The City Game: Basketball from the Garden to the Playgrounds

by Pete Axthelm, Rick Telander (Introduction)

“The master prose stylist portrays parallel basketball worlds in New York Madison Square Garden . . . and the playgrounds of Harlem” (Sports Illustrated).   The New York Knickerbockers, one of the NBA’s 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. But this book is more than a history of the championship Knicks. It is an exploration of what basketball means to New York—not 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 city’s parks. Basketball is a city game, and New York is the king of cities.

Genres: Sports, Basketball, Nonfiction

253 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Pete Axthelm was a sportswriter and columnist for the New York Herald Tribune, Sports Illustrated, Newsweek and its Inside Sports. During the 1980s, his knowledge of sports and journalistic skill aided him in becoming a sports commentator for The NFL on NBC and NFL Primetime and horse racing on ESPN. While on the pregame telecasts for the NFL in the early 1980s, Axthelm was NBC's answer to CBS' Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder on The NFL Today, providing betting angles to the games. Later in the decade, he would be hired in a similar role by ESPN at the urging of John Walsh, who had been the editor of Inside Sports.

Reviews

[Tung · Rating 4 out of 5]

Axthelm was a columnist who covered sports in the Big Apple during the prime of the Knicks’ great teams in the late 60’s/early 70’s. This book is a documentary look at the team that captured the NBA championship at the end of the 1969-1970 season. Axthelm spends individual chapters describing the great players from that team – notably Bill Bradley, Clyde Frazier, Dave Debusschere, and Willis Reed – and how their unique personalities and skills perfectly complimented each other during that championship year. The latter half of the book goes through the ups and downs of the playoff series against the Bullets, Bucks, and Lakers, highlighting not only the Knicks’ players, but also the important players from the other teams (especially Lew Alcindor who was a rookie, and Chamberlain and West who were at the tail ends of their careers). In addition, Axthelm sets the cultural context for NYC basketball by describing the street basketball scene in Harlem, and the importance of basketball to African-Americans living in poverty in the NY boroughs. Alongside the chapters on individuals like Willis Reed, Axthelm spends chapters on talented neighborhood players who failed despite their talents because of social issues related to poverty and racism during that era. These two stories (Knicks basketball and neighborhood basketball) don’t always mesh perfectly, and there was a time or two I felt like Axthelm was telling two stories at once, but overall they work together to make this a documentary not only about the Knicks, but also about the larger game of basketball and its connection to urban areas and society at large. The language is a bit dated, as Axthelm often uses terms like “last year” or “next year” in reference to his writing this in 1970. But its place in time also lends a unique perspective since Axthelm predicts certain things like Bill Bradley’s political career and Lew Alcindor’s success years before either materialized. One minor criticism is that – like most non-fiction works – Axthelm tends to lionize players and teams, but when you’re covering legendary events like the Willis Reed appearance in Game 7 of the NBA championship, sometimes it’s appropriate to use superlatives. Overall, a very engaging and fascinating non-fiction read. This is a must-read for fans of the Knicks or of basketball, and a recommended read for everyone else.

[Julio The Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

A female political friend once told me, "basketball is the most beautiful of all sports. It brings every part of the body into motion.".Another political friend and professional colleague once invited me to his house for a summer BBQ, then chided me for watching an L.A. Lakers game, "that opiate of the masses!" Robert Coover used baseball as a metaphor for the history of the universe in THE UNIVERSAL BASEBALL ASSOCIATION, J. HENRY WAUGH, PROPRIETOR. Don DeLillo utilized football to stand for America's addiction to war in END ZONE. (It's no coincidence football is the one pro sport prisoners are not allowed to play in U.S. jails; even field copy is permitted.) Peter Axthelm, a professional sports writer had less lofty goals for basketball yet nevertheless managed to produce a masterpiece. Basketball is for him the all-American game, with multimillionaire players at one end and city kids at the other both playing "hoop dreams" of fame, money and, in the case of America's inner city underclass, a taste of political, meaning racial, power. The most touching chapter in Axtthelm's mini-history of the game is "The Tragedy of Earl' The Goat' Manigaut", arguably the greatest pickup basketball player who ever lived whose career in college basketball was cut short by a nasty heroin addiction yet came back alive thanks in part to Axthelm's tribute chapter in this book.

[U. Ray Eke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read on the New York basketball scene in 1970, a year the Knicks won the NBA championship. It felt like one book on the Knicks championship season and then a half book on the street basketball scene jammed together when I thought it could be integrated together a bit better. The overall writing is very good though and it had the best descriptions of game-action that I have read so far.

