Knickerbocker Holiday

New York professional teams are turning Manhattan into something that resembles an isle of joy. First the Jets, then the Mets, and now the New York Knickerbockers. Once the softest touch in the National Basketball Association, the Knicks have turned the beginning of the 1969-70 season into a romp; they have sprinted to a 23-2 record --the best start in league history--and have surpassed the N.B.A. consecutive-win record of 17. Says Captain and Center Willis Reed: "The fans here used to come to the Garden to watch Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell do their stuff. Now they come to watch us."

Play Tough. The Knicks are probably the best-balanced team ever to take the court, but Reed is the consistent leader. The immense (6 ft. 10 in., 240 Ibs.) pivot man tops the team in scoring (24.3 points per game) and rebounds (312), and is the key man in a defense that has allowed the opposition an average of only 101.1 points per game (the Knicks are averaging 116.5).

Perhaps more important, Reed is the acknowledged captain every moment that he is on the court. Says Coach William ("Red") Holzman: "Willis often tells me what he thinks I should do. I don't always listen, but I have to admit that he's often right." Holzman probably listens more carefully than he cares to concede. With Russell in retirement and Chamberlain sidelined for the season with a leg injury, Reed is the best all-around center in basketball. Says Teammate Cazzie Russell: "Willis is a hell of a competitor, even in practice. He makes us play tough."

Reed has been playing it tough since his earliest days in Bernice, La., a tiny (pop. 1,641) farm community 250 miles north of New Orleans. As he recalls, "I hauled wheat, picked cotton, carried watermelons, anything to make a buck." He was named to all-state teams in both football and basketball, and set a school record in the shot put. At Grambling College he made the Small College All-America basketball team twice, and figured to be Detroit's first-round draft choice. But the Pistons unexpectedly bypassed him, and a New York scout named Red Holzman insisted that the Knicks grab him.

Changing Order. Reed joined the Knicks for the 1964-65 season and became the cornerstone of their rebuilding program. He took his share of knocks from the Chamberlains and the Russells but managed to average 19.5 points and was the N.B.A. Rookie of the Year. Since then he has developed steadily; he has a hard-driving layup, a feathery hook, a quick outside jump shot. And on defense, he is all but unbeatable.

In the Knicks' last game against Milwaukee, he held the highly touted Lew Alcindor to 17 points. Against Boston recently, Reed drove around 7-ft. Center Rich Niemann to sink a reverse layup; seconds later, he went up twice under the Boston backboard to slam away Jim Barnes' layup attempts. When Reed left the game to a standing ovation, he had 27 points and the Knicks had a 25-point lead they held to the end.

The Knicks' convincing victory over last year's champions clearly indicated that basketball's old order is changing. Besides Reed, the New Yorkers boast a brilliant assortment of speedy ball handlers and hawks: Bill Bradley, Cazzie Russell, Dick Barnett and Walt Frazier. The team also gained additional power and scoring punch when Dave DeBusschere came to New York from Detroit in a trade last year. Says Holzman: "We have no first team, only some guys who play more than others." Their combination of depth and speed has made the Knicks almost invincible. Says Walt Frazier: "There was a time when we were awed by Boston. But this year we play the way they used to. Now we're the tough team."

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