5 Lesser Known Facts about the New York Knicks
New York, New York
I want to wake up in a city, that doesn't sleep, and find the king of the hill on top of the list, a number one
There has always been something magical about this song by Frank Sinatra, in fact, it's probably one of the best songs ever dedicated to a city. When we think of New York, something’s immediately come to our mind, Manhattan Island, Statue of Liberty, Times Square, the hustle and bustle of the city and of course Madison Square Garden, the home of the New York Knicks.
The Knickerbockers or the New York Knicks as they are fondly known have been one of the iconic teams of the NBA and have perennially represented the fans and the city in the true spirit. The Knicks franchise over the years has become one of the most valuable franchises in the NBA, valued in 2018 at 3.6 Billion Dollars, almost double the league average.
The Knickerbocker’s
The Knicks actually stands for the Knickerbockers a type of pants which ends just around the knee, originally worn by the Dutch Settlers. It’s also the pseudonym of the writer Washington Irving, who wrote many classic short stories such as Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, but also wrote a book “A history of New York “under the name Knickerbocker.
Team owner Ned Irish decided to call the team the Knickerbockers supposedly after pulling out the name from a hat. The Knicks are one of the oldest and founding member teams of the BAA and NBA and one of two teams that have never moved cities, the other being Boston.
Championship DNA
The Knicks have reached the finals 8 times in its history and have won twice. It has had two glorious runs in its history, the 1st from the late 60's to the mid-70's when they were coached by Red Holzman. They won two rings in 1970 and 1973 both against arch West Coast Rivals – Los Angeles Lakers. The 2nd run they had been from end 80's to the early 2000’s, under Pat Riley and Jeff Van Gundy.
In those years, the Knicks came to the finals twice amidst excellent eastern conference runs and also run-in’s against the Michael Jordan led Bulls, & Reggie Miller led Pacers, however both the finals outings ended in defeat against the Rockets and Spurs respectively.