[Graham J. Diemer · Rating 4 out of 5]

After having this book referenced in many others I read, I had to pick it up. Very cool how the author intertwined the 1970 Knicks NBA Championship with stories about the legends from the playgrounds in NYC. The pinnacle of the basketball world (and the Knicks have not won a Larry O’Brien trophy since) takes a backseat to stories, memories, and many tragedies of playground legends from the 60s and 70s. The author also had a sad end to his life, succumbing to the effects of alcoholism at 47 years old (the age I was when I read the book) in 1991.

[Dylan McHenry · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of the 1970 Knicks mixed with the stories of players from the parks in New York. Always a thin line between who makes it and who doesn’t. Also very interesting to read about basketball before the three point line.

I would love to read more about the park and playground basketball games that take place in New York. This was a great read for any basketball junkie.

[Bert van der Vaart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat disappointing and dated. Axthelm as a young journalist wanted to write a book about the phenomenal season the New York Knickerbockers had in winning the 1969-1970 NBA Championships. He noted, however, that many established writers were writing on that topic as well. One way he could differentiate from the others was to try to link the success the Knicks had with a study of the game played by African Americans in Harlem and the Bronx.

Axthelm goes back and forth between examining what happens at the playgrounds across New York with the season the Knicks enjoyed--culminating in their championship. While he describes some interesting playground players, including Herman the Helicopter and Funny Kitt, and while he is or was very good at painting the difficulty these street players had in trying to catch the eye of professional basketball recruiters and their experience as recruits to minor college teams in places such as Sheridan, Wyoming or Laurinburg, North Carolina--the parallels with the Knicks' journey are tenuous. One also gets the feeling that Axthelm only interviewed a handful of players and spectators of the game of the streets, one of which warns him not to paint the street game as a great gate of escape, as "for every one that does make it, there are many more who don't". Not a surprise, except that Axthelm feels he has to quote someone saying this to make the point.

Still, in describing the drugs and stereotypes against which those breaking out of "the ghetto", Axthelm does provide some valuable insights into the frustrations in the African American community of the late 1960s--with Vietnam still going on and in the wake of Black Power protests.

To readers more than 50 years later, the description of the Knicks' victories against Lew Alcindor (aka Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and the Milwaukee Bucks, or against Jerry West/Wilt Chamberlin of the LA Lakers is entertaining, as well.

Some small insights: the importance of private schools recruiting young players to play basketball, but also to invest in these players' education--noting that the public school teachers in which these players previously studied "did not care" and did not teach any classes that could have helped these students prepare for college. Incentives totally missing there, were--perhaps selfishly--made up for by the private schools that recruited the street players.

The writing was a bit cliche and here and there labored, as with "Playing with the haunting knowledge that a playoff defeat would dull a lot of the glitter of their lavishly praised season..."

But on the whole, as a time capsule of especially New York City in the last 1960s, one could do worse than read this book.

[kareem · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for anybody interested in the history of basketball. It was written in 1970 and tells the story of the Knicks championship season while juxtaposing the personalities on the Knicks (Willis Reed, Bill Bradley, etc) with New York's playground legends (Earl Manigault, Herman the Helicopter, etc.)

It's a really nice snapshot in time of New York basketball, and a must-read if you've ever found yourself on YouTube watching great Rucker Park videos like this:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=_TdqITTvZlY

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

The City Game: Basketball from the Garden to the Playgrounds by Pete Axthelm (University of Nebraska Press 1970) (796.323) (3741).

I have looked forward to reading this book for many years. The City Game: Basketball from the Garden to the Playgrounds has long been considered the definitive volume about New York City playground basketball and the anonymous legends of the asphalt blacktop.

I finally broke down and ordered a used PB copy in very good condition on 5/22/22 for $6.34 from Amazon.

To my surprise, this little book is only nominally about playground hoops.

Author Pete Axthelm wrote for Sports Illustrated and was a columnist for one of the New York daily papers. He actually penned this book to feature the New York Knicks’ 1969-1970 NBA championship season; the street basketball angle was simply a tangential aside about local New York City sports and sports heroes which mushroomed into many pages. Rather than writing two separate book manuscripts, Axthelm rolled the two threads into The City Game.

I was surprised how little coverage the volume actually devotes to the playground game. There are several chapters about New York’s most legendary playground superstars. The author avers that the first two among equals were the unstoppable players Earl “Goat” Manigault and Herman “The Helicopter” Knowings. Axthelm devotes a chapter to these superior players.

