Posts about NBA
Below was something I wrote last year when doing some research on the 1973 Knicks. With Willis Reed's recent passing, I wanted to bring it to everyone's attention again just how much history was packed into a single franchise that season:
First, I want to make one thing clear. I am NOT saying the '73 Knicks were the best team in league history. They were great, but not that great. But I think a case can be made that when you combine the total careers of the individuals responsible for the championship, they were one of the most historic teams in NBA history.
There are plenty of places to start, but I'm going to begin with their arena:
Madison Square Garden- For any normal team, you probably don't bring up their arena to build a case for how important they were. But this isn't a normal team, and this isn't a normal arena.
First thing you have to realize is there have been 4 different venues in New York City called Madison Square Garden. The current one though, was opened in 1968 at 4 Pennsylvania Plaza at the site of the former Pennsylvania Station. The '73 Finals took place here just 5 years after it was built. It wasn't just the Mecca of basketball that we know today (in large part due this very Knicks team), it was arguably the very center of western culture as a whole.
Just to give you an idea of how important the Knicks home court was, here is a short list of some people that performed there in just 1973:
The Beach Boys, Linda Ronstadt, Elton John, Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin, Jackson 5, Chicago, Bruce Springsteen, Alice Cooper, John Denver, Judy Collins, Bill Withers, Eric Weisberg, and Neil Young.
Like I said, this isn't a normal arena.
Next, we'll take a look at some non-players associated with the team:
President- Ned Irish- Ol' Ned here had been around for a while in basketball by the time the '73 season had rolled around. He first started promoting basketball games at one of the former MSG sites in 1934. By 1946, he and his closest 10 buddies decided to start a basketball league of their own called the Basketball Association of America. By 1949, they decided it was a good idea to merge with the NBL, and rebrand the new league the National Basketball Association.
Known primarily for his work in founding the NBA and the Knicks, Irish was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1964.
Head Coach/GM- Red Holzman- Red was recently honored as one of the 15 greatest coaches in NBA history and was literally born to coach the Knicks. Born and raised in NYC, Holzman played college ball for CCNY and spent a decade as an assistant for the Knicks prior to becoming head coach.
Known primarily for his work coaching the Knicks, Holzman was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985.
Assistant coach- Dick McGuire- As if head coach Red wasn't enough of a New Yorker, McGuire was even more closely associated with the city in his basketball career. Also born and raised in NYC, McGuire played 4 seasons at St. Johns before being drafted by the Knicks in the 1st round of the BAA draft in 1949. After finishing his playing career in Detroit as well his first few years coaching, McGuire returned to coaching in the organization from 1965-79.
Known primarily for his playing career with the Knicks, McGuire was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.
Radio play-by-play- Marv Albert- Might be a bit absurd to include a radio guy, but no other team has ever had the voice of basketball calling their games either.
Known primarily for his role calling NBA games, Albert was inducted into the broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2015.
Ok, now onto some of the players themselves:
Earl Monroe- Vernon Monroe, aka Earl the Pearl, aka Black Jesus, was one of the best ball handlers in early NBA history. An outstanding player at D2 Winston-Salem State, Monroe was drafted 2nd overall by the Bullets in 1967. When he joined the Knicks in 1971, he and Walt Frazier combined for one of the best backcourts in NBA history
Known primarily for his playing career with the Bullets and Knicks, Monroe was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1990.
Jerry Lucas- Long story short on Lucas, he was kinda LeBron before LeBron in terms of hype. He was the most highly sought after recruit in high school, receiving offers from over 150 schools, and having 15,000 in attendance for one of his high school games. He followed that up by being a 3x All-American at Ohio State, 2x Consensus National College Player of the Year, NCAA champion in 1960, as well as winning a gold medal in the 1960 Olympics. He had a great NBA career after that with the Royals, but by the time he was a Knick, it was more in a Walton/Celtics role.
