Summary
As the decade ended, there was a true changing of the guard in the NBA. Or, at least, in the Eastern Division. The New York Knicks rose to the top of the division, four games ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks. Led by rookie Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), Milwaukee had the best record ever for a second-year expansion team. The Boston Celtics dropped into sixth place and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1950.
In the West, Wilt Chamberlain missed most of the season and Elgin Baylor played only 54 games because of injury, but the Los Angeles Lakers still finished second. Jerry West was the big reason, averaging 31.2 points to lead the league.
Chamberlain was back for the playoffs, though not at full speed. The Lakers surprised Atlanta with a four-game sweep in the division finals and the Knicks eliminated Milwaukee in five games to set up the championship round.
The defense-oriented Knicks were led by center Willis Reed, guard Walt Frazier, and forwards Bill Bradley and Dave DeBusschere. They alternated victories through the first four games, the last two of which went into overtime.
In the fifth game, Reed tore a leg muscle. Nevertheless, the Knicks managed to pull out a victory. But, with Reed out of the lineup, they were overwhelmed by Chamberlain's 45 points in Game 6.
The seventh game was in Madison Square Garden. As the tipoff approached, Reed hobbled out of the locker room and onto the floor, drawing an immense ovation from the New York crowd. After scoring the Knicks' first two baskets, he wasn't much of a factor, but his appearance inspired the Knicks to a 113-99 victory. Frazier led the way with 36 points and 19 assists.
