The team, established byNed Irishin 1946, was one of the founding members of theBasketball Association of America(BAA), which became the NBAafter mergingwith the rivalNational Basketball League(NBL) in 1949. The Knicks were successful during their early years and were constant playoff contenders under the franchise's first head coachJoe Lapchick. Beginning in 1950, the Knicks made three consecutive appearances in theNBA Finals, all of which were losing efforts. Lapchick resigned in 1956 and the team subsequently began to falter.
It was not until the late 1960s whenRed Holzmanbecame the head coach that the Knicks began to regain their former dominance. Holzman successfully guided the Knicks to two NBA championships, in1970and1973. The Knicks of the 1980s had mixed success that included six playoff appearances; however, they failed to participate in the NBA Finals.
The playoff-level Knicks of the 1990s were led by future Hall of Fame centerPatrick Ewing; this era was marked by passionate rivalries with theChicago Bulls,Indiana Pacers, andMiami Heat. During this time, they were known for playing tough defense under head coachesPat RileyandJeff Van Gundy, making NBA Finals appearances in1994and1999. However, they were unable to win an NBA championship during this era.
Since 2000, the Knicks have struggled to regain their former successes, but won their first division title in 19 years in2012–13, led by a core offorwardsCarmelo AnthonyandAmar'e Stoudemire. They were eventually eliminated in the Eastern Conference semifinals by theIndiana Pacers, and had failed to make the playoffs for eight years until2020–21when they were led by forwardJulius Randleand sophomoreRJ Barrett, who was selected third overall in the2019 NBA draft.
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