Known primarily for his playing career at Ohio State and with the Royals, Lucas was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980.
Bill Bradley- Bradley was a national player of the year while at Princeton and won a gold medal in the '64 Olympics. In what has to be among the most unique entries on basketball reference Bradley missed his first two years in the NBA studying as a Rhodes scholar at Oxford. He spent his entire 10 year career with the Knicks, was a 1 time All-Star, lead the team in scoring in the '73 Finals, and checks notes oh yeah became a US Senator after his NBA career.
Known primarily for his playing career at Princeton and with the Knicks, Bradley was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1983.
Phil Jackson- So there's a good chance you knew Jackson was on this team, but like me you might not have realized he was 6th on the team in minutes in the '73 Finals and was their 4th leading rebounder for the series. He wasn't just a bench guy, our man Phil was the legit 6th man on a title team. Oh, and he became arguably the greatest coach in league history afterwards.
Known primarily for his work coaching the Bulls and Lakers, Jackson was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.
Dave DeBusschere- DeBusschere is one of just a handful of players that played in both the NBA and MLB. He's also the only player to throw a complete game shutout in the majors in the same year he had a 30 point game in the NBA. On top of that, he was one of the best defensive wings in the NBA in the '70s, and was a 8 time All Star.
Known primarily for his playing career with the Pistons and the Knicks, DeBusschere was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1983.
Walt Frazier- Earning the nickname "Clyde" his rookie year after wearing a Bonnie and Clyde style hat, Walt Frazier was the epitome of cool in the '70s. He was one of the first NBA players to get a shoe deal, but easily has the most iconic shoe from those early deals, Frazier backed up his off-court style with his on-court play. He was a 4 time all-NBA 1st team player, and is still the Knicks all-time leader in assists.
Known primarily for his playing career with the Knicks, Frazier was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987.
Willis Reed- Last but not least, we have the man in the middle himself Willis Reed. Probably most remembered for inspiring the Knicks to win game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals just by walking on the court, Reed was without a doubt the heart and soul of this Knicks team as well. He was MVP in 1970, as well as Finals MVP in both '70 and '73, Reeds career was cut short with knee injuries that forced him to retire at just 31 years old. If there was ever a statue build outside of MSG, it'd probably be Reed.
Known primarily for his playing career with the Knicks, Reed was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982.
Below was something I wrote last year when doing some research on the 1973 Knicks. With Willis Reed's recent passing, I wanted to bring it to everyone's attention again just how much history was packed into a single franchise that season:
First, I want to make one thing clear. I am NOT saying the '73 Knicks were the best team in league history. They were great, but not that great. But I think a case can be made that when you combine the total careers of the individuals responsible for the championship, they were one of the most historic teams in NBA history.
There are plenty of places to start, but I'm going to begin with their arena:
Madison Square Garden- For any normal team, you probably don't bring up their arena to build a case for how important they were. But this isn't a normal team, and this isn't a normal arena.
First thing you have to realize is there have been 4 different venues in New York City called Madison Square Garden. The current one though, was opened in 1968 at 4 Pennsylvania Plaza at the site of the former Pennsylvania Station. The '73 Finals took place here just 5 years after it was built. It wasn't just the Mecca of basketball that we know today (in large part due this very Knicks team), it was arguably the very center of western culture as a whole.
Just to give you an idea of how important the Knicks home court was, here is a short list of some people that performed there in just 1973:
The Beach Boys, Linda Ronstadt, Elton John, Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin, Jackson 5, Chicago, Bruce Springsteen, Alice Cooper, John Denver, Judy Collins, Bill Withers, Eric Weisberg, and Neil Young.
Like I said, this isn't a normal arena.
Next, we'll take a look at some non-players associated with the team:
President- Ned Irish- Ol' Ned here had been around for a while in basketball by the time the '73 season had rolled around. He first started promoting basketball games at one of the former MSG sites in 1934. By 1946, he and his closest 10 buddies decided to start a basketball league of their own called the Basketball Association of America. By 1949, they decided it was a good idea to merge with the NBL, and rebrand the new league the National Basketball Association.
