1970 NBA Finals

The 1970 NBA World Championship Series was the championship series of the 1970 NBA Playoffs, which concluded the 1969–70 National Basketball Association (NBA) season. The Eastern Division champion New York Knicks defeated the Western Division champion Los Angeles Lakers in a best-of-seven series 4 games to 3 for their first NBA title.

1970 NBA Finals
TeamCoachWins
New York Knicks Red Holzman 4
Los Angeles Lakers Joe Mullaney 3
DatesApril 24 – May 8
MVPWillis Reed[1]
(New York Knicks)
Hall of FamersKnicks:
Willis Reed (1982)
Dave DeBusschere (1983)
Walt Frazier (1987)
Bill Bradley (1983)
Lakers:
Jerry West (1980)
Wilt Chamberlain (1979)
Elgin Baylor (1977)
Coaches:
Red Holzman (1986)
Officials:
Mendy Rudolph (2007)
Eastern FinalsKnicks defeat Bucks, 4–1
Western FinalsLakers defeat Hawks, 4–0

The Knicks appeared to have a see-saw Game 3 won when Dave DeBusschere made a shot with three seconds left to give New York a 102-100 edge, and the Lakers were stuck with no time outs. L.A. inbounded to Mr. Clutch, Jerry West, who launched and made a miracle shot from beyond midcourt. It counted only for two points, as only the ABA had a three-point shot at the time, so the game went to overtime, and the Knicks were able to win, 111-108.[2]

The final game of the series was named by ESPN in 2010 as the greatest Game 7 in finals history, featuring a return from injury for Willis Reed.[3] Reed's most famous performance took place on May 8, 1970 in Game 7 played at Madison Square Garden. Due to a severe thigh injury suffered in Game 5, a torn muscle that kept him out of Game 6, he was considered unlikely to play in Game 7. Yet Reed surprised the fans by walking onto the court during warmups, prompting widespread applause. Starting the game, he scored the Knicks' first two field goals on his first two shot attempts, his only points of the game.[2] He then played defense on Wilt Chamberlain, limiting him to two shots made in nine attempts. When Reed left for good with 3:05 left in the first half, the Knicks led 61-37.[4] Walt "Clyde" Frazier took it from there, finishing with 36 points and 19 assists as the Knicks won the championship, 113-99. Following the game in the winner's locker room, a moved Howard Cosell told Reed on national television, "You exemplify the very best that the human spirit can offer."[2]

Background

New York Knicks
Main article: 1969–70 New York Knicks season

Los Angeles Lakers
Main article: 1969–70 Los Angeles Lakers season

Series summary
GameHome TeamScoreRoad Team
Game 1New York Knicks124–112 (1–0)Los Angeles Lakers
Game 2New York Knicks103–105 (1–1)Los Angeles Lakers
Game 3Los Angeles Lakers108–112 OT (1–2)New York Knicks
Game 4Los Angeles Lakers121–115 OT (2–2)New York Knicks
Game 5New York Knicks107–100 (3–2)Los Angeles Lakers
Game 6Los Angeles Lakers135–113 (3–3)New York Knicks
Game 7New York Knicks113–99 (4–3)Los Angeles Lakers

Knicks win series 4–3

Source:[5]

Television

The 1970 NBA Finals were the first to be nationally televised in full, with ABC providing the coverage. Chris Schenkel was the play-by-play man, with Jack Twyman serving as the color analyst.

However, the Knicks' victory in Game 7 was not seen live on broadcast TV in New York; ABC's coverage was blacked out on WABC-TV, causing a raft of angry fans to deluge the WABC switchboard. Schenkel made an announcement during the broadcast that the game would be aired in New York at 11:30 p.m. that night. The game was shown live on the premium-channel MSG Network in New York City, which was then only available in about 25,000 cable households in Manhattan.

Player statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game


New York Knicks
NBA roster statistics
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Willis Reed637.7.484.58810.52.823.0
Dave DeBusschere738.1.455.72212.62.619.0
Dick Barnett740.6.448.8972.34.318.6
Walt Frazier743.1.541.7757.710.417.6
Bill Bradley735.6.388.7504.02.712.1
Cazzie Russell718.6.4921.0003.61.49.3
Dave Stallworth714.0.4471.0004.71.67.0
Mike Riordan713.0.387.8571.91.44.3
Nate Bowman79.7.481.6003.00.34.1
Bill Hosket24.5.2500.50.51.0
John Warren41.51.0000.00.30.5
Los Angeles Lakers
NBA roster statistics
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Jerry West747.9.450.8333.47.731.3
Wilt Chamberlain747.6.625.34324.14.023.3
Elgin Baylor740.0.486.77811.34.717.9
Dick Garrett736.7.474.9443.02.113.0
Keith Erickson738.7.479.7224.44.711.6
Happy Hairston617.5.471.6364.31.56.5
Johnny Egan710.3.5261.0000.10.93.6
John Tresvant49.3.333.8002.81.34.5
Mel Counts39.0.357.6672.70.34.0
Rick Roberson33.3.500.5001.30.02.3
Mike Lynn11.00.00.00.0
Willie McCarter12.0.0001.01.00.0

Source:[5]

Team rosters

New York Knicks

Los Angeles Lakers
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References
  1. "1970 NBA Finals: New York 4 L.A. Lakers 3". Encyclopedia Playoff Edition. NBA. Archived from the original on 17 August 2011. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
  2. "Greatest Finals Moments". NBA.com. Archived from the original on January 29, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2008.
  3. "Reed's game vs. Lakers tops list". ESPN. 7 May 2010. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  4. "In for Two Plus the Title". si.com/vault. May 18, 1970.
  5. "1970 NBA Finals: Lakers vs. Knicks". Basketball-Reference.com. SportsDirect. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
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