The most famous moment in Knicks history wasn’t shown live on national television, and it happened long before the majority of today’s Knicks fans were born.
Still, anyone who has ever cheered for the Knicks — whether it be during the Walt Frazier era or the Jalen Brunson era or somewhere in between — can give play-by-play of Willis Reed’s emotional hobble through the tunnel for Game 7 of the Knicks-Lakers NBA Finals in 1970 as if they had been there sitting courtside eating a 50-cent hot dog.
The fact that this 55-year-old tunnel walk still is the most legendary moment in Knicks history is a telling comment on the franchise’s lack of legendary moments over the years.
Yet another Knicks big man, Karl-Anthony Towns, had a chance to add to the team’s historical canon when he joined his teammates on the floor for the must-win Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Pacers on Thursday night despite having been listed as questionable on the team’s injury report with a left knee contusion he suffered late in Game 4.
Towns came up with another big game when his team needed it most, contributing 24 points and 13 rebounds as the Knicks kept their season alive with a 111-94 win over the Pacers. The Knicks, down 3-2 and hoping to tie the series, now head to Indiana for another must-win game.
“I looked at the game and it said Game 5 do-or-die. That was all I needed to see,” Town said of his decision to play. “Shout-out to the medical staff.”
Towns was a plus-26 for the game, the biggest plus-minus differential of anyone on the team. He and Brunson, who led the team with 32 points, both came out strong in the first quarter.
“I thought he was very aggressive and that’s super-important,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said of Towns. “Jalen as well. I felt the first quarter set the tone for the game. We have to make sure we stay aggressive and stay disciplined.”
It marked the second time in this series that Towns has come up with a big game when the Knicks needed it most. His 20-point outburst in the fourth quarter of Game 3 in Indiana likely saved the Knicks from an embarrassing sweep.
An aggressive, attacking Towns is the one thing the Pacers haven’t had an answer for in this series. So even though Towns’ status wasn’t announced until 30 minutes before tipoff, there was little doubt he would be on the court.
“Oh, he’s playing,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said with a slight eye roll in his pregame news conference.
Towns certainly looked spry in the first quarter. On back-to-back possessions midway through the period, he showcased his unique offensive skills by hitting a three-pointer from the top of the circle and then, after a miss by Andrew Nembhard, drove hard to the basket to give the Knicks a 17-11 lead.
It’s hard to overstate how much pressure Towns was under entering Game 5. With the Knicks down 3-1 in the series, the mood of the city was fairly downbeat, with fans looking for reasons that their team was struggling against the Pacers after beating the Celtics in six games.
The Knicks took a big step forward by getting to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years. Yet having tasted success, it’s clear that fans want more, and there were some who questioned whether Towns was the right kind of superstar to have playing next to Brunson.
The Knicks reconfigured their roster in order to trade for Towns right before training camp, and by many measures, he has had a big-time year. Towns averaged 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds in the regular season en route to a selection on the All-NBA third team. Then, for the second straight year, he helped lead a team to the conference finals, having done so last year with Minnesota.
Towns has an incredible combination of offensive skills. He is one of the best-shooting big men in the history of the league, he can put the ball on the floor and he can score in the post.
Yet he is such a liability on defense that the Knicks have had to change their starting lineup to play Mitchell Robinson alongside him.
Towns said he never doubted that he was going to be able to play and knew he had to come up with a big game.
“I just came into the game thinking about being ultra-aggressive,” he said. “If I get a chance to go downhill or impact the game, I wanted to do that. Tonight was a great night for us.”
A great night that they are hoping they can replicate two more times.