Known primarily for his work in founding the NBA and the Knicks, Irish was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1964.
Head Coach/GM- Red Holzman- Red was recently honored as one of the 15 greatest coaches in NBA history and was literally born to coach the Knicks. Born and raised in NYC, Holzman played college ball for CCNY and spent a decade as an assistant for the Knicks prior to becoming head coach.
Known primarily for his work coaching the Knicks, Holzman was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985.
Assistant coach- Dick McGuire- As if head coach Red wasn't enough of a New Yorker, McGuire was even more closely associated with the city in his basketball career. Also born and raised in NYC, McGuire played 4 seasons at St. Johns before being drafted by the Knicks in the 1st round of the BAA draft in 1949. After finishing his playing career in Detroit as well his first few years coaching, McGuire returned to coaching in the organization from 1965-79.
Known primarily for his playing career with the Knicks, McGuire was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.
Radio play-by-play- Marv Albert- Might be a bit absurd to include a radio guy, but no other team has ever had the voice of basketball calling their games either.
Known primarily for his role calling NBA games, Albert was inducted into the broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2015.
Ok, now onto some of the players themselves:
Earl Monroe- Vernon Monroe, aka Earl the Pearl, aka Black Jesus, was one of the best ball handlers in early NBA history. An outstanding player at D2 Winston-Salem State, Monroe was drafted 2nd overall by the Bullets in 1967. When he joined the Knicks in 1971, he and Walt Frazier combined for one of the best backcourts in NBA history
Known primarily for his playing career with the Bullets and Knicks, Monroe was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1990.
Jerry Lucas- Long story short on Lucas, he was kinda LeBron before LeBron in terms of hype. He was the most highly sought after recruit in high school, receiving offers from over 150 schools, and having 15,000 in attendance for one of his high school games. He followed that up by being a 3x All-American at Ohio State, 2x Consensus National College Player of the Year, NCAA champion in 1960, as well as winning a gold medal in the 1960 Olympics. He had a great NBA career after that with the Royals, but by the time he was a Knick, it was more in a Walton/Celtics role.
Known primarily for his playing career at Ohio State and with the Royals, Lucas was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980.
Bill Bradley- Bradley was a national player of the year while at Princeton and won a gold medal in the '64 Olympics. In what has to be among the most unique entries on basketball reference Bradley missed his first two years in the NBA studying as a Rhodes scholar at Oxford. He spent his entire 10 year career with the Knicks, was a 1 time All-Star, lead the team in scoring in the '73 Finals, and checks notes oh yeah became a US Senator after his NBA career.
Known primarily for his playing career at Princeton and with the Knicks, Bradley was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1983.
Phil Jackson- So there's a good chance you knew Jackson was on this team, but like me you might not have realized he was 6th on the team in minutes in the '73 Finals and was their 4th leading rebounder for the series. He wasn't just a bench guy, our man Phil was the legit 6th man on a title team. Oh, and he became arguably the greatest coach in league history afterwards.
Known primarily for his work coaching the Bulls and Lakers, Jackson was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.
Dave DeBusschere- DeBusschere is one of just a handful of players that played in both the NBA and MLB. He's also the only player to throw a complete game shutout in the majors in the same year he had a 30 point game in the NBA. On top of that, he was one of the best defensive wings in the NBA in the '70s, and was a 8 time All Star.
Known primarily for his playing career with the Pistons and the Knicks, DeBusschere was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1983.
Walt Frazier- Earning the nickname "Clyde" his rookie year after wearing a Bonnie and Clyde style hat, Walt Frazier was the epitome of cool in the '70s. He was one of the first NBA players to get a shoe deal, but easily has the most iconic shoe from those early deals, Frazier backed up his off-court style with his on-court play. He was a 4 time all-NBA 1st team player, and is still the Knicks all-time leader in assists.
