Legends profile: Willis Reed

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Few baskets scored in NBA history are as legendary as the two made by Willis Reed in the initial minutes of Game 7 of the 1970 Finals. Despite only contributing four points to the score, these baskets provided boundless inspiration for the New York Knicks.

Before Game 7 on May 8, 1970, at 7:30 p.m., Reed – the captain and the driving force behind the highly skilled New York Knicks team – seemed to be taken out of the game due to an injury, putting his team’s championship hopes at risk. However, 15 minutes later, he had transformed into a legend and was leading the Knicks towards their inaugural title.

Reed scored 37, 29, 38, and 23 points in the initial four games of The Finals against the strong Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 15 rebounds. In Game 5, he suffered a severe thigh injury during the fourth quarter. The Knicks held on in that game, but the Lakers crushed them in Game 6.

The series was tied at three games apiece entering the decisive contest at Madison Square Garden. New York’s Bill Bradley recalled Game 7 in an article in The New York Times: “We left the locker room for the warmups not knowing if Willis was going to come out or not.”

Reed hobbled onto the court at 7:34 p.m., inciting a frenzy in the crowd and rejuvenating his teammates’ morale. Incredibly, Reed out-leapt Wilt Chamberlain at the initial tip-off and proceeded to secure the first basket of the game from the top of the key. He then netted another basket from a distance of 20 feet. Although he didn’t score again, his initial performance was enough to inspire the Knicks to seize control of the game. New York dominated, leading by up to 29 points in the first half and finally clinching the game with a 113-99 victory.

Reed was the essential driving force behind the Knicks’ championship teams in 1970 and 1973.

The former Grambling Tiger, who stands at 6-foot-9½ and weighs 240 pounds, had a 10-season stint in New York and participated in seven All-Star Games. He bagged the Rookie of the Year award in the 1964-65 season and was named MVP in the 1969-70 season. During both seasons when the Knicks secured the championship, he was chosen as the Finals MVP.

Reed was born on June 25, 1942, in Hico, La., a place so tiny that he once told Pro Basketball Illustrated, “They don’t even have a population.” While Reed was growing up on a farm in nearby Bernice, the Knicks were floundering. New York managed only one winning season in the 12 campaigns between 1955-56 and 1966-67. From 1956 to 1966 the Knicks finished last nine times, and the club failed to make the playoffs in the seven seasons from 1959 to 1966. In 1963-64 the Knicks brought up the rear of the Eastern Division with a 22-58 record.

Reed accumulated 2,280 career points at Grambling, with an average of 26.6 points and 21.3 rebounds in his final year. He guided the school to a NAIA title and three championships in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The Knicks picked him in the second round of the 1964 Draft and he joined the franchise for approximately $10,000.

Reed had an immediate impact. He scored 46 points against Los Angeles in March 1965, marking the second-highest single-game total for a Knicks rookie. Over the season, he was ranked seventh in scoring (19.5 ppg) and fifth in rebounding (14.7 rpg) in the NBA. He made his first of many All-Star appearances and became the first Knicks player to be named Rookie of the Year.

Throughout his career, Reed demonstrated his proficiency as a key performer in playoff games. An early sign of this was in the 1966-67 season when he improved his regular-season average of 20.9 points per game to 27.5 points each game in the postseason.

For several years, the team persisted in dealing with challenges while acquiring quality players via trades and drafts. A crucial staff change was the replacement of Dick McGuire with William “Red” Holzman as coach, halfway through the 1967-68 season. Under McGuire, the Knicks had a disappointing record of 15-22; however, Holzman led the team to a more successful 28-17 finish. This resulted in New York’s 43-39 record, marking the team’s first victorious season since 1958-59.

Reed maintained his annual presence in the All-Star Game, having transitioned to the power forward position to accommodate Walt Bellamy. Despite this change, Reed’s performance remained top-notch as he averaged 11.6 rebounds in the 1965-66 season and 14.6 in the 1966-67 season, both figures placing him within the league’s top 10. By the end of the latter season, he had fully acclimated to his new role, averaging 20.9 points and ranking eighth in the NBA.

In the 1968-69 season, New York managed to secure 54 wins after a shaky start of 6-10. On December 19, the Knicks traded players Bellamy and Howard Komives to the Detroit Pistons, acquiring Dave DeBusschere in return. This trade proved beneficial for Reed in two distinct ways. Firstly, DeBusschere took on some of the strenuous inside work, easing pressure on Reed. More importantly, DeBusschere’s position as a legitimate forward allowed Reed to return to his preferred and more effective pivot position. Reed expressed his satisfaction with the change, stating, “Since that trade, I feel like a new person. Center is my position.”

The day following the trade, it was clear which team had benefited most from the exchange during a game. The Knicks dominated the Pistons with a score of 135-87, marking their largest winning margin ever at 48 points. From December 17 to January 4, the Knicks enjoyed a 10-game winning streak and followed it up with another 11-game streak from January 25 to February 15.

In 1968-69, the Knicks prioritized defense, maintaining a league-low average of 105.2 points per game scored by their opponents. Thanks to Reed’s blockade in the center and Walt Frazier’s aggressive ball pressure, the Knicks remained the league’s top defensive team for five out of the following six seasons. During the 1968-69 season, Reed contributed an average of 21.1 points per game and set a franchise record by securing 1,191 rebounds, which averages to 14.5 rebounds per game.

