Life inevitably got in the way, and then illness, and then death. And while writing Michelle’s obituary in the New York Times seemed at the time like the perfect tribute to her, her other friends, hearing about the book idea, would in so many words tell me I absolutely had to do it. I believe that they—and ultimately I—envisioned it as a way to keep her with us for that much longer.
While I was still mourning Michelle, my smart, steadfast agent, Andrew Blauner, helped me to distill my emotions into a more focused written proposal. He connected me with Scott Moyers and Emily Cunningham at Penguin Press, which allowed me the privilege of working with Emily, an extraordinary editor who recognized far sooner than I how this project needed to proceed and whose patient, meticulous guidance was so instrumental in its completion. Thanks to Colleen Boyle, Daniel Novack, Shina Patel, and others at Penguin Press, as well as to Kym Surridge, for their roles in making this book happen.
To Drucie De Vries, Lori Hamamoto, Jay Greenberg, Robin Kelly, Ernestine Miller, and Wynn Plaut, Michelle’s other MSG besties—thank you for sharing with me so generously. She loved you all.
Confronting such personal issues—Michelle’s and my own—was not easy many mornings. My Sandwich Theory breakfast crowd in Montclair took precious time from solving the problems of the world to hear about my challenges before sending me back to my laptop, determined to move forward. Thank you, Joseph Bertolotti, Robert Cumins, Michelle Fine, Joe Fortunato, Dennis Johnston, Ed Martin, Suzanne Moyers, A. J. Savastinuk, Jane Seaman, Susan and Miles Tepper, Sandy Sorkin, and David Surrey.
Thanks to my longtime “locals,” Filip Bondy, Dave Kaplan, Rich Kopilnick, and Mitch Greene, and to confidants Howard Blatt, Selena Roberts, Barry Stanton, and Lloyd Stone. A nod to my basketball journalism brethren, Howard Beck, Scott Cacciola, Marc Stein, Adrian Wojnarowski, and Ailene Voisin; and a shout-out to all the editors at the New York Times, Daily News, New York Post, and Staten Island Advance who had my back through the years.
To Roy Johnson, Dave Sims, Kevin Kernan, and the late Paul Needell—a salute for sharing the space around Michelle’s seat back in the day.
I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Michelle’s children, Brandon, Bruce, Darcy, Devon, and Blair. Your contributions here were deeply meaningful. Your family will forever be special to me.
At home, there has never been any shortage of love and support from my amazing wife, Beth, and my sons, Alex and Charly, of whom I am so proud. Michelle often lectured me on how blessed I am. As with most things, she was so right.
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Index
The page numbers in this index refer to the printed version of this book. The link provided will take you to the beginning of that print page. You may need to scroll forward from that location to find the corresponding reference on your e-reader.
Albert, Beth, 56–59, 108, 186
Alive and Kicking, 160–61
background of, 57
Curt Gowdy Media Award and, xvi
meeting and marriage of, 56–59, 67
Michelle and, 57–59, 60–61, 177–78, 213
parents and family life of, 82, 84, 157, 179–80
Times buyout and, 4, 175
Ali, Muhammad, 112–13
Alive and Kicking (Araton), 160–61
Allen, Isaac, 54
Allen, Maury, 42
Allen, Woody, 8, 53
Amdur, Neil, 113–14, 118
