STAND BY BILL BRADLEY (DURING ALL HIS DIFFERENT SEASONS) -- History of the NBA Finals Part 24

Back in 1986 there was a movie called Stand by Me.

Bill Bradley aka Richard Dreyfuss was sitting solemnly in his car, reading the day's headline with a sense of sorrow. 

"NEW YORK KNICKS SUCK A DUCK"

And as the solemn music played, he felt bad.Just as we all did.

Well seconds later, he sees three young white boys walking down the street on their way to play some pick-up ball in the park. They've got their Knicks jerseys on over undershirts, and their brand new Jordans, and they're gone go play. 

It was then that Bill Bradley was reminded.

Reminded of the time when he and the Knicks would show a heightened form of courage against Ace Havlicek and Eyeball Chamberlain.

Courage they didn't even know they could ever muster.

It happened in 1973.

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This is the season that Nate Archibald joins the league. 

Nobody had ever seen someone 6'1'' doing all this.

Or since.

34.0 points a game and 11.4 assists.

Kansas City and Omaha were splitting the Royals home games in their first season away from Cincinnati.

They were gradually heading west. 

Earl Monroe had joined the Knicks.

Or Earl Duchamp.

For Chris Chambers aka Walt Frazer had gotten in lots of beef against Corey Feldman.

Now they were going to co-exist to form a legendary backcourt.

That wasn't all.

They would also get Jerry O' Connell I mean Lucas.

So Debusshere and Bradley the forwards, Lucas and Reed, coming back from injuries at center....

Meanwhile the Celtics would destroy everyone in the regular season with 68 wins.

You guys wanna go see another championship? Lucas asks.

Of course Bill sat silent and listened to Lucas's account of how great it could be...because unlike Vern, Gordie had been there before.

The fans of New York were still reeling, still trying to get over the idea of only having one.

But nonetheless, Bradley follows them along on their long trek through the woods on a quest to find this "trophy".

The mind games would hit Bradley the entire way.

There was a train in Atlanta they thought they could overrun, as they would go 2-0 up in the series, all the while...Bradley was feeling for vibrations...

Nobody simply knew how good Atlanta was...but they flirted with confrontation anyway...

And sure enough the train came, and they barely pulled the series out in five games 3-2.

Well...said Monroe...look on the bright side. At least now we know how good Atlanta is now!

Then came the Eastern Conference Finals.

Against mighty Boston.

They wondered just how long they could coast along before getting drowned in this dirty ass Boston Garden water...

NOT VERY FAR!!!!

Boston would rout them in Game 1 by the score of 134-108.

But then the Knicks slowly realize that they can take these guys. 

And it becomes fun.

They win Game 2 and go up 3-1 with a Game 4 win in New York. 

Only Bradley appears to be worried.

But then they notice something....

There are leeches everywhere.

The Celtics are suddenly stomping them, and the series is tied at 3!!!!

Bradley has a leech on his own testicles!

But it's nothing, as the Knicks win a marvelous defensive struggle 94-78.

Bust out the campfires, for Bill Bradley DEMANDS we keep going. 

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Meanwhile Billy and Charlie Goodrich had managed to get Chamberlain to drive them back to the Finals.

First they went past Bob Love and Jerry Sloan's house in Chicago and just rolled on...played some mailbox baseball on the way out.

They did alot of chicken-playing with big log trucks from Golden State who had just beaten Jabbar and Robertson.

And they would meet these young pesky New York Knicks at the sight of the championship trophy -- the 1973 NBA Finals.

Chamberlain and West win Game 1 at home 115-112, and it looks like the boys' best effort is going to waste.

But then BOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMM!!!!

Bill Bradley has a gun in their faces.

You're not taking it.

Suck my fat one you cheap dime store hood. 

Chamberlain was like -- what are you gonna do, beat us all?

To which the Knicks simply replied -- no Wilt, just you.

And the Lakers backed off.

The Knicks win in five games, the 1973 NBA World Champions.

And then the Knicks franchise would be stabbed in the throat, dying almost instantly.

Thirteen years later, Bill Bradley would sit at his laptop probably and write:

"The Knicks never had a team like they did in 73. Jesus, did anyone?"

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Oh, one last thing. Wanna see a dead body?

Without Cunningham and Greer and Walker...the 76ers were now 9-73.

Someone help shoo these flies. 

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