On This Date in Sports May 10,1973
In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com
The New York Knicks claim their second NBA Championship, beating the Los Angeles Lakers in five games. It is the third time in four years the teams met in the Finals, with the Knicks also winning twice. The Knicks win the finale of the series 102-93, as Willis Reed is named MVP of the NBA Finals. The game would also mark the end of Wilt Chamberlain’s career.
With a core of Willis Reed, Walt “Clyde” Frazier, Dave DeBusschere and Bill Bradley, the New York Knicks coached by Red Holtzman emerged out of the shadow of the Boston Celtics and became the team to beat in the NBA’s Eastern Conference. In 1970, the Knicks finally won their first championship beat the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games as Reed playing through an injury scored the first two baskets spark New York to victory at Madison Square Garden. Looking to repeat, the Knicks were upset by the Baltimore Bullets in seven games in the 1971 Eastern Conference Finals. Leading the Bullets to victory was Earl “the Pearl” Monroe, who after threatening to jump to the ABA was traded to the Knicks early the following the season. With the Pearl, the Knicks again reached the NBA Finals in 1972, but this time they were beaten by the Lakers in five games.
The Los Angeles Lakers coached by Bill Sharman were coming off the best season in NBA history at 69-13. After years of frustration in Los Angeles, the Lakers finally won an NBA Championship after losing in the NBA Finals eight times in 11 years. The Lakers beat the Knicks in the NBA Finals in five games with Wilt Chamberlain, winning the MVP. The Lakers had another fine season in 1973; posting a record of 60-22 to win the Pacific Division In the playoffs the Lakers survived a scare in the first round, beating the Chicago Bulls in seven games, before facing the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. The Warriors were coming off an upset of the Milwaukee Bucks, but could not repeat the performance as the Lakers won in five games.
The New York Knicks had a solid season, posting a record of 57-25, but finished in second place as the Boston Celtics posted the best record in the NBA at 68-14. In the playoffs, the Knicks disarmed the Bullets in five games to set up a showdown with the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Knicks got off to a face start, taking a 3-1 series lead, but Boston battled back and forced a seventh game. However, the Celtics suffered a big blow as John Havlicek injured his shoulder. The Knicks would win Game 7 at Boston Garden 94-78; it was the first time the Celtics had lost a Game 7 at home.
In the NBA Finals, the Lakers drew first blood at The Forum, winning the opener 115-112 as Gail Goodrich led the way with 30 points. The Knicks bounced back to win Game 2, by a score of 99-95. Playing a key role was Phil Jackson, who had 17 points off the bench, as Bill Bradley led the way with 26. As the series shifted to Madison Square Garden, the Knicks turned up the defensive pressure, recording an 87-83 win in Game 3, as Willis Reed had 22 points and ten rebounds. In Game 4, the Knicks got a monster game from Dave DeBusschere who had 33 points and 14 rebounds. They would win 103-98 to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. Back in Los Angeles for Game 5, the Knicks broke things open in the third quarter, outscoring the Lakers 32-18 to turn a two-point halftime deficit into a 12-point lead. Earl “The Pearl” Monroe was the Knicks leading scorer with 23, while Bill Bradley added 20 as New York won its second championship 102-93. Willis Reed who averaged 16.4 points and 9.2 rebounds per game was named NBA Finals MVP, as the Knicks got key contributions from the entire team.
The finale of the series marked the end of Wilt Chamberlain’s career. As time was winding down Chamberlain scored an uncontested dunk, finishing with 23 points as the Knicks began to celebrate. Wilt Chamberlain, who at the time was the NBA’s All-Time Leading scorer, had 23 points with 21 rebounds in his final game. He attempted to continue his career in the ABA as a player-coach with the San Diego Conquistadors, but never suited up and got in the game as the Lakers continued to claim his rights.
The Knicks a veteran team would not return to the NBA Finals for 21 years, they have not won a championship since.