New York Knicks

  New York Knicks

New York Knicks is one of the biggest franchise in sports and have always been a big market team, even though they only have 2 championships in history. Their arena, the Madison Square Garden being one of the most well-known arenas in sports. Going way back in their history, the Knicks began to roll in the ‘50s and were always a playoff team, lead by their first head coach, Joe Lapchick. They played three NBA Finals in those early years, but they couldn’t manage to win any of those. After the coach retired, they went through some harsh times, regaining the control again only in the late ‘60s, a period that marked their success as a franchise, as they won their only two NBA championships back then. Walt Frazier, a future Hall of Famer, was running the point then, forming a very strong duo alongside Willis Reed, another Knicks legend. Phil Jackson was also on that championship roster, but it’s safe to say that his coaching abilities were a lot better than his playing ones. Coming into the ‘80s, they’ve slowed it down a little, and even if they reached the playoffs numerous times, they didn’t make another Final. Patrick Ewing, another future Hall of Famer, came to play for them in the ‘90s and was seen as a hope for the Knicks franchise. During his 14 years spent there, he was a 11 time All Star, averaging a double-double with 20+ points while being a very good defender. The Knickerbockers were known for very good defense and clearly he was one of the main reasons for that. They managed to play two Finals in that period, in 1994 and 1999 while being coached by Pat Riley, but unfortunately for them, they lost in every one of them. After he left New York, the franchise had some big struggles in finding their identity in the 21^st century, only winning a Division title in 2012-13. Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire were running the offense then, but even if they had the potential, they played the Eastern Conference semifinals only once, and lost it against the Indiana Pacers. That marked the highest peak of Anthony’s career as a Knickerbocker, so it can be said that they were a big disappointment throughout these years.