Yes, the New York Knicks have won the NBA Championship twice. They claimed their first title in 1970 and their second in 1973. Led by stars like Willis Reed and Walt Frazier, the Knicks achieved a 60-22 record in 1970, marking a high point in their history.
Knicks’ Early Days
From its very new formation in 1946 through the late 1950s, the franchise of the New York Knicks focused on establishing identity through the formed Basketball Association of America (BAA) . Being one of the league’s original 11 teams, they soon gained popularity for their quick pace and defense-based game. Achievements were scarce in these formative years. From 1946-1959, the Knicks managed to make the playoffs six times despite an extremely low winning percentage of only 47%. However, they were never able to advance beyond the semifinals in four of those attempts. The average game attendance throughout those early years was about 7,000 fans per game at Madison Square Garden , a far cry from the sold- out arenas that the later years had brought; these depicted the trials and tribulations that the team was facing as well as the overall growing pains for the newly founded league. Financially, salaries were a fraction of what they are now; top players then would take home $5,000 to $10,000 a year—an extremely modest amount of today’s NBA salary, though by that time competitive and comparable.
By the late 1960s, however, the Knicks had a much stronger emphasis on strengthening the team’s roster with prime-time talent. By 1964, they drafted future Hall of Fame center Willis Reed , whose career averages of 18.7 points and 12.9 rebounds per game would ultimately make him one of the franchise’s most impactful players ever. His presence marked the beginning of change in the Knicks’ dynamics. Read more about NBA expansion .He soon was joined by Walt Frazier , who was recognized as a playmaker and tenacious defender . In a career that would stretch through 10 seasons, he averaged 18.9 points, 5.9 assists, and 6.1 rebounds per game. This new lineup made its mark right away: from a 27-55 season in 1964-65, the Knicks now enjoyed a much more respectable 36-46 season in 1966-67, an increase that reflected they were finally constructing a team with the promise of a championship .
Other than these roster improvements, the Knicks had spent thoroughly on strategic and operational overhauling. By 1968, the training schedule had undergone a sea change with new conditioning programs designed to build team stamina and reduce injury levels by 15% over earlier years. This was an important investment because it enabled the team to play better against some of the physical monsters of the time— Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers . However, the renovations of Madison Square Garden in 1968 attracted more crowds, and attendance increased by 25% more than the previous seasons. This increased fan following also gave the team a monetary advantage as revenues generated from ticket sales rose to 30%, allowing the Knicks to offer higher salaries to players and attract top-talent players.
First Victory: 1970
One of the first NBA Championships for the New York Knicks occurred in 1970, which was a defining moment in the history of this team. It also happened to be one of the most memorable seasons for the league. It was all led by the influence of Willis Reed , who delivered both on-court excellence and inspirational moments that galvanized his teammates. Throughout the 1969-70 season, Reed’s stat line read at 21.7 points and 13.9 rebounds per game, and this performance earned him the NBA MVP award , setting the tone for an all-powerful Knicks team. The New York Knicks had a magnificent close to the regular season with an impressive 60-22 record , which marked the best the team had ever done at the close of the season. The franchise enjoyed a 73% winning percentage, a factor that was very difficult to achieve considering the Knicks had never recorded more than a .600 win rate in previous seasons.
Among all factors that contributed to the success of the team that season, the Knicks had the best defense in the league. Under head coach Red Holzman , the team averaged an incredibly stingy 105.9 points per game allowed—a full nine points below the league average. . To complement that intensity on defense, the Knicks also featured a very up-tempo, ball-moving offense built around teamwork and clever passing. Five Knicks averaged double figures in scoring, led by Walt Frazier with 20.9 points per game, along with 8.2 assists and 6.0 rebounds. A great advantage was their balanced scoring , which teams could not concentrate on either or two great scorers but had several that needed to be respected. This team-oriented mindset was not only what helped distinguish the Knicks from competition, but it also gave the team one of its more cohesive units in all of NBA history.
