LeBron James could have been that one. This “New York Giant”. Had he chosen to take his talents to New York in 2010 and take on pro basketball’s biggest challenge – winning the Knicks – LBJ could have become the club’s emblem and the soul of a city that has been waiting for an NBA title for nearly 40 years. He could have simply become the new Walt Frazier.
You read correctly. Not the new Jordan, the new Magic or the new Bird. Knicks fans don’t care about these three. Not even the new Ewing (who suffered a serious hole in the 94 Finals), the new Bernard King (whose brilliant time in NYC was marred by injuries) or the new Willis Reed (hero of the ’70 Finals and MVP of the two finals won by the Knicks). By winning the hearts of the nation’s most discerning fans, LeBron would have become the new Clyde.
Empire State Of Mind
It takes more than talent to succeed in New York. It takes character, personality, style. You have to be able to represent the city on the pitch and embody it outside. You have to play hard, attack smart, defend hard. The public of Madison is probably, with that of Boston, the finest expert of all the league. For him, beautiful basketball is not limited to isolations and alley-oops on the counterattack. MSG wants cohesion and sacrifice. And it is precisely because he was at the forefront of the Frazier generation.
Were New York fans so concerned about the quality of the basketball offered before the great team that offered them its only two titles? Does the egg come first or the chicken? Hard to say. The fact is that Walt and his teammates have marked the history of the franchise and the city, and now serve as a historical, cultural and sporting reference to the Big Apple. Brilliantly coached by Red Holzman, apostle of simple and collective basketball, the Knicks dominated the early 70s, winning the title in 70 and 73 and losing the final 72 against invincible Lakers.
The team is remarkably balanced around its strong axis, the Frazier-Reed duo. Between Dave DeBusschere, Bill Bradley, Earl Monroe, Jerry Lucas or even Cazzie Russell, the talent around these two is not lacking, but the trademark is always the same: no stars and no superfluous.
“Clyde is the only player I’ve seen that I would describe as an artist. »Bill Bradley
Of this unforgettable collective, the history books retain almost nothing, and the highlights that the league has always put forward are content to allude to Reed’s famous comeback in Game 7 of the 70 final. Frazier was essentially scratched heritage transmitted by David Stern to the collective imagination of fans around the world. Only in New York does his legend survive. Under a specific nickname. ” What do I think of Clyde? I love it “says Ken Drews, lifelong Knicks fan and host of Freedarko.com’s excellent podcast, titled “The Disciples of Clyde” in honor of the former Knicks fullback.
“How could it be otherwise? He has the seriousness that comes from his success on the court at the time, he has aged gracefully, he looks happy and has been a unique and enjoyable commentator on radio and TV for over twenty years. He is a very strong link in the fabric of the club, anchored in such a way that very few players in any sport, even better players than him, have ever been.. »
What Drews is talking about is a pure and simple communion between the athlete and his public, an extremely strong bond that goes far beyond the strict sporting framework. So nearly 35 years after his last shot in a Knicks jersey, club fans still feel something unique about someone who might just be an ex-player-turned-commentator like any other.
Pete Maravich, a virtuoso born too soon and gone too quickly
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