NBA

The New York Knicks are an American professional basketball team based in the borough of Manhattan, New York. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at Madison Square Garden, an arena they share with the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). They are one of two NBA teams located in New York City; the other is the Brooklyn Nets. Along with the Boston Celtics, the Knicks are one of the two original NBA teams still located in their original city.

The team, founded by Ned Irish in 1946, was one of the founding members of the Basketball Association of America (BAA), which became the NBA after merging with the rival National Basketball League (NBL) in 1949. The Knicks were successful during their early years as playoff contenders under the franchise's first coach, Joe Lapchick. Beginning in 1950, the New York Knicks reached three consecutive NBA Finals, all of which they lost. Lapchick resigned in 1956 and the team began to decline in performance.

It wasn't until the late 1960s when Red Holzman became head coach that the New York Knicks began to regain their dominance of earlier years. Holzman successfully guided the Knicks to two NBA championships, in 1970 and 1973. The Knicks of the 1980s had mixed success that included six NBA playoff appearances; however, they were unable to reach the NBA Finals.

The playoff-level New York Knicks of the 1990s were led by future Hall of Fame center Patrick Ewing; this era was marked by passionate rivalries with the Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat. During this time, they were known for playing tough defense under head coaches Pat Riley and Jeff Van Gundy, making two NBA Finals appearances, in 1994 and 1999. However, they were unable to win an NBA championship during this era.

Beginning in 2000, the New York Knicks have struggled to regain their former glory, but won their first division title in 19 years until the 2012-2013 season, led by the core of forwards Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire. They were eventually eliminated in the Eastern Conference semifinals by the Indiana Pacers, and have failed to make the playoffs since.