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1946-49: The Original BAA
The Knicks and 10 other franchises had their beginnings on June 6, 1946, at the Hotel Commodore in New York City. A group of arena operators met to discuss the formation of the Basketball Association of America, the forerunner of the NBA. The original teams were divided into two divisions. The East consisted of the New York Knickerbockers, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia Warriors, Providence Steamrollers, Washington Capitols, and Toronto Huskies. The West was composed of the Pittsburgh Ironmen, Chicago Stags, Detroit Falcons, St. Louis Bombers, and Cleveland Rebels.
On November 1, 1946, the Knicks played the first game in the new league's history, beating the Huskies, 68-66, in Toronto. Neil Cohalan was coach, and the starting lineup consisted of Ossie Schectman, Stan Stutz, Jake Weber, Ralph Kaplowitz, and Leo "Ace" Gottlieb, who was New York's high scorer with 12 points.
Madison Square Garden had a crowded schedule of hockey and college basketball games for the BAA's inaugural season, so New York played most of its home games at the 69th Regiment Armory. The Knicks got off to a 10-2 start in November, which would remain one of the best months in franchise history. In their debut season they posted a 33-27 record.
Future Hall of Famer Joe Lapchick replaced Cohalan as coach for the franchise's second season, and he led the Knicks to the second of nine consecutive playoff appearances. From his first season at the helm the club showed steady progress, improving from 26 wins to 32 and then 40 in successive campaigns.
1949-51: Knicks Reach First NBA Finals
Prior to the 1949-50 season the BAA merged with the National Basketball League to form the National Basketball Association. The BAA took in six teams from the NBL, bringing its total to 17, and went to a three-division format. New York remained in the Eastern Division.
The Knicks reached their first NBA Finals in 1950-51 despite backsliding to a 36-30 record and a third-place finish in the East. The season also brought more opportunities in the sport for minorities; New York had opened the door to one of the first African-American players in the league, 6-7 Nathaniel "Sweetwater" Clifton.
In the playoffs New York got tough and dumped Boston and the Syracuse Nationals in the early rounds. Then the Knicks met the Rochester Royals in the Finals. Rochester won the first three games; New York stormed back to take the next three. The decisive game was a pitched battle. The score was tied at 75 apiece with 40 seconds left when Rochester's Bob Davies made two foul shots. The rules called for a jump ball after a successful free throw in the final three minutes of a game; the Royals controlled the tip, held the ball, and scored at the buzzer for a 79-75 victory.
1951: New York's First Superstars
Although military service caused him to miss the 1951 run at the crown, the Knicks' star in the early days was Carl Braun, a deft 6-5 shooter who averaged 13.5 points in a career that spanned 13 seasons. As a first-year player in 1947-48 he scored 47 points against Providence, a team rookie record that still stands 47 years later. Braun retired as the Knicks' career scoring leader with 10,449 points, although he was later surpassed by Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, and Patrick Ewing.
Braun, rebounder Harry "the Horse" Gallatin, and 6-foot playmaker Dick McGuire were perennial All-Stars for the Knicks in the mid-1950s. Gallatin and McGuire were eventually enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Gallatin was a ferocious 6-6, 215-pound rebounder who collected 5,935 boards and played in a club-record 610 consecutive games. He led the NBA in rebounding in 1953-54, when he pulled down 1,098 boards for an average of 15.3 rebounds. That same season, in a game against the Fort Wayne Pistons, Gallatin set a franchise record (tied by Reed in 1971) by collecting 33 rebounds. His prowess on the boards earned him All-NBA First Team honors.
McGuire enjoyed eight standout years with New York. He led the team in assists for six consecutive seasons, from 1950-51 through 1955-56, and scored 8.0 points per game as a Knick. He was a five-time All-Star and was named to the All-NBA Second Team in 1950-51. After his playing days McGuire remained affiliated with the franchise as a head coach, assistant coach, chief scout, and director of scouting services. The Knicks retired his uniform No. 15 in 1992, and the following year he was elected to the Hall of Fame.
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1951-53: Those Darn Lakers
New York made three consecutive trips to the NBA Finals in the early 1950s. After being defeated by Rochester in their first grab for the ring in 1951, the Knicks went 37-29 in 1951-52 and played the Minneapolis Lakers for the title. The teams split the first six games, but the Lakers, hosting Game 7, rolled over New York for the crown.
The 1952-53 Knicks had a stellar season, going 47-23. They got off to a blazing start but cooled off toward the end of the year when various injuries dogged the lineup. In a rematch of the previous year's Finals, they lost to the Minneapolis Lakers and George Mikan in five games.
All-Time Records
Season W L %
2002-03 37 45 .451
2001-02 30 52 .366
2000-01 48 34 .585
1999-00 50 32 .610
1998-99 27 23 .540
1997-98 43 39 .524
1996-97 57 25 .695
1995-96 47 35 .573
1994-95 55 27 .671
1993-94 57 25 .695
1992-93 60 22 .732
1991-92 51 31 .622
1990-91 39 43 .476
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