When the Garden Was Eden (47 page)

In my earliest newspapering days at the
Staten Island Advance
, Larry Ambrosino, Lou Bergonzi, Danny Colvin, Garry Ferraris, Jimmy Forbes, Terry Golway, Debbie Hartnett, Andy Lagomarsino, Bob Leg-giadro, Julie Summers Lord, Joe LoVerde, Jim Meraglia, Jack Minogue, Larry Miraldi, Robert Miraldi, Joe Nugent, Jay Price, Chuck Schmidt, and Dan Siani knew great basketball when they saw it—even if our earthbound version of the game on the
Advance 5
didn’t do it justice. Bless Tom Valledolmo for assigning me to my first Knicks games on those Saturday nights when the
Star-Ledger
copy couldn’t come fast enough. And, speaking of indebted gratitude, I owe so much of my adult basketball life to an old friend, the one and only Phil Mushnick, whose fateful phone call landed me at the
Post
, which was great for me (if not, unfortunately, for Willis).

Setting out on this journey, no one helped me push through my initial apprehensions more than Zelda Spoelstra, who connected me with many former players, who knew better not to return the call after Zelda told them they should. Selena Roberts was a special friend through challenging times, as were John Parlapiano, Michelle Musler, and Filip Bondy. Budd Mishkin gave me a great head start, as did many family members, friends, and colleagues, with their own splendid works and words and by just being there: David Albert, Hilary Albert, Dana Albert, the late Maury Allen, Barry Baum, Howard Beck, Marty Beiser, Ira Berkow, Howard Blatt, Bud Collins, Bob Cumins, Dave D’Alessandro, Bob Drury, Mitch Greene, Gene Goldberg, John Gruber, Arthur Hatzopoulos, Susan Hatzopoulos, Johnette Howard, Frank Isola, Dave Kaplan, Naomi Kaplan, Anita Klaussen, Gwen Knapp, Mark Kriegel, Fred Langbein, Peter McKenna, Michelle Musler, Paul Needell, Naomi Rand, Bill Rhoden, Ian O’Connor, Steve Politi, Shaun Powell, Richard Sandomir, Jay Schreiber, Barry Stanton, Alan Swyer, Susan Tepper, Fern Turkowitz, George Vecsey, Adrian Wojnarowski, Ailene Voisin, and the late Vic Ziegel.

Thank you to the Madison Square Garden and Knicks staff, including Barry Watkins, Jonathan Supranowitz, Dan Schoenberg, and Gregg Schwartz, as well as Brian McInytre and Tim Frank of the NBA.

Roughly 150 people were interviewed for this book, lending their time and patience when callbacks were necessary. A special shout-out to two Old Knicks who went above and beyond: Willis Reed and Senator Bill Bradley, whose support was unwavering and more than a onetime muckraker could hope for.

The very existence of this book is owed largely to the stubborn resolve of my agent, Andrew Blauner, who wouldn’t take no for an answer. That led us to HarperCollins’s David Hirshey, who had a strong vision for the project and, with Barry Harbaugh, distilled it into a crisper, richer tale. Will Palmer expertly copyedited the manuscript.

Finally, my wonderful family indulged me all the hours I needed, and never complained when I drifted off in the middle of a conversation, contemplating what the next chapter should be. Beth, Alex, and Charly, you are my everlasting inspiration for trying to move forward.

November 28, 1969

FINAL NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION OFFICIAL SCORER’S REPORT

May 4, 1970

FINAL NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION OFFICIAL SCORER’S REPORT

May 8, 1970

FINAL NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION OFFICIAL SCORER’S REPORT

May 10, 1973

FINAL NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION OFFICIAL SCORER’S REPORT