Willis Reed, RIP

[Pinback]

1. Oh man, I really liked him.

Living in the Deep South, before the Hawks moved to Atlanta — and way before the Jazz/Pelicans, Magic, Hornets, or anybody else in this neck of the woods, I was a big Knicks fan. I loved their teamwork — I never saw such masterful passing and assists on a team level, before or since.

Walt Frazier was the player I really liked (did the guy EVER sweat?), but I also followed Reed, Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, Dave DeBusschere, Bill Bradley, Cazzie Russell, and the rest of the team. Red Holzman was like the King of New York to me.

But Willis Reed, wow. He was truly the heart and soul of that team. What a legacy.