Get ready to enter the NBA?s most recognizable arena and step On the Hardwood with the New York Knicks, in this officially licensed NBA team book. Most NBA fans will agree that when Madison Square Garden is rocking and the Knicks are playing well, the sport is simply better. That time is upon us once again. The Knicks, behind Carmelo Anthony, have reenergized the Big Apple, where the connection to basketball runs deep. On the Hardwood: New York Knicks will examine the close relationship between a city, its? favorite team and its? favorite sport.
In the tradition of The Boys of Summer and The Bronx Is Burning, New York Times sports columnist Harvey Araton delivers a fascinating look at the 1970s New York Knicks—part autobiography, part sports history, part epic, set against the tumultuous era when Walt Frazier, Willis Reed, and Bill Bradley reigned supreme in the world of basketball. Perfect for readers of Jeff Pearlman’s The Bad Guys Won!, Peter Richmond’s Badasses, and Pat Williams’s Coach Wooden, Araton’s revealing story of the Knicks’ heyday is far more than a review of one of basketball’s greatest teams’ inspiring story—it is, at heart, a stirring recreation of a time and place when the NBA championships defined the national dream.
Playing in the “Basketball Mecca” of Madison Square Garden, the New York Knickerbockers are a team steeped in history. With origins dating back to 1946 in the Basketball Association of America, the Knicks were a charter member of the NBA and have boasted a long list of all-time great players, from Harry “The Horse” Gallatin to Walt “Clyde” Frazier and Bill Bradley, Patrick Ewing and John Starks, to current stars Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire, as well as such legendary coaches as Red Holtzman and Pat Riley. The legend of the New York Knicks has been enhanced by several heated rivalries over the course of the team’s history: from Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics in the late 1960s, to 1990s battles with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers, and Alonzo Mourning’s Miami Heat. Today, as the Knicks emerge as a team on the rise, these Eastern Conference rivalries are fierce once again. New York Knicks: The Complete Illustrated History presents the full history of this storied franchise, with all the on-court feats and off-court exploits of the orange and blue. Profiles of the top players and coaches from the team’s history, along with a rich collection of photography and memorabilia, create the ultimate, authoritative celebration of a beloved basketball team.
World-renowned Madison Square Garden photographer George Kalinsky gives loyal Knickerbocker fans a complete photographic history of their beloved New York team, from the very first training camp to the present day. From the championship seasons of 1969-70 and 1972-73, to the heartbreaking season finale of 1993-94, the years are unforgettably observed through Kalinsky's artistry. Full color.
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The definitive history of the 1990s New York Knicks, illustrating how Pat Riley, Patrick Ewing, John Starks, Charles Oakley, and Anthony Mason resurrected the iconic franchise through oppressive physicality and unmatched grit. For nearly an entire generation, the New York Knicks have been a laughingstock franchise. Since 2001, they’ve spent more money, lost more games, and won fewer playoff series than any other NBA team. But during the preceding era, the Big Apple had a club it was madly in love with—one that earned respect not only by winning, but through brute force. The Knicks were always looking for fights, often at the encouragement of Pat Riley. They fought opposing players. They fought each other. Hell, they even occasionally fought their own coaches. The NBA didn’t take kindly to their fighting spirit. Within two years, league officials moved to alter several rules to stop New York from turning its basketball games into bloody mudwrestling matches. Nevertheless, as the 1990s progressed, the Knicks endeared themselves to millions of fans; not for how much they won, but for their colorful cast of characters and their hardworking mentality. Now, through his original reporting and interviews with more than two hundred people, author Chris Herring delves into the origin, evolution, and eventual demise of the iconic club. He takes us inside the locker room, executive boardrooms, and onto the court for the key moments that lifted the club to new heights, and the ones that threatened to send everything crashing down in spectacular fashion. Blood in the Garden is a portrait filled with eye-opening details that have never been shared before, revealing the full story of the franchise in the midst of the NBA’s golden era. And rest assured, no punches will be pulled. Which is just how those rough-and-tumble Knicks would like it.
The players, people, flavor, and contributions New York has given the game. From the playgrounds to the NBA, New York has invented a way of playing basketball, and City/Game is not only about the three renowned NBA teams--the Knicks, the Nets, and the Liberty--and their predecessors, but also the many high-school and college basketball teams with legendary rivalries. Through art and testimonials from the fans, coaches, and players, we learn about Lew Alcindor (later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), Kenny Anderson, and Chris Mullin, all birthed on the city blacktop and who took their skills to the NBA hardwood. Explore the famous street-ball courts on a map of the five boroughs, including Rucker Park and the Cage on West 4th Street, home to Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, and Kyrie Irving; read about New York's style of play--like the infamous one-handed jump shot--and glossary of NYC-style trash talk and slang; see "celebrity row" photographs courtside at the Garden and Barclay's Center; revel in the images, headlines, and objects related to the 1970 and 1973 championship Knicks. Packed with new and archival images, this book brings the energy of the sport through original essays by noted writers and highlights from players, fans, and rising stars of the New York scene and features interviews with NBA greats including Queens-born Kenny Smith and Bronx-born former Knick Rod Strickland. A great book for any basketball fan to relive old memories and learn new details.
A revised Team Spirit Basketball edition featuring the New York Knicks that chronicles the history and accomplishments of the team. Includes access to the Team Spirit website which provides additional information, photos, and updates during and after the season. Table of Contents, Glossary, Timeline, Bibliography of additional resources and Index. Aligns to Common Core State Standards requirements for Reading Informational Text.
This encyclopedic listing of every man who played on or coached the New York Knicks from the team's inception in 1946 to the present is jam-packed with details on everything from a player's careers statistics to his height, weight, and jersey number. Included is information about a player's life before and after the NBA, college career, and dates of birth and death. Relive the glory days of Bill Bradley, Walter "Cylde the Glide" Frazier, Patrick Ewing, Bob McAdoo, Dave DeBusschere, and all the other Knickerbockers in this comprehensive guide to Madison Square Garden's most famous denizens.
For nearly an entire generation the New York Knicks have been a laughingstock franchise. But in the 1990s they had earned respect not only by winning, but also through brute force. The Knicks fought opponents. They fought each other. They even fought their own coaches at time-- and coach Pat Riley encouraged the nastiness. They never won a championship in those years-- but endeared themselves to millions of fans. Herring delves into the origin, evolution, and eventual demise of the iconic club in eye-opening detail. He pulls no punches-- which is just how those rough-and-tumble Knights would like it. -- adapted from jacket
Take a trip to the Hoosier State as you walk On the Hardwood with the Indiana Pacers, in this officially licensed NBA team book. Basketball is special in Indiana. Drive down rural roads throughout the state and you?ll spot basketball rims hung from every post. On the Hardwood: Indiana Pacers looks at Indiana?s unique love affair with basketball and their Pacers. This book also takes us back to the glory days of Reggie Miller, examines Indiana?s own, Larry Bird, and his influence on the franchise before taking a closer look at today?s exciting team.
