New York Knicks: Wills Reed to the Game Seven Rescue, 1970

[To help mark the 2026 world-champion New York Knickerbockers, how about a quick flashback to the franchise’s first NBA title in 1970? Here we go. What follows is an excerpt from my book, Balls of Confusion, on that legendary game seven in Madison Square Garden. Enjoy—and, don’t forget to get the book, now at a special discounted price for those who love NBA history.] **** New York, May 8, 1970—And so it all came down to the rectus femoris. That was the badly strained muscle preventing Willis Reed from lifting his right leg to run, jump, and even walk normally. That was the muscle that, if mended, would put the Knicks’ captain back on the court for the biggest game of the year and probably, up to this point, NBA history. Well-meaning fans called the Knicks’ front office today offering home remedies. The local news broke for live, up-to-the-minute reports from the Garden and aired anxious commentaries about the big one. “This is the night you gotta do it for us. C’mon Knicks,” pleaded…