Former President Nixon - A Key to Knicks 1970 Championship?

With the New York Knickerbockers not making it into June again, true Knicks fans have some time to reflect. For me, it’s coming upon a scorecard recalling this 13 year-old’s train trip to MSG late November 1968 to see the hated Celtics. This was less than a month before the December 19, 1968 trade of Walt Bellamy and Howard Komives for Dave DeBusschere which would ultimately lead to a Knicks NBA championship in 1970. And now from Wikipedia I learn that “Komives was involved in a personal feud with Cazzie Russell that negatively affected the rest of the team. Russell was an ardent supporter of Richard Nixon in the 1968 Presidential election, while Komives worked for the Hubert Humphrey campaign which led to the trade.” Who knew? DeBusschere’s gritty and outstanding play, Walt “Clyde” Frazier’s promotion to point guard and Willis Reed’s becoming a force at center might just might make Cazzie Russell the MVP—notwithstanding Clyde’s 36 points, 19 assists and 7 rebounds in Game 7 against the Lakers on May 7, 1970 on his way to the Hall of Fame. Here’s to Cazzie Russell and his rather poor taste in presidential politics—-it’s not all about the x’s and o’s! And if not Cazzie, let’s give some credit to Richard Milhous himself.