Title/Author:
“When the Garden Was
Eden: Clyde, the Captain, Dollar Bill and the Glory Days of the New York Knicks”
by Harvey Araton
Tags:
Basketball,
professional, history, Knicks, championship
Publish date:
October 18, 2011
Length:
368 pages
Rating: to
4 of 5 stars (very
good)
Review:
One of the most
dramatic moments in NBA history occurred when the captain of the New York
Knicks, Willis Reed, came out with his team for the start of the seventh game
of the 1970 Finals. The story of that moment, and that team, has grown to
legendary status and it captured in this very good book by Harvey Araton.
While the book was
written just after the 40th anniversary of this even, it is still
just as memorable a time for Knicks fans now, coming up on the 50th
anniversary. Even those who have only seen
the grainy film of Reed making his way down the tunnel after suffering a severe
injury in game 5 smile when mentioning "The Captain." Araton
doesn't limit his complimentary and almost idyllic prose to Reed. Other Knicks players such as Walt
"Clyde" Frazier, "Dollar" Bill Bradley, Dick Barnett, coach
Red Holtzman and later Earl "The Pearl" Monroe are just some of the
players who not only are highlighted in their contributions to the team, but
also in a significant number of pages for each one.
These mini-biographies
on each man are the slowest parts of the book, as each one goes into great
detail about their early lives, their youth, their thoughts on the Knicks and
their post-basketball lives, especially Frazier who is a long-time broadcaster
for the team. However, once a reader
gets past them, starting with Chapter 7, the history lesson for the Knicks is
terrific. Reading about not only the
1970 championship team, but also their next few years which culminated in
another championship (to date, the latest one for this team) in 1973, was like
taking a time trip back to Madison Square Garden in the early 1970's. The reader will not only feel like he or she
is enjoying the basketball from that era, but will also get a taste of New York
City in those days – at least the more positive social aspects.
Some personal stories
about "super fans" and other associated people also help capture the
atmosphere and stories that make up the New York Knicks of that time,
considered to be the best in the team's history. How "celebrity row" came into being
and why so many celebrities wanted to be seen at Madison Square Garden is
probably the best reading in the book that isn't basketball. And speaking of the basketball writing, that
is the best aspect of the book as it almost brings the reader courtside to the action,
especially that game in 1970 in which the Knicks dominated the Los Angeles
Lakers to capture the championship.
Knicks fans will
especially want to read this, if they have not already done so. Even if one is not a New York fan, but
instead likes to read about basketball history, this is one that will be
enjoyed by that person.
Book Format Read:
Hardcover
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