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April 30, 1972
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April 30, 1972
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INGLEWOOD, Calif., April 29—It's as if the National Basketball Association championship were being decided by an I.Q. test. Bill Sharman, the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, calls the New York Knicks “the most intelligent team in the league.” Wilt Chamberlain mentions how “smart” the Knicks are. But among the Knicks, what is intelligence, what is smart basketball? “It's not beating yourselves,” said Dave DeBusschere, the forward who once was the Detroit Pistons’ player — coach. “It's having patience, not forcing the bad shot. It's blending together in one common thought—to get the best possible shot.”
In tomorrow's second game, the Knicks will use the same strategy that succeeded in their 114‐92 victory Wednesday night. But because of Chamberlain's presence, their strategy is much different from that used against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference playoff.
“Against the Lakers,” said DeBusschere, “we're using a 2‐1‐2 series that keeps Jerry Lucas in a high post, away from Wilt, but against the Celtics, we used a 2–3 series, meaning two guards out and three forwards inside. You can't use a 2–3 against the Lakers because Wilt is like a goalie in hockey, he just swats ‘em away. On defense, we don't have a big eraser like Wilt back there. But no matter what series we're using on offense, we probably run more patterns than anybody in basketball, 20 to 25. Most teams run 10, some of the expansion teams don't run more than four.”
In a close game, the Knicks’ blend of common thought is obvious when a clutch shot is needed.
“We have five guys who aren't afraid to take that last shot,” DeBusschere said. “On the Lakers, you know that Jerry West is going to take it. On the Milwaukee Bucks, it's Kareem or Oscar. On the Celtics, its Havlicek or White, maybe Don Nelson. But on this club, it might be anybody.”
The Time Out
Regarding intelligence on defense, DeBusschere recalled a time‐out situation when he was the Pistons’ coach a decade ago.
“I warned one of our players that Bill Russell of the Celtics was going to fake, then go to the hoop and take a lob pass from Sam Jones, and as soon as we got back on the floor, that's what happened. But our man didn't react at all. We had to call another time out. On the Knicks, those things don't happen.”
The Knicks preach the gospel according to Red Holzman, their demanding coach. “We exploit the other team's weaknesses,” said Walt (Clyde) Frazier, the playmaker. “I could score 40 points, but if we lose, what good is it? My job is to get the forwards into the action. On some teams, some guys don't want to do that. They want to make sure they get their 20 points first. But on this team, Red demands team play. If you don't do it, you come out.”
Jerry Lucas, the center, laughed at the Lakers’ reference to the Knicks’ intelligence.
“It's having a Phi Beta Kappa, a Rhodes Scholar and an ex‐coach up front,” he said, meaning himself, Bill Bradley and DeBusschere, respectively. “But seriously, it's having good basketball sense knowing how to react. In the middle of a play, guys on this team can adjust to another play fluidly. Other teams can't do that. Other teams don't always run the original play correctly. It's a matter of basketball sense and discipline. Do what you're supposed to do instead of freelancing.”
Earl Monroe, once the N.B.A.'s most famous freelance player with the Baltimore Bullets, has blended into the Knick offense.
“To me, basketball intelligence is keeping your composure, playino under control,” The Pearl said. “Like playing we were down, 14‐0, against the Celtics last week, but we stayed cool. And we won.”
All for One
Monroe's adjustment was called by Bradley a “remarkable job” and “proof of his greatness” as a player.
“We try to force other teams to their weaknesses and to our strengths,” the Rhodes Scholar said. “We realize our limitations. We don't have a giant big man. We don't have a lot of one‐on‐one players. We have to help each other, which is really what basketball is. Like the other night; when we got a big man on a little man.”
In the playoff opener, DeBusschere suddenly found himself being covered by Flynn Robinson, a small guard.
“Clyde saw it and just dropped the ball in over Robinson to Dave, and we had a basket,” Bradley said.
Not that the Knicks never make a mistake. Dick Barnett, a realist, put their intelligence into perspective.
“Guys do dumb things on this club, too,” said Barnett, an ailing guard, “but not as often as on other clubs.”
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