When the Knicks Became Champs

Book excerpt: The gutsiest New York Knicks team in history is celebrated in this eyewitness account of the 1969–70 season, featuring Willis Reed, Walt “Clyde” Frazier, Bill Bradley, and the rest of the Big Apple’s hardwood heroes from nearly fifty years ago. In their long and storied NBA history, the New York Knicks have won only two league championships—1970 and 1973. And that original 1970 group of champions remains the team that time won’t forget. Why? Well, super-fan Mike Shatzkin knows why. He was there—at every home game at Madison Square Garden and watching telecasts or attending games on the road. His classic account of that season, first published in 1970, follows an eighteen-game winning streak, a full season for the ages, an incredible playoff run, and the ultimate glory—including a moment of basketball valor still unmatched in NBA history—that Knicks fans still relish today. He interviewed players, coaches, broadcasters, and fans. In his colorful, exciting account he speaks with and covers the heroic Willis Reed, Walt “Clyde” Frazier, coach Red Holzman, John Warren, Donnie May, Bob Wolff, Darrall Imhoff, Bill Bradley, and others. When the Knicks Became Champs is sports nostalgia at its finest, and it’s told right from courtside.