Anderson, Dave, 119, 122–24, 159
Anosike, Nicky, 34–35
Antetokounmpo, Giannis, 173
Anthony, Carmelo, 149–53, 179, 182, 222
Houston trade, 214
New York trade, 149–53
Oklahoma City trade, 12
Araton, Alex, xiii, xvi, 82, 157–58, 180
Araton, Charly, xiii, xvi, 82, 157–58, 180
Araton, Gilbert, 35–38, 55, 97–99, 100–102, 118, 199
Araton, Marilyn, 35–36
Atlanta Hawks, 208, 210
Auriemma, Geno, xiii
Ayton, Deandre, 195
Bagley, Marvin, 195
Baldwin, Alec, 108
Bannister, Ken “the Animal,” 65
Barrett, R. J., 217, 222
Basinger, Kim, 108
Bassell, Harry, 17–18, 20, 100
Bassell, Michelle. See Musler, Michelle Frances Bassell “Mickie”
Bassell, Robert, 16, 18
Bassell, Sarah, 17–18
Baylor, Elgin, 23
Beard, Butch, 24
Berkow, Ira, 119, 120
Berne, Bob, 48–49, 206
Berne, Steffi, 48–49, 206
Berra, Yogi, 165
Bianchi, Al, 87–89, 104
Bird, Larry, xvi, 27, 86, 88, 92, 106, 211
Bondy, Filip, 114, 176
Börg, Bjorn, 54
Boston Celtics, 23, 84–85, 179, 183
1985 Los Angeles finals, 112–13
2018 Cleveland finals, 186–87, 188, 189
Knicks games, 22–23, 75, 88, 148, 150
Bradley, Bill, 23
Brand, Dani, 6–7
Breen, Mike, 75, 209, 210–11
Brooklyn Bridge, 43
Brooklyn College, 38, 39, 41
Brooklyn Nets, 2, 4, 13–14, 149–50, 217, 218
Brooks, Larry, 42
Brooks, Scott, 75–76, 182
Broudy, Nat “Feets,” 14
Brown, Hubie, 48, 65, 81, 86–87, 88, 90, 103
Browne Sanders, Anucha, 140–41, 143
Bruni, Frank, 166–67, 168, 174, 219–20
Bryant, Kobe, 151, 218
Bulkeley High School, 19
Buss, Jerry, 105, 145–46
Cablevision, 8, 137, 149
Cacciola, Scott, 184
Cavenall, Ron, 65–67
Chamberlain, Wilt, 104
Charley O’s (New York City), 23–24, 61
Chase Manhattan Bank, 26
Checketts, Dave, 104–6, 107, 141, 142
Chicago Bulls, 112, 114, 133
Jordan’s sabbatical, 118
Knicks games, 88–89, 104, 110–11, 121–24, 125, 126–27
Clark University, 180
Cleveland Cavaliers, 52, 186–87, 188, 189
Clooney, George, 26
Collins, Doug, 39–40
Colvin, Danny, 38–39
Condon, John, 14
Connors, Jimmy, 54–55
Cowlings, Al, 128–29
Cronkite, Walter, 103
Cuban, Mark, 144
Curry, Stephen, 11, 183
Curt Gowdy Media Award, xi–xvii, 224
Daily News. See New York Daily News
Dallas Cowboys, 139
D’Antoni, Mike, 148, 150–51, 179, 214
David, Larry, 169–70
Davis, Anthony, 217
Davis Cup (2000), 33
Daytona 500, 142
DeBusschere, Dave, xvi, 23, 84, 86, 90
Decker, Duane, 37
Delta Sky360 Club, 6–7, 124
Denver Nuggets, 87, 149–50
Detroit Pistons, 80–81, 110, 210
De Vries, Drucie, 49, 76, 121
Dolan, Charles, 137, 139
Dolan, James, 8, 136–56, 179, 208, 221
Doncic, Luka, 195
Dream Team (1992 Olympic Men’s Basketball), xvi, 92, 114–17
Drury, Bob, 43–44
Durant, Kevin
2014 MVP Award, 69–70
at Golden State, 182, 183, 188, 216
at Knicks, 216, 217
Durant, Wanda, 69–70
Ebersol, Dick, 129
Elaine’s (New York City), 108
entertainment and sports, 105–7
Erving, Julius, 27, 106
ESPN, 37, 50, 70, 106, 118, 165, 211, 224
Ewing, Patrick, 84–95
1985 NBA draft, 84–85
at Georgetown, 85, 91, 94–95, 218
at Knicks, 79, 84–90, 104, 110–11, 130, 131–32, 134, 141, 142, 150, 155
NBA lockout of 1998, 154–55
Seattle trade, 142
Times profile, 90–95
Fox, Derwin, 21, 25
Frazier, Walt “Clyde,” 75
Curt Gowdy Media Award and, xii, xvi
at Knicks, 23, 41, 79, 104
Michelle’s memorial tribute at the Garden, 209, 210–11
Gallo, Greg, 46
Game Face (King), 79, 82
Garden, the. See Madison Square Garden
George, Paul, 182–83, 217
Georgetown Hoyas, 85, 91, 94, 95, 142, 218
Golden State Warriors, 89, 96, 114, 183, 190,
