The Willis Reed thing

[poindexter]

Its been played out big time. **** if I don't see some reference to it every year.

Every time a player needs to go to the locker room, no need to pull out the old footage. You've cheapened what was probably a great moment.

And I'm looking square at you, espn, you jackasses.

 

[NickMordo]

Agreed.

 

[HanSenSE]

Its been played out big time. **** if I don't see some reference to it every year.

Every time a player needs to go to the locker room, no need to pull out the old footage. You've cheapened what was probably a great moment.

And I'm looking square at you, espn, you jackasses.

And one!

 

[MileHigh]

I'm surprised ESPN trots it out since it happened before ESPN began. But it probably gets a pass in Bristol because it involved a New York team.

 

[Bubbler]

Didn't Willis Reed have a completely ****ty game?

 

[Rhody31]

Didn't Willis Reed have a completely ****ty game?

If you're asking that, you don't understand what the Willis Reed thing actually was.

 

[LongTimeListener]

I love seeing it because I imagine the stat-heads look at it and their heads just about explode at the embrace of such puffery as inspiration, emotion and grit. "Four points OMG WTF?!?!?!?!"

 

[Andy Friedlander]

I love seeing it because I imagine the stat-heads look at it and their heads just about explode at the embrace of such puffery as inspiration, emotion and grit. "Four points OMG WTF?!?!?!?!"

Scored the first two baskets of the game, as I recall.

 

[JC]

I love seeing it because I imagine the stat-heads look at it and their heads just about explode at the embrace of such puffery as inspiration, emotion and grit. "Four points OMG WTF?!?!?!?!"

I would think you imagine wrong.

 

[Starman]

It had a bit more to do with Walt Frazier scoring 22 points in the first half as the Knicks took a 27-point halftime lead on his way to a near triple-double, 36-7-19 (mainly "guarded" by his college teammate **** Garrett).

Wilt's 1-11 free throw shooting performance in that game deserves special mention in the Hall of What The ****.

Although he did have 21 points (10-16 from the field) and 24 rebounds, so he wasn't totally tanking it.

Amusingly, the Lakers' FG shooting of 38-83 (.458) would be a pretty decent percentage today.

 

[wicked]

This is one of those times where I miss spnited.

 

[Ben_Hecht]

It had a bit more to do with Walt Frazier scoring 22 points in the first half as the Knicks took a 27-point halftime lead on his way to a near triple-double, 36-7-19 (mainly "guarded" by his college teammate **** Garrett).

Wilt's 1-11 free throw shooting performance in that game deserves special mention in the Hall of What The ****.

Wilt?

Come up small?

In a big spot?

Nah. Never happen.

 

[Drip]

Willis showed grit, determination. Factor in that it was New York and overblown and you have the perfect mythical storm.

 

[Boom_70]

For me as a die hard Knick fan of that era, seeing that clip never gets old.

The problem now is that the full context is lost to many.

I guess the saying "you had to be there" applies.

The game Frazier played might have been one of greatest individual efforts ever in post season.

The other Knick who came up big was 6'7" Dave Stallworth who had to cover Chamberlin.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

You see a reference at least once a year. A guy plays hurt and then ESPN or someone else makes a Willis Reed comparison.

It's turned into a bad cliche.

 

[Boom_70]

The Kirk Gibson HR is another one that gets wheeled out that has become a cliche.

 

[shockey]

The Kirk Gibson HR is another one that gets wheeled out that has become a cliche.

by that standard, no more a cliche' than bobby thomson's homer or any other classic sports moment tv gets to go to the video vault to dust off. what's the medium to do? but you, boom, are 100 percent correct in saying folks (oy, kids today...) i zero idea of the significance the willis reed moment. if only going by the boxscore, sure, it's WTF?!' wtf was how far an inspirational, even brief, not particularly productive appearance by a transplendent figure can help carry a team.

games 5 and 7 of that series, if played 10 times, would've had the lakers winning both. and both turned out to become two of the most inspired, magical moments in nba history. an example of what keeps drawing back to watch these games, never knowing when one of those moments will grace us again.

frazier's game 7 and magic's rookie year game 7 at CENTER for the lakers are EASILY at least the equal of any of jordan's infinite magic moments. how frazier, without reed (for all intents/purposes), and magic, without kareem, EXPLODED in those games still gives me chills.

 

[BTExpress]

frazier's game 7 and magic's rookie year game 7 at CENTER for the lakers are EASILY at least the equal of any of jordan's infinite magic moments.

Magic's was Game 6. They had the luxury of letting Kareem stay back and heal in L.A. for a possible Game 7.

Jamaal Wilkes had the quietest 37 points and 10 rebounds you will ever see.

 

[Boom_70]

You have to remember that it was a game 7 of a pretty amazing series.

The magic of Reed was not what he did on court but what he did by hitting his first 2 shots to get The Garden crowd into it.

Sometimes the crowd thing is overblown, but in this case it had a huge negative effect on The Lakers.

 

[Stoney]

Didn't Willis Reed have a completely ****ty game?

He only had 4 pts on 2-5 shooting, 3 rebounds, and 4 fouls. So, from an objective statistical perspective: yes, a ****ty game. But I think the source of the myth is that he played at all (and SO inspired his teammates with his heart, courage bla bla bla), not that he played well.

I'm sure it was quite a stirring moment, but I also strongly suspect the New York media machine helps explain why they myth has become SO overblown and why it's become the seminal reference point nearly any time a player in any sport comes back and plays with an injury. If it happens a year later in Milwaukee's title run then nobody outside Wisconsin would remember it today.