Longtime Knicks fans remember 1973 NBA title and gush over 2026 champs

Philip Brice’s 1973 St. John’s high school team in The Bahamas was patterned after the 1973 Knicks. Brice, the first man off the Nassau school’s bench, wore No. 7 — just like Dean “The Dream” Meminger, who played a key bench role for New York’s team.

His pal Robert shared the same qualities of Willis Reed — a left-handed center working down in the paint. Then there was Wilfred, who often fell asleep in the back of the classroom, but on the court, he was a shooter like Walt “Clyde” Frazier.

“We played as a team just like that Knick team and won the championship,” said Brice, 70, now a retired Bahamian government worker residing in Boynton Beach, Fla.

Brice — better known as Meminger when visiting old friends back in Nassau — became a basketball fan because of that 1973 NBA champion Knicks team. It’s an affinity held by countless others after watching that squad defeat Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain and the Los Angeles Lakers 53 years ago.

And it’s a memory brought to the forefronts as Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns restored joy in the city after reclaiming the elusive title once again after defeating the San Antonio Spurs in the 2026 NBA Finals.

“Now, I am 70 years old and retired in Florida and although I love the present team and so happy the 53-year drought is over, the ’73 team is still my favorite because I am thankful for them getting me to fall in love with the game and all the sweet memories they gave me,” Brice told the Daily News.

The Bahamian is a “fully addicted” Knicks lover. He followed the team from a distance before fulfilling a lifelong dream of moving to New York in 1989.

Another dream turned reality nine years later — meeting “Clyde” at the NBA store, an experience described with one word: “awesome.”

“He asked me to sit at the table to take a photo,” Brice said.

Standup comedian Tom Briscoe, who was 13 in 1973, listened to the NBA Finals on the radio. Normally, Knicks home games were televised on Channel 9 at the time, but were blacked out in the city because the NBA feared local telecasts would harm Madison Square Garden ticket sales.

That meant fans had to battle for space at nearby bars to watch the games on TV. The alternative was sitting near a transistor radio, which is what most did back then, including Briscoe.

The ’73 Game 5 victory resonated with Briscoe — so much that he too imitated the Knicks hooper known for stylin’ and profilin.’

“I cleaned out my parents’ house a few years ago,” said Briscoe, an Orange County resident. “Found a bunch of stuff in the attic, including my old HS Basketball jersey. [Brewster High School], Class of 1979. I was a guard so I wore 10, like Clyde, and wore Pumas too.”

He also said he found that old radio that he listened to the Knicks games on “while I was supposed to be asleep.”

That passion for the legendary Knicks team was passed down to those who witnessed the current squad.

Briscoe’s plan was to merge the old era with the new: Wear his old Brewster jersey while listening to the NBA Finals on the same radio that echoed the sounds of 1973. And he couldn’t forget to purchase Josh Hart‘s favorite snack — Mike and Ike’s.

A few issues got in the way of his plans, though.

“The radio didn’t work. Even with a new battery. The jersey must have shrunk in storage. A lot. The Mike and Ike nearly pulled out all of my remaining fillings,” the comedian said.

The remaining candy went to Briscoe’s daughter and his grandson donned the No. 10 jersey for good luck as the family listened to the away games via Gotham Sports with the TV volume down.

“I wanted to listen to Mike Breen, but not without Clyde. That’s like watching Huntley without Brinkley,” he said.

“It all worked out. I saw the Knicks win a World Championship surrounded by my family in the same room and through the wonders of FaceTime.

“Let’s do it again next year!”

The love even extends past borders for James Wallach, who was born in Manhattan but moved to Canada just a year after the ’73 title-winning season.

The Long Island University education major “never lost” his New York roots after being enthralled by the 1970 and 1973 championship teams.

His love for a Canadian girl, who eventually became his bride, was the one thing that could pull him away from the city. Still he kept up with the Knicks despite believing he would never see another championship in his lifetime as the team endured decades of heartbreak.

The Captain changed the trajectory.

“That Brunson kid is genuine. That is a team…similar to the ’73 group. Playing team basketball with no superstars. Sharing the ball with players that step up at the right time,” he added before saying “I’ll admit that I cried at the final buzzer. So proud of them.”

That’s what this recent championship means to Knick fans and New Yorkers.

It helped erase all the pain and grief the city has endured. It was all bottled up and slowly seeped out after each comeback NBA Finals win against the Spurs.

Each Brunson-led comeback to start the series gave the city hope. Then that eerie feeling crawled back, a feeling this fanbase of all ages knows too well. Game 3, the first NBA Finals action at MSG in 27 years, ended in agony. Early commutes and long lines caused by President Trump’s presence — the first sitting president to ever attend a Finals game — preceded a flat Knicks performance in a loss.

Then Anunoby restored faith with the “right hand of God” to secure Game 4. The Captain’s all-time clutch performance in Game 5 sealed the deal.

“Finally, Jalen Brunson arrived, the best free agent signing in Knicks history,” said retired Big Apple psychologist Michael Udolf. “We Knicks fans [at least the ones I know] never realized how great a player Brunson was, but we learned very quickly how tough and determined he truly is!”

The Brunson Burner of all Brunson Burners occurred 56 years after “The Willis Reed Game,” the 1970 NBA Finals Game 7 cemented in Knicks lore after Reed dramatically limped out of the MSG depths and onto the hardwood, helping secure a title while playing on one healthy leg.

Irwin Brandon, an Upper West Side resident and ex-Wall Street headhunter, was at that famed Game 7.

He had yet to see such a performance until Brunson had his legacy Game 5 on the road against the Spurs.

“He leaned on Wilt all night, keeping him under control,” the 94-year-old said. “However, Clyde had a game for the ages. [Thirty-six] points, 19 assists and stellar defense. No Knick ever had a game to match it, until No. 11 dropped 45 points to clinch the NBA title. Matched, perhaps, but not better than Clyde’s Game 7.”

Brunson and this Knicks team are NBA champs.

More importantly, they’ve been crowned by OG Knicks fans who waited too long for a real contender to root for.

A team with homegrown players. A team that has a real chance to win one more time.

“But this team is as close to that ’73 team as you can get,” said Joe Ewansky, who owned two pet turtles named Willis and Walt as a 10-year-old during the last title-winning season.

And for those who couldn’t make it to witness glory again after 53 long years, their happiness was felt by the loved ones that continue the legacy of being a Knicks fan, like Susan Warshaw, who lived to watch the Knicks climb to the top without the man responsible for her fandom.

“My father, he should rest in peace, got me into the Knicks in the late ’70s,” said Warshaw, 72. Susan’s father passed away in May of 1996.

“We listened to the games with the magnificent play-by-play of Marv Albert on the radio. My dad would get all upset if they weren’t playing well and turn the game off. I unfortunately inherited this from him, but have learned with this 2026 championship team you never give up. Heard my dad cheering in heaven along with me and my two brothers, as we did in 1970 and 1973 when the Knicks won Saturday night!”

Warshaw added: “I do think I heard him cheering with the fireworks that went off in Oceanside after the Knicks won!”

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