History Of The New York Knicks
By Johnny Moon
The New York Knicks, short for “Knickerbockers”, play in New
York City’s famous Madison Square Garden. The Knicks were
members of the now-defunct Basketball Association of America,
which merged with the National Basketball League to form the
National Basketball Association in 1949. In the NBA’s first ten
years, the Knicks played in three straight NBA Finals games,
from 1951-1953. They are one of only two teams from the
original NBA that are still located in the same city. The
Knicks won their first game against the Toronto Huskies, 68-66.
The Knicks continued to field respectable teams in the 1950s,
but witnessed a marked decline in the 1960s.
From 1960-1966, the Knicks finished in last place in their
division each year. Two of the worst losses in Knicks history
happened during this time: a 162-100 loss to the Los Angeles
Lakers, and Wilt Chamberlain’s famous 100 point game was against
the Knicks on March 3, 1962. Over the next few years, the
Knicks drafted some quality players: Willis Reed, the future NBA
Rookie of the Year, Bill Bradley, and Dave Stallworth. After
showing promise in 1967, the Knicks General Manager hired Red
Holzman to be their head coach; the Knicks made the playoffs
again that year. In 1969, the Knicks made it to the finals but
lost to the Boston Celtics.
The Knicks won an impressive 18 games in a row during the
1969-1970 season; they finished that year with a 60-22
record—the best in the team’s history. The Knicks would meet
the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Championship in 1970. They
won in dramatic fashion in game seven, when an injured Willis
Reed walked on the court and shot two baskets—this incident was
later voted one of the greatest moments in Madison Square Garden
history. The entire starting five from the 1970 Knicks team has
had their jersey numbers retired.
The team failed to return to the NBA Championships in 1971.
They played in the NBA Championship again in 1972, but this time
the Knicks lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in five games. The
following year, the Knicks turned the tables on the Lakers and
defeated them in five games to win their second NBA Championship
in three years. 1973-1974 was another impressive year for the
Knicks; they reached the Eastern Conference finals where they
were defeated by the Celtics in five games. Willis Reed retired
after this season, placing the Knicks’ future in jeopardy.
The rest of the 1970s were pretty unremarkable for the New York
Knicks, except to mention that a young bench player and
defensive specialist named Phil Jackson was a member of those
teams; Jackson went on to coach the Chicago Bulls and Los
Angeles Lakers to a total of nine championships; tied with
professional basketball coaching legend Red Auerbach.
After a disappointing 1984-1985 season, the Knicks won the
first pick in the first-ever NBA Draft Lottery; they chose
center Patrick Ewing from Georgetown University. Ewing won the
NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 1986; however, the team did not
fare as well that year. The Knicks went on to win four division
titles with Ewing, as well as two Conference titles.
Today, it seems that the Knicks are in another one of their
multi-year declines. If history is any indication, some new
blood will shake up the organization again and put the Knicks on
the road to winning another NBA Championship.
About the Author: Johnny Moon contributers to the NYC travel
blog at http://www.NewYorkHotelDeals.us/blog
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