1970 NBA Finals
| ||||||||||
| Dates | April 24 – May 8 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MVP |
Willis Reed[1] (New York Knicks) | |||||||||
| Eastern Finals | Knicks defeat Bucks, 4–1 | |||||||||
| Western Finals | Lakers defeat Hawks, 4–0 | |||||||||
The 1970 NBA World Championship Series was the championship series of the 1970 NBA Playoffs, which concluded the 1969–70 National Basketball Association (NBA) season. The Eastern Division champion New York Knicks defeated the Western Division champion Los Angeles Lakers in a best-of-seven series 4 games to 3 for their first NBA title.
The Knicks appeared to have a see-saw Game 3 won when Dave DeBusschere made a shot with three seconds left to give New York a 102-100 edge, and the Lakers were stuck with no time outs. L.A. inbounded to Mr. Clutch, Jerry West, who launched and made a miracle shot from beyond midcourt. It counted only for two points, as only the ABA had a three-point shot at the time, so the game went to overtime, and the Knicks were able to win, 111-108.[2]
The final game of the series was named by ESPN in 2010 as the greatest-ever Game 7 in finals history, featuring a return from injury for Willis Reed.[3] Reed's most famous performance took place on May 8, 1970 in Game 7 played at Madison Square Garden. Due to a severe thigh injury suffered in Game 5, a torn muscle that kept him out of Game 6, he was considered unlikely to play in Game 7. Yet Reed surprised the fans by walking onto the court during warmups, prompting widespread applause. Starting the game, he scored the Knicks' first two field goals on his first two shot attempts, his only points of the game.[2] He then played defense on Wilt Chamberlain, limiting him to two shots made in nine attempts. When Reed left for good with 3:05 left in the first half, the Knicks led 61-37.[4] Walt "Clyde" Frazier took it from there, finishing with 36 points and 19 assists as the Knicks won the championship, 113-99. Following the game in the winner's locker room, a moved Howard Cosell told Reed on national television, "You exemplify the very best that the human spirit can offer."[2]
Background
New York Knicks
Los Angeles Lakers
Series summary
| Game | Home Team | Score | Road Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | New York Knicks | 124–112 (1–0) | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Game 2 | New York Knicks | 103–105 (1–1) | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Game 3 | Los Angeles Lakers | 108–112 OT (1–2) | New York Knicks |
| Game 4 | Los Angeles Lakers | 121–115 OT (2–2) | New York Knicks |
| Game 5 | New York Knicks | 107–100 (3–2) | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Game 6 | Los Angeles Lakers | 135–113 (3–3) | New York Knicks |
| Game 7 | New York Knicks | 113–99 (4–3) | Los Angeles Lakers |
Knicks win series 4–3
Source:[5]
Television
The 1970 NBA Finals were the first to be nationally televised in full, with ABC providing the coverage. Chris Schenkel was the play-by-play man, with Jack Twyman serving as the color analyst.
Incredibly, the Knicks' victory in Game 7 was not seen live on broadcast TV in New York; ABC's coverage was blacked out on WABC-TV, causing a raft of angry fans to deluge the WABC switchboard. Schenkel made an announcement during the broadcast that the game would be aired in New York at 11:30 p.m. that night. The game was shown live on the MSG Network in New York City, which was then only available in about 25,000 cable households in Manhattan.
Player statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | ||
- New York Knicks
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Willis Reed | 6 | 37.7 | .484 | .588 | 10.5 | 2.8 | 23.0 | ||||
| Dave DeBusschere | 7 | 38.1 | .455 | .722 | 12.6 | 2.6 | 19.0 | ||||
| Dick Barnett | 7 | 40.6 | .448 | .897 | 2.3 | 4.3 | 18.6 | ||||
| Walt Frazier | 7 | 43.1 | .541 | .775 | 7.7 | 10.4 | 17.6 | ||||
| Bill Bradley | 7 | 35.6 | .388 | .750 | 4.0 | 2.7 | 12.1 | ||||
| Cazzie Russell | 7 | 18.6 | .492 | 1.000 | 3.6 | 1.4 | 9.3 | ||||
| Dave Stallworth | 7 | 14.0 | .447 | 1.000 | 4.7 | 1.6 | 7.0 | ||||
| Mike Riordan | 7 | 13.0 | .387 | .857 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 4.3 | ||||
| Nate Bowman | 7 | 9.7 | .481 | .600 | 3.0 | 0.3 | 4.1 | ||||
| Bill Hosket | 2 | 4.5 | .250 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | |||||
| John Warren | 4 | 1.5 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.5 |
- Los Angeles Lakers
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jerry West | 7 | 47.9 | .450 | .833 | 3.4 | 7.7 | 31.3 | ||||
| Wilt Chamberlain | 7 | 47.6 | .625 | .343 | 24.1 | 4.0 | 23.3 | ||||
| Elgin Baylor | 7 | 40.0 | .486 | .778 | 11.3 | 4.7 | 17.9 | ||||
| Dick Garrett | 7 | 36.7 | .474 | .944 | 3.0 | 2.1 | 13.0 | ||||
| Keith Erickson | 7 | 38.7 | .479 | .722 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 11.6 | ||||
| Happy Hairston | 6 | 17.5 | .471 | .636 | 4.3 | 1.5 | 6.5 | ||||
| Johnny Egan | 7 | 10.3 | .526 | 1.000 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 3.6 | ||||
| John Tresvant | 4 | 9.3 | .333 | .800 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 4.5 | ||||
| Mel Counts | 3 | 9.0 | .357 | .667 | 2.7 | 0.3 | 4.0 | ||||
| Rick Roberson | 3 | 3.3 | .500 | .500 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 2.3 | ||||
| Mike Lynn | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||||||
| Willie McCarter | 1 | 2.0 | .000 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
Source:[5]
Team rosters
New York Knicks
Los Angeles Lakers
References
- ↑ "1970 NBA Finals: New York 4 L.A. Lakers 3". Encyclopedia Playoff Edition. NBA. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
- 1 2 3 "Greatest Finals Moments". NBA.com. Retrieved February 9, 2008.
- ↑ "Reed's game vs. Lakers tops list". ESPN. 7 May 2010. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
- ↑ "In for Two Plus the Title". si.com/vault. May 18, 1970.
- 1 2 "1970 NBA Finals: Lakers vs. Knicks". Basketball-Reference.com. SportsDirect. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
External links
- New York Times (April 25, 1970) Game 1: "Knicks Conquer Lakers, 124‐112, in First Game of N.B.A. Final at Garden"
- New York Times (April 29, 1970 Game 3: "HOME‐COURT EDGE TO LAKERS TONIGHT"
- New York Times (May 2, 1970) Game 4: "Lakers Overcome Knicks, 121‐115, in Overtime and Tie Final Series at 2‐2"
- New York Times (May 5, 1970) Game 5: "Their Big Man Out Early With an Injury, the Knicks Fight Back to Overcome Big Deficit"
- New York Times (May 7, 1970) Game 6: "Lakers Overwhelm Knicks, 135‐113, to Square Title Playoff Series at 3‐3"
- New York Times (May 9, 1970) Game 7: "Knicks Take First Title, Beating Lakers, 113 to 99"