Since that pivotal night of January 2, Otto has averaged 17.4 points and 15 rebounds a game. If the latter number were projected over the whole season, it would be the same as the NBA’s third-ranked board man, a fellow named Lew Alcindor.
Tag Archives: Walt Bellamy
Don Ohl: For Ohl Lang Syne, 1962
Now, Don’s confidence has returned. Understandably cautious early in the 1964-65 season, his first in Baltimore, he finished with a rush and was named the Bullets’ most valuable player.
Pete Maravich: Close Up of a Baby Hawk, 1970
When the quarter ended and Coach Richie Guerin put Pete Maravich in the game, a small cheer went up from the crowd.
Willis Reed: The Art & Agony of a Gentle Giant, 1973
Willis Reed was past 30 now, and in the compressed lifespan of athletics that is to be past middle-age. It is a time when the body begins to betray its promises of youth, a time when the infinite resilience and boundless energy start to become less dependable certainties.
Jimmy Walker: ‘Look for the Jaguar with Two Flats,’ 1975
It was hard to imagine Walker, sitting relaxed and at ease in his home, pounding up and down a hardwood floor shooting baskets for the Kings.
Red Holzman: A Humpty-Dumpty Situation, 1968
Holzman knows the game of basketball. And he probably knows it better now than back in 1957, when St. Louis fired him after a losing record.
The Knicks—Pro Basketball’s Next Dynasty
Red Holzman criticized Willis Reed unmercifully in the early days. The team captain was generally the target when Holzman screamed: “Don’t turn your head . . . get back . . . pick up your man.” The Knick coach knew Willis had the temperament to handle the abuse while the other players learned the biggest and the smallest [players] would get the same treatment.
From Way Downtown 