster Clyde Barrow of Bonnie and Clyde, Frazier's public image grew out of his larceny on the court and his glamorous lifestyle off it. It was a persona that he would revel in.
Walt 'Clyde' Frazier: "It was very exciting. I mean to be in the greatest city in the world and no matter where i went people knew me. If I went downtown, uptown, eastside or westside. You know that was a tremendous and a special time for me being a New York Knick during that era."
While Frazier basked in the limelight, Bill Bradley reluctantly tolerated it's glare.
Media reporter: "Bill Bradley is a basketball player. He made his deput here at Madison Square Garden Saturday. Sportwriters call him 'Captain Everything' and write that someday he may become President of the United States "..
From his first day as a Knick, Bradley was treated as a celebrity. It was a role that did not fit comfortably with his selfless ideal.
Media interviewer: "Tell me, do you have any goals that you have set for yourself as a professional basketball player Bill?"
Bill Bradley: "Well, the only goal i've set is to become a contributing member of the team."
Willis Reed: I know when he came to the team all he wanted to do was play basketball, be himself and live his life the way he wanted to.."
Though Frazier and Bradley were the most publicized Knicks, Debusschere and Reed were equally well known. They were players that wore their emotions on their sleeves. One was the staunch, blue collar worker, the other the indominable captain.
But ironically, the personality least known to the public belonged to the Knick who was most visible in the locker room.
Dave Debusschere: "I was not a comedian...and Bill was not a comedian. Willis wasn't. ..And Frazier was very quiet. So, Barnett was sort of the guy who...took the edge off a lot of things"..
Dick Barnett: "I saw the locker room as a place where tensions were lessened. People would talk with each other and joke with each other. But what I did in the locker room, stayed in the locker room."
Bill Bradley: "The way people are conducting themselves. The way they talk about their teammates. The way they talk about victory or defeat. All of those things are potentially devisive to a team. But with our team they weren't. And, if anything, and we weren't aware of it at the time, they were unifying."
The Knicks delicate chemistry was one of the keys to their success, but that fine balance would soon have to be altered. In 1971, their bid to repeat as champions was cut short by the Bullets in the conference finals. Willis had been hobbled by injuries throughout the series. And the Knicks, no longer a young team, suffered from a lack of depth. Changes would have to be made. To back up Willis, Jerry Lucas was aquired in exchange for Cazzie Russell. And in one franchises' most dramatic moves, basketball's greatest one on one performer, Earl 'The Pearl' Monroe, was brought to New York. On paper the Knicks had solved their problems. But the question remained, whether their team harmony would survive.
Walt Frazier: "The New York press was saying that there was no way the two of us could play in the same backcourt. We would need two basketballs"..
But the problems the media predicted never materialized...
Earl Monroe: "I just changed my style to try and fit in with the guys...to let them know that I wasn't coming in to take anyones stardom or anything...that I wanted to be part of team."
With Monroe and Lucas both eagerly adopting the teams unselfish ideal, the Knicks made it back to the finals. With Willis hurt again, they would lose to the Lakers. But they had proven that their special chemistry was still intact. And as the 72-73 season began, the feeling of storybook magic was once again in the air. On November 18, 1972, the Bucks would become early believers. Leading 86 to 68 with under six minutes remaining, they felt that victory was assured...But their eighty sixth point would be their last and no one was leaving the garden early.
radio voice of the Knicks Marv Albert: "(Oscar) Robertson backs in against Frazier..moves to the baseline..he turns...the fadaway..it's short...rebound Jabbar...no good..rebound Debusschere...New York Ball..ahead to Bradley a three on two...to Monroe..baseline jump..YES!..86 to 77 and suddenly it's a ballgame..."
"...Monroe moves to the corner..he stops..fadaway..YES!!..86 to 79 things have turned..."
"...hands to Monroe...Monroe reeling right...gives to Debusschere..long jump......YES!!..25 footer by Debusschere"..
...."taken by Bradley..a fast break...gives to Monroe on the right..he pulls up...here's the jump....YES!!!... 86 to 83!!"
..."Clyde is on the line...he can cut it to within 1........It's down to 1...."
....."So (Lucius) Allen will go to the line. He is a very good foul shooter, 91 percent. The first.....NO GOOD!!!..He missed a clutch free throw. Now the second..it's up....NO GOOD!!!...rebound Reed....."
..."Frazier cuts to the foul line..fakes..hands to Monroe...side jump...YES!!!....The Knicks lead by 1!!"...
..."fires to the basket to Jabbar..he turns...it's SHORT!!..and the Knicks have stolen the ballgame!!!.."
Dave Debusschere: "You got a feeling at that time, that, well, we were destined to do it again or something when we ran off those 19 straight points...You really felt that you couldn't be stopped..."
The '73 Knicks would find new ways to win. They would rely more on their bench as Dean Meminger created turnovers and sparked their running game. Phil Jackson used his long arms to create havoc on defense. And the versatile Jerry Lucas provided long range shooting and heady play in the pivot. And as Frazier and Monroe meshed at guard, they dominated opposing backcourts. Though he had toned down his one-on-one show, the pearl had lost none of his luster.
Dave Debusschere: "There's never been two players together that were that good in the same backcourt as those two guys were. They were the best ever"
With the new players all contributing, the Knick veterans were well rested and ready for the playoffs. Willis was finally healthy...and the aging Knicks knew that this title run could be their last.
The pearl began the playoff march in style, leading the Knicks past the Bullets in five games..
But the conference finals would prove to be a more difficult obstacle...and the Knicks would need heroic efforts from everyone if they were to get by the favored Celtics..
Phil Jackson: "I was the kind of player that would challenge for the ball all the time. I was a person that didn't play defense, defensively."
radio voice of the Knicks Marv Albert: " .....played tight by Jackson..crosscourt (Jo Jo) White...White has the ball STOLEN By Jackson!!!!....he drives ...down the lane..layup is good!!!.."
In game four, Phil Jackson's hustle helped the Knicks pull out a pivotal double overtime victory..and take a commanding series lead.
Dean Meminger: "You must understand that we were up 3 games to 1 against Boston...and they were able to pull out game five and game six. No one had ever beaten Boston in the seventh game in the Boston garden.."
It was a piece of Celtic history that the Knicks would now rewrite. Meminger would come off the bench like a whirlwind to ignite the Knicks. And with Clyde pushing the offense into high gear, New York convincingly defeated Boston on its home floor, dealing a painful blow to the Celtic playoff mystique. A second title was almost within reach...
As they had in their first championship season, New York would face LA in the finals. But this years confrontation would have none of the drama of the initial one..as the Knicks would crush the Lakers in five games. This series would be a celebration of recaptured glory...and a tribute to enduring determination.
For Monroe and Lucas, this was the championship that had eluded them throughtout their careers. While for the veterans of the 1970 team, it was the title that would assure their rightful place in history. Steadfastly holding to their team philosophy, they had preserved their unique chemistry and left an indelible mark on their era..
radio voice of the Knicks Marv Albert: "The New York Knicks have defeated the Los Angeles Lakers by the score of 102 to 93 and they race off the court here in the forum in Los Angeles with the 1973 world championship"....
Bill Bradley: "I think the second victory etched in our minds, at least mine, that, you know, we were a team for a period. We weren't flash in the pan."
Dave Debusschere: "And here you had a bunch of guys from all diverse backgrounds come together and to form this unit and be remembered forever, I thought. That team should be remembered for those three years, four years, five years..whatever...as the smartest basketball team ever assembled.