New York Knicks in the UAE

The New York Knickerbockers, commonly known as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in Manhattan, New York City. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), playing in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at Madison Square Garden, which is also used by the New York Rangers of the NHL. New York City is home to another NBA team, the Brooklyn Nets. Along with the Boston Celtics, the Knicks are one of two original NBA teams not to have left their home city.

The team's history began in 1946, when Ned Irish founded it as part of the Basketball Association of America (BAA). After merging with the National Basketball League (NBL) in 1949, the NBA was formed. In their early years under coach Joe Lapchick, the Knicks were consistent playoff contenders and reached three straight NBA Finals in the early 1950s, though they failed to win the title. After Lapchick left in 1956, the team began to decline.

A revival came in the late 1960s with the arrival of Red Holzman as head coach. Under his guidance, the team won NBA championships in 1970 and 1973. The 1980s were less successful, with six playoff appearances but no Finals.

The Knicks regained their competitive edge in the 1990s, thanks to future Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing, during which they had intense rivalries with the Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, and Miami Heat. Under coaches Pat Riley and Jeff Van Gundy, the Knicks were known for their tough defense and reached the NBA Finals twice, in 1994 and 1999, but never won a title.

Since the early 2000s, the Knicks have struggled to recapture their former glory. In 2012–13, they won their first division title in nearly two decades, thanks to the efforts of Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire, but lost to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

After an eight-year absence from the playoffs, things began to improve in 2020–21 under the leadership of Julius Randle and RJ Barrett, the third overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft.