New York Knicks

• 1. Founding And Early Years

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  On the 6th of June 1946, seventeen men gathered at the Commodore Hotel in New York City to establish the Basketball Association of America. Max Kase, a sportswriter from Boston, proposed an organized league to showcase college talent after graduation. He approached Ned Irish, president of Madison Square Garden, with a plan to lease the arena for professional games. The panel of owners rejected Kase's proposal and instead awarded the franchise to Irish due to his vast resources. Irish held a staff meeting to vote on a team name, eventually selecting Knickerbockers based on Washington Irving's pseudonym for Dutch settlers. Joe Lapchick became the first head coach in May 1947 after promising to be the highest-paid coach in the league. The Knicks played their inaugural game against the Toronto Huskies on the 1st of November 1946, winning 68, 66 before 7,090 spectators. Leo Gottlieb led the scoring with 14 points in that low-scoring affair. During the early years, the team often played home games at the 69th Regiment Armory because Madison Square Garden had a crowded schedule. In 1950, the Knicks signed Sweetwater Clifton, becoming the first professional basketball team to sign an African American player. Under Lapchick, the team made three consecutive appearances in the NBA Finals starting in 1950 but lost all three series. They fell to the Rochester Royals in 1950 and then to the Minneapolis Lakers in both 1952 and 1953. Carl Braun retired as the Knicks' leading scorer with 10,449 points until later surpassed by Patrick Ewing and Walt Frazier.

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• 2. Championship Dominance Era

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  Red Holzman took over as head coach midway through the 1967, 68 season when the team sat at 15, 22. His impact was immediate as the Knicks went 28, 17 for the rest of that campaign. The following year, New York acquired Dave DeBusschere from the Detroit Pistons and finished 54, 28. In the 1969, 70 season, the Knicks set a single-season record with 18 straight victories before finishing 60, 22. Willis Reed tore a muscle in his right leg during Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite his injury, New York rallied from a 16-point deficit to win that game. Reed limped onto the court for Game 7 determined to play through pain. He scored the first two baskets before going scoreless for the remainder of the contest. The team won 113, 99 to capture their first championship after decades of failure. Reed became the first player to win league MVP, All-Star MVP, and Finals MVP in a single season. The Knicks returned to the Finals in 1973, defeating the Lakers again in five games to secure their second title. Jerry Lucas and Earl Monroe joined the roster to help achieve this success. After the 1973, 74 season, Willis Reed announced his retirement and the team's fortunes began to shift once more. Holzman retired as one of the winningest coaches in NBA history after leading the franchise to two championships.

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• 3. The Patrick Ewing Dynasty

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  In the summer of 1985, the Knicks won the number one pick in the first-ever NBA draft lottery. They selected Patrick Ewing from Georgetown University who led all rookies with 20 points per game and nine rebounds per game. Ewing won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award but the team struggled to a 23, 59 record in his first season. Rick Pitino was hired as head coach in the 1987, 88 season after leading Providence College to the Final Four. Mark Jackson won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award that same year. The Knicks made the playoffs with a 38, 44 record before losing to the Celtics in the first round. In 1989, 90, they traded Bill Cartwright for Charles Oakley and posted a 52, 30 record. This marked their first division title in 18 years. Pat Riley accepted the coaching proposition on the 31st of May 1991, implementing a rough and physical style emphasizing defense. The team reached the Eastern Conference finals in 1994 against the Indiana Pacers where Reggie Miller scored 25 fourth-quarter points in Game 5. New York won the next two games to reach their first Finals since 1973. They lost Game 7 to the Houston Rockets 90, 84 after John Starks shot 2-for-18 from the field. The following year, the Knicks defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers before facing the Pacers again in the second round. Ewing's last-second finger roll attempt missed in Game 7, giving the Pacers a 97, 95 win. Riley resigned the next day and Jeff Van Gundy was hired as head coach. Van Gundy restored the team's defense-first style and led them to a 47, 35 record in 1995, 96.

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• 4. Linsanity Phenomenon

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  On the 4th of February 2012, third-string point guard Jeremy Lin entered the rotation against the New Jersey Nets. He had been claimed off waivers on December 27 following an injury to Iman Shumpert. Lin scored 25 points and recorded seven assists en route to a Knicks win. He was praised for his ability to facilitate the offense which the team had struggled with during the first 23 games of the season. Lin guided the Knicks to a seven-game winning streak despite missing Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire for five games due to injury and family reasons. This surge brought the team back to a .500 winning percentage. The performance caused extensive national and worldwide media coverage referred to as Linsanity. The Knicks signed J.R. Smith on the 18th of February 2012, to bolster their depth and perimeter shooting percentage. Head coach Mike D'Antoni resigned on the 14th of March 2012, after the team lost seven of eight games when Anthony returned from injury. Assistant Mike Woodson was named interim head coach and led the team to an 18, 6 finish during the regular season. They clinched a playoff spot as the seventh seed making it the first time they had consecutive playoff berths since 1988. The series against the Miami Heat broke the NBA record for longest playoff losing streak at 13 games before snapping it in Game 4. Despite the disappointing postseason exit, Woodson was officially named full-time head coach on the 25th of May 2012.

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• 5. Executive Turmoil And Rebuilds

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  Phil Jackson became president of basketball operations in late 2013 with Steve Mills remaining as general manager. He fired coach Mike Woodson and his entire staff replacing them with Derek Fisher who played under Jackson with the Lakers. The Knicks finished the 2013, 14 season with a 37, 45 record but Carmelo Anthony established a career-high 62 points in a victory against the Charlotte Bobcats. Forbes magazine listed the Knicks as the world's most valuable organization at $1.4 billion in 2014. In the off-season, Jackson traded Raymond Felton and Tyson Chandler to the Dallas Mavericks. The Knicks set a franchise record with 13 consecutive losses ending with a 101, 91 defeat to the Washington Wizards. This streak extended to 16 consecutive losses after an NBA Global Games loss in London. They finished the 2014, 15 season with a 17, 65 record, the worst in franchise history. Amar'e Stoudemire's $100 million contract was bought out a season early. Kristaps Porziņģis was selected fourth overall in the 2015 draft. Midway through another losing season, Kurt Rambis was named interim head coach before Jeff Hornacek took over. Derrick Rose was traded along with Justin Holiday for Robin Lopez and José Calderón. The Knicks signed Joakim Noah, Brandon Jennings, and Courtney Lee to contracts worth a combined $127 million. After three years as president, Jackson parted ways with the team having gone 80, 166 and missed three consecutive playoffs.

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• 6. Modern Resurgence And Rivalries

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  On the 25th of September 2017, the Knicks received Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott, and a second-round pick in exchange for Carmelo Anthony who demanded a trade. The franchise positioned Kristaps Porziņģis as the new centerpiece of the team. They re-signed Tim Hardaway Jr. to a four-year, $71 million contract. The season ended poorly with a 29, 53 record leaving them as the 11th seed in the Eastern Conference. Porziņģis was traded on the 30th of January 2019, alongside Trey Burke and Courtney Lee to the Dallas Mavericks. The Knicks finished the 2018, 19 season with a league-worst 17, 65 regular season record. They won the third overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft and selected RJ Barrett from Duke. In the 2020, 21 season, Julius Randle led the team while Barrett was selected third overall in the 2019 draft. The Knicks won their first division title in 19 years during the 2012, 13 season with forwards Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire. They were eliminated in the Eastern Conference semifinals by the Indiana Pacers. Since 2000, the Knicks have struggled to regain former successes but won their first division title in 19 years in 2012, 13. They failed to make the playoffs for eight years until 2020, 21 when they were led by forward Julius Randle and sophomore RJ Barrett.

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