Saying goodbye to the NBA Finals and 2020-21 season
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Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Before we drift aimlessly into the bleak and barren landscape of many months without the nightly sustenance of NBA hoops, here are some final thoughts on the Finals on the 2021 NBA Finals:
My recap of Game Six included a list of candidates for “Best Close-out Finals Game”. I should have included Walt Frazier in Game Seven of the Lakers – Knicks Finals in 1970, which the Knicks won 113–99. That game is remembered as the “Willis Reed game”. Reed was not expected to play because of a severe leg injury, but he limped out of the locker room and down the tunnel to the court shortly before the game and the Madison Square Garden crowd exploded in joyous noise. Frazier’s line for the game: 36 points, 7 boards, 16 (!) assists. 12/17 from the floor, 12/12 on FTs. Along with his normal First Team All-Defense on the other end against all-time great Jerry West. Wow. But all anyo