The rest of the book is almost entirely about the 1969-1970 New York Knicks season and playoff run. Though I had no idea that the Knicks were an unnamed subject of this book, I was delighted to read about the team. This Knicks team featured an entire lineup of future legends: Willis Reed, Dave DeBusschere, (future US Senator) Bill Bradley, Walt “Clyde” Frazier, and Cazzie Russell. As an eleven year old kid in early 1970, I watched those Knicks on television as they tore through the playoffs by dispatching the Baltimore Bullets (led by Earl “The Pearl” Monroe), the Milwaukee Bucks (led by rookie center Lew Alcindor (who later changed his name to Kareem Abdul Jabbar), and the Los Angeles Lakers, whose stars included Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, and Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain.

I remember the drama of the last game of the championship series when injured Knicks center Willis Reed unexpectedly hobbled out of the locker room to jump center against the Lakers’ Wilt Chamberlain. Reed was the hero of the series. It was thus quite a coincidence to be reminded about this game and to think about Willis Reed for the first time in many years, only to learn that Willis Reed had died the day before - on March 21, 2023.

What are the odds?

My rating: 7/10, finished 3/22/23 (3741).

PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP

[MOL · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a mixed bag for me. I loved the idea of getting a more intimate knowledge of 60s NYC street basketball and I liked that this book did provide a glimpse to that world. As I expected, it brought the human aspect of the game and how the game was elevated due to its importance for a struggling community, and being a means of escape from drab day-to-day life for a lot of the kids. However, I expected even more of this and more in-depth detail on certain personalities or events of the city games. Instead, the book tried to stretch the similarities between the streetball and what was happening at the MSG. I found this to be the weakest part of the book. I.e. when it focused on the street, it was great, when it focused on the Knicks it was good but when it tried to combine both it felt weak.

Overall, it was a nice read especially for a book of merely 200 pages, so I guess it could be great introduction to both worlds for those who have very limited prior knowledge.

[William Derasmo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The City Game is a great hidden gem covering a piece of sports history that is starting to be lost to the mists of time. Written in 1970, contemporaneous with the Knicks winning their first NBA championship, the book cleverly alternates between recounting the Knicks magical season with the NYC playground basketball scene, which comprised its own subculture. The late author does a nice job of illustrating the differences between the NBA and street ball, but also showing how the two were intertwined and influenced one another. Importantly, the author does not glorify either scene., discussing the good, the bad and the ugly. The book is like a time capsule of 1970 NY sports.

[Chris Sulima · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this one on the Sports Illustrated 100 best sports books list that I’ve been slowly working through. The concept was very cool in comparing/contrasting the New York Knicks 1970 season with the New York City area playground scene and its neighborhood stars. The subject matter was uneven though, with probably 75% about the Knicks, who fortunately did have quite a memorable team and season. The book was pretty short so I think more material could have been devoted to the amateur players to add more depth and there could have been less play-by-play description about the NBA team.

[Bob McCloskey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Basketball at its Best

A MUST read for any fan and f the NY Knicks, and a GREAT read for any fan of basketball!!!

[Peter Moskowitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story about basketball in NY comparing and contrasting 1969-70 Knicks to playground stars

[Edwin Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Super City Game

If anyone wants to understand what New York City Playground Basketball is like, just read this book!!!!
Wow!!!!! Well done.

[Staunton Peck · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the greatest basketball books of all time!

[Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful New York nostalgia

[Art Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been meaning to read this for a while and it's exactly what I expected. Axthelm perfectly juxtaposes the legendary Knicks championship team and the playground games (centered around Rucker Park) in the city during the same period. More accurately, he covers the history of both culminating in 1970.

This is as firsthand as you can get while covering both arenas. There are anecdotes by and about everyone from Willis Reed to Helicopter Knowings. You won't get closer to feeling like you saw Earl Manigault play than reading the accounts here. Axthelm is on the ground, in the city parks and in the Garden locker room. The atmosphere of the early 70s permeates everything and it's a very authentic, honest feel.

Granted this is only for those with a serious interest in basketball and one of its great eras but if you are it's required reading.

[Thurston Hunger · Rating 3 out of 5]

The nicest thing about this was that it was loaned to me as a thoughtful thank you gift from a parent/teacher at my kids school as his 1st grader joined in some of our 3rd grade basketball Sunday practices.

I hope young Rhys ends up loving basketball as deeply and as long as Axthelm did. Not sure if the book's text merits a rating of "poetic" rating but in contrast to this era of SportsCenter quips and stabs at catch phrases, I understand.

