Knicks Legend Named Top Playoff Performer
The New York Knicks haven't won the NBA Finals in over 50 years, but it's tough to win a championship when you don't have a guy like Walt "Clyde" Frazier on the court.
Frazier was the engineer of the offense behind the Knicks' championships in 1970 and 1973, the only titles in franchise history until this point.
That's why Bleacher Report writer Andy Bailey named Frazier the 25th-best playoff performer in NBA history.
"Walt Frazier's raw numbers don't leap off the screen quite like [Oscar] Robertson's, but he won two titles. And for the second one, he was almost certainly the New York Knicks' best player over the course of the postseason," Bailey wrote. "Willis Reed won Finals MVP in 1973, but his playoff-long averages of 12.5 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists fell well shy of Frazier's 21.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 6.2 assists. The big man in this duo may have gotten more accolades, but Frazier was the offensive engine. And even on a loaded team that included fellow Hall of Famers Dick Barnett, Dave DeBusschere and Bill Bradley, he was capable of taking over a playoff game like few across history ever have."
While the Knicks haven't won since Frazier ran the offense, New York has a better statistical player on the roster right now in star point guard Jalen Brunson.
Brunson has averaged 30.3 points and 6.6 assists per game in 24 playoff games with the Knicks across two seasons. Those numbers are comfortably larger than Frazier's, though Brunson benefits from having the 3-point line, something that wasn't implemented in the NBA until 1979.
But Brunson's success proves that the Knicks have someone who can lead them to a title. If the injury bug hadn't stung the Knicks this year, it's possible that they could have challenged the eventual champion Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals.
With Brunson just approaching his prime, the Knicks have to seize the opportunity and find a way to win during the team's window. They are certainly capable if they can find the right pieces to put around him.
JEREMY BRENER
Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.