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New York Knicks History continued...
The New York Knicks played their first official game as a franchise on November 1, 1946. This was also the first official game in the new league's history. The Knickerbockers traveled to Toronto and beat the Huskies, 68-66. New York was coached by head coach Neil Cohalan. The first ever starting lineup for the New York Knicks consisted of Ossie Schectman, Stan Stutz, Jake Weber, Ralph Kaplowitz and Leo "Ace" Gottlieb. Gottlieb was the high scorer for the Knicks, tallying 12 points.
The Knicks were supposed to play their home games in Madison Square Garden. At the time, Madison Square Garden had an overcrowded schedule. It played host to many hockey games as well as college basketball games. Because of this, the Knicks played most of their home games at the 69th Regiment Armory during the inaugural season. The team started off the season with a 10-2 record in November. This remains one of the best starts in the history of the franchise. All in all, the Knicks ended their first official season with a 33-27 record.
At the beginning of the New York Knickerbocker's second season, future Hall of Famer Joe Lapchick replaced Neil Cohalan as head coach. Under Lapchick, the Knicks enjoyed the second of nine consecutive playoff appearances. In the first three seasons under Lapchick, the Knicks steadily improved, winning 26 games, then 32 and then 40. In 1949, the BAA merged with the NBA.
The star of the New York Knicks in the early 1950's was Carl Braun. This was despite the fact that military service caused him to miss the 1951 season. Braun stood 6'5", and was a remarkable shooter. He averaged 13.5 points per game in his 13 year career with the Knicks. In his first season, 1947-1948, he scored 47 points in a game against Providence. That rookie record for the most points in a single game still stands today. Braun retired from the New York Knicks as their career scoring leader. He scored 10,449 points. However, he would later be surpassed by Willis Reed, Walt Frazier and Patrick Ewing. Along with Braun, rebounding specialist Harry "the horse" Gallatin and playmaker Dick McGuire were perennial All-Stars for the Knicks in the mid-1950's. Gallatin and McGuire were later rewarded by being inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Harry "the horse" Gallatin was a fierce rebounder. He stood 6'6" and weighed 215 pounds. In his career, he collected 5,935 rebounds and played in a club-record 610 consecutive games. In the 1953-1954 season, he led the NBA in rebounding, with 1,098 rebounds, for an average of 15.3 boards per game. In that same season, in a game against the Fort Wayne Pistons, Gallatin set a franchise record (later tied by Reed in 1971) by collecting 33 rebounds. His work on the glass earned him All-NBA First Team honors.
In his eight exceptional seasons with the Knicks, Dick McGuire accumulated many individual achievements. He led the New York Knicks in assists for six consecutive seasons, 1950-1956. During those years, he also averaged 8.0 points per game. He was named to the All-Star team five times and was named to the All-NBA Second Team in 1950-1951. When his playing days with the Knicks ended, McGuire decided to stay affiliated with the Knicks. He served as a head coach, assistant coach, chief scout and director of scouting services. Then, in 1992, his uniform "15" was retired by the team. One year later, he was elected to the Hall of Fame.
In 1951-1953, the New York Knicks made three runs at an NBA Championship. In their first attempt, they were defeated by Rochester in 1951. In 1951-1952, the Knicks went 37-29 and played the Minneapolis Lakers for the title. The two teams split the first six games. The Lakers, however, hosted the seventh game and cruised easily to the NBA crown. Then, in 1952-1953, the Knicks enjoyed an immensely successful season. Despite various injuries, they managed a record of 47-23. This set up a rematch with the Lakers for the NBA title. The Lakers, with George Mikan, defeated the Knicks once again, this time in five games.
