LOS ANGELES _ In 1970, there were certain NBA cities in which Walt Frazier liked to enjoy his newfound fame while on the road. The Knicks point guard was 25, an All-Star for the first time and a sensation off the court, where his alter ego, "Clyde," was often found in the spotlight, draped in furs.
Los Angeles was not one of those cities.
When Frazier arrived that spring for an NBA Finals matchup against the Lakers of Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor _ stars he'd once idolized _ he rarely left his room at an airport Holiday Inn. He said he was content to watch cowboy movies all day.
But there was another motive for staying in, and resting up.
"I knew I had to guard West," Frazier said. "My reputation was on the line."
The series that unfolded featured more suspense and stars than any of those movies, and a plot that remains indelible in NBA history. Frazier's reputation would be forever changed after a 36-point, 19-assist performance in a title-clinching Game 7 performance.
For West, who averaged 31.3 points and nearly 13 free throws against New York, the series extended what had been the theme of his career _ individual brilliance, overshadowed by the misery of a losing.
"I don't try to even think of those games," West said. "I just know how it felt to lose and how painful it was and how angry you get. Almost every emotion comes out of a player if you care enough and compete enough."
But in his memory, West can still trace the arc of the shot he lofted inside the Forum 50 years ago Wednesday, from 60 feet away with the Lakers down two in the final seconds of Game 3. With the series tied at one game apiece, West took an inbounds pass from Chamberlain, dribbled three times, shook free of Willis Reed's defense and launched a desperation shot.
"I said, 'Oh my god, it's pretty straight,'" West said. "You just never think it's going to go in."
It did. But the celebration that followed would be temporary.
