After leading the NY Knickerbockers to the 1970 Championship with 36 points and 19 assists in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, "Clyde" walked into the locker room at Madison Square Garden and declared, "Man, I need a beer."

It was a great cap for a great game.

And only known, because the writers were there for the moment.

"We were in there when the Knicks came in," Globe columnist Bob Ryan told Boston Sports Day. "As the game was winding down, the writers gathered into the corridor and we were actually allowed into the locker room in advance of the players."

Sadly, those moments are a thing of the past, as today’s NBA Finals are orchestrated for television. The way the game was covered then cannot compare.

"It was an utterly different world and it wasn’t so adversarial," Ryan explained. "I used to amuse myself in the ‘70s when I knew every play. I’d watch games to see what plays were being called and who the smart players were, which you’d know by what play was called."

Sideline coaching aside, the columnist had a tight knit relationship with the Celtics’ organization. He knew the players and was able to cover all the practices. Heck, he even went out to dinner with the team.

That all changed as television took command in sports coverage.

"[The print writers] used to sit in the best seats [for big games] and now most teams have moved the press to the back," Ryan said. "There is a lack of respect for print in major events, which is in the wrong place and too high. You can’t see the game or report the game."

Be that as it may, the columnist still types away because of his love for writing. It’s the pleasure of turning out something literary on deadline that makes Ryan’s job worthwhile.

"The pleasure of having written [something] is fun," Ryan mused. "[Famed columnist] Jimmy Breslin said it best about sitting on the subway and the satisfaction you get seeing someone read your column."

Which is what Ryan wanted after graduating Boston College in 1968. He received an internship at the Globe and started working for the paper the same day as Peter Gammons.

He enlisted in the Army Reserves for six months, then returned to the newspaper. A short time later, he got his big break.

"The following fall, a vacancy was created, because there was no one to cover the team," Ryan remembered. "They knew my basketball interest, so I covered that opening night."

He stayed on that beat for seven years and watched Boston Garden basketball for another six and a half more seasons over the next eleven.

"When Dan Shaughnessy went to take on baseball, I reluctantly took over the Celtics thinking it will be for the rest of the year," Ryan said. "But that happened to be the ’85-’86 Celtics, which in my opinion was the best team that ever played.

"I enjoyed that so much, I ended up covering them for two more seasons."

Finally in 1989, Ryan became a full time columnist for the Globe.

Over the years, Ryan has seen the Boston sports teams go from also-rans to champions, but he has never covered a time like the last twelve months. While the Patriots have become a modern-day dynasty and the Red Sox have broken the curse, the landscape of New England sports has changed for the fans.

"I always thought people would enjoy winning two, three, four...ten times, like Yankee fans," Ryan said. "While this [lovable loser] romanticism has lasted 86 years, that’s one thing. But, the fact is, would they want to win the second time? Of course, they would."

But the venerable columnist may not be around long enough to cover any future championships. At 59, he is planning his graceful exit from the industry before he overstays his welcome.

"I’m not bitter. I enjoy my job and I still think I do it well," Ryan reflected. "But they are chipping away, chipping away and they are making it far less pleasurable. I want to get out when I feel like getting out. If you stay around too long, there is no way you can dictate your terms."

He also wants to get out before the job gets too difficult.

"It’s a whole different world," Ryan added. "How do you explain to Stephen A. Smith that he has no idea of the game and how much fun it was? He thinks he knows everything, but he will never know what I know about the Celtics."

Or even how much Clyde Frazier needed his beer.

Read Bob Ryan at www.boston.com. Joe McDonald is the publisher of NYSportsDay.com and BostonSportsDay.com.