Dollar Bill Bradley, like every Knicks fan, will never forget the sight of Captain Willis Reed limping out of the tunnel before an inspired Knicks team beat the Lakers in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals at a rocking Madison Square Garden for their first championship.
“We were all out warming up, and we know that he was probably gonna take a shot,” Bradley told the Post. “Although quite frankly, I didn’t know he was gonna take a shot. But (Dave) DeBusschere said he knew.
“And when he came out, it was like electricity coursed through the whole arena. I remember [Elgin] Baylor, [Jerry] West and [Wilt] Chamberlain stopped warming up and watched him. I figured at that moment we were in pretty good shape.
“And then when he hit his first two shots, that was amazing, that took it to another level. And then Walt Frazier had the best seventh game of any player in history, picking up on that inspiration.”
Willis ReedGetty Images
Willis Reed walks off the court after injuring himself during Game 5 of the 1970 NBA FinalsBettmann ArchiveBradley received the sad news from Reed’s wife Gale that her husband 80, had passed away on Tuesday morning.
“He was the captain – that says it all,” Bradley said. “He was the backbone of the team. He was the guy that took us to the first championship by his courage, and by his unselfishness. And he was a big Knick all his life.”
Reed was “The Captain” in every way.
Willis Reed and Bill Bradley in 2008Getty Images“Willis always was fair to everybody,” Bradley said. “He insisted on making sure you gave 100 percent all the time. He was a supporter of [coach] Red [Holzman], obviously. He was somebody who we knew that if anybody got into trouble out there on the court, for whatever reason, Willis had your back.
“And that went from whether there was some kind of physical altercation, or whether it was having the courage to take the last-second shot. Or, whether it wax setting the time in the locker room for the gut that did take the shot and missed it. You go on, another game. He was the best kind of leader for our team.”
Bradley knew that Reed had been ailing recently.
“I knew that it was a matter of time,” he said. “But you’re never ready for it.”
Willis Reed shoots a free throwGetty ImagesBradley last spoke to The Captain a couple of months ago.
“He did that video for the 50th anniversary from his hospital,” Bradley said. “So that’s an example of how dedicated he was to the Knicks. Just an extraordinary human being.
“I was lucky to know him. Forget the championship, just as a human being.”
