It Was Just an Exhibition Game, But OMG!

MADISON SQUARE GARDEN - October 3, 1973

The Sports Time Traveler™ is still basking in the glow of the 1973 Mets miracle finish to win the NL East.

Now, while baseball has a break until the start of the AL and NL League Championship Series on Saturday, it’s time to turn to basketball.

There was as big a game as you can have in the pre-season last night in Madison Square Garden. 17,226 fans were on hand live to watch the Knicks vs the Nets.

And I was there virtually last night to experience it.

INTRODUCTION From The Sports Time Traveler™

In the early 1970s, I was a Knicks fan. And I paid almost no attention to the Nets. I was always intrigued by the ABA and their red, white and blue ball and 3 point line.

But I just didn’t have time to focus on the ABA when the Knicks were contenders or champions each season.

I loved the Knicks style of play, still unique in all NBA history. Most of the players and their coach were already legends by the Fall of 1973, after having won 2 titles in 4 seasons. Reed, Frazier, DeBusschere, Bradley, Monroe, Lucas, Jackson and coach Red Holzman had a firm hold on the imagination of all New York basketball fans.

Also, I lived in Jersey. The Nets were far away in Long Island. I had no ties to that area. The Nets might as well have been in the Netherlands.

And so I missed this new sensation taking place in the Nassau Coliseum on a nightly basis from 1973 - 1976.

Now I intend to experience what I missed 50 years ago - the emergence of one of the most electrifying athletes in sports history. The man who was MJ before MJ. The basketball player who was simply known as Dr. J.

LAST NIGHT’s GAME IN MADISON SQUARE GARDEN

The 1973 NBA champion New York Knicks, the group that played the ultimate team game to win the title, were hosting the recently renovated New York Nets of the ABA.

The Nets brought in 2 players in the offseason that have Long Island buzzing over their possibilities.

23 year old Julius “Dr. J” Erving was acquired from the Virginia Squires.

And 22 year old Larry “Special K” Kenon was acquired from the Memphis Tams.

The pair are likely the best tandem of forwards in all professional basketball.

Erving just must might be the best basketball player on the planet. Take a look at his mind boggling per game stats from last year:

Points 31.9

Rebounds 12.2

Assists 4.2

Steals 2.5

Blocks 1.8

Special K, just a rookie, was acquired by getting his draft rights from the ABA’s team in Memphis, the Tams. Kenon had played on the Memphis State college basketball team that went to the 1973 NCAA Finals last spring and averaged 20 points and 17 rebounds.

What makes these 2 players so dynamic is that they both play the game with an above the basket style rarely ever seen before.

Dr. J and Special K each possess an other worldly ability to soar 10+ feet in the air before taking a shot. Erving literally floats through the air on the way to making dramatic, crowd shrieking dunks. While Special K has a soft touch from mid-range that is un-blockable with a release point on his shot that is about height of the rim.

Dave DeBusschere was incredibly impressed with Dr. J. He told Joe O’Day in the New York Daily News, “He’s everything I heard about him… there’s no comparing him to anybody in the NBA.”

The Knicks held the lead at halftime 42 - 41, as Dr. J shot only 2 for 9 while being guarded by DeBusschere for most of the time. DeBusschere, of course, is one of the greatest defensive players in basketball history.

When DeBusschere sat for the 2nd half with a couple of minor injuries, Erving was able to go to work. The Nets outscored the Knicks 31 - 20 in the 3rd quarter and won the game 97 - 87, stunning the Garden crowd. It was the Nets 6th win in 7 preseason games.

Dr. J led the way with 27 points, the highest scorer in the game. Special K had 13 points and 16 rebounds.

On the Knicks side, Walt Frazier played all 48 minutes and posted 25 points and 8 assists. While Dollar Bill Bradley played 41 minutes and poured in 19 points.

The 2 teams will meet one more time this year, tomorrow night at the Nets home court in Long Island.

The Sports Time Traveler™ will be following Dr. J and Special K in the 1973-74 ABA season.