Uncategorized – Page 38 – From Way Downtown

Bill Russell’s Biggest Challenge, 1967

The success or failure achieved by Russell, his team, and the NBA in picking their precarious way along that path will, justifiably or not, affect the future ambitions and lifetime careers of Black athletes in baseball, football—indeed, in all sports.

Charles Barkley’s Bitter End, 1986

The loud, proud burghers of Milwaukee streamed out of the stands to gather behind Barkley and blister his ears until Maurice Cheeks came back to lead him to quiet, if not necessarily peace.

Coach Pat Riley: Satin Steel, 1995

Unlike Riley’s Hollywood, show-business Lakers, the Knicks are just plain business, more closely resembling the stock exchange and Wall Street.

Willis Reed: Managing The Knicks’ Special Agony, 1978

Just as he did as a player, Reed threw himself wholeheartedly into the job.

The Imminent Decline and Fall of the New York Knicks, 1975

Basketball may be the No. 1 sport in New York, but the Knicks no longer will be kings of the NBA.

The Last Hurrah for Dave DeBusschere, 1974

If you had to describe in one sentence the way DeBusschere plays, it would be this: He plays like a man trying to bring on a coronary.

The First and Final Year of Bill Bradley, 1973

It isn’t easy to strip away the superlatives, to assess Bill Bradley calmly, to look at both the veteran pro and the rookie pol.

The NBA’s Five Toughest Arenas, 1975

Despite the inexorable march of progress, some places in the league are still tougher to play in than others.

Joe Lapchick: Down Memory Lane, 1969

There is no bitterness in the man because he played in a time when the game was not appreciated, and the rewards were relatively few.

George Gervin: Chillin’ with The Iceman, 1988

[No intro needed for George Gervin. His many career achievements and chill image precede him. In this article, which ran in the April 1988 issue of Basketball Digest, Glenn Rogers of the San Antonio Express newspaper checks in with the 35-year-old Iceman to mark an upcoming city-wide ceremony to fete their retired pro basketball heroContinue reading “George Gervin: Chillin’ with The Iceman, 1988”