The Knicks continued to be decent through the rest of the 1950's. However, from 1959-1966, the team failed to make the playoffs and from 1955-1968, the team had only one winning season. Although the New York Knicks of this era were bad, they definitely were not boring. Richie Guerin, who was a fierce competitor and a high scorer, made six consecutive All-Star Teams. He scored 10,392 points in eight seasons, averaging 20.1 points per game. In 1959, he became the first Knicks player to score 50 points in a game when he tallied 57 against Syracuse on December 11. Also during this time, in 1961-1962, one of the most famous games in NBA history was played. The Knicks, however, were on the wrong end of the action. On March 2, the Knicks traveled to Hershey, Pennsylvania to play the Philadelphia Warriors. It was in this game that Wilt Chamberlain of the Warriors scored 100 points. This remains the best individual scoring performance in league history. The Warriors won the game 169-147.
The future began to look bright for the New York Knicks in 1964 when they drafted Willis Reed from Grambling University. Reed's impact on the Knicks was immediate. He was the first Knicks player to be named NBA Rookie of the Year. For the season, Reed ranked seventh in the NBA in scoring at 19.5 points per game and fifth in rebounding at 14.7 boards per game. In March, he scored 46 points against Los Angeles, the second-highest single-game total ever by a Knicks rookie.
Then, midway through the 1976-1968 season, the Knicks hired William "Red" Holzman to replace Dick McGuire as head coach. He led the team to a record of 43-39, their first winning season since 1958-59. Little by little, things began to turn around for the Knicks. Reed played in the 1968 All-Star Game as a starter. Walt Frazier and Phil Jackson were named to the NBA All-Rookie Team. In the 1968-1969 season, the team won 54 games and finished third in the Eastern Division, just Behind the Baltimore Bullets and the Philadelphia 76ers. That year, the Knicks decided to emphasize stifling defense. Their strategy paid off as they allowed just 105.2 points per game, leading the league in that category. Willis Reed set a franchise record with 1,191 rebounds (14.5 per game) and Walt Frazier was third in the NBA in assists at 7.9 per game. In the playoffs, New York swept Baltimore in the division semifinals but then fell to Boston in a six-game division finals series.
The New York Knicks enjoyed their most successful season in 1969-1970. That year they won 60 of their regular-season games. This was the first time that the franchise had won that many games during the season. The team also had an 18-game winning streak and started the season 9-1. Willis Reed, Walt Frazier and Dave DeBusschere all played in the All-Star Game. Reed took home the honor of MVP after the contest. The team finished the season with a record of 60-22 and the Eastern Division title. Then, in the playoffs, New York defeated Baltimore in seven games in the first round and then downed the Milwaukee Bucks in five games. In the finals, the Knicks met the Los Angeles Lakers, who were led by Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain. It all came down to game seven, which became one of the most memorable moments in New York Knicks history. Willis Reed had injured his leg in game five and had sat out game six. As a result, the Lakers took game six easily. He was not expected to return during the series. However, in dramatic fashion, Reed limped onto the court just minutes before tip-off of game seven. He made the first two baskets of the game and gave the Knicks the extra boost of adrenaline that they needed to prevail. Walt Frazier finished the game with 36 points and 19 assists. He was also a perfect 12-12 from the free throw line. More importantly, the Knicks won the game, 113-99, and the NBA title. Reed was named the regular-season MVP, the All-Star Game MVP and the Finals MVP. Willis Reed and Walt Frazier were both named to the NBA First Team, the first Knicks to earn the honor since Harry Gallatin did so in 1953-54. Red Holzman was also named NBA Coach of the Year.
The New York Knicks won another NBA title in the 1972-1973 season. They finished the regular season with a record of 57-25. Led once again by Walt Frazier, the Knicks defeated Baltimore and Boston in the early rounds of the playoffs. They would go on to meet the Los Angeles Lakers once again in the NBA Finals. The Knicks lost the first game of the series, then won four straight to win their second NBA Championship. For the rest of the 1970's, however, the Knicks would remain mediocre, reaching the playoffs only once. They lost to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals in 1973-1974.
Before the 1977-1978 season, Red Holzman, who had guided the Knicks to both of their championships, was replaced as head coach by Willis Reed. Reed was able to bring the team's record back to .500, but just barely. He was helped by the individual play of Bob McAdoo. Standing 6'10”, McAdoo put up huge numbers wherever he played in the late 1970's. In the 1977-1978 season, McAdoo scored 2,097 points, at the time the second-highest Knicks season total.
