โThe master prose stylist portrays parallel basketball worlds in New York City: Madison Square Garden .ย .ย . and the playgrounds of Harlemโ (Sports Illustrated).
ย The New York Knickerbockers, one of the NBAโs charter franchises, played professionally for twenty-four years before winning their first championship in 1970, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in a thrilling seven-game series. Those Knicks, who won again in 1973, became legends, and captivated a city that has basketball in its blood.ย But this book is more than a history of the championship Knicks. It is an exploration of what basketball means to New Yorkโnot just to the stars who compete nightly in the garden, but to the young men who spend their nights and weekends perfecting their skills on the concrete courts of the cityโs parks. Basketball is a city game, and New York is the king of cities.