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Walt “Clyde” Frazier has seen this movie before.
The last time the Knicks won an NBA championship, his 1973 team spent much of the regular season battling injuries before finding its rhythm at exactly the right time. Fifty-three years later, as the Knicks prepare for their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999, Frazier sees familiar signs.
A team getting healthier. A team getting better. A team peaking when it matters most.
“I’m living vicariously, man, from especially the ’73 team,” Frazier told The Daily News at Cleveland’s Rocket Arena on May 25. “In ’73, we were injured most of the season, but towards the playoffs we started to get healthy.
“And like the Knicks now, we had that momentum. We actually kept getting better and better going into the playoffs. So they remind me of that right now.”
It’s been 53 grueling, oftentimes depressing years since the Knicks last hung a championship banner from the Madison Square Garden rafters and 26 since they last reached the NBA Finals.
By sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers out of the Eastern Conference Finals, this Knicks team, led by Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and first-year head coach Mike Brown, punched the franchise’s ticket to the NBA Finals for the ninth time and just the third since the 1976 ABA-NBA merger.
Frazier starred alongside Willis Reed on the only two championship teams in franchise history. He believes this group has a chance to do the same.
The Knicks are surrounded by history every day. The retired jerseys hanging from the rafters at Madison Square Garden and inside the team’s practice facility in Tarrytown serve as constant reminders of the players who carried the franchise to heights few have reached.
This team now has a chance to join them.
And if it happens, it’ll happen in front of Frazier, who still calls games for MSG Network. It’ll happen in front of legends ranging from Bernard King, Patrick Ewing and John Starks to Carmelo Anthony and Stephon Marbury.
“They’ve been with us my whole five years here. It’s not just showing up when we’re winning — they’ve been with us through a lot,” said Miles McBride. “So shout out to them and obviously everything they did. So we just want to get the job done for them.”
Frazier wasn’t the only Knicks alumnus in the building for Game 4.
He and Patrick Ewing handed Brunson the Eastern Conference Finals MVP trophy.
“It truly means a lot, when they’re on the sidelines or baselines, they made their presence known. They’re full of energy. That’s just who they are,” said Brunson. “They want the best for us, it’s a really cool sight to see. It’s an honor to play for this organization, the history that it has, to see the former players around all the time that makes it even more special.”
Stephon Marbury flew into Cleveland the day of Game 4. John Starks, who earned his lone All-Star appearance during the Knicks’ 1994 Finals run, has been there every step of the way.
Once the Knicks officially clinched the Eastern Conference title, Starks congratulated every player he encountered on the walk to the locker room. One of the last was Landry Shamet, who shot 11-of-12 from 3-point range in the conference finals and made all four of his attempts from deep in the Game 4 closeout.
“Way to play,” Starks told Shamet. “Way to shoot that thing.”
Even Starks didn’t see an 11-game playoff winning streak coming — a feat previously accomplished only by the 1989 and 2001 Lakers, the 1999 Spurs and the 2017 Warriors. All four went on to win championships.
Still, after watching the Knicks reach the conference finals last season and seeing injuries reshape the Eastern Conference landscape this year, he expected New York to be here.
“It’s not surprising me that they are at this point. I thought they should have been there last year,” Starks said after Game 4. “That was my feeling. They should have been there last year. So this is a new year, and now it’s time for it to happen.”
The Knicks traded Starks to Golden State for Latrell Sprewell before their 1999 Finals run. At Madison Square Garden, however, it’s once a Knick, always a Knick. That Finals appearance belongs to him, too.
“It feels good. It’s been a long time, man, since 1999, since we played for a championship,” Starks said. “And to be able to get here and see this and be down here in a closeout game, it’s just a special moment. And I’m happy for those guys because they did it together.”
Brown has encouraged his players to tune out outside noise. Several Knicks have deleted social media apps during the postseason, reinstalling them only briefly before removing them again.
Praise from former Knicks legends, however, carries a different weight.
“It’s fantastic. It’s great to see. It’s great that Leon [Rose] and Mr. Dolan have these guys around. Obviously Pat [Ewing], he’s iconic, and then you have John Starks and Marbury and there’s just a plethora of other guys that you see come to our games, and we encourage that. I love it,” said Brown. “And they always have a nugget or two that they can pass on to the guys that are actually playing now, and when you can hear it from different voices or different people, especially guys that played — cause I didn’t play, I was terrible — but from guys that played, it means a ton.
“So to see them be able to celebrate with us and the joy on their face, it’s priceless for sure.”
Frazier is one of the few who knows what awaits.
Many have knocked on the doorstep of bringing a championship back to the Mecca of Basketball. Frazier kicked the door down twice. He knows what it takes to survive June.
He also called the Western Conference Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs going seven games before the series was tied at two apiece.
“That might go seven, and even when they win — they lose, you know?” he told The News. “They’re gonna be beat up, whoever survives that series. But in order to be the champion, you got to overcome adversity, you know? That’s what it’s about. So they can’t be saying they’re tired. That’s not going to be a factor. They’ll be ready if they get there.”