Then, in the 1978-1979 season, due to a poor start, management relieved Reed of his coaching duties and brought back Holzman, who didn't fare much better. For the first time in team history, no New York player made the All-Star Team. This was mostly an era of losing seasons and missed playoffs for the New York Knicks. However, in the 1980-1981 season, the overachieving Knicks did manage to win 50 games and make the playoffs. However, they were quickly eliminated by the Chicago Bulls. After the season, Red Holzman retired as head coach of the New York Knicks. He left the team as the winningest coach in the history of the franchise, with a record of 613-484. He had led the team to two NBA Championships (1970 and 1973) and had been named NBA Coach of the Year in 1969-1970. He currently ranks 11th in the NBA in coaches with the most career wins.
In the 1982-1983 season, under new head coach Hubie Brown, the Knicks began to turn things around. They made the playoffs but were swept in the conference semifinals by Philadelphia, who went on to win the NBA title. Then in 1983-1984, the Knicks acquired Bernard King from the Golden State Warriors. King immediately made his presence felt as he had back-to-back 50 point games for the Knicks. The team made the playoffs where they defeated Detroit in the first round. They eventually lost to the eventual NBA Champions, the Boston Celtics in seven games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Bernard King continued to show his dominance in the 1984-1985 season. He became the first Knicks player to lead the league in scoring with 32.9 points per game. On Christmas Day, King set a club record by scoring 60 points against New Jersey. Then, on March 23, his season and many feared his career, came to an end. He tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. He missed 24 months while enduring painful physical therapy and rehabilitation. The team then began to move backwards. It eventually set a franchise record for the most consecutive losses (12) and finished the season a disappointing 24-58.
On May 12, 1985, the NBA held its first ever draft lottery for the seven teams that did not make the playoffs. The Knicks won the lottery, giving them the first pick in the draft. They drafted Patrick Ewing, a 7-foot All-American center from Georgetown University. Ewing immediately showed why he was the first pick. He led all rookies in scoring at 20.0 points per game and rebounding at 9.0 rebounds per game. He was named to the All-Star Team and was chosen as the NBA Rookie of the Year. In the 1987-1988 season, under their new head coach Rick Pitino, the Knicks made the playoffs. They lost to Boston in the first round. In the 1988-1989 season, led by Ewing and guard Mark Jackson, the Knicks won the Atlantic Division. They defeated Philadelphia in the first round of the playoffs but lost to Chicago in the conference semifinals.
In 1989-1990, the Knicks acquired Charles Oakley from the Chicago Bulls. They were interested in giving Ewing some help on the boards. Oakley immediately went to work on the glass for the Knicks, setting a team record on January 3 when he grabbed 14 offensive rebounds. For the season, Oakley ranked sixth in the league at 10.5 rebounds per game. Also in 1989-1990, Rick Pitino left the New York Knicks to coach the University of Kentucky. The team made it into the playoffs where they defeated the Boston Celtics in the first round. They went on to face the Detroit Pistons who beat the Knicks in five games. Patrick Ewing had an outstanding individual year. He scored his career-high 51 points against Boston on March 24. He finished among the NBA leaders in scoring, rebounding, blocks and field goal percentage, and was named to the NBA First Team. In the 1990-1991 season, the team lost to the first round of the playoffs. Ewing, however, continued to be the superstar, ranking among the league's top five in points per game, rebounds per game and blocked shots. Charles Oakley ranked third in the league with 12.1 rebounds per game.
In 1991-1992, the New York Knicks hired Pat Riley as their head coach. Riley had coached the Los Angeles Lakers for nine seasons where he was extremely successful, winning nine Pacific Division titles and four NBA Championships. His Lakers teams never won fewer than 50 games and in five seasons, they won more than 60 games.
