I had some nerve going up against the greatest all-around center in NBA history in my condition, but I’m glad I made the effort. It was worth it.
Tag Archives: New York Knicks
Andy Johnson: An Intentional Foul to Remember, 1959
Guerin started swinging, only to find Johnson a sharper hitter. As the two lunged, ramming into the floor-side crowd, they were joined by all the members of the two squads and disappeared from the view.
Dick Barnett: Keep on Keepin’ On, 1972
At 35 years of age, Barnett doesn’t have much time left in the game. It has been only in the past four years that he has really made decent money, and he hates to give it up so soon.
Richie Guerin: Knick of Time, 1962
A serious fellow, Richie does not leave his game in the dressing room. He takes it home or on road trips, trying to replay it, detect where he or one of his teammates made a mistake that might have affected the actual outcome.
Richie Guerin: Wilt Chamberlain’s Magical Night in 1962
Chamberlain’s 100th point came with 46 seconds remaining when he outleaped two defenders to spare a lob pass from Joe Rucklick and slam it through the net. Then all Hades broke loose.
Red Holzman: The Plainest Man in the World, 1970
And after, when Red had finished hurling wonderfully descriptive expletives at the officials, when he had talked to the reporters who cluster in ever-increasing numbers these days, he went to Russell’s near the Cadillac Hotel with a few friends. Russell’s is a late-night steak place.
Abracadabra, Kalamazoo: The Magic of Jerry Lucas, 1973
“My ambition,” says Luke the Great, “is to become the best-known magician in the country. I’ve made a thorough study of magic, I can do anything in magic.”
Stan Stutz: The 1940s King of the Running One-Hander
One of the things that impressed me was the wild, one-handed shooting of Stan Stutz, “who had that sallow complexion and would comb his light hair straight back and take one-handers from all over the court.”
A Belated Cheer for Ray Felix, 1987
The Knicks were playing the old Philadelphia Warriors, whose star was Wilt Chamberlain. And it was Ray’s job, at least when he was in the game, to guard him. He did his best, I’m sure, but it wasn’t close to good enough.
Bill Cartwright: Is He Mean Enough to Make It Big? 1980
Veterans do not like being outplayed by rookies, and they will do whatever they can—within the rules or without—to gain an advantage. Cartwright had the additional problem of being labeled, “a very nice guy.”
From Way Downtown 