'Clyde' Truly Stole the Show

Everybody knows about Willis Reed's famous stiff-legged walk through the Madison Square Garden tunnel 40 years ago. While Reed provided the inspiration to the New York Knicks to get going that night, somebody had to finish the job.

That somebody was Walt Frazier. And, with thanks to ESPN Classic and NBA TV, more people now realize he had 36 points and 19 assists as the Knicks beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 113-99, to win Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals.

"They've shown that game so much that now people say, 'I didn't know you had a game like that?''' said Frazier, who was nicknamed "Clyde'' due to wearing a hat similar to the one Warren Beatty donned in the 1967 movie Bonnie and Clyde, and had some thievery of his own that night with five steals.

Before, May 8, 1970, pretty much was known just for Reed defying the odds to play with a torn muscle in his right hip and thigh area. He came out just before tipoff and scored the Knicks' first two baskets (his only two of the game) as they rolled to their first NBA title.

Even if Frazier, a Hall of Famer who is now a Knicks television analyst, is getting more publicity for his amazing game, some work still is needed.

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"A lot of young players just don't know that the Knicks were once an elite team,'' Frazier said. "(New York forward) David Lee did say to me once, 'Did you have a big game with 36 points and 19 rebounds?' He didn't know it was 19 assists.''

But Frazier gave "kudos'' to Knicks president Donnie Walsh for bringing the 1970 title team back to Madison Square Garden for a reunion at a Feb. 22 game. He said in previous years the Knicks had been wary of having such reunions.

"People were reluctant because of the futility of the team in going so long without a championship,'' Frazier said of the Knicks, who last won a title in 1973.

Frazier says knowledgeable New York fans are well aware of how long it has been. And now more of those fans seem to be remembering Frazier's big game.

"Walt was incredible that night,'' Reed said of Frazier, who shot 12-of-17 from the field and 12-of-12 from the foul line and also had seven rebounds.



Frazier calls it "the best game of his life,'' but said that without Reed inspiring the team he "wouldn't have had that type of game.'' Frazier remembers coach Red Holzman approaching him shortly before the tipoff about how the Knicks could make up for Reed hurting.

"He told me to hit the open man,'' Frazier said. "But every time I looked I was the open man.''

The guy supposed to be guarding Frazier was Lakers rookie guard Dick Garrett.

"Once Walt got his jump shot going, I knew it was going to be a long night for us,'' Garrett said. "But I've looked at the tape of that game, and they were very generous with his assists.''

Pardon Garrett for any ribbing of Frazier. The two had been teammates at Southern Illinois, with Frazier departing in 1967 and Garrett in 1969. They remain good friends and always get together when the Knicks visit Milwaukee, where Garrett works with the Bucks in security.

The two joke about the 1970 Finals to this day, with Garrett telling Frazier he did a pretty good job on him in the first six games, in which Frazier averaged 14.5 points. There's not much Garrett can say after that.

"(Game 7) will always be an albatross for him,'' Frazier said of Garrett, who averaged 10.3 points before retiring in 1974 after five seasons, "because the only thing anybody remembers about his career is that night. And his buddies are always ribbing him about that.''

Count Garrett's buddies being among those who know Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals was about more than just Reed.

Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com or on Twitter @christomasson