Riley immediately began to assert his leadership skills and led the team to a 51-31 record. The Knicks were led by crowd-favorite sixth man John Starks. The 6'5” guard had an unlikely route to NBA stardom. He was un-drafted out of college and spent a year in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) before landing in New York City. Starks set a franchise mark during the season by making eight three-point baskets in a game against Chicago. Ewing was once again superb during the regular season. He ranked in the NBA top ten in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots. In the playoffs, with newly acquired Xavier McDaniel providing the muscle, the Knicks lost to the defending-champion Chicago Bulls in the conference semifinals.
There were many new faces on the team in 1992-1993. The Knicks acquired Charles Smith, Doc Rivers and Bo Kimble. They also acquired veteran Rolando Blackman from Dallas and drafted guard Hubert Davis from North Carolina. Xavier McDaniel left New York for Boston as a free agent. The Knicks entered the playoffs with a record of 60-22. They defeated the Indiana Pacers and then the Charlotte Hornets before facing the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Knicks once again lost to the Michael Jordan-led Bulls, four game to two.
Before the 1993-1994 season, Michael Jordan announced that he was retiring from professional basketball. The Knicks, who had been defeated by the Jordan-led Bulls four straight years, were finally able to establish themselves atop the Eastern Conference. Things looked grim when starting guard Doc Rivers was lost for the season with a knee injury. However, the Knicks were able to acquire Derek Harper from the Dallas Mavericks to replace Rivers. At midseason, Patrick Ewing and John Starks represented the New York Knicks in the All-Star game. It was the first appearance in the All-Star game for Starks. In the playoffs, the Knicks defeated New Jersey to set a rematch with the Chicago Bulls. This time, the Knicks were able to defeat the Bulls four games to three. The Knicks then took seven games to eliminate the Indiana Pacers, placing the Knicks in the NBA Finals. They faced the Houston Rockets and the series was a defensive one, where neither team reached 100 points in a single game. The Rockets prevailed, defeating the Knicks in seven games to win the NBA Championship.
The Knicks returned to the playoffs in the 1994-1995 season. They began the playoffs by defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in a low-scoring first-round series. In the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Knicks would once again face the Indiana Pacers. The two teams had become rivals as a result of the series the year before. The series went the entire seven games but the Pacers prevailed. The Knicks had played a stifling defense all year long, but, in the end, it was their offensive troubles that did them in. Pat Riley stepped down as head coach at the end of the finals and Don Nelson, who had recently stepped down as the head coach of the Golden State Warriors, was named as his replacement.
The Knicks team of the 1995-1996 season was one of many changes. There were several new players who kept New York competitive in the Eastern Conference. In early March, Don Nelson resigned as head coach. He was in the first year of his multi-year contract, however, he did not see eye-to-eye with many of his players. He was replaced by long-time assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy, who finished the season 13-9 with the Knicks. The team made the playoffs and was led by Patrick Ewing and Anthony Mason. They defeated Cleveland in the first round, three games to none. Then, in a classic rematch, the Knicks faced the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan who had recently come out of retirement. As was the case in the early 1990's, the Bulls were too much for the Knicks. The Bulls won the series in five games.
The New York Knicks had a new look that included several new players in the 1996-1997 season. The team had acquired Larry Johnson, Allan Houston, Chris Childs and Buck Williams. These new players, along with veterans Patrick Ewing, John Starks and Charles Oakley, finished the season with a record of 57-25. In the playoffs, the Knicks swept the Charlotte Hornets in the first round and then took a 3-1 lead over the Miami Heat in the Conference Semifinals. Later in the series, the Heat became only the sixth team in the history of the NBA to overcome a 3-1 deficit to win a playoff series.
