In Game 5 of the 1970 NBA Finals, Willis Reed went down with a horrible leg injury, forcing him to miss game 6. With the series on the line, see how Reed changed NBA history.
May 8, 1970: It’s game 7 of the NBA Finals, between the LA Lakers and the New York Knicks. I was 8 years old, and my brother was eleven. Both of us being Knicks and Willis Reed fans, this would soon become a game we could never forget.
Prior to the 1969-1970 season, the Knicks had never won an NBA Championship. Their best season up to that point had been the 1952-1953 season, when they compiled a 47-23 regular season record, followed by a 5-1 record in the playoffs. They played the Lakers (then of Minneapolis) for the NBA Championship, but lost 4 games to 1.
In 1968-1969, they complied a 54-28 regular season record. They followed that with a 4-0 victory over the Baltimore Bullets in the first round of the playoffs, but lost to the Boston Celtics in the second round, 4 games to 2.
Courtesy NY Daily News
In only his second full year as their coach, Red Holzman led them to their best regular season yet with a 60-22 record, and was named coach of the year. They had a solid starting lineup, containing four future hall of famers. They had Dick Barnett and Walt “Clyde” Frazier at the guard positions, and Bill Bradley and Dave DeBusschere as the two forwards. And last but not least was league MVP Willis Reed at center. While Frazier may have been the most athletically gifted of the bunch, the leader of the team was Willis Reed.
They faced a very talented Baltimore Bullets team in the first round of the playoffs. The Bullets had star Wes Unseld at center. Unseld was not as tall as most NBA centers, standing 6’7”, but he weighed in between 245-250 Lbs., which was much heavier than most NBA centers of the day. In 1968-1969, he became only the second player in NBA history to win both the rookie of the year award and the MVP award. The Bullets lineup also featured future hall of famer Earl “the pearl” Monroe at guard. They were a formidable opponent, and it was a tough series, but the Knicks prevailed in seven games, winning 4 games to 3.
Next up were the Milwaukee Bucks, led by their very tall and very talented center Lew Alcindor, who later changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Jabbar went on to become one of the greatest players in NBA history–but, this was his first season as an NBA player, and he was not able to overcome the strength and experience of Willis Reed. The Knicks won the series easily, 4 games to 1.
Now it was time to face the Los Angeles Lakers for the NBA title. The Lakers were one of the most successful teams in basketball. They had won the title five times in a six year span (1949-1954). Their success continued during the 1960’s, appearing in the NBA Championship seven times in an eleven year span (1959-1969). But as impressive as that statistic is, they also lost all seven times. To make matters worse, all seven of those losses were to the same team– the Boston Celtics.
But this year they were playing the Knicks, not the Celtics. Even though they had struggled during the regular season, posting a very average 46-36 record, they had just won seven playoff games in a row. They had three of the all-time greatest players on their team, with Elgin Baylor at forward, Jerry West at guard, and the 7’1” 275 pound Wilt Chamberlin at center. They felt confident that their winning streak would continue against the less experienced Knicks.
Courtesy Complex
In the first game, Willis Reed scored 37 points, and lifted the Knicks to a hard-fought victory. Yet the Lakers answered quickly, taking the second game by a score of 105-103. The Knicks appeared to have the victory in game 3 when Dave DeBusschere sunk a shot with just 3 seconds left to give the Knicks a 102-100 lead. However, winning in the finals is never easy, and the game was sent into overtime when Jerry West sunk a shot at the buzzer from 60 FEET OUT!! The Knicks however prevailed in overtime, winning 111-108. The Lakers evened the series in game four with a 121-115 victory in another overtime game.
The Knicks won game five 107-100, but it was a costly victory, as team captain Willis Reed was forced to leave the game with a severely torn muscle in his right thigh. Needing just one more victory to clinch their first ever NBA championship, it looked like they were going to have to do it without their starting center. Time to worry!
Playing without Reed in game six, the Knicks hardly had a chance. Wilt Chamberlin scored 45 points and grabbed 27 rebounds as the Lakers coasted to an easy 135-113 victory. It was hard to believe game seven would be any different. With Reed out, there was no one to stop Wilt Chamberlin from dominating the game, just as he had done in game six.
Team doctors worked around the clock trying to get Reed ready for the game, but his thigh was not responding to treatments. Reed insisted he would play, even if he had to crawl out onto the court. While no one could question Reeds courage and commitment to the team, it was becoming more evident that the Knicks were just going to have to find a way to win without their captain.
Game seven – Madison Square Garden
As both teams took their warm up shots, the burning question in every ones mind was, Will Willis Reed attempt to play? There was an awkward silence from the normally rowdy New York fans, as both teams kept looking towards the entrance from the Knicks locker room. Will he show up? The suspense was terrible.
Courtesy Sports then and Now
Suddenly, there was a loud roar from the crowd as Willis Reed limped out onto the court. The entire Lakers team, including Wilt Chamberlin, turned to see what all the excitement was about. Reed signaled to his teammates for the ball. He took his first warm up shot from outside the foul line. Swish! The crowd erupted. He took another shot. Swish! The fans went wild. All the other players were just watching now. You could sense the Lakers were no longer as confident as they had been moments ago. Willis was going to play, and nothing was going to stop him.
It didn’t take long for Reed to show he meant business. He scored the first four points of the game, and the ovation he received from the crowd was deafening. Despite the hot start, he didn’t score again for the rest of the game. Yet, he didn’t need to. Willis had not only fired up the fans, but his teammates as well. With Reed playing solid defense against Chamberlin, holding him to 21 points, his teammates did the rest. Walt Frazier had 36 points and 19 assists. The Knicks built up a 24 point lead, and then coasted to a 113-99 victory. Reed was named MVP of the series.
It was one of the most gutsy performances by an athlete I have ever witnessed.
