The Milwaukee Bucks of 1972 were an excellent basketball team. They had the reigning MVP in the young Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and another future Hall of Famer in Oscar Robertson. The team, one season removed from its 1971 championship, would finish first in the Midwest Division with a 60-22 record.
So when the Knicks fell behind the Bucks by as many as 20 points late in the third quarter of their game at the Garden on November 18, fans had reason to start thinking about making an early exit. Then, however, a remarkable thing happened.
Earl Monroe made a few jumpers. Willis Reed forced Jabbar into a bad shot. After a Knicks miss, Walt Frazier tied up a Bucks rebounder for a jump ball, and Dave DeBusschere hit an off-balance, long-range shot. On a fast break, Frazier was fouled and hit his free throws, bringing the team to within one point. There were 47 seconds left.
After a timeout, the Knicks committed a foul. But the Bucks’ Lucius Allen missed both free throws, and on the ensuing fast break, Monroe hit another jump shot for a one-point advantage. The Knicks forced Jabbar into one more rushed shot, then ran out the clock. The crowd, of course, went wild.
Play-by-play announcer Bob Wolff captured all the excitement with his own disbelief at what he’d just seen. “One of the most fantastic victories of all time!” he shouted. “What a ballgame!”
Stay tuned to Knicks.com for more as we deliver 70 moments in 70 days leading up to the season opener.
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