Willis Reed (left)and teammate Dave DeBusschere lead New York to the 1973 NBA title.
The New York Knicks have made the playoffs 46 times during their franchise history, winning two championships along the way. Let’s highlight both championship squads and the paths that they took to get there.
1970 NBA championship
The Knicks went 60-22 during the 1969-70 regular season, which is still tied for their best regular season record in franchise history. They were led by Willis Reed, who was named the NBA MVP after averaging 21.7 points and 13.9 rebounds during the campaign. Walt Frazier also had an excellent campaign, averaging 20.9 points, 6.0 rebounds and 8.2 assists. That helped him finish fourth in MVP voting. Reed, Frazier and Dave DeBusschere were all named All-Stars.
In the 1970 Eastern Division semifinals, the Knicks defeated the Baltimore Bullets in seven games. They then defeated the Bucks in the Eastern Division Finals in five games. The NBA Finals against the Lakers proved to be a back-and-forth battle in which neither team won consecutive games. In the end, the Knicks prevailed in seven games. Reed was named Finals MVP and averaged 23.7 points, 13.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists across 18 playoff games. Over 19 playoff games, Frazier averaged 16.0 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists.
1973 NBA championship
The Knicks lost in the Eastern Conference Finals in 1971, then in the NBA Finals in 1972 to the Lakers. In the 1972-73 season, they went 57-25 with Frazier leading the way. He averaged 21.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game. Reed appeared in 69 games but averaged just 11.0 points and 8.6 rebounds. What helped make up for Reed’s lack of scoring was that DeBusschere, Bill Bradley and Earl Monroe all averaged at least 15.5 points per game.
The Knicks faced the Bullets again in the Eastern Conference semifinals, with the Knicks winning in five games. They then defeated the Celtics in seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals. The NBA Finals brought another matchup with the Lakers. After losing to the Lakers the season prior, the Knicks won in five games to bring home their second championship. Despite the series only lasting five games, four of the games were decided by five or fewer points. The Lakers won Game 1, but the Knicks then won four straight.
Reed was named Finals MVP. After that, he played just 19 more regular season games in his career. Frazier was excellent in the playoffs, averaging 21.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 6.2 assists over 17 games. It was also a great run for DeBusschere, who averaged 15.6 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists over 17 games.
