WILLIS REED, BILL BRADLEY AND DAVE DeBUSSCHERE
Frank Merriwell was a fictional character, featured in hugely successful dime store novels written by Gilbert Patten, under the pseudonym of Burt L. Standish, beginning in 1896.
Think Street & Smith’s Tip Top Weekly, an investigation of which is worth the research.
He was well-educated — Yale — and so incredibly well-rounded, that he was a superhero of sorts.
Bill Bradley was a Rhodes Scholar from Princeton, a two-time NBA champion with the New York Knicks, a U.S. Senator from New Jersey and a 2000 Presidential candidate.
Dave DeBusschere was a rare two-sport big league phenom, a 6’6” power forward for the Detroit Pistons and the Knicks, and a major league pitcher for the Chicago White Sox, as well as a high-level basketball executive with keen insight and great acuity.
(As an aside, DeBusschere demonstrated such profound and extraordinary leadership skills, that at age 24, he was named player-coach of the Pistons).
And Willis Reed?
Well, he was just Willis.
And that was more than enough.
Way more.
Superficial similarities aside, they were all different people who shared the burning desire to win, courtesy of blazing fires in the belly.
Each man married brain with brawn — bodies like Tarzan (Bradley, not so much) and minds like Einstein (Bradley very much so).
“Dave DeBusschere was a loyal friend, an unselfish teammate and a quality human being. His strength, dedication and modesty lay at the core of our great Knick teams. He was like a brother to me.”
— Longtime roommate Bradley upon DeBusschere’s passing in 2003
When the Detroit Pistons and the New York Knicks completed a December 19, 1968 trade sending DeBusschere to the Knicks for Walt Bellamy and Howard Komives, the NBA shifted on its axis.
Little was it known then, but an instrument like a ’68 state-of-the-art seismograph, would be needed to measure the dramatic basketball impact of this transaction.
It was the hardwood equivalent to the Louisiana Purchase.
Walt Bellamy, “Big Bells,” became a Hall-of-Famer.
Butch Komives was a scrappy 6’1’’ guard who averaged a career-best 15.7 ppg and 6.2 apg in 1967, but may have been better remembered for his political feuding with teammate Cazzie Russell, an ardent supporter of Richard Nixon.
Komives worked for the Hubert Humphrey campaign.
He is best remembered however, for being part of a trade that vaulted the New York Knickerbockers to prominence, and then to dominance.
That the Knicks’ rich history — one of only two NBA charter members still located in its original city since the league’s inception in 1946 (alongside the Boston Celtics) — had produced no championships prior to the deal, provided the irritating backdrop.
This was New York.
Unacceptable.
But then came two.
Titles.
In 1970 and 1973.
New York City and the Madison Square Garden faithful sorely needed it; they had been waiting seemingly forever.
Sorry Celtics, and hail to the Knicks!
It was not until the late 1960s when Red Holzman became head coach, that the Knicks began to regain their dominance of the early ’50s which was punctuated by three consecutive appearances in the NBA Finals — all losses.
The 1969-’70 NBA season represented the dawn of a new era.
The retirement of Boston’s Bill Russell at the end of the previous campaign, effectively signaled the end of the Celtics dynasty which had ruled the NBA for the past decade.
The Knicks, the Milwaukee Bucks — in just their second season in the league but with rookie Lew Alcindor — the Baltimore Bullets and the Atlanta Hawks were all in the hunt.
On paper and on the court, the Knicks, featuring Reed, Walt Frazier, Bradley and DeBusschere were the cream of the crop.
They anchored the league’s best defense and Holzman piloted the club to a 60–22 record — the best regular season mark in franchise history — including a then-record 18 straight victories.
And a 23–1 start to the season stood as the NBA’s best until 2015 when the Golden State Warriors were unbeaten in their first 24 contests.
After dispatching the Bullets (4–3) in the Eastern Division Semifinals and then Milwaukee (4–1) in the Division Finals, only the Lakers, with a plebian 46–36 regular season record, but with Jerry West, Elgin Baylor and Wilt at the controls, were in the way.
And the 1970 NBA Finals did not disappoint.
From April 24-May 8, 1970 the Knicks stood the city on its ear.
Game 3 offered the first glimpse of epic excitement.
The Knicks appeared to have it in the bag when DeBusschere made a shot with three seconds left, giving New York a 102–100 lead.
The Lakers were out of timeouts.
Enter West, aka “Mr. Clutch.”
The ball was inbounded to him and he proceeded to launch and hit a miracle shot from well beyond halfcourt.
(No NBA 3-pointers then).
Tie ballgame.
The Knicks won in overtime, 111–108 to take a 2–1 lead.
As electric as this was, in a seesaw series that would go seven games, Game 7 took the cake.
Named by ESPN in 2010 as the greatest Game 7 in Finals history, the story was Willis Reed.
In 1970, Reed became the first player in league history to be named MVP of the All-Star Game; the Regular Season; and the NBA Finals in the same year.
His most famous career performance came on that fateful May 8 in Game 7.
Reed was returning from injury.
In Game 5 he tore a muscle in his thigh which sidelined him for Game 6.
With no Reed, the Lakers blew out the Knicks 135–113 to tie the series at three games apiece.
Reed was considered unlikely to suit up for Game 7.
When he surprised the crowd by walking onto the court during warmups, the dye was cast.
Starting the game, he scored the Knicks’ first two field goals on his first two shot attempts.
His only points of the game.
Time to play defense.
All he had in the tank was all he needed — will and guts.
Reed held Chamberlain to two field goals in nine attempts and when he left for good with 3:05 remaining in the first half, the Knicks were ahead 61–37.
Frazier took over from there, finishing with 36 points and 19 assists; DeBusschere had 18 points, shooting 8–15 from the field, and 17 rebounds while committing only 1 personal foul; Bradley had 17 points and 5 assists; and Dick Barnett chipped in with 21 points.
The Knicks won the game 113–99, securing their first-ever NBA title.
During the post-game celebration in the winner’s locker room, the loquacious Howard Cosell told Reed on national television, “You exemplify the very best that the human spirit can offer.”
True enough.
But as Reed would be quick to point out, none of this happens without DeBusschere and Bradley.
The Knicks were on a roll; they returned to the Finals in 1972, losing to the Lakers 4–1 and then along came 1973, when the New Yorkers turned the tables, returned the favor and reclaimed the NBA title.
The 1973 NBA Finals was an exact reversal of the prior year, with the Lakers winning Game 1 and then the Knicks storming to victory, reeling off wins in the next four games.
Once again Reed was named the Finals MVP; DeBusschere authored his typical workman-like performances highlighted by a Game 4 outburst of 33 points and 14 rebounds; and Bradley had 20 or more points in 3 of the 5 games.
That did it; the Knicks would not see the Finals again until 1994, 21 years later.
They lost.
Two championships.
Reed.
Bradley and DeBusschere.
Very different.
But legends all.
[Editor’s Note: This piece was written by Mr. Kaplan in January 2021.]