The series will always be remembered, though, for the heroics of Willis Reed in Game 7 of the 1970 finals against the Los Angeles Lakers . Having injured his thigh in Game 5, Reed’s status was uncertain, and he missed Game 6, which allowed the Lakers to tie the series at 3-3. However, in a legendary display of resilience , Reed hobbled onto the court for Game 7, scoring the first two baskets for the Knicks despite his injury. In the game, he managed only 4 points; however, his presence was electrifying to his teammates and to everyone in Madison Square Garden. Walt Frazier opened Game 7 with 36 points and 19 assists as the Knicks trounced the Lakers to secure their first-ever NBA Championship . A short but glorious Game 7 performance, Reed’s is often counted among the greatest sports moments of all time, cementing him into New York Knickerbockers lore .
Second Title: 1973
The New York Knicks’ second NBA Championship in 1973 established them as a power in the early 1970s and as an experienced, disciplined team that played off previous wins. After the regular season, which they finished at 57-25, they earned the second seeding in the Eastern Conference and held a 69.5% winning percentage. In this respect, one could see how such a record could be obtained from strategic acquisition , sound defense , and great playmaking. This would prove to be a roster significantly different from the one in 1973. The Knicks balanced experienced veterans and dynamic talent throughout their team. One newcomer was Earl Monroe , who scored 15.5 points during that season, making him a scoring threat with a wide variety of styles that proved to go perfectly with Walt Frazier on the backcourt . Frazier, with 21.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game, was the mastermind behind orchestrating both offense and defense, and he led the Knicks in almost every category.
The road to the 1973 title for the Knicks was through a grueling playoff run that tested their endurance and strategic depth. They fought with the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals , the quintessential scrappy physical team which scores at will. New York Knicks took the tight seven-game series and, more importantly, defended the home court with great intensity in defense, keeping the Boston Celtics under their season average of 107 points a game to just 103. This defensive discipline proved to be the decisive element against the Celtics , especially in Game 7. As the Knicks’ defense proved more stifling than before in limiting the Celtics to 94 points, Learn more about basketball positions like SG , New York would advance to the NBA Finals. The Knicks ‘ playoff defensive rating of 98.8 highlighted their strategy of suppressing high-octane offenses, which made it one of the lowest defensive ratings recorded by an NBA team in playoff history up to that time.
It faced the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1973 NBA Finals , just as it had to one year earlier, when the Lakers had prevailed. This time around, the Knicks did not let the Lakers play their game, and this time they emerged victorious by taking the five-game series 4-1. For a second consecutive time, the Knicks’ defence ruled the day and saw the Lakers limited to a mere 93.3 points throughout the five-game Finals , which was about 15 points less than what the Lakers normally had averaged per game in the regular season of 108. Finals MVP Willis Reed once again set the example for his teammates by scoring 16.4 points and rebounding 9.2 per game while fighting injuries that had haunted him all season. Leadership and tenacity provided the Knicks with the needed margin to win and regain their championship status, having been defeated the previous year.
Star Players Then
Where it all came together for the Knicks in the early years of the 1970s was a solid, exciting core of players who scored the victories and laid the groundwork for both championships. The Knicks’ legendary center, Willis Reed , played the entire period. He would always be remembered for his tenacity and leadership ; he averaged 18.7 points and 12.9 rebounds per game for his career. He was outstanding in the 1969-70 season with 21.7 points and 13.9 rebounds per game, topping both categories. One of the most dramatic moments by Reed was that in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals where, limping on his injured thigh muscle, he kept inspiring his team to win the game. MVP awards from the regular season and the Finals that year spoke to his importance for the team and solidified him as a Knicks legend. Reed was an anchor on both defense and offense in the paint, making him a focal point in the championship formula of the Knicks.
Walt “Clyde” Frazier became one of the league’s most versatile and stylish guards , known for his defensive strong suit and clutchness . Frazier averaged 18.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game in a storied career where he was famous for quick hands and smooth playmaking . Frazier’s exploits, including the famous game in the 1970 NBA Finals Game 7, are above description where Frazier played a memorable game with 36 points, 19 assists, and 7 rebounds. The other great aspect of his game was on defense. He had a career average of 2.0 steals a game, often taking away the top scorer of the other team. Frazier was very important to the Knicks and what made him so popular—a man whose style on and off the court was flashy—and really helped make the Knicks brand. His efforts in both championship runs were well appreciated by the fans and forever stamped him as one of the best that the team had ever seen.
