Legends profile: Willis Reed

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Few baskets scored in NBA history have been as legendary as the two made by Willis Reed in the first few minutes of the 1970 Finals’ Game 7. Despite only contributing four points to the scoreboard, these shots served as immensely inspiring moments for the New York Knicks.

Before Game 7 on May 8, 1970, at 7:30 p.m., Reed, the leader and driving force of the highly skilled New York Knicks, seemed to be out of the game due to an injury, putting his team’s championship prospects in jeopardy. However, just fifteen minutes later, he had transformed into a legend, propelling the Knicks towards their inaugural title.

Reed scored 37, 29, 38, and 23 points respectively in the first four games of The Finals against the formidable Los Angeles Lakers, also averaging 15 rebounds. However, he suffered a severe thigh injury in the fourth quarter of Game 5. Despite this, the Knicks managed to pull through that game, but were subsequently crushed by the Lakers 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. to the cheers of a thrilled crowd, instantly breathing newfound confidence into his teammates. Against all odds, he out-jumped Wilt Chamberlain for the tip-off, then netted the first points of the game with a shot from the top of the key. Reed followed this up with another basket from 20 feet away. He didn’t score again, but his initial efforts had already spurred the Knicks into action. With a lead reaching up to 29 points in the first half, New York ultimately triumphed with a final score of 113-99.

Reed served as the heart, soul, and backbone of 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 career in New York and made seven appearances in All-Star Games. He earned the title of Rookie of the Year in the 1964-65 season and was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the 1969-70 season. In both years when the Knicks won 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, averaged 26.6 points and 21.3 rebounds in his final year, and guided the school to a NAIA title and three Southwestern Athletic Conference championships. He was picked by the Knicks in the second round of the 1964 Draft, and inked a deal with the team for approximately $10,000.

Reed instantly made a significant contribution. In March 1965, he racked up 46 points against Los Angeles, setting the second highest single-game score record for a Knicks rookie. Over the season, he was seventh in the NBA in scoring (19.5 ppg) and fifth in rebounding (14.7 rpg). He also started his streak of All-Star appearances, becoming the first Knicks player to ever win the Rookie of the Year title.

Throughout his career, Reed demonstrated his ability to perform under pressure in the playoffs. This was evident early on in the 1966-67 season when he outperformed his regular-season average of 20.9 points per game, by averaging 27.5 points per game in the postseason.

The team continued to face challenges for several years while enhancing their roster through trades and drafts. The decision to replace Dick McGuire with William “Red” Holzman as coach midway through the 1967-68 season could be considered the most significant personnel change. Under McGuire, the Knicks had a 15-22 record; however, Holzman led them to a 28-17 finish. With a 43-39 record, the Knicks had their first winning season since 1958-59.

Reed maintained his annual appearances in the All-Star Game. He had transitioned to the power forward position from center to accommodate Walt Bellamy. His efforts on the boards remained consistent, with an average of 11.6 rebounds in 1965-66 and 14.6 in 1966-67, both of which were top 10 figures in the league. By the end of the latter season, Reed had effectively adapted to the subtleties of his new position, averaging 20.9 points and ranking eighth in the NBA.

After a shaky start of 6-10 in the 1968-69 season, New York managed to secure 54 wins. The Knicks traded Bellamy and Howard Komives to the Detroit Pistons for Dave DeBusschere on Dec. 19. This trade benefitted Reed in two ways. Firstly, DeBusschere took over some of the taxing work inside, easing some pressure off Reed. More importantly, DeBusschere was a genuine forward, allowing Reed to shift back to his preferred and more effective pivot position. Reed expressed his satisfaction with the change, stating that he felt like a new person and asserting that the center was his position.

It was clear which team benefited most from the trade in a game played the following day. The Knicks decisively defeated the Pistons with a 135-87 score; this 48-point victory margin was the greatest in Knicks’ history. From Dec. 17 to Jan. 4, the New York team embarked on a 10-game winning streak, and then they had another 11-game streak from Jan. 25 to Feb. 15.

In the 1968-69 season, the Knicks emphasized on defense, managing to restrict their opponents to a league-low average of 105.2 points per game. Thanks to Reed’s efforts in blocking the middle and Walt Frazier’s pressure on the ball, the Knicks held the title of the best defensive team in the league for five out of the following six seasons. Reed had an impressive record during the 1968-69 season, scoring an average of 21.1 points per game and securing a franchise-record of 1,191 rebounds, which translated to an average of 14.5 rebounds per game.

In the 1969-70 season, the Knicks had a stellar start of 14-1 and achieved a franchise-first 60 regular-season wins. Their triumphs included an unprecedented 18-game winning streak. Reed, the 1970 All-Star Game MVP, posted an average of 21.7 points during the season, his career-best. However, his most impressive statistical feature was his consistency: from the season of 1966-67 through to 1970-71, Reed maintained average scores of 20.9, 20.8, 21.1, 21.7, and 20.9 points per game, in that order.