Known primarily for his playing career with the Knicks, Frazier was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987.
Willis Reed- Last but not least, we have the man in the middle himself Willis Reed. Probably most remembered for inspiring the Knicks to win game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals just by walking on the court, Reed was without a doubt the heart and soul of this Knicks team as well. He was MVP in 1970, as well as Finals MVP in both '70 and '73, Reeds career was cut short with knee injuries that forced him to retire at just 31 years old. If there was ever a statue build outside of MSG, it'd probably be Reed.
Known primarily for his playing career with the Knicks, Reed was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982.
Below was something I wrote last year when doing some research on the 1973 Knicks. With Willis Reed's recent passing, I wanted to bring it to everyone's attention again just how much history was packed into a single franchise that season:
First, I want to make one thing clear. I am NOT saying the '73 Knicks were the best team in league history. They were great, but not that great. But I think a case can be made that when you combine the total careers of the individuals responsible for the championship, they were one of the most historic teams in NBA history.
There are plenty of places to start, but I'm going to begin with their arena:
Madison Square Garden- For any normal team, you probably don't bring up their arena to build a case for how important they were. But this isn't a normal team, and this isn't a normal arena.
First thing you have to realize is there have been 4 different venues in New York City called Madison Square Garden. The current one though, was opened in 1968 at 4 Pennsylvania Plaza at the site of the former Pennsylvania Station. The '73 Finals took place here just 5 years after it was built. It wasn't just the Mecca of basketball that we know today (in large part due this very Knicks team), it was arguably the very center of western culture as a whole.
Just to give you an idea of how important the Knicks home court was, here is a short list of some people that performed there in just 1973:
The Beach Boys, Linda Ronstadt, Elton John, Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin, Jackson 5, Chicago, Bruce Springsteen, Alice Cooper, John Denver, Judy Collins, Bill Withers, Eric Weisberg, and Neil Young.
Like I said, this isn't a normal arena.
Next, we'll take a look at some non-players associated with the team:
President- Ned Irish- Ol' Ned here had been around for a while in basketball by the time the '73 season had rolled around. He first started promoting basketball games at one of the former MSG sites in 1934. By 1946, he and his closest 10 buddies decided to start a basketball league of their own called the Basketball Association of America. By 1949, they decided it was a good idea to merge with the NBL, and rebrand the new league the National Basketball Association.
Known primarily for his work in founding the NBA and the Knicks, Irish was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1964.
Head Coach/GM- Red Holzman- Red was recently honored as one of the 15 greatest coaches in NBA history and was literally born to coach the Knicks. Born and raised in NYC, Holzman played college ball for CCNY and spent a decade as an assistant for the Knicks prior to becoming head coach.
Known primarily for his work coaching the Knicks, Holzman was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985.
Assistant coach- Dick McGuire- As if head coach Red wasn't enough of a New Yorker, McGuire was even more closely associated with the city in his basketball career. Also born and raised in NYC, McGuire played 4 seasons at St. Johns before being drafted by the Knicks in the 1st round of the BAA draft in 1949. After finishing his playing career in Detroit as well his first few years coaching, McGuire returned to coaching in the organization from 1965-79.
Known primarily for his playing career with the Knicks, McGuire was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.
Radio play-by-play- Marv Albert- Might be a bit absurd to include a radio guy, but no other team has ever had the voice of basketball calling their games either.
Known primarily for his role calling NBA games, Albert was inducted into the broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2015.
Ok, now onto some of the players themselves:
Earl Monroe- Vernon Monroe, aka Earl the Pearl, aka Black Jesus, was one of the best ball handlers in early NBA history. An outstanding player at D2 Winston-Salem State, Monroe was drafted 2nd overall by the Bullets in 1967. When he joined the Knicks in 1971, he and Walt Frazier combined for one of the best backcourts in NBA history
Known primarily for his playing career with the Bullets and Knicks, Monroe was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1990.
