While they were leading 3-2 in the Finals against the Lakers of Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, the Knicks had to accept the injury of their leader, Willis Reed, severely injured in the thigh.
Absent during Game 6, he saw from the bench Wilt Chamberlain compile 45 points and 27 rebounds, to equalize and force a Game 7 at Madison Square Garden. Therefore, the question that haunts New York is whether “The Captain”, who died on March 21, will be able to hold his place for the final meeting of the playoffs, to limit the opposing pivot and thus offer New York its first title. NBA.
A moral boost
Given the severity of the injury, Willis Reed cannot be returned for the match, but New York maintains the mystery about his condition and the pivot finally leaves the locker room in uniform before this final duel. Certainly, he limps low, despite the painkillers injected into his thigh to try to deceive him, and everyone can see that he is far from being at his best level. But he is there, and the public of Madison Square Garden, drunk with happiness, definitely regains hope.
“He gave us a huge boost, just by coming onto the pitch”explains trainer Red Holzman. “He couldn’t play at his usual level, but he did a lot and that meant a lot to the morale of the other players. »
By coming to play this match on one leg, Willis Reed did the essential: give the mental advantage to his team. While the public is in a trance in front of the warm-up of the pivot, the Lakers stop theirs to observe their opponent.
For Jerry West and his family, it is undoubtedly above all to gauge the physical state of the New York captain, who limps a lot and whom they quickly realize that he will not be able to have his usual impact.
But on the side of the Knicks, Walt Frazier explains that seeing this, something told him ” we could beat these guys“. The momentum had just shifted.
Finals MVP with 23 points and 10.5 rebounds
Especially since Willis Reed will return the first two shots of the match (he will not score another one), making the fans of the Garden even more upset. The pivot is struggling to fold up but the essential is done.
His mere presence calms Wilt Chamberlain (21 points, 24 rebounds) while the Lakers are carried away in the rhythm of unleashed Knicks (113-99), carried by the 36 points and 19 assists of Walt Frazier. Willis Reed finished the game with 4 points and 3 rebounds in 27 minutes, but the Knicks won their first title, and the pivot was named Finals MVP.
“I didn’t want to have to look in the mirror 20 years later and tell myself that I wanted to try acting”, the hero of the day will explain later. It would indeed have deprived the NBA of a legendary moment. And probably New York for a title.
