BOOKS
Axthelm, Pete. The City Game. New York: Harper’s Magazine Press, 1970.
Bradley, Bill. Life on the Run. New York: Quadrangle, 1976.
D’Agostino, Dennis. An Oral History of the New York Knicks. Chicago: Triumph, 2003.
DeBusschere, Dave. The Open Man. New York: Random House, 1970.
Frazier, Walt, and Ira Berkow. Rockin’ Steady. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1974.
Holzman, Red, and Harvey Frommer. Red on Red. New York: Bantam, 1987.
Kalinsky, George. The New York Knicks. New York: Macmillan, 1996.
Keteyian, Armen, Harvey Araton, and Martin F. Dardis. Money Players. New York: Pocket, 1997.
Pepe, Phil. The Incredible Knicks. New York: Popular Library, 1970.
Shatzkin, Mike. The View from Section 111. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1970.
MAGAZINE ARTICLES
Deford, Frank. “Two Once and Future Champs.” Sports Illustrated, January 11, 1965.
——— . “A New Man for New York.” Sports Illustrated, December 18, 1967.
——— . “The Doctor Works His Magic.” Sports Illustrated, November 4, 1968.
——— . “In for Two Plus the Title.” Sports Illustrated, May 18, 1970.
Kirshenbaum, Jerry. “Eeginnprst Ejrry Aclsu.” Sports Illustrated, October 8, 1973.
Leggett, William. “A New Knick with a Knack.” Sports Illustrated, January 17, 1966.
Papanek, John. “Clyde, Laughing Cavalier.” Sports Illustrated, November 7, 1977.
NEWSPAPER ARTICLES
Bigart, Homer. “War Foes Here Attacked by Construction Workers.” New York Times, May 9, 1970.
Cady, Steve. “Earl Monroe: A Spectacular Shooter and a Master Showman. New York Times, November 14, 1971.
Daley, Arthur. “Long Vigil Ends for Jerry West.” New York Times, May 9, 1972.
——— . “Exploding into Double Overtime.” New York Times, April 24, 1973.
Frankel, Max. “Nixon Defends Cambodia Drive as Aiding Students’ Peace Aim; Says Pullout Will Begin Soon.” New York Times, May 9, 1970.
Goldaper, Sam. “20 Pro Basketball Stars Play in Benefit Game Here Tonight.” New York Times, August 15, 1968.
——— . “Elvin Hayes Bows Here as Pro.” New York Times, August 16, 1968.
——— . “Gianelli’s Finest Hour Comes in Crucial Time.” New York Times, April 13, 1974.
——— . “End Comes Uneasily for DeBusschere.” New York Times, April 25, 1974.
Keese, Parton. “Knicks Beat Bullets at Garden, 125–114.” New York Times, November 23, 1971.
Koppett, Leonard. “Michigan Tops Princeton, 80 to 78, and Joins St. John’s in Festival Final.” New York Times, December 31, 1964.
——— . “Knicks Set Back Lakers, 111–108.” New York Times, April 30, 1970.
——— . “Lakers Overcome Knicks, 121–115, in Overtime and Tie Final Series at 2–2.” New York Times, May 2, 1970.
——— . “Star Hurts Thigh in First Quarter.” New York Times, May 5, 1970.
——— . “Knicks Take First Title, Beating Lakers 113–99.” New York Times, May 9, 1970.
——— . “Knick Championship Culminates 24 Frustrating Years.” New York Times, May 10, 1970.
——— . “Knicks Down Bullets, 120–117, in 2 Overtime Periods.” New York Times, May 27, 1970.
——— . “Reed Set to Play Against Bullets.” New York Times, April 16, 1971.
——— . “Bullets Eliminate Knicks, 93–91.” New York Times, April 20, 1971.
——— . “Knicks. The Difference a Year Makes.” New York Times, April 21, 1971.
——— . “Knicks and Lakers… Then and Now: Astonishing Difference in 2 Years.” New York Times, April 26, 1972.
——— . “Wilt’s Crowning Touches for Lakers.” New York Times, May 9, 1972.
——— . “Knicks Win in Two Overtimes.” New York Times, April 23, 1973.
——— . “Knicks Vanquish Celtics, 94–78, and Gain N.B.A. Title Playoff.” New York Times, April 30, 1973.
——— . “Knicks Win Title; Top Lakers, 102–93.” New York Times, May 11, 1973.
Kornheiser, Tony. “Abe, Wes and Earl: A Family Circle That Will Never Be Broken.” Washington Post, November 14, 1996.
Mallozzi, Vincent M. “Ex-Knick Trying to Stay Drug Free.” New York Times, January 13, 1991.
Rogers, Thomas. “Celtics Halt Knick Rally to Win, 106–105, and Take Eastern Conference Playoff Final.” New York Times, April 19, 1969.
——— . “Knicks Down Royals, 106–105, in Last Two Seconds for Record 18th in Row.” New York Times, November 29, 1969.
——— . “Gambling Defense Marks Uphill Climb to Triumph.” New York Times, May 5, 1970.
——— . “Knicks, Scoring Final 19 Points, Top Bucks, 87–86.” New York Times, November 19, 1972.
——— . “Frazier Goes on Spree After Chaney Fouls Out.” New York Times, April 23, 1973.
Seidman, Carrie. “Clyde Steals Show in Return to Garden.” New York Times, December 16, 1979.
Vecsey, George. “An Ex-Knick Is Still Winning.” New York Times, May 9, 1982.