Jerry Lucas- Long story short on Lucas, he was kinda LeBron before LeBron in terms of hype. He was the most highly sought after recruit in high school, receiving offers from over 150 schools, and having 15,000 in attendance for one of his high school games. He followed that up by being a 3x All-American at Ohio State, 2x Consensus National College Player of the Year, NCAA champion in 1960, as well as winning a gold medal in the 1960 Olympics. He had a great NBA career after that with the Royals, but by the time he was a Knick, it was more in a Walton/Celtics role.
Known primarily for his playing career at Ohio State and with the Royals, Lucas was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980.
Bill Bradley- Bradley was a national player of the year while at Princeton and won a gold medal in the '64 Olympics. In what has to be among the most unique entries on basketball reference Bradley missed his first two years in the NBA studying as a Rhodes scholar at Oxford. He spent his entire 10 year career with the Knicks, was a 1 time All-Star, lead the team in scoring in the '73 Finals, and checks notes oh yeah became a US Senator after his NBA career.
Known primarily for his playing career at Princeton and with the Knicks, Bradley was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1983.
Phil Jackson- So there's a good chance you knew Jackson was on this team, but like me you might not have realized he was 6th on the team in minutes in the '73 Finals and was their 4th leading rebounder for the series. He wasn't just a bench guy, our man Phil was the legit 6th man on a title team. Oh, and he became arguably the greatest coach in league history afterwards.
Known primarily for his work coaching the Bulls and Lakers, Jackson was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.
Dave DeBusschere- DeBusschere is one of just a handful of players that played in both the NBA and MLB. He's also the only player to throw a complete game shutout in the majors in the same year he had a 30 point game in the NBA. On top of that, he was one of the best defensive wings in the NBA in the '70s, and was a 8 time All Star.
Known primarily for his playing career with the Pistons and the Knicks, DeBusschere was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1983.
Walt Frazier- Earning the nickname "Clyde" his rookie year after wearing a Bonnie and Clyde style hat, Walt Frazier was the epitome of cool in the '70s. He was one of the first NBA players to get a shoe deal, but easily has the most iconic shoe from those early deals, Frazier backed up his off-court style with his on-court play. He was a 4 time all-NBA 1st team player, and is still the Knicks all-time leader in assists.
Known primarily for his playing career with the Knicks, Frazier was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987.
Willis Reed- Last but not least, we have the man in the middle himself Willis Reed. Probably most remembered for inspiring the Knicks to win game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals just by walking on the court, Reed was without a doubt the heart and soul of this Knicks team as well. He was MVP in 1970, as well as Finals MVP in both '70 and '73, Reeds career was cut short with knee injuries that forced him to retire at just 31 years old. If there was ever a statue build outside of MSG, it'd probably be Reed.
Known primarily for his playing career with the Knicks, Reed was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982.
Source: https://twitter.com/FAN590/status/1638230237959041024
Since that Fred VanVleet rant, the NBA has actually demoted Ben Taylor in his assignments. So in the last five games Ben Taylor has only been the crew chief once, he's been the referee 2 four times ... which is a real abnormality with Ben Taylor.
If you look at his previous 52 games this season, Ben Taylor was the crew chief in 41 of those games. Basically 4 out of 5 games he was the crew chief, but in the last 5 games since that rant, the NBA said, you know what, you're gonna be the referee 2 in this one, and then again referee 2. He was the crew chief against the Celtics vs Houston game the other night, and then Ben Taylor was the referee 2 for the next 2 games.
To put it in perspective Ben Taylor hadn't been a referee 2 in back-to-back games all season. After the Fred VanVleet [rant] it's happened twice.
I don't know if that's intentional or whether that's just luck of the draw, but certainly the NBA has taken a different tact when it comes to Ben Taylor's assignments, whether that's punishment, or that's just 'hey, you need to chill out a little bit'.