Like a lot of sports reporting when I was young, this book is well written and avoids the obvious and catches players that are not caricatures of caricatures. These days, maybe effort along these lines goes into TV documentaries, which are easier (you film a guy) but more compelling (you actually see the guy playing, or talking from prison). Indeed if you dug this, I suspect you would also enjoy "Town Game" which contrasts Leon Powe and "Hook" Mitchelle just as Axthelm held up Willis Reed and his team versus "The Goat" and other playground legends from New York.

I thought the game recaps were well-done, not so in-depth as to squeeze the life out of them. Even though the Reed limping down the tunnel was before my time, I had seen it enough times that it was nice to hear some of the backing to it. Also the notion of the NBA in its infancy and where they would play and to whom, also worth checking out.

A good summer read if you can find it, or are lucky to have it loaned to you as I was. But in general, sports stories just don't appeal to me as much as they once did, not sure if it is a function of me, or the sports-entertainment world itself.

[Yofish · Rating 4 out of 5]

When this book was written (1970), it was pretty groundbreaking, just in its structure and subject matter.

It's mostly about the Knicks' championship season that year. But there's a parallel story about playground basketball in NYC. I would have liked a lot more on the latter, and less on the former. The story of an NBA champion doesn't really resonate 40 years later. The story of dreams realized (and, more often, not) seems a lot more timeless.

He talked to enough of the playground legends and semi-legends to build some real characters. It also would have been nice to get an update on some of them. Did the guy who failed out of a Wyoming JC---where there were essentially no other blacks around, but he was moved by the fate of Indians from nearby reservations---get a second chance somewhere else?

There were a couple of funny things about the NBA part. Like the sort of assumption that the 70s would be the decade of the Knicks. Or maybe all the stuff about the Bucks' new kid, "Lew Alcindor" was the wave of the future. Well, yes, sort of.

[Ivan Zullo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Close your eyes, take your time machine, then open this book. You are seated at Madison Square Garden and eager to live one more time that epic season. But it's not over. We're in NYC, so basket is a faith and you have a sanctuary to visit: it's Rucker Park. Here you can earn the immortal respect.
Pete Axthelm superbly goes with you page after page in a marvellous jorney in the city of basketball, "the city that knows and love it best".
It's not only a sport book, it's a free entry for Basketball City of New York.

[Anselm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three stars but four beers. I'd like to say my favorite part of this book is Phil Jackson being out for the season with a bad back, but the writing on the playground players is very good, as are the chapters on the playoffs. You have to believe the Knicks were once an incredibly beautiful team to watch play (if you're younger than 45 and care about such things), but that shouldn't be any harder to believe than going to the library to plagiarize a term paper.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly enjoyed this all too short recounting of the effect of Basketball on New York in the 60's and early 70's. At times, written with almost poetic style, Axthelm has produced a beautiful sports themed novel. His stories about the Knicks of that era as especially the young men who dominated the city on the outdoor courts is a wonderful read and a must for any fan of the game.

[Oliver Bateman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A groundbreaking book in the sense that Axthelm used interviews to chronicle the playground aspects of the "city game," but the Knicks sections are merely standard (albeit reasonably well written) year-in-the-life fare. There's no real effort to link this material together, although connections to the playground pasts of Chamberlain, Alcindor, et al are occasionally made.

[Matt Moran · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing to get excited about. Typical season recap sports story that tries to intersperse tales and profiles of city ball. Axhelm's grasp of city basketball is much less extensive than Telander's in 'Heaven is a Playground' and the structure of this book doesn't work.

Another SI Top 100 book where the makers of the list chose a former staff writer.

[Micah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book - especially the juxtaposition between the Knicks and the street ballers - but it reads like an extended newspaper article at times as Axthelm relies far too much on extended quotations that can go on for paragraphs at a time.

[Conal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Been awhile since I read this but memory tells me I enjoyed the stories of the playground legends (Earl "the Goat" Manigault, Herman "the Helicopter" Rawlings and several others) more than the back story of the Knicks championship season. A good read if you can find a copy...

[Bax · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastically entertaining history of basketball in NYC.

[Christopher Borden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great look back at basketball in NYC in late 60s/early 70s, great background on playground legends you don't hear much about.

[Riccardo Leroux · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great basketball playground book

[Adam J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic hoops history weaving together pro ball (the NBA champion Knicks ) with Gotham's vibrant playground scene. A must - read for any basketball fans.