Forty years ago, with great anticipation, former Princeton All American and college player of the year Bill Bradley joined the New York Knickerbockers after completing post graduate studies at Oxford.  Bradley signed a huge contract for the time, earning him the nickname "Dollar Bill".  The Knicks were a close knit organization coached at the time by legendary Red Holtzman. The decision was made to showcase Bradley to New York with sessions at Madison Square Garden.  Local former college players were brought in as "extras" for scrimmages.  One of them was Great Neck's Mike Riordan.  Riordan starred at Holy Cross High School in Bayside, and then at Providence College, where he earned an academic scholarship.  The 6'5" Great Necker had a stellar college career, often burying left hand jumpers from the corner, but was overshadowed by his teammate Jimmy Walker, also a college player of the year, so he ended up a mid level draft choice of the Knicks. Playing in the toughest parks and playgrounds in New York City and Long Island, he was well known locally for his strength and fearless style of play, but his future as a pro was uncertain. When the call came to play against Bradley, he was all set to play in the old Long Island Press League, the top local league at the time that was filled with former college and pro players. The call changed everything. According to many in attendance, Riordan "ate up" Bradley at the showcase. Holtzman liked what he saw, and thought of a way to get the Long Islander on the roster.  NBA rules at the time awarded 1 free throw for non-shooting fouls, so in a close game, team's would foul and give up one point in the hope of coming down and scoring two. Mike's job was to come in and give a semi-intentional foul, allowing opponents the one free throw.  He quickly became a crowd favorite, and by the following year, Riordan was an integral part of Holtzman's lineup, and a perfect fit for perhaps basketball's most intellectual team ever.  A great driver, he was one of the first to challenge Bill Russell, the great Celtic shot blocker, often using the rim as a shield on reverse lay ups. That Knick team won the NBA Championship in the famous 7th game victory over the Lakers at the Garden.  Riordan played more than a hundred minutes in that series, more than any other Knick player other than the starters.  He was eventually traded along with Dave Stallworth to the Bullets for Earl Monroe.  He had an eleven year NBA career and averaged just under 19 points a game in his best season.  In 1973 he was voted all NBA defensive second team.  Some fans may even remember him beating Hall of Famer Dave Cowens in the made for TV one on one games.  

The player Willis Reed called "the kid from Long Island" may have been the greatest Knick ever from Long Island.  Was there more to this saga?  Perhaps! Did Holtzman get a tip from his best friend, former Knick coach Fuzzy Levane?  Levane also lived in Great Neck at the time and his son Neil was the top public school player on Long Island, leading Great Neck South to the county championship his senior year.  Levane watched Riordan play many times in summer league games back in the mid sixties.  The "best" is always subjective, but Riordan was a fine player on one of pro basketball's greatest teams and an NBA champion.

From The Eiber Report, By Bruce Eiber

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