Jim Cleamons: The Weight of Replacing a Legend, 1978

Cleamons admits he was at a disadvantage when he came to the Knicks in the midst of the Reed-Frazier turmoil the weekend before the start of the season.

Walt Frazier: A Final Garden Party, 1979

“I did it my way, but the team’s way and the coach’s way. That came first.”

Willis Reed: The Game I’ll Never Forget, 1970

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. 

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. 

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.