The 1997-1998 season put the New York Knicks to the test. On December 20, Patrick Ewing used his wrist to break a fall against the Milwaukee Bucks. Without their man in the middle, several other Knicks were forced to step up. The two biggest Knicks to step up were Larry Johnson and Allan Houston. Houston led the team in scoring with 18.4 points per game and Johnson chipped in with 15.5 points per game and 5.7 rebounds per game. The team's emotional leadership came once again from John Starks. Starks came off of the bench to average 12.9 points per game. Point guard Charlie Ward started every game for the Knicks during the season, averaging 7.8 points per game and dishing out 5.7 assists per game. Charles Oakley was also asked to step up, filling the enormous shoes of Patrick Ewing at center. The team scrapped their way into the playoffs, earning a first round rematch with their new rivals, the Miami Heat. The Knicks won a hard-fought, low-scoring series, earning them a conference semifinals match-up with the Indiana Pacers. However, even with Ewing's triumphant return in game two of the series, the Knicks fell to the Larry Bird and his Pacers in five games.
The New York Knicks made two big trades in the 1998-1999 season. First, they acquired Latrell Sprewell from the Golden State Warriors. Then, they were able to trade for Marcus Camby, a deal which sent Charles Oakley to Toronto. Despite a regular season record of 27-23, the Knicks were once again able to scrap their way into the playoffs. In the first round, they were to face the top seed, the Miami Heat. The Knicks pushed the series to a game five, where Allan Houston's miracle one-handed running shot fell in with 0.8 seconds to play, giving the Knicks the upset win. The Knicks went on to sweep the Atlanta Hawks in the second round, sending them to the Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers. However, they would once again be playing without Patrick Ewing. Ewing's season had come to an end in game two of the Conference Finals, when he tore his Achilles tendon. Despite the loss of Ewing, and behind the Larry Johnson's miraculous four-point play in game 3, the Knicks were able to down Indiana and advance to the NBA Finals. With this accomplishment, the Knicks became the first team in NBA history to advance to the Finals as a number eight seed. However, without Ewing in the middle, New York was no match for the San Antonio Spurs and their twin towers, Tim Duncan and David Robinson. The Spurs won the series, causing another disappointment for the New York Knicks.
The 1999-2000 season was one of familiarity for the New York Knicks. They once again won 50 games under head coach Jeff Van Gundy. In the first round of the playoffs, they swept Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady and the Toronto Raptors. This once again put them against the Pat Riley-led Miami Heat. The Knicks were able to eventually outplay the Heat, winning the series four games to three. However, their playoff nemesis luck ended there. The Knicks lost to Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers in the Conference Finals in six games. The Knicks extended their sellout streak at Madison Square Garden to 347 consecutive games. The season, however, would be the last as a New York Knick for Patrick Ewing. Injuries once again plagued the Knicks with Marcus Camby and Patrick Ewing both being sidelined with major injuries. Throughout the season, New York's top eight players were only available for 33 of the 82 regular season games.
The 2000-01 season was one of major change for the New York Knicks. With a regular season record of 48-34, they made their 14th consecutive playoff appearance. However, after advancing to the Conference Semifinals for nine straight seasons, the Knicks were eliminated in the first round by the Toronto Raptors, three games to two. At the beginning of the season, the Knicks shocked New York City by trading the local legend, Patrick Ewing, to the Seattle Supersonics in a blockbuster trade. Also during the season, Mark Jackson, a veteran of the “Jordan War Years”, returned to the New York Knicks from the Toronto Raptors. The Knicks continued their sellout streak of Madison Square Garden, bringing the total to 391 games. Coach Jeff Van Gundy passed Pat Riley on the Knicks all-time win list on March 1. Despite of all of this, the Knicks were once again plagued by injuries, causing Jeff Van Gundy to use 19 different starting lineups during the season.
The New York Knicks continue to be competitive in the Eastern Conference. They remain one of only two original NBA teams still in existence, the other being the Boston Celtics. Several former New York Knicks have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. They include Walt Bellamy, Bill Bradley, Dave DeBusschere, Walt Frazier, Jerry Lucas, Bob McAdoo, Willis Reed, Earl Monroe and Dick McGuire. Also, several former New York Knicks have had their numbers retired. Among them are Walt Frazier (10), Earl Monroe (15), Dick McGuire (15), Willis Reed (19), Dave DeBusschere (22), Bill Bradley (24), Patrick Ewing (33) and Red Holzman (613, for the number of games he won as Head coach of the New York Knicks).
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