Then he made another to make it 5-2 Knicks. Willis Reed Injury - Game 5 The Knicks won game five 107–100, but it was a costly victory, as team captain Willis Reed had to leave the game with a severely torn muscle in his right thigh. He had 18 points when the injury occurred and wouldn't score another, but the rest of the Spartans seemed inspired by his Willis Reed-like return to the court. The 78-year-old basketball player was born in Louisiana, United States. "Just his presence on the court made a big contribution," Holzman said. Knowing Willis, you knew he would play if he could walk, and last night he could walk, just barely. But there was no Willis Reed limp when Thompson busted out of … Willis Reed’s age is 78. “I don’t believe what I just … In 69 regular season games, he averaged only 11.0 points. On January 16, 2019, Reed suffered a season-ending shoulder injury and was waived by the team. Dick McGuire was replaced as coach with Red Holzman, midway through the 1967–68 season. But mostly, it was for captain Willis Reed, their injured leader. The Knicks MVP played just eight minutes, scoring seven points. Chamberlain would not pursue him far from the basket and preferred to … He tore his hamstring and lay writhing in pain as the game continued around him. The New York Knicks selected Reed in the second round, with the eighth overall selection, in the 1964 NBA draft. When he was introduced with the starting team, the crowd's roar was its most deafening and you had the feeling that it had to penetrate the Laker's confidence. In the first four games of The Finals against the formidable Los Angeles Lakers, Reed had scored 37, 29, 38 and 23 points, respectively, while averaging 15 rebounds. 18 Willis Reed - Torn Quad via thekorporal14.tumblr.com Back in 1970, the New York Knicks were taking on the L.A. Lakers. [7] He compiled a 33–77 record with the Nets. IN THE FIRST 14 minutes, Bradley, DeBusschere and Frazier made 15 of 21 shots and Reed was doing his job just being there. . THEY DID IT with Walt Frazier, at his most magnificent best, scoring 36 points, getting a playoff record-tying 19 assists and hustling all over the court to pressure the Lakers and pick their pockets with countless steals. Willis was practically immobile and his face contorted in pain and often he did not jump for a rebound or go down court, but he was there. Willis Reed’s Gutsy Performance Stands Out In Knicks’ 1970 Championship Win. Had Willis Reed not injured himself, the Knicks most certainly would have waltzed to the NBA title. He led the Tigers to one NAIA title and three Southwestern Athletic Conference championships. The only thoughts were for the Knicks, champions at last. That same year, he was named to the All-NBA First Team and NBA All-Defensive First Team, as well as being named as ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year, and the Sporting News NBA MVP. Legendary power forward/center who led the New York Knicks to a pair of NBA Championships in the early 1970s, taking Finals MVP honors during both series. They did it with ageless Dick Barnett, playing in his 101st game of the year and scoring 21 points. The 1972–73 Knicks finished the season with a 57–25 record and went on to win another NBA title. He was strength and resistance against Chamberlain, who had scored 45 points and grabbed 27 rebounds in the sixth game in Los Angeles, the game Willis Reed watched sitting on the Knicks bench in street clothes. Ben Roethlisberger braved through injury, having his Willis Reed moment as he led the Pittsburgh Steelers to a last-minute wild card victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. Reed also served as an assistant coach for the NBA's Atlanta Hawks and Sacramento Kings.[6]. After losing the first game, the Knicks captured four straight, claiming their second NBA championship with a 102–93 victory in game five. Reed hired Chuck Daly to coach the Nets for the 1992–93 and 1993–94 seasons. Reed played 21 games for the Stars, averaging 20.1 points and 11.2 rebounds per contest. [3], Reed was born on June 25, 1942 in Dubach, Louisiana within Lincoln Parish. In 1968–69, New York held opponents to a league-low 105.2 points per game. "That gave us a psychological lift," said Dick Barnett. Clutching a fifth of Paul Masson brut against his right hip, he sat barricaded behind a wall of hot TV lights, sportswriters and hangers-on. "That meant a great deal, especially when he hit his first couple of shots. In 1982, Reed was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. This is what the Knicks saw and it seemed to inspire them to their greatest heights. Willis Reed, American basketball player and coach who helped the New York Knicks of the NBA win two championships (1970 and 1973). In 1970 he earned the MVP award for the regular season, the championships, and the All-Star Game, becoming the first NBA player to … Willis Reed had heard a few weeks ago that the Madison Square Garden tunnel he made famous in 1970 by merely walking through it was gone. MAYBE IT WAS psychology, too, but mostly it was something more basic. He missed two weeks early in the season and returned, but shortly thereafter the injured knee prohibited him from playing, and he totaled 11 games for the year. Thompson’s injury wasn’t expected to affect him much — only when he cut, stopped or played defense. Needing just one more win to clinch their first-ever NBA championship, it looked like they were going to have to do it without their starting Center. Willis would not score another point, but then the others started doing their share, Frazier and DeBusschere and Bradley and the lead was 15-6 and 24-14 and 30-17 and 38-14 and 42-25 and you knew, the fans knew, there was no way the Knicks could lose this night. In 1971–72, Reed was bothered by tendinitis in his left knee, limiting his mobility. Once again, Reed started in the All-Star Game. WILLIS WAS doing his job, doing it with pain, doing it with guts. He had remained in the locker room and the game was held up 14 minutes as they waited for him. He wasn't needed. More psychological fodder for the Knicks. Reed, still limping slightly from his damaged knees, is in the New Jersey Nets' front office. 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