If the Knicks are going to hang their first championship banner since Frazier’s era, it will begin with Brunson.
“Well, he’s Mr. Clutch, you know? He makes all the big baskets. He’s dishing and swishing,” Frazier told The News. “He’s gotta improve his defense. That’s gonna be amplified the next round. They got some very good guards in San Antonio and in OKC. But other than that, man, he’s been magnificent.”
The Finals appearance hasn’t shocked Starks, nor has Brunson’s evolution into a more complete floor general.
“Jalen’s been Jalen since he’s been here. He’s just been a true leader, a consummate pro. He guides the team in the direction that we needed to be guided in,” Starks said. “So he understands he’s a winner. He’s a champion. So Jalen’s gonna do what Jalen does: He goes out there and wins us ball games, and he’s a very special player.”
Frazier also tipped his cap to ownership and the front office for making the difficult decision to move on from Tom Thibodeau after the franchise’s first conference finals appearance in 25 years.
The Knicks were denied permission to interview several rival head coaches before ultimately hiring Brown last summer. Brown responded with a franchise-record 53 wins for a first-year Knicks coach and, after reshaping the offense following early playoff losses to Atlanta, guided New York to the NBA Finals.
“He’s gotta start getting kudos,” Frazier told The News. “He’s developed our bench, which Thibs was crucified for. So Brown has 10 guys that are thriving. No matter who he’s seemed to put in there, they’re producing. And that’s what you want in the playoffs.
“So we’re not relying on Towns and Brunson to do everything. Look at [Mikal] Bridges, they elevated his game. OG [Anunoby], too. And so it’s been incredible to watch.”
Frazier knows better than most what comes next. He knows how difficult the final step can be. He also knows opportunities like this don’t come around often.
The Knicks are four wins away from ending a 53-year championship drought. Four wins away from joining the names hanging from the rafters above them.
And if they get there, they’ll do more than bring a title back to New York.
They’ll join Clyde — and they’ll bring the legends who fell short with them.
“It’s special, and you see obviously what it means to them. And even only wearing a Knicks jersey for two years, I understand, too,” said Shamet. “There’s a real pride, you know? So I can’t imagine at that point. But we don’t take it lightly, and it adds to our collective fuel and camaraderie and how we feel.
“So it’s good to obviously celebrate this with them, but they know as well as we do that there’s more to do.”
Continue reading...
The last time the Knicks won an NBA championship, his 1973 team spent much of the regular season battling injuries before finding its rhythm at exactly the right time. Fifty-three years later, as the Knicks prepare for their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999, Frazier sees familiar signs.
A team getting healthier. A team getting better. A team peaking when it matters most.
“I’m living vicariously, man, from especially the ’73 team,” Frazier told The Daily News at Cleveland’s Rocket Arena on May 25. “In ’73, we were injured most of the season, but towards the playoffs we started to get healthy.
“And like the Knicks now, we had that momentum. We actually kept getting better and better going into the playoffs. So they remind me of that right now.”
It’s been 53 grueling, oftentimes depressing years since the Knicks last hung a championship banner from the Madison Square Garden rafters and 26 since they last reached the NBA Finals.
By sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers out of the Eastern Conference Finals, this Knicks team, led by Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and first-year head coach Mike Brown, punched the franchise’s ticket to the NBA Finals for the ninth time and just the third since the 1976 ABA-NBA merger.
Frazier starred alongside Willis Reed on the only two championship teams in franchise history. He believes this group has a chance to do the same.
The Knicks are surrounded by history every day. The retired jerseys hanging from the rafters at Madison Square Garden and inside the team’s practice facility in Tarrytown serve as constant reminders of the players who carried the franchise to heights few have reached.
This team now has a chance to join them.
And if it happens, it’ll happen in front of Frazier, who still calls games for MSG Network. It’ll happen in front of legends ranging from Bernard King, Patrick Ewing and John Starks to Carmelo Anthony and Stephon Marbury.
“They’ve been with us my whole five years here. It’s not just showing up when we’re winning — they’ve been with us through a lot,” said Miles McBride. “So shout out to them and obviously everything they did. So we just want to get the job done for them.”
***
Frazier wasn’t the only Knicks alumnus in the building for Game 4.
He and Patrick Ewing handed Brunson the Eastern Conference Finals MVP trophy.
“It truly means a lot, when they’re on the sidelines or baselines, they made their presence known. They’re full of energy. That’s just who they are,” said Brunson. “They want the best for us, it’s a really cool sight to see. It’s an honor to play for this organization, the history that it has, to see the former players around all the time that makes it even more special.”
Stephon Marbury flew into Cleveland the day of Game 4. John Starks, who earned his lone All-Star appearance during the Knicks’ 1994 Finals run, has been there every step of the way.
