Tag Archives: Willis Reed

Jack Twyman: TV Hoopla, 1970

ABC and the NBA are currently working on a multiyear contract, primetime telecasts are more in evidence than ever before, the number of games televised each year increases, and the ratings are up. The NBA has come a long way.

Bob Lanier: Bum Knee, Bad Rap, 1970-71

The curious thing is that skinny Otto Moore is saving the Pistons—saving their center position and even saving Lanier from further embarrassment. Who would have thought that . . .

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. 

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.”

Michael Ray Richardson: With Sugar on Top, 1981

“When I first came into the league, I thought everyone was Superman. I was shaky, but during the summer, I began to realize that the players are good and that I belonged here.”