NEW YORK KNICKS FRANCHISE HISTORY
Previous Franchise Names: None
Executive Chairman: James Dolan
CEO: David O’Connor
General Manager: Steve Mills
Head Coach: Kurt Rambis
Best Season: 1992-93/1969-70 (60-22, .732)
Playoff Appearances: 42
NBA Championships: 2 (1969-70, 1972-73)
MANHATTAN, NY – CIRCA 1990’s: Center Patrick Ewing #33 of the New York Knicks in action pulls down a rebound against the Charlette Hornets circa early 1990’s during an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, New York. Ewing played for the Knicks from 1985-00. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
The New York Knicks are one of three charter members of the Basketball Association of America that have been around since that circuit’s inception in 1946.
The Knicks have seen their share of ups and downs in 70 seasons, with their only two championships coming in 1970 and 1973, with superstars Willis Reed, Walt Frazier and Dave DeBusschere leading the way.
New York lost three consecutive NBA Finals from 1951-53, falling to the Rochester Royals first and then twice in a row to the Minneapolis Lakers, and didn’t return to the Finals until 1970, when Reed’s iconic return with a torn thigh muscle in Game 7 sparked the Knicks to a win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Knicks lost to the Lakers in five games in 1972 and returned the favor with a five-game victory over Los Angeles the following year.
New York reached the Finals again in 1994, losing in seven games to the Houston Rockets, and 1999 (a five-game defeat at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs).
In the new millennium, the Knicks have just five postseason appearances, the most recent coming in 2013.
The franchise’s history has been marked by star players such as Harry Gallatin, Richie Guerin, Patrick Ewing and Carmelo Anthony interspersed (and sometimes overlapping) with periods of ineptitude, such as a seven-year playoff drought from 1960-66 and a six-year postseason absence from 2005-10.
Red Holzman served two tours as coach of the Knicks, taking over initially 37 games into the 1967-68 season before retiring after the 1976-77 campaign. He returned 14 games into the 1978-79 season and stayed on until his second retirement following the 1981-82 campaign.
He was 613-484 in the regular season and 54-43 in the postseason and was named one of the Top 10 Coaches in NBA History as part of the league’s 50th anniversary in 1996.
New York Knicks Career Leaders (as of 3/9/2016)
- Games, Patrick Ewing, 1039
- Points, Patrick Ewing, 23665
- Rebounds, Patrick Ewing, 10759
- Assists, Walt Frazier, 4791
- Steals, Patrick Ewing, 1061
- Blocks, Patrick Ewing, 2758
LANDOVER, MD – CIRCA 1976: Walt Frazier #10 of the New York Knicks looks on against the Washington Bullets during an NBA basketball game circa 1976 at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland. Frazier played for the Knicks from 1967-77. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
New York Knicks Retired Numbers
- 10, Walt Frazier
- 12, Dick Barnett
- 15, Dick McGuire
- 15, Earl Monroe
- 19, Willis Reed
- 22, Dave DeBusschere
- 24, Bill Bradley
- 33, Patrick Ewing
- 613, Red Holzman
New York Knicks Official Links
Official Team Site: nba.com/knicks
Official Twitter Handle: @nyknicks
Official Facebook Page: New York Knicks
Official Instagram Page: New York Knicks
Official Arena Page: Madison Square Garden
New York Knicks Beat Writers
Ian Begley, ESPN New York
Marc Berman, New York Post
Stefan Bondy, New York Daily News
Scott Cacciola, New York Times
Chris Herring, Wall Street Journal
Al Iannazzone, Newsday
Brian Mahoney, Associated Press
Steve Popper, The Record
Related New York Knicks Blogs and Links
New York Knicks Logo History, courtesy of Chris Creamer’s Sportslogos.net
Salary Page: New York Knicks Salaries at Spotrac
FanSided New York Knicks: Daily Knicks
SB Nation New York Knicks: Posting and Toasting
ESPN TrueHoop New York Knicks: Knickerblogger
HoopsHabit New York Knicks Archive: New York Knicks
Bleacher Report New York Knicks Team Stream: New York Knicks
RealGM New York Knicks Page: New York Knicks
Stats and retired number information courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com
