The Knicks now boast three championship teams in their history, three forever squads anchored by legendary players who delivered unforgettable memories.
Here’s a closer look at each title-winning team:
1969-70
The coach: Red Holzman
The regular-season record: 60-22
The playoff record: 12-7 (4-3 vs. Bullets in Eastern Division semifinals, 4-1 vs. Bucks in Eastern Division finals, 4-3 vs. Lakers in NBA Finals)
The playoff stats: Willis Reed was a double-double machine, averaging 23.7 points and 13.8 rebounds. He had plenty of help at both ends from Dave DeBusschere (16.1 ppg and 11.6 rpg). Clyde Frazier was swishin’ and dishin’ his way to 16 points and 8.2 assists per game, while hitting the glass for 7.8 rebounds.
The memories: The most famous moment in Knicks history is the sight of Reed limping out of the tunnel before Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Teammates left the locker room not knowing if the league’s MVP would play after missing Game 6 with a torn thigh muscle.
Reed scored the first two baskets of the game – his only four points – but an inspired Frazier authored a Game 7 masterpiece with 36 points, 19 assists, seven rebounds and five steals.
To get to the Finals – where they overcame Jerry West’s game-tying 60-foot buzzer-beater in Game 2 – the Knicks first outlasted the rival Bullets in Game 7 behind 28 points apiece from DeBusschere and Dick Barnett, then took out the Bucks, led by rookie center Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar).
The team’s 18-game regular-season winning streak remains a franchise record.
1972-73
The coach: Red Holzman
The regular-season record: 57-25
The playoff record: 12-5 (4-1 vs. Bullets in Eastern Conference semifinals, 4-3 vs. Celtics in Eastern Conference finals, 4-1 vs. Lakers in NBA Finals)
The playoff stats: Frazier was unstoppable with the ball in his hands, leading the Knicks in scoring (21.9 points per game) and assists (6.2) while logging 45 minutes per night. His backcourt mate was an old rival: Earl Monroe chipped in 16.1 points and 3.2 assists per game. The bigs weren’t quite as potent as they were three years earlier, but DeBusschere (10.5 rpg) and Reed (7.6 rpg) still made their presence felt.
The memories: The Knicks became the first road team in NBA history to win a Game 7 at Boston Garden, clinching the Eastern Conference finals.
In Game 4 against the Lakers in the NBA Finals, the Knicks 13-point lead was trimmed to two in the final minute before DeBusschere grabbed an offensive rebound over Wilt Chamberlain, scored a putback and was fouled. DeBusschere’s signature game (33 points, 14 rebounds) in the 103-98 victory restored command of the series.
The 1973 Knicks are the last NBA team to send all five starters to the Hall of Fame.
“The Lakers wanted us,” Reed said after winning his second NBA Finals MVP in four years. “They got us.”
2025-26
The coach: Mike Brown
The regular-season record: 53-29
The playoff record: 16-3 (4-2 vs. Hawks in Eastern Conference first round, 4-0 vs. 76ers in Eastern Conference semifinals, 4-0 vs. Cavs in Eastern Conference finals, 4-1 vs. Spurs in NBA Finals)
The playoff stats: Jalen Brunson (28.4 points per game) earned his “Captain Clutch” moniker in fourth quarters, and OG Anunoby also averaged 20.1 points per night. Karl-Anthony Towns controlled the boards, averaging 10.6 rebounds. Brunson (6.1 assists per game) and Towns (4.9) were the primary facilitators at different times.
The memories: What tops a 22-point comeback in the final eight minutes of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Cavs? How about a 29-point second-half comeback (20 in the fourth quarter) in Game 4 of the NBA Finals versus the Spurs, capped by Anunoby’s immortal go-ahead flying tip-in with 1.2 seconds remaining?
The Knicks not only tied the NBA record for second-longest playoff winning streak (13) but did so in unprecedented blowout fashion, with 11 victories by double-digit margins during the elimination of the Hawks, 76ers and Cavaliers. Their first three series close-out wins came by an average of 39.3 points before their 94-90 championship-winning clincher in Game 5 in San Antonio. In that one, a dazzling Brunson poured in 45 points on 14-for-27 shooting from the field.