In the 1970 playoffs, New York triumphed over the Baltimore Bullets in a seven-game series and ousted the Milwaukee Bucks in five games. This saw them advancing to a gripping Finals face-off with a Los Angeles team that included Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, and Chamberlain. Both the third and fourth games stretched into overtime, with each team claiming a victory. Reed, who had performed spectacularly in the iconic seventh game, leading the Knicks to the championship, bagged the regular season, All-Star, and Finals MVP awards. Along with teammate Frazier, he was chosen for the All-NBA First Team. This was the first time since Harry Gallatin in 1953-54 that Knicks players had received this accolade.

Reed, a lefty, posed a challenge for opposing defenders. He had the size to play inside and the finesse to nail soft jump shots from as far as 15 feet away. When he wasn’t handling the ball, he was still a threat, skillfully setting picks to clear paths for his teammates, a crucial component of the Knicks’ ongoing motion offense.

The Knicks were known for their teamwork, with each player understanding their individual role. Frazier was a dependable defender and playmaker, while DeBusschere stood out as a rebounder. Bradley was an unstoppable and smart runner, and Dick Barnett gained recognition as a jump shooter. Reed, Frazier, DeBusschere, and Bradley were all eventually inducted into the Hall of Fame.

In the 1970-71 season, the Knicks’ record dropped to 52-30, though this was still enough to secure first place in the Atlantic Division. During the middle of the season, Reed matched Harry Gallatin’s club record by pulling down 33 rebounds in a game against the Cincinnati Royals. Reed once again started in the All-Star Game. Over the season, he averaged 20.9 points and 13.7 rebounds. However, the Knicks were knocked out by Baltimore in the Eastern Conference finals. Reed’s 1971-72 season was plagued by tendinitis in his left knee, which hampered his mobility. Despite returning after missing two weeks early in the season, his knee injury soon prevented him from playing, and he only managed to participate in 11 games that year.

The Knicks team of 1972-73 ended the season with a 57-25 record and went on to secure another championship. Reed, however, was not as impactful as he had been two seasons prior, averaging only 11.0 points in 69 regular-season games. During the playoffs, the Knicks triumphed over both Baltimore and the Boston Celtics, eventually meeting the Lakers again in The Finals. Despite losing the first game, the Knicks dominated the following four games, clinching their second championship with a 102-93 win in Game 5. Reed, leading a balanced team, was honored as the Finals MVP.

Before retiring in 1974, Reed played 19 games. Over his 10-year tenure with the New York Knicks, he distinguished himself by ranking in the top ten in almost every category, and was among the top three for minutes played (23,073), field goals made (4,859), rebounds (8,414), and overall points (12,183). Reed made history in 1976 when he became the first Knicks player to have his jersey number retired.

Over the following years, the Knicks’ dynasty disbanded. Reed stepped in as the coach for the 1977-78 season and successfully led the team to a 43-39 record. Nonetheless, he was relieved of his coaching duties just 14 games into the subsequent season.

Reed was first an assistant coach at St. John’s, before moving on to become the head coach at Creighton University, a position he held from the 1981-82 season through the 1984-85 season. During his time at Creighton, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1981. One of his players at Creighton was 7-foot tall Benoit Benjamin, who later joined several 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 and later served in the same capacity for the Sacramento Kings. He stepped in as the New Jersey Nets’ coach, replacing interim coach Bob MacKinnon on February 29, 1988. He led the struggling 1987-88 Nets team to a 7-21 finish, culminating in a dismal 19-63 season. Reed then improved the Nets’ record to 26-56 the following year before transitioning to a front office position.

Reed assumed the role of the Nets’ general manager in 1993 and by the following year, he had transformed the team into a regular playoff contender. This was achieved through the drafting of Derrick Coleman and Kenny Anderson, two key franchise players who became the face of the early 90s Nets. Furthermore, Reed successfully managed to persuade Chuck Daly to coach the team for the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons. After a four-year postseason hiatus, the Nets had returned to make three consecutive playoff appearances by 1994. In 1996, Reed transitioned to the role of Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations, maintaining his commitment to making the Nets a championship contender.

Reed, after a 15-year stint with the Nets, transitioned to the Knicks’ front office in the offseason prior to the 2003-04 season. This move marked a return to where he launched his professional playing career.

Endurance, pride, dignity, obligation, hard work, and courage – these may seem like cliched words to describe Reed’s playing career, but they are fitting. Over a span of ten years, he consistently exhibited these characteristics on the basketball court. However, they were most notably demonstrated during a few intense minutes at the beginning of Game 7 of the 1970 Finals. Even twenty years after this unforgettable event, Reed remembered, “There isn’t a day in my life that people don’t remind me of that game.”