Luke’s Reviews > When the Garden Was Eden: Clyde, the Captain, Dollar Bill, and the Glory Days of the New York Knicks > Status Update

Later today, the New York Knicks are playing in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. I never thought I’d see the day where I got to utter those words. I feel so confident that they’re going to win. I see so much of this current team in the pages of this book, so many similarities with the 70s teams that brought 2 titles to the city. In Brunson we trust, Amelo 🙏

This chapter was mainly about Game 7 of the ‘70 Finals, when Willis Reed famously walked out of the tunnel, but Araton also included a number of anecdotes from notable fans and media members who where in the building, like Spike Lee and Marv Albert. Araton also mentions how he, like myself, grew up in West Brighton. He also talks a lot about the politics of the time, and how the Knicks helped the city heal.

This chapter was mainly about the first few games of the 1970 NBA finals, including the historic and dramatic game 5, which I had never really heard much about before. The captain, and league MVP Willis Reed went down with an injury, and then the rest of the Knicks basically invented “small ball” to neutralize Wilt Chamberlain, and they won a thrilling comeback in front of a lively Garden crowd.

This chapter was mainly about the celebrity fans that went to the garden, and the Knicks fervor that united the city as the team marched their way to a championship. It reminds me a lot of how it feels now on this magical playoff run. I’ve got goosebumps. Also, Araton interviewed Woody Allen for this, that definitely hasn’t aged well. Glad that freak isn’t going to games anymore.

This chapter was mainly about Dick Barnett, the oft-overlooked starting guard on the 1970 championship team. This book is almost 15 years old, so at the time Araton was questioning why a player as accomplished as Barnett was not in the hall of fame. But he was finally inducted a few years ago, and I remember Clyde Frazier breaking the news in the middle of a Knicks broadcast right before it was made public.

The first section of the book talks about the origins of the key players on the ‘70 Knicks, and I’ve already learned so much about Clyde, Willis, and the rest. Araton is frequently present in the stories and he fills each page with so much information. He also talks a lot about the political environment of the late 60s and its impact on the NBA, which I find fascinating, especially compared to the modern day.

I have to quickly put the other books I’m reading on a mini hiatus, because the Knicks are going to the NBA finals for the first time since I was 2.5 years old, and it’s all I can think about, so I decided to start reading this. It’s about the 70s Knicks, the only period in which the franchise ever won it all (hopefully that changes in the next couple weeks), and the first two chapters were great. Go Knicks!!!