Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals is remembered for one moment: Willis Reed emerging from the tunnel to play despite tearing his quadricep four days earlier. Reed’s return is said to have sparked the Knicks’s victory and their first world championship. Yet, the story of these NBA Finals reaches far beyond that moment. It includes everyone from Howard Cosell to Richard Nixon. Gabe and Alex explore all of that, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Bradley, and Dave Debusschere in the first episode of Ball Through The Ages. Subscribe to us on substack to get every episode sent to your inbox: ballthroughtheages.substack.com. Follow us on twitter: @ballthroughages. Graphics by @wlohaty.

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Show Outline

* Opening-Why are we talking about this briefly 

* Study Hall (background) 

* Lakers

* Knicks

* Series leading up to this

* The Skinny

* Knicks blow out the Lakers from the start.

* Walt Fraizer finishes with 36 points, 19 assists, and 7 rebounds

* Crucial moments 

* Willis Reed coming into game

* Knicks first 5 minutes

* Frazier’s second quarter run

* Frazier 7-9 in the 3rd quarter, really puts the game away 

* Who Lived up to the Hype 

* Willis Reed 

* Walt Fraizer 

* The Knicks and MSG

* Jerry West 

* Wilt Chamberlain

* Time Machine (what most took you back to that time or what looks the weirdest now)

* Short shorts

* Wilt’s underhand layups 

* Tip offs at the start of every quarter 

* Names of the guys in this game 

* Playoff format and geography

* Civil War tape jobs

* Legacy 

* This should be the Clyde Frazier game!

* Bill Bradley and Dave Debusschere 

* Best time ever for Knicks, Jets, Mets fans

* Nixon’s wild night

Stuff that didn’t make it

* Jerry West had an 81 inch wingspan despite being 6’3”

* The New York Times story on the Lakers was a bit dramatic:

* WALT FRAIZER HAD 36 POINTS AND 19 ASSISTS. We mentioned that twice but it doesn’t feel like it was enough.

Sources

* Full game on YouTube

* Excerpt from “The Show” by Roland Lazenby where Jerry West complains about Wilt’s free throws

* Sports Illustrated story on game 7

* The Atlantic on Nixon’s wild night

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