The
New York Knickerbockers,
[2] prominently known as the
Knicks, are a professional
basketball team based in
New York City. They are part of the
Atlantic Division of the
Eastern Conference in the
National Basketball Association (NBA). The organization was a founding member of the
Basketball Association of America in 1946 and joined the NBA after the BAA and
National Basketball League merged.
The Knicks are one of only two teams of the original National Basketball Association still located in its original city (the other being the
Boston Celtics). The "Knickerbocker" name comes from the pseudonym used by
Washington Irving for his
A History of New York, which name became applied to the descendants of the original
Dutch settlers of what later became New York, and later, by extension, to New Yorkers in general.
[2]
Championship years (1968–1975)
William 'Red' Holzman
Walt 'Clyde' Frazier
In 1968, right after the Knicks made it to the playoffs for the first time since 1959, the Knicks hired
Red Holzman as their head coach. With Holzman at the helm, and young players such as
Bill Bradley and
Walt "Clyde" Frazier, the Knicks were a playoff team again in 1968. The next season, the team acquired
Dave DeBusschere from the
Detroit Pistons, and the team went 55–27. In the ensuing playoffs, the team made it past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 1953, sweeping the
Baltimore Bullets in three games, before falling to the
Boston Celtics in the Eastern Division finals.
In the
1969–70 season, the Knicks had a then single-season NBA record
18 straight victories en route to 60–22 record, which was the best regular season record in the team's history. After defeating the Bullets in the Eastern Division semifinals and the
Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Division finals, the Knicks faced the
Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals.
With the series tied at 2–2, the Knicks would be tested in Game 5. Reed tore a muscle in his right leg in the second quarter, and was lost for the rest of the game. Despite his absence, New York would go on to win the game, rallying from a 16–point deficit. Without their injured captain the Knicks would lose Game 6, setting up one of the most famous moments in NBA history. Reed limped onto the court before the 7th game, determined to play through his pain. He scored New York's first two baskets before going scoreless for the remainder of the contest. Although he was not at full strength, Reed's heroics inspired the Knicks, and they won the game by a score of 113–99, giving them their first championship.
[5] The entire starting line up for the '69–'70 Knicks had their jerseys retired by the New York Knicks. The jerseys of Walt Frazier (#10), Willis Reed (#19), Dave DeBusschere (#22), Bill Bradley (#24), and Dick Barnett (#12) all hang from the rafters at
Madison Square Garden. Reed's walking on to the court was voted the greatest moment in Madison Square Garden history.
The Knicks' success continued for the next few years. After losing to the Bullets in the 1971 Eastern Conference finals, the team, aided by the acquisitions of
Jerry Lucas and
Earl "The Pearl" Monroe, returned to the Finals in 1972. This time the Knicks fell to the Lakers in five games. The next year, the results were reversed, as the Knicks defeated the Lakers in five games to win their second NBA title in four years.
[6] The team had one more impressive season in
1973–74, as they reached the Eastern Conference finals, where they fell in five games to the Celtics. It was after this season that Reed announced his retirement, and the team's fortunes took a turn for the worse.
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