Once the Knicks officially clinched the Eastern Conference title, Starks congratulated every player he encountered on the walk to the locker room. One of the last was Landry Shamet, who shot 11-of-12 from 3-point range in the conference finals and made all four of his attempts from deep in the Game 4 closeout.
“Way to play,” Starks told Shamet. “Way to shoot that thing.”
Even Starks didn’t see an 11-game playoff winning streak coming — a feat previously accomplished only by the 1989 and 2001 Lakers, the 1999 Spurs and the 2017 Warriors. All four went on to win championships.
Still, after watching the Knicks reach the conference finals last season and seeing injuries reshape the Eastern Conference landscape this year, he expected New York to be here.
“It’s not surprising me that they are at this point. I thought they should have been there last year,” Starks said after Game 4. “That was my feeling. They should have been there last year. So this is a new year, and now it’s time for it to happen.”
The Knicks traded Starks to Golden State for Latrell Sprewell before their 1999 Finals run. At Madison Square Garden, however, it’s once a Knick, always a Knick. That Finals appearance belongs to him, too.
“It feels good. It’s been a long time, man, since 1999, since we played for a championship,” Starks said. “And to be able to get here and see this and be down here in a closeout game, it’s just a special moment. And I’m happy for those guys because they did it together.”
Brown has encouraged his players to tune out outside noise. Several Knicks have deleted social media apps during the postseason, reinstalling them only briefly before removing them again.
Praise from former Knicks legends, however, carries a different weight.
“It’s fantastic. It’s great to see. It’s great that Leon [Rose] and Mr. Dolan have these guys around. Obviously Pat [Ewing], he’s iconic, and then you have John Starks and Marbury and there’s just a plethora of other guys that you see come to our games, and we encourage that. I love it,” said Brown. “And they always have a nugget or two that they can pass on to the guys that are actually playing now, and when you can hear it from different voices or different people, especially guys that played — cause I didn’t play, I was terrible — but from guys that played, it means a ton.
“So to see them be able to celebrate with us and the joy on their face, it’s priceless for sure.”
***
Frazier is one of the few who knows what awaits.
Many have knocked on the doorstep of bringing a championship back to the Mecca of Basketball. Frazier kicked the door down twice. He knows what it takes to survive June.
He also called the Western Conference Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs going seven games before the series was tied at two apiece.
“That might go seven, and even when they win — they lose, you know?” he told The News. “They’re gonna be beat up, whoever survives that series. But in order to be the champion, you got to overcome adversity, you know? That’s what it’s about. So they can’t be saying they’re tired. That’s not going to be a factor. They’ll be ready if they get there.”
If the Knicks are going to hang their first championship banner since Frazier’s era, it will begin with Brunson.
“Well, he’s Mr. Clutch, you know? He makes all the big baskets. He’s dishing and swishing,” Frazier told The News. “He’s gotta improve his defense. That’s gonna be amplified the next round. They got some very good guards in San Antonio and in OKC. But other than that, man, he’s been magnificent.”
The Finals appearance hasn’t shocked Starks, nor has Brunson’s evolution into a more complete floor general.
“Jalen’s been Jalen since he’s been here. He’s just been a true leader, a consummate pro. He guides the team in the direction that we needed to be guided in,” Starks said. “So he understands he’s a winner. He’s a champion. So Jalen’s gonna do what Jalen does: He goes out there and wins us ball games, and he’s a very special player.”
Frazier also tipped his cap to ownership and the front office for making the difficult decision to move on from Tom Thibodeau after the franchise’s first conference finals appearance in 25 years.
The Knicks were denied permission to interview several rival head coaches before ultimately hiring Brown last summer. Brown responded with a franchise-record 53 wins for a first-year Knicks coach and, after reshaping the offense following early playoff losses to Atlanta, guided New York to the NBA Finals.
“He’s gotta start getting kudos,” Frazier told The News. “He’s developed our bench, which Thibs was crucified for. So Brown has 10 guys that are thriving. No matter who he’s seemed to put in there, they’re producing. And that’s what you want in the playoffs.
“So we’re not relying on Towns and Brunson to do everything. Look at [Mikal] Bridges, they elevated his game. OG [Anunoby], too. And so it’s been incredible to watch.”
Frazier knows better than most what comes next. He knows how difficult the final step can be. He also knows opportunities like this don’t come around often.
The Knicks are four wins away from ending a 53-year championship drought. Four wins away from joining the names hanging from the rafters above them.
And if they get there, they’ll do more than bring a title back to New York.
They’ll join Clyde — and they’ll bring the legends who fell short with them.
“It’s special, and you see obviously what it means to them. And even only wearing a Knicks jersey for two years, I understand, too,” said Shamet. “There’s a real pride, you know? So I can’t imagine at that point. But we don’t take it lightly, and it adds to our collective fuel and camaraderie and how we feel.
“So it’s good to obviously celebrate this with them, but they know as well as we do that there’s more to do.”
Continue reading...
