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I was born in the mid 70s so my NBA stars were Magic and Bird, and a few of the players from the previous decade who remained stars like Julius Erving and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. But as a kid who loved sports, I read about those stars of the preceding years and I was quite aware of the 70s New York Knicks alongside people like Wilt Chamberlain, Rick Barry, Wes Unseld, Jerry West and others.

Like the 80s Lakers who I loved, I could name most of those 70s Knicks because I read about them. They were a team of stars- Walt Frazier, Willis Reed, Bill Bradley, Dave DeBusschere, Earl Monroe, Phil Jackson and coach Red Holtzman.

As a fan, the 1970 NBA finals is cinematic and by now, I have seen it covered extensively. Famously and improbably, Willis Reed came back from injury to play in Game 7 in the kind of drama that usually only happens in pro wrestling or Hollywood movies.

The alignment of stars and the location of New York is the reason the 1970 Knicks are famous but like the similar 1986 Mets perhaps it also has to do with the ensuing decades of losing.

That said, Araton makes his convincing case that the “Old Knicks� were just that great - not only bridging the NBA into the mainstream attention but also by being that good.

The Old Knicks were unselfish in a way that seems almost archaic now. Truly playing as a team, they were able to win it all not only in 1970 but also 1973. (They also reached the NBA finals in 1972 and played in six consecutive Eastern Conference finals from 1969 to 1974. They played some great contemporary teams in the Celtics, Lakers and Bullets.

This book was a great read. Like so many similar books, he wants to tell the story of the relevant seasons and a “where are they now�. But so many of those kinds of books get bogged down in detail. This one never does.

I can’t spend time to discuss all the subplots but remember this was happening during Vietnam and the Civil Rights movement. It’s also a good snapshot of the NBA- where it was- the way college basketball and the NBA draft had greatly changed - and the way it became the entertainment enterprise it is now- with stars like Walt Frazier embracing the image and stars like Woody Allen and Dustin Hoffman watching games courtside.

Also, the Reed game reminds us of a time before social media and 24/7 sports news coverage. The acquisition of Earl Monroe still provokes thought. He left a team where he was loved and got a championship and more dollars because of it. He also was unselfish in coming over to the Knicks and as one of the best to ever play the game settled to fit in where he could to help the team win. Over and over again, the thought of team over individual play shows why the Knicks were loved and also successful (that Phil Jackson would be able to become the most successful of NBA coaches shows that lesson was well learned)

ESPN has since made a documentary of the book but both are worthwhile since the book covers a level of detail that the Doc can’t. This one has gained a reputation as one of the great sports books but it is well deserved as it does reach those heights.

The last chapter focuses on the blunders and failings of the resulting decades- it’s the book’s only misstep. He makes the case how special the Old Knicks were. But the new Knicks were dealt the card of fate, bad luck and a historically terrible owner James Dolan. The book ends with a blatant parallel to the election of Obama - which was well meaning but now sounds dated (you would never otherwise guess the book is over a decade old unless you followed the team enough to know Bill Bradley and Willis Reed have recently passed). Also the book was published about four months before Linsanity- the time of story that would have fit in of a player named Jeremy Lin who was an unlikely star.