1970 NBA Finals

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1 Road to the Finals
2 Game-By-Game Recap
3 Series Summary
4 Quotes

[edit] Road to the Finals

The New York Knicks had a very successful season, their 60 wins coming as a result of team play instead of big name superstars.

The Knicks had a 18-game winning streak (then an NBA record), and were led by NBA MVP Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, Dick Barnett, Bill Bradley and Dave DeBusschere. In the playoffs, the Knicks barely defeated a tough Baltimore Bullets team in 7 games, and in the East Finals, they beat the Milwaukee Bucks led by captain Lew Alcindor in 5 games.

On the other hand, The Los Angeles Lakers had a team of superstars led by Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West. In the playoffs, the Lakers came back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Phoenix Suns, and then in the West finals they beat the Atlanta Hawks to advance to the NBA Finals for the 3rd straight year.

Television: ABC - Commentators: Chris Schenkel, Jack Twyman, and Howard Cosell.

[edit] Game-By-Game Recap

The first two games of the finals were an even matchup, as the two teams won one game apiece. In Game 3 at The Forum, after 47 minutes and 48 seconds, the game was tied 100 apiece. With the Knicks possessing the ball with 12 seconds left, Dave DeBusschere hit a key shot that put the Knicks the lead, and then with 1 second remaining Jerry West made an incredible half-court shot to send the game into overtime, where the Knicks prevailed.

In Game 4, the Lakers had to win that game and they did, thanks to reserve players Mel Counts and Johnny Egan. In Game 5, The Knicks' worst fear came true: Eight minutes into the game, Reed fell down hard while trying to make a shot. Reed eventually got up on his own, but a leg injury forced him to leave the game. The Lakers led by as many as 16 points, but a scrambling defense and sheer determination to win one for the captain helped New York staged a remarkable comeback: Bill Bradley's clutch shot tied the game at 87 apiece with 7:40 left to play. The Lakers committed 30 turnovers in the game, 19 in the second half, as the Knicks did win for the captain.

But without Willis on the team, the Knicks fell to the Lakers in Game 6, as Chamberlain scored 45 points. The 2 teams headed back to New York for Game 7. For the Knicks, a miracle was desperately needed if they would win their first-ever championship. When Game 7 came, a miracle came: while the players were warming up for that game, along came Willis Reed and with it, some much-needed momentum. Despite still suffering from injury, Reed scored the first two baskets of the game to give the Knicks an early lead. This emorional entrance fired up the crowd and the Knicks team. Frazier also played an inspiring game, as he scored 22 points in the first half en route to a 36-point, 19 assist, 7 rebound game. The Knicks didn't look back as they captured their first NBA Championship, and a place in Pro Basketball history.

[edit] Series Summary

Game	Date	Home Team	Result	Road Team
Game 1	April 24	New York	124-112	Los Angeles
Game 2	April 27	New York	103-105	Los Angeles
Game 3	April 29	Los Angeles	108-111	New York
Game 4	May 1	Los Angeles	121-115	New York
Game 5	May 4	New York	107-100	Los Angeles
Game 6	May 6	Los Angeles	135-113	New York
Game 7	May 8	New York	113-99	Los Angeles

Knicks win series 4-3

[edit] Quotes

"Now here comes Willis... and the crowd is going wild" - New York Knick radio announcer Marv Albert describing Wilis Reed's dramatic entrance prior to Game 7 of the NBA Finals.