The Willis Reed thing

I'll agree with this. Much like the most overrated athlete in American sports history is Joe Namath,the most overrated sports "miracle" was the 69 Mets, the most overrated "Greatest Game Ever" was 58 Giants/Colts, the most overrated "Greatest Upset Ever" was the 69 Super Bowl, etc.

If a huge sports moment involved a NY team, fairly good chance its mythology has been wildly blown out of proportion over the years.

 

As great and inspiring as the Willis Reed story is, Bobby Baun still tops it. [/shamelessleafsfanboi]

 

Let's be clear, the Reed Effect is certainly better than the Ewing Effect.

 

This guy disagrees.

 

You are entirely missing the point. The NBA was a lot different then. You cannot compare teams from the mid-80's to teams from the late 60's and early 70's because, quite simply, the money had not really ruined the game. The Knicks team we are talking about all adored Willis Reed. He was their captain, their big brother. When they all thought he was not going to play they were pretty much convinced they had no chance. Him coming out and hitting those shots, then leaning on Wilt on the defensive end, put into their minds that they were not going to let Reed down, no matter what. I know that sounds sappy, but that was what each and every one of them were thinking.

The Pacers weren't quite the "family" the 1969-70 Knicks were. The Pacers wanted to win for themselves and for Reggie. The Knicks HAD to win for Reed, come hell or high water.

 

If the crowd is going to be flat for a Game 7 of an NBA Finals, whether Willis Reed is battling bravely on the floor or sitting in the locker room drinking beer, that doesn't say much for the legendary basketball-savvy Madison Square Garden fans.

 

These New Yorker fanbois are like cultists, or birthers.

 

The old "things were better back in the old days" line of thinking. Well if they just HAD to win for him, then I'm completely sold.

 

sadly for all you n.y.-a-phobics, several n.y. teams happened to be involved with very IMPORTANT games; the '58 championship game was tagged 'the greatest game' 'cause it is generally acknowledged as the MOST IMPORTANT GAME up until then, generally acknowledged as the game that began the nfl's march to becoming the monster it is. it largely put pro football on the national landscape for the first time.

we all know how much i agree with anyone who wants to argue that namath is perhaps the most overrated player ever. however, he did lead the jets to what is also generally considered the most important game legitimizing the recently agreed upon nfl-afl merger. again, it's historical importance is what was at work.

i believe super bowl 3 still holds up as the greatest upset ever, simply based upon the point spread going into the game. the '69 mets were an incredioble, from out of nowhere story and it was a tremendous upset when they beat the orioles (and i'm a met-hater).

seems like an awful lot of n.y. bashers 'round here have a hard time acknowledging the simple, plain FACT that n.y. teams have been involved in some of the most stirring games/championships we've seen. heck, even of more recent vintage, the giants upset over the 18-0 patriots is right up there with the others, too. read it and weep....

 

VERY good point. So, until Willis came out, the crowd was "pretty flat" for Game 7 of the Finals, the game that could provide the Knick with the first championship in their entire history? Really, that's the story you're going with Boom? I find that a bit tough to swallow. And, if it is true, it doesn't say much for the NY sports fan.

I'm sure Willis returning did add a new level of energy and spark to the crowd, but I also suspect the degree of change has been embellished as the media generated mythology around that game has grown over the last four decades.

 

This is the natural flow of things: Everything eventually is seen by someone, even generations, as overrated.

I remember a thread about six years ago about Willie Mays and the Catch. Many, not taking into account the dimensions of the Polo Grounds, where Mays was playing Wertz, game situation, totality of the play, distance of the fly ball and -- most important -- how freaking tough it is to catch a ball hit directly over your head -- called the catch overrated.

That's when I decided to accept the premise of my first sentence in this post.

 

Worth a look. See what Chick Hearn/ Jerry West / Bob Ryan have to say.