When Walt "Clyde" Frazier speaks about Knicks basketball, the basketball world listens. And after more than four decades of watching the team—first as a Hall of Fame player, then as a beloved broadcaster—his latest comparison is turning heads.
"They remind me of my team," Frazier said on NBC's "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," drawing a direct line between today's surging Knicks and the championship-winning squads of the 1970s. "My team personified 'team.' You couldn't mention Frazier without [Bill] Bradley, without [Dave] DeBusschere, without [Willis] Reed, without [Dick] Barnett. And I see similarities to this team. They're starting to do that."
Those are heavy words from a man who helped bring New York its only two NBA titles in 1970 and 1973. But the current Knicks are giving him plenty of reasons to believe.
The comparison came on the heels of a dominant 137-98 Game 1 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks shot a franchise playoff record 63.1% from the field, dishing out 34 assists on 53 made baskets. It was their third straight playoff win by at least 29 points—a feat no team had ever accomplished before, including a 51-point demolition of the Atlanta Hawks in the first round.
"I'm mesmerized by the way the team is playing. Actually, I'm living vicariously," said Frazier, who now serves as the Knicks' primary color commentator on MSG Networks. "Their camaraderie. Their teamwork. They like each other. It's manifested on the court. Thirty-four assists, the way they're dishing and swishing now. The tenacious defense."
This year's squad—anchored by the same core of Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges—is chasing history. Last season, they reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000. Now, with owner James Dolan declaring in January that "We want to get to the Finals, and we should win the Finals," the mission is clear.
For a franchise that hasn't tasted a championship in over 50 years, having a legend like Frazier see echoes of greatness in this team is more than just nostalgia—it's a sign that something special is brewing in New York.