Word: chamberlaine
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...Wilt Chamberlain, vindication was sweet. The most dominating personality and physical presence in professional basketball for the past 13 years, he had been stamped as one of sport's alltime great losers. As his detractors took delight in pointing out, in critical play-off games Chamberlain seemed unable to produce the same heroics he performed so matter of factly during the regular season. Although he held numerous individual records and honors, he had helped only one team to a national title (Philadelphia, in 1967). The Big Dipper, the knockers said, choked in the clutch...
This year Wilt's critics have been silent-and for good reason. After leading the Lakers to the best won-lost record (69-13) in N.B.A. history during the regular season, Chamberlain was nothing short of awesome in the playoffs. In the N.B.A.'s western division title series with Milwaukee, he decisively outplayed basketball's newest giant superstar, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, eleven years his junior. Then, after shuffling uncertainly in the first game of the championship series, Wilt recovered spectacularly to lead the Lakers to a 4 games to 1 victory over the New York Knicks...
...Knicks have no one of the Chamberlain or West magnitude. Their strength -carefully nurtured by Coach Red Holzman-lies in remarkable poise, extraordinary all-round skill at any position on the court, and almost uncanny balance. If some of the players cool off, others almost always compensate by heating up as scorers, rebounders or playmakers. If the Lakers are a team of carefully selected specialists, the Knicks are an impressive pack of general practitioners...
...Knicks' offensive strategy revolves around Lucas, a veteran forward acquired in an off-season trade to take over for injured Willis Reed. Too small to battle under the boards with most other pivots (he gives away 6 in. and 50 Ibs. to Chamberlain), Lucas is a center in name only. He floats far away from the basket and fires his high-arcing shots with such consistent accuracy that the opposing center is almost always forced to move out to try to stop him. That clears the lane to the basket for lay-ups and rebounds by the rest...
...Lucas, but he wasn't quite fast enough and he got caught lots of times in no man's land." That not only left Pivotman Lucas free to score well from the outside, but it also opened up the lane for his teammates. Chamberlain was seldom able to get into position to clear the boards and toss his football-like passes to set up the Lakers' most potent scoring play: the fast break downcourt...