The Knicks made franchise history in 1969-70 when they started the season with a 14-1 record and went on to win their first ever 60 regular-season games. This included an impressive 18-game winning streak, which was a record at the time. Reed, the 1970 All-Star Game MVP, had an exceptional season, averaging a career-high 21.7 points. What stood out the most about Reed’s performance was his consistency. From the 1966-67 season to the 1970-71 season, he averaged 20.9, 20.8, 21.1, 21.7, and 20.9 points per game, respectively.

In the 1970 playoffs, the New York Knicks triumphed over the Baltimore Bullets in seven games and eliminated the Milwaukee Bucks in five, progressing to an exciting Finals face-off against a Los Angeles team spearheaded by Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, and Chamberlain. Both Game 3 and Game 4 extended into overtime, resulting in each team securing a win. Reed, who played a pivotal role in the iconic Game 7 victory that led the Knicks to the championship, clinched the regular season, All-Star, and Finals MVP awards. Reed and his teammate Frazier were chosen for the All-NBA First Team, making them the first Knicks players to receive this accolade since Harry Gallatin in the 1953-54 season.

Reed, being left-handed, posed a challenge for rival defenders. He had the strength and finesse to play in the interior, but was equally lethal with his gentle jump shot from a distance of up to 15 feet. Even without the ball, he proved useful in setting screens to create openings for his teammates, a crucial component of the Knicks’ continuous movement offense.

Teamwork was the hallmark of the Knicks, with each player fully understanding their individual role. Frazier was known for reliable playmaking and defense, DeBusschere was an outstanding rebounder, Bradley was a relentless and smart runner, while Dick Barnett made a name for himself as a jump shooter. Reed, Frazier, DeBusschere, and Bradley all earned their spots in the Hall of Fame.

In the 1970-71 season, the Knicks fell to a 52-30 record, but still managed to secure first place in the Atlantic Division. Reed made headlines mid-season by matching Harry Gallatin’s all-time club record of 33 rebounds in a game against the Cincinnati Royals. He was once again a starter in the All-Star Game and averaged 20.9 points and 13.7 rebounds for the season. However, the Knicks were knocked out by Baltimore in the Eastern Conference finals. Reed’s performance was hampered in the 1971-72 season due to tendinitis in his left knee, which limited his mobility. He was sidelined for two weeks early in the season and although he returned, his knee injury soon forced him to stop playing. He only played 11 games that year.

The Knicks of the 1972-73 season completed their year with a 57-25 record and proceeded to claim another championship. Reed’s contribution was not as significant as it was two seasons prior, averaging just 11.0 points in 69 regular-season games. During the playoffs, the Knicks triumphed over Baltimore and the Boston Celtics, leading to another face-off with the Lakers in The Finals. Despite losing the first game, the Knicks won four games in succession, securing their second championship with a 102-93 win in Game 5. Reed, who led a cohesive team, was honored as the Finals MVP.

Before retiring in 1974, Reed had participated in 19 games. Over his decade-long tenure with the New York Knicks, he had managed to secure a position in the top 10 in almost every category. He was also among the top three for several statistics, including minutes played (23,073), field goals made (4,859), rebounds (8,414), and total points (12,183). In 1976, Reed became the inaugural player from the Knicks to have his jersey number retired.

Over the subsequent years, the Knicks’ dynasty disintegrated. Reed assumed the role of coach for the 1977-78 season and successfully guided the team to a 43-39 record. However, just 14 games into the next season, he was dismissed from his coaching position.

Reed was an assistant coach at St. John’s before becoming the head coach at Creighton University from the 1981-82 season through to the 1984-85 season. During his tenure at Creighton, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1981. Also during his time at Creighton, Reed coached Benoit Benjamin, a 7-foot player who later joined various NBA teams. In 1993, Benjamin and Reed were reunited in the New Jersey Nets organization.

In 1985, Reed became an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks, later serving in the same capacity for the Sacramento Kings. He took over from interim New Jersey Nets coach Bob MacKinnon on February 29, 1988, and led the struggling 1987-88 Nets team to a 7-21 finish, culminating in a dismal 19-63 season. The next year, Reed improved the Nets’ record to 26-56 before transitioning to a front office role.

Reed took over as the Nets’ general manager in 1993 and by the following year, he had transformed the team into a consistent playoff contender. He brought two key players, Derrick Coleman and Kenny Anderson, on board who were pivotal to the Nets’ success in the early 90s. He also managed to attract Chuck Daly to coach the team from 1992 to 1994. Following a four-year gap in the postseason, the Nets made three successive playoff appearances by 1994. Reed then transitioned to the role of Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations in 1996, carrying forward his aim of making the Nets a championship contender.

Reed returned to his professional playing roots after a 15-year stint with the Nets, by joining the Knicks’ front office during the 2003-04 offseason.

The terms used to characterize Reed’s playing career could seem cliché, but they are fitting: endurance, pride, dignity, responsibility, hard work, and bravery. Over a span of ten years, he consistently displayed these attributes on the basketball court. However, they were most evident in a few intense moments at the beginning of Game 7 of the 1970 Finals. Reflecting on that unforgettable night twenty years later, Reed shared, “Not a single day passes without someone reminding me of that match.”