Dave DeBusschere was also an important piece, a rugged man who played power forward at 6’6″, all embracing tenacious rebounding and rough defense, perfect for the Knicks’ stalwart defense-oriented style. He averaged 16.0 points and 10.7 rebounds during a game his time with the Knicks, shooting 44.1% from the field. Now DeBusschere’s contribution went far beyond scoring; his defense often took games out of opponents’ hands. He helped shut down some of the era’s most dominant forwards, helping the Knicks keep opponents under 100 points a game in their championship seasons . He contributed to having an excellent interior defense through work on the boards and coordination with teammates, such as Willis Reed . His role in the Knicks became a primary factor in their success during the championship season of 1973 with scores of 16.3 points and 10.2 rebounds.
Near Wins Since
The New York Knicks have been very close to winning the NBA title since their last championship in 1973. In fact, the closest they were in the last century was in the 1990s. One of their seasons that were the strongest was 1993-94, when they closed the season with an impressive 57-25 record and earned the number one seeding in the Eastern Conference. This year was Patrick Ewing’s season , with averages of 24.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game to establish himself in the league as arguably one of the league’s best centers. Anchored by Ewing and a scrappy, stay-at-home roster, the Knicks went on to the NBA Finals, where they faced the Houston Rockets . A competitive series that went all seven games, the Knicks were on the wrong end of things as Game 7 ended in a defeat by an 84-90 count. Ewing had his best playoff stretch outside of the championship finals themselves, as he was instrumental in New York’s Game 5 victory, scoring 25 points with 12 rebounds, but he could not match the defense of Houston’s Hakeem Olajuwon in the championship series.
Another squeaker happened in the 1998-99 season, an abbreviated season due to a work stoppage, in which, as a forecasted eighth seed with a 27-23 record , the Knicks somehow stunned everyone by making it all the way to the NBA Finals. Assisting in this was done by Latrell Sprewell , who averaged 20.4 points during the playoffs , and Allan Houston , who averaged 18.5. The The Knicks made the cut against higher-seeded teams such as the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers . Building on that momentum, the Knicks also became the first eighth-seeded team in NBA history to advance to the finals against the San Antonio Spurs . They continued their trend of troubling their teams when facing the Spurs’ twin towers, Learn more about basketball rim heights , Tim Duncan and David Robinson , who controlled the paint . They were able to win the series in five games (4-1), but the improbable journey of the Knicks to the Finals captured the hearts of fans and deservedly cemented the spirit of that roster, all the more so since they played without injured center Patrick Ewing in the Finals.
It was in that 2012-13 season that Carmelo Anthony -led Knicks made another peep into potential championship for their club. He won the scoring title that year with an average of 28.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. New York ended the season with a record of 54-28, claiming the second seed from the Eastern Conference, its best record since the 1996-97 season. They would win a first-round playoff series by defeating the Boston Celtics . That marked their first series win in over a decade. Anthony continued to score big in the playoffs, averaging 28.8 ppg in their first-round series. The Knicks, however, would fall to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals , losing the series 4-2. Despite how quickly the team exceeded fan expectations and went out too soon, it still marked a comeback season for the franchise, and Anthony’s game was most prominently heralded to revive New York basketball .
Challenges After 1973
After gaining their second NBA title in 1973, the New York Knicks had to spend decades enduring struggles that would prevent the team from again rising to the top of the league. The team did little to maintain such effectiveness well into the late 1970s due to roster flux and injuries to its best players. The winning seasons following their championship years quickly faded away. After compiling a 38-44 record during the 1975-76 season, the Knicks suffered their first losing season since 1966. Willis Reed retired in 1974, and Walt Frazier left in 1977, when the team traded him to the Cleveland Cavaliers . The team failed to find a pure star player , and this slightly derailed the performance of the Knicks, and the franchise missed winning records for several years consecutively.
