Knicks Honor Willis Reed in Return to Madison Square Garden

The New York Knicks paid tribute to franchise legend Willis Reed, who passed away last week, before and during their Monday night tilt against the Houston Rockets.

The New York Knicks' return to Madison Square Garden on Monday carried an aura of somberness, as a visit from the Houston Rockets marked the team's first home game since the passing of franchise legend Willis Reed last week. 

Monday's return allowed the team and fanbase to bid a proper farewell to Reed at the home of his NBA endeavors for 11 seasons (1964-74). While Reed's No. 19 has been permanently retired by the Knicks since 1976, it will grace the grace the current players' uniforms for the rest of the season, the digits placed upon a black stripe that previously appeared on their apparel during the team's recent Floridian road trip. The banner commemorating Reed's number retirement remained illuminated throughout the game, a 137-115 Knicks victory. 

The Knicks also adorned warm-up shirts in the style of the uniform he wore at the height of his powers and the 19 also appeared on the Garden hardwood and a pin worn by head coach Tom Thibodeau. A tribute narrated by MSG Network's Mike Breen on the MSG video board, "GardenVision," played during a pregame ceremony.

Madison Square Garden and the @nyknicks honor the Captain, Willis Reed: pic.twitter.com/fEFTNyiyvt

— KNICKS ON MSG (@KnicksMSGN) March 27, 2023

"He was the son of Louisiana, a second-round pick out of Grambling, but soon, he would make New York his own," the video tribute declared. "His impact was immediate. His team would become a forever champion, a rallying point for an entire city."

The video featured clips of Reed's storied Knicks career, with a special focus on his role in the Knicks' NBA championship treks in 1970 and 1973. The former, as Knicks fans are well-aware of, is best-known for Reed's famed returned from injury prior to the fateful seventh game against the Los Angeles Lakers, when he took to the MSG floor despite an ailment that caused him to sit out of the prior contest. For his efforts, Reed earned the MVP award for the series before duplicating the feat three years later.

Monday's tribute featured testimonies from teammate and fellow Knicks legends Walt "Clyde" Frazier and Bill Bradley. While Frazier statistically took over 1970's clinching victory with 36 points and 19 rebounds, he took full advantage of one last opportunity to credit Reed for his inspiration impact upon taking the floor.

"Game 7 epitomizes a lot of things about Willis and New York," Frazier, who called Monday's game alongside Breen, declared. "When he came out of the locker room, he could barely walk and (the fans') cheers and stuff got him running. He was the catalyst for us because we were that (was) doubtful that we could win without him. So, when we saw him, we perked up, like, we could do it."

"He was a dedicated Knick," Bradley added. "He cared about the city and the organization and, most of all, he cared about his teammate and what we shared and what we achieved. That defined who he was for the rest of his life."

Modern members of the Knicks have also paid their respects to Reed throughout the process. 

"You go to practice, you see his name, you go to the Garden, you see his name,” Julius Randle said prior to the Knicks' Wednesday game in Miami, per Peter Botte of the New York Post. “(He was) just an icon in this game, a legend. He meant a lot to the game. So obviously it’s very unfortunate, but us as players who are actively playing and came after him are appreciative of everything he’s done for the game. And me specifically, what he’s done for our organization."

Other other side, Houston legend Calvin Murphy recalled his first encounter with Reed during the Knicks' title defense in October 1970 during the Rockets' pregame show on AT&T Sportsnet Southwest. 

"I had the audacity to try to dunk on Willis Reed," Murphy recalled of the matchup, back when the Rockets were based in San Diego. "I lived 40 miles down the road in Connecticut. I got 25 busloads of people coming to see me play my first game at Garden. I cut baseline, I try to dunk on him. He fouls me, he said 'Murph don't come in here with that'. Go out there where you belong and score your 50, but don't bring it to this basket."

"Third quarter, I tried it again…bop, down! The lights went out in Georgia. When I woke up, I was the best jumper shooter in the game. It was the last time I tried that!"

Behind a career-best a 40-point performance from Immanuel Quickley, the Knicks (43-33) rolled to victory and ended a three-game losing streak. They'll return to action on Wednesday night at home against the Miami Heat (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG). 

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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