Wise, Mike. “How Dean Meminger Turned His Life Around.” New York Times, December 25, 2003.
PHOTOGRAPHIC INSERT
When the Garden was on 49th Street: Where Nedick’s was all the rage, and Marilyn Monroe sang “Happy Birthday” to JFK.
Irish farewell: Knicks founder Ned Irish leaves the court of the old Garden for the last time.
Curtain raiser: Walt Frazier (10) takes, and makes, the first shot at the new Garden on Valentine’s Day 1968, amid a sea of business suits.
Bullets over Broadway: “Clyde” and “the Pearl” at the beginning of their rivalry in the 1970 playoffs.
The Architect: Red Holzman during a 1970 time-out.
New York’s finest: Team photo, 1970.
Pass me the ball, Coach!: Dave DeBusschere, in his dual role as player-coach for Detroit, circa 1966.
Yelling himself Red: Holzman on the bench.
The photo that made the man: George Kalinsky poses Walt “Clyde” Frazier for a celebrated portrait outside the Garden.
A couple of country boys: Pre-hirsute Frazier and Phil Jackson at a diner in 1967.
South Dakota stud: Phil Jackson cooling off after a game, circa 1973.
Fall back, baby!: Dick Barnett gets off his patented jumper.
From Motown to Midtown: DeBusschere fights for position in 1968.
A National Guard: Cazzie Russell in 1970.
The Stilt wilts: Willis Reed got the best of Wilt Chamberlain in the 1970 Finals.
Down goes Reed: After tearing his right tensor muscle, Reed grimaces on the floor, while Game 5 proceeds without him.
Last man out of the tunnel: Willis Reed makes his storied entrance to Game 7. The boy below the basket (circled) is George Lois’s son, Harry.
Telling it like it is: Bill Bradley (left) and Dave DeBusschere (right) celebrate their championship with Howard Cosell.
Bright lights, big city: Minuteman Mike Riordan battles the Celtics in 1971.
Playing hooky: Phil Jackson’s shot wasn’t known for its beauty, but New York welcomed his return from back surgery.
I know where you live: Jerry Lucas taking time away from memorizing the phone book.
O captain, our captain: Reed fetches another rebound.
A sense of where he is: Bill Bradley at the freethrow line.
The Willis Reed Show: Willis Reed, Pete Maravich, Woody Allen, and Marv Albert reminiscing.
Midtown cowboy: Dustin Hoffman and Red Holzman at the celebration for the Knicks’ 1970 championship, at Gracie Mansion.
The way we won: Barbra Streisand (circled) tries to encourage Holzman and Bradley en route to their second championship in 1973.
The Reel World: A Knicks film session before the 1973 Finals. That’s Jerry Lucas at the projector.
The new Old Knicks:
Team photo, 1973. Dean Meminger (7) stands behind his man, Earl Monroe (15).
His cross to bear: Earl “Black Jesus” Monroe, seated in a most unusual position—on the bench.
Changing of the guard: Dean Meminger helped bring New York a title.
I am the open man!: Monroe lets fly while Bill Bradley waits for the pass.
Yes!: Willis Reed hoists Bill Bradley as the buzzer sounds on the last, best moment in Knicks history, the 1973 championship.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
HARVEY ARATON has been a sports columnist for the New York Times since 1991. He lives in Montclair, New Jersey, with his wife and two hoops-loving sons.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.
PRAISE
“Harvey Araton, one of our most cherished basketball writers, has evocatively rendered the team that New York never stops pining for—the Old Knicks. But this is more than a nostalgic chronicle of a couple of great basketball seasons in a time of cultural upheaval. It’s a portrait of a group of proud, idiosyncratic men and the city that needed them.”
—JONATHAN MAHLER, author of Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning
“Slicing through decades of overgrown nostalgia and folklore, Harvey Araton recaptures what the Knicks of the 1970s meant to their sport, the city, a country in turmoil, the author himself, and, most important, each other. Ambitious, unrelenting, and with an uncommon eye for detail, When the Garden Was Eden is the perfect antidote to the malaise of present-day Knicks fans.”
—BETHLEHEM SHOALS, founder of FreeDarko.com and the coauthor of FreeDarko Presents: The Undisputed Guide to Pro Basketball History
“Harvey Araton, who writes the way Earl the Pearl played, has made the Old Knicks new again. I learned so much, and I was there.”
—ROBERT LIPSYTE, author An Accidental Sportswriter
“I wasn’t there when Clyde and Willis and Dollar Bill were lighting up the Garden, let alone barnstorming Philadelphia church basements, but after reading When the Garden Was Eden, I now feel like I was courtside with Woody and Dancing Harry.”
—WILL LEITCH, founding editor of Deadspin and author of God Save the Fan
CREDITS
Author photograph © Robert A. Cumins
Cover photographs © George Kalinsky
Cover design by Anthony Morais
COPYRIGHT
WHEN THE GARDEN WAS EDEN. Copyright © 2011 by Harvey Araton.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
FIRST EDITION
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Araton, Harvey.
When the Garden was Eden : Clyde, the Captain, Dollar Bill, and the glory days of the New York Knicks / by Harvey Araton.—1st ed.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-0-06-195623-2
1. New York Knickerbockers (Basketball team)—History. 2. Araton, Harvey. 3. Sportswriters—Anecdotes. I. Title.
GV885.52.N4A83 2011
796.323'64097471—dc23 2011018792
EPub Edition © SEPTEMBER 2011 ISBN: 9780062097057
11 12 13 14 15 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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