Despite its very long history as the only NBA team in the biggest city in the country, the New York Knicks have only won two NBA championships with their most recent NBA title coming nearly 40 years ago way back in 1973.

Because of their championships in 1970 and 1973 its easy to choose the early \’70s as the high point in the history of the Knicks to date but they also had some very strong teams that were serious NBA title contenders in the early 1950s and during the 1990s.

The Knicks were in the NBA finals for three straight years in 1951, 1952, and 1953. Unfortunately for early Knicks fans; they lost each time. Probably the most remarkable thing about the Knicks of the \’50s is that they signed the very first African-American player to a contract. His name was Nat \”Sweetwater\” Clifton and he had been playing for the Harlem Globetrotters.

The Knicks of the late \’60s and early \’70s were led by Willis Reed, Bill Bradley, Walt Frazier, and Dave DeBusschere.

During the 1969-70 season the Knicks set a record with 18 consecutive victories during the regular season and they finished the year with a 60-22 record. They have still yet to surpass this 60 victory mark in the regular season, although they did match it in 1992-93.

In the 1970 NBA playoffs they defeated the Milwaukee Bucks (with the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at center, he was a rookie and still known as Lew Alcinder) in the Eastern Conference Finals. In the NBA Finals series they won their first ever NBA championship by defeating the LA Lakers (starring Jerry West & Elgin Baylor.) Willis Reed won the Finals MVP.

Before the the 1971-72 season the Knicks added two important players; Jerry Lucas and Earl \”The Pearl\” Monroe.

There were two rematches between the Lakers and the Knicks in the NBA finals in 1972 and 1973. In \’72 the Lakers won in 5 games and in \’73 the Knicks won their second NBA championship. Willis Reed again won the Finals MVP.

There isn\’t a whole lot to say about the Knicks from the \’late 70s through the early \’80s. It isn\’t until the Patrick Ewing era that the Knicks became a true force to be reckoned with once again.

The Knicks selected Patrick Ewing with the number one pick in the 1985 NBA draft and he became one of the greatest players in Knicks history. He was with the team all the way through the 1999-2000 season.

During the 1990s the Knicks were one of the best teams in the NBA and they had intense rivalries with the Chicago Bulls and the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference. In 1994 they beat the Pacers (overcoming a tremendous performance by Pacers shooting guard Reggie Miller) to make back to the Finals for the first time since 1973. Unfortunately for the Knicks; they lost in 7 games to the Houston Rockets who were lead by Hakeem Olajuwon.

In 1999 the Knicks were only an 8th seed during the strike shortened season but they were able to upset the 2nd seeded Pacers to get back to the finals. But again they could not complete the mission as they were beat by the San Antonio Spurs.

The Knicks had 9 consecutive seasons with a losing record from 2001-02 through 2009-10 until finally snapping that streak this year (just barely) with a 42-40 record.

As far as Knicks all time records are concerned; Ewing dominates. He is the team\’s all time leader in games, minutes, field goals, free throws, rebounds, steals, streals, blocked shots, and points.

Author Bio: George Kane recommends you try to Buy New York Knicks Tickets Online if they are officially sold out. For Manhattan Hotels near Madison Square Garden use New York City Hotel Deals.

Category: Sports
Keywords: New York Knicks, Basketball, NBA