New York Knicks Tickets

Staff Writer Nichole P. Pingel
The New York Knickerbockers, known as the Knicks, are one of only two charter members of the National Basketball Association (NBA) still in their original cities (the other being the Boston Celtics)”. The New York Knicks played their first game on November 1, 1946 as part of the Basketball Association of America (BAA). The team’s debut season ended with a record of 33-27.

The Knicks opened the 1950s by becoming one of three NBA teams to draft the league’s first African-American players. Charles Cooper was selected by Boston and Nathaniel “Sweetwater” Clifton was chosen by New York. Clifton was the first to sign a league contract. In addition, the team reached its first NBA Finals, despite a 36-30 finish. The Knicks lost in the championship round to the Rochester Royals in seven games. New York faced the Minneapolis Lakers in the Finals in both of the next two seasons and lost in five and seven games, respectively. (For more information on the Lakers, click here) By the end of the decade the team’s points per game average was 117.3; yet, they still finished the 1959-60 season 27-48.

The Knicks struggled for most of the 1960s, but there were some highlights (for opposing teams). On March 2, 1962, Wilt Chamberlain scored100 points against New York. The team drafted Willis Reed prior to the 1963-64 season. Reed became the first Knicks player to be named Rookie of the Year. Bill Bradley joined the roster as New York finally reached the playoffs in 1967, but lost to Boston in the Eastern Division Semifinals. (For more information on the Celtics, click here) During the off-season, the team hired William “Red” Holzman as the new head coach. Later that year, Walt Frazier and Phil Jackson were named to the All-Rookie Team. The next season saw the Knicks win 54 games after acquiring Dave DeBusschere. In the playoffs, New York again fell to Boston, this time in the Eastern Division Finals. However, the team’s luck changed dramatically in the final season of the decade. Pressure defense and a selfless passing game lead the New York Knicks to a 60-22 record during the 1969-70 season. The team faced Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain and the Los Angeles Lakers in the championship round. Although Reed was not scheduled to play due to injury, he stepped out on the court seconds before Game 7’s tip-off. He then scored the first two points of the game (among others). Inspired by the gesture, the Knicks rallied behind Reed to win their first NBA Championship.

The New York Knicks of the 1970s were fairly consistent in regards to playoff appearances, but the team made the Finals only two times. In 1971, the team fell to the Baltimore Bullets in the Eastern Conference Finals. During the post season, the Knicks acquired Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, who helped lead New York to a championship round rematch with Los Angeles in 1972. The Lakers took the series in five games. The next season marked the third time in four seasons L.A. and N.Y. faced off in the NBA Finals. This time, however, the Knicks finally proved victorious. The 1974 playoffs saw New York fall to Boston in the conference finals. At that point, Reed retired. Two years later, he replaced Holzman as coach and Bob McAdoo was on the roster by now. During the next two seasons, Holzman was named coach again and the Knicks drafted Bill Cartwright.

During their 1981 playoff run, the team started a losing streak against the Chicago Bulls. (For more information on the Bulls, click here) The next season, Cartwright set a Knicks record for the most freethrows made without missing when he sank 19 straight against the Kansas City Kings. At the end of the season, Holzman stepped down as coach and was replaced by Hubie Brown. New York’s 1983 playoff run ended in a Philadelphia sweep. A year later the team fell to Boston in the conference semifinals. In 1984 Bernard King became the first Knick to lead the league in scoring. Prior to the following season New York held the first pick overall in the draft; they chose Patrick Ewing. Ewing became the second player in New York Knicks history to be named the NBA’s Rookie of the Year. Rick Pitino was named coach before the start of the 1987-88 season. Two years later the team would again fall to Chicago in the playoffs. To close the decade, the Bulls and Knicks traded players. New York acquired Charles Oakley for Bill Cartwright. In the meantime, Stu Jackson became the team’s newest coach. Despite the changes, the Knicks fell to Detroit in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

A new season meant, as usual, a new coach. John MacLeod received that title in 1990. A year later, Pat Riley took over, leading the team to a playoff loss against the defending champion Chicago Bulls. New York’s roster made another change in 1992 with the addition of Doc Rivers. Yet, the team continued to struggle to pass the Bulls in the playoffs. When Michael Jordan retired after the 1992-93 season, the Knicks seemed to be the heir to the throne in the Eastern Conference. New York did reach the Finals in 1994, but fell the Houston Rockets. The following season, Riley stepped down and was replaced by Don Nelson. Midway through the 1995-96 season, Nelson was replaced by Jeff Van Gundy. Again the Bulls proved superior in the playoffs. A year later the team ended their playoff run against the Miami Heat. During the 1997-98 season Ewing scored his 22.000th point; however, as a team the Knicks fell to Indiana in the playoffs. The next season New York acquired Latrell Sprewell and Marcus Camby and became the first eighth seed to reach the NBA Finals. This time, they lost to the San Antonio Spurs and the rest, as they say, is history.

For more information on the New York Knicks, visit www.nba.com/knicks