Sleepy Floyd: A Fourth Quarter for the Ages, 1987

During one of the Lakers’ three increasingly desperate timeouts in the fourth quarter, Karl simply told his players, “Get the ball to Sleepy.”

The Laker Roadshow . . . Starring Wilt Chamberlain, 1972

They affectionately call him “Big Fella.” Wilt Chamberlain is a proud man in the twilight of his career at 36, going on 40. But sometimes his moods are almost childlike.

The Unarrested Development of Gheorghe Muresan, 1997

“If I wasn’t playing basketball,” he says, “I am not sure what I would be doing. When I stop playing, I am not sure. It doesn’t matter. For now, I am basketball player.”

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.