The 80s proved to be quite challenging as the Knicks experienced some success with coaching changes and some draft failures that ensured the lack of enough time in building and establishing the team. Between the years 1980 and 1988, the Knicks went through a cycle of six different head coaches . It reflected not very well in terms of consistency and strategy. The greatest disappointment was perhaps when the 1985 NBA Draft Lottery landed the Knicks Patrick Ewing as the number one overall pick . Though Ewing became the backbone of the franchise and averaged 22.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game throughout his career with New York, the team was unable to build a championship-caliber roster around him. And though the Knicks’ playoff runs often ended before making it far in the postseason under Ewing’s reign, his level of dominance was never enough to win them a title. During the 1988-1992 period of his prime, the Knicks were in the playoffs every season and lost in the first or second round, failing to have a realistic shot against more balanced teams.
The 1990s saw small steps with the arriving head coach Pat Riley and placed an emphasis on defensive intensity to match the physical play of the time. Under Riley, the Knicks became most noted for their hard-nosed defense and had a winning percentage over .600 for four straight years, with 55-27 records both in the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons. Even with their defense , though, the Knicks could not close out the NBA championship twice in the NBA Finals. In 1994, they suffered another brutal seven-game series loss to the Houston Rockets . In 1999, they once again reached the Finals but were defeated in five games by the San Antonio Spurs with head coach Jeff Van Gundy . These near-misses have hurt the franchise on several levels, particularly considering that the losses came at a time when the Knicks had a team built to compete effectively with any squad within the league. Both Finals defeats reflected that the team failed to create the kind of offense to stay with the The nation’s best, averaging just 86.4 points per game in last year’s Finals against San Antonio.
Future Hopes
Ahead, the foundation in place is slated to reveal a brighter future for a return to competitive prominence with the New York Knicks . The after-effect of recent success in the 2020-21 season, namely, when a 41-31 record and fourth seed in the Eastern Conference made possible playoff pushes, will be utilized. It can be said that the successful season mainly was thanks to Julius Randle . He had an average game of 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 6.0 assists. He received his first All-Star nod and All-NBA Second Team honors. It was a breakout season , with him being in the center of attention, and, so far, in scoring , rebounding , and even in Facilitating offense , he is central to the future of the Knicks. With Randle now a franchise cornerstone , the Knicks’ hope is they’ll be able to build a complementary roster around his skill set and make those deeper playoff runs .
Of course, apart from Randle is the Knicks’ third overall pick from the 2019 NBA Draft , RJ Barrett . It is also showing steady growth and needs to be one of the elite performers in the league. With an average 19.6 points and 5.0 rebounds a night, Barrett adds in 2.8 assists a game to that effort, with some good progression on both sides of the board and on scoring and efficiency . Three-point percentages have been increasing steadily, from 32.0% as a rookie to 34.8% in his third season. Barrett provides the Knicks with a youthful reliable scorer and the building blocks of a secondary or tertiary scoring option on a more legitimate contender . There is nothing wrong with that for a 23-year -old. Barrett’s trajectory lines up with everything the Knicks have hoped for, to put together a roster that could contend for extended years. The team is looking for continued growth from Barrett, adding much-needed, consistent offensive depth that complements Randle and gives the Knicks a dynamic scoring duo .
New talent The Knicks have spent heavily on young talent . Among the key signings is Jalen Brunson , whom they signed for four years at $104 million in 2022. Brunson surpassed all expectations and achieved career-high marks in points per game during his first season with the Knicks. He brings much-needed stability and playmaking at the backcourt , something the Knicks have missed for an eternity. Brunson’s leadership and clutch give the Knicks a seasoned guard who can distribute as much as he scores , which would take some pressure off of Randle and Barrett. The Knicks feel that Brunson is crucial for their own playoff future . Brunson is only 27, so he has some more quality years to provide for the Knicks. He has given the Knicks a better offensive rating of 117.0 in the 2022-23 season, a far cry from years gone by.
