The New York Knicks inaugural season came way back in 1946-47. Since then, the team has won two NBA championships and reached the NBA Finals eight times. With restored hope for the Knicks faithful in recent years, let’s count down their best teams in franchise history.
Ranking The 5 Greatest New York Knicks Teams Of All Time
Honorable mentions: 1950-51, 1951-52, 1971-72, 1992-93
5. 1952-53 Knicks
Let’s include one of the three-straight Knicks teams to reach the NBA Finals (lost them all). New York went 47-23 that season, good for a .671 winning percentage (tied for sixth-best in franchise history). Unfortunately, they fell in five games to the George Mikan-led Minneapolis Lakers in the finals. This Knicks team included three players who were inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame due to their play on the court Carl Braun, Harry Gallatin, and Dick McGuire.
4. 1998-99 Knicks
Should this lockout-shortened season be included? For nostalgic reasons, absolutely. The regular season was just 50 games, and the Knicks 27-23 record earned them the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. They became just the second eighth seed ever to defeat the top seed in the opening round of the playoffs. Later, they became the lowest seed ever to reach the NBA Finals.
Two of the most historic plays in franchise history occurred during that postseason run. First, Allan Houston’s runner at the end of a do-or-die Game 5 in the opening round against the Miami Heat. Then, Larry Johnson’s miraculous four-point play in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers. The Knicks would miss Patrick Ewing in the NBA Finals though, as he tore his Achilles in the Eastern Conference Finals. New York lost in five games to the San Antonio Spurs sans Ewing, whose size could have helped immensely against Tim Duncan and David Robinson.
3. 1993-94 Knicks
Michael Jordan was retired (for the first time). That left an opening for someone else other than the Chicago Bulls to win it all after Chicago had won three straight titles. With Pat Riley at the helm, and Ewing playing at an MVP level, the Knicks were able to reach their first NBA Finals in around two decades. They came oh so close to winning their third championship as they took the Houston Rockets to seven games. Hakeem Olajuwon proved to be too much though, and John Starks shot a regrettable 2-18 from the field in Game 7 (0-11 from three-point range).
2. 1969-70 Knicks
Willis Reed walking on the court prior to Game 7 of the NBA Finals is one of the lasting images in league history. Reed was named MVP during the regular season, and the Knicks won a franchise record 60 games (equaled in 1992-93). Along with Reed, this team had Hall of Fame players Walt Frazier, Dave DeBusschere, Bill Bradley, and Dick Barnett. Frazier had one of the best Game 7 performances of all-time finishing with 36 points, 19 assists, and seven rebounds to finish off the Los Angeles Lakers and give New York the franchise’s first championship.
1. 1972-73 Knicks
While their second championship team won three fewer games than their first, they now had Earl Monroe in the backcourt with Frazier. They also had another Hall of Fame player in Jerry Lucas mostly coming off the bench in the playoffs. The Knicks had an easier time with the Lakers in the finals this time around as they won four straight after losing Game 1. They were one of the most unselfish teams that featured balanced scoring. Four players averaged at least 15.5 points per game. Frazier agrees as he has previously stated that this team was even more talented than the 1969-70 one.
