The New York Knickerbockers, rating 2.14 (since 1946-47) New York, the self-styled Mecca of basketball. It is known for its fans and their knowledge of the game and their rowdiness. It is also known for its sometimes questionable decision making. For instance, they named their franchise after a pair of pants... not only that, but in the only sport of the four major American team sports where they don't actually wear pants in the game. For a self-proclaimed basketball Mecca, they actually have a losing record in the regular season, no thanks in part to its last decade of futility. But where the Knicks fall short in the regular season, they make up for it in the post-season. The Knicks never underachieve in the playoffs. If they are supposed to win, they will. In some cases they will even overachieve, holding the distinction of being the only franchise ever to take an eighth seeding, telling it where to shove it, and carrying it all the way to the NBA Finals. Playoff fever in New York has been an advantage for its players. Yet the Knicks have often had a hard time getting the right players, which is why they only have two titles. New York can point to three notable eras. The first one started with the founding of the old BAA and on into the NBA where New York put together winning teams almost annually from 1946-47 to 1958-59 under Harry Gallatin, Carl Braun, and Dick McGuire. They lost three NBA Finals during that period, but they were really never favored to win any. Their second era was their most successful, from 1968-69 to 1973-74, where they won both of their titles in three tries against the Lakers with Walt Frazier, Willis Reed, Dave DeBusschere, Dick Barnett, Bill Bradley, and later Earl "the Pearl" Monroe. Their third era under Patrick Ewing lasted from 1988-89 to 2000-01 with two unsuccessful Finals appearances against the state of Texas. One other thing about the Knicks in the playoffs; they always seem to play the same teams over and over again, so we'll take a look at their rivals in chronological order. Their once instate rivals, the Syracuse Nationals, were the first team to dare to see them repeatedly in the 50's. The Lakers split five Finals matchups between the 50's and the 70's. Then in the late 60's and early 70's came the Baltimore Bullets over six straight seasons and the Boston Celtics five times. Later in the 90's it was the Chicago Bulls six times in eight seasons and the Indiana Pacers another six times in eight seasons, and the Miami Heat four straight years at the turn of the millennium with all four going the distance. New York, your recent woes may finally be coming to an end. I think another long era of winning in New York is finally on the horizon. Now, on to the Knicks top 10%: New York's top is made up of players from every NBA decade of the 20th century, but the one that stands out the most is Patrick Ewing. Not far behind him are Walt Frazier and Willis Reed. While not the greatest of superstars, the Knicks do have plenty of hall of famers on their all-time roster. All-Knick Team C - Patrick Ewing F - Harry Gallatin F - Dave DeBusschere G - Walt Frazier G - Carl Braun B - Willis Reed B - Dick McGuire B - Dick Barnett Top 10% out of 389, (current players noted with asterisk - *) 1. 142.929 Patrick Ewing 1985-86 to 1999-00 2. 135.048 Walt Frazier 1967-68 to 1976-77 3. 126.211 Willis Reed 1964-65 to 1973-74 4. 99.444 Harry Gallatin 1948-49 to 1956-57 5. 93.195 Dave DeBusschere 1968-69 1973-74 6. 82.239 Carl Braun 1947-48 to 1949-50, 1952-53 to 1960-61 7. 76.378 Dick McGuire 1949-50 to 1956-57 8. 74.764 Dick Barnett 1965-66 to 1973-74 9. 72.754 Charles Oakley 1988-89 to 1997-98 10. 71.709 Bill Bradley 1967-68 to 1976-77 11. 70.633 Richie Guerin 1956-57 to 1963-64 12. 63.270 John Starks 1990-91 to 1997-98 13. 62.211 Earl Monroe 1971-72 to 1979-80 14. 59.622 Willie Naulls 1956-57 to 1962-63 15. 59.002 Allan Houston 1996-97 to 2004-05 16. 58.219 Mark Jackson 1987-88 to 1991-92, 2001-02 17. 58.005 Nathaniel Clifton 1950-51 to 1956-57 18. 54.679 Cazzie Russell 1966-67 to 1970-71 19. 54.595 Ernie Vandeweghe 1949-50 to 1953-54, 1955-56 20. 53.556 Phil Jackson 1967-68 to 1968-69, 1970-71 to 1977-78 21. 53.112 Walt Bellamy 1965-66 to 1968-69 22. 52.706 Michael Ray Richardson 1978-79 to 1981-82 23. 52.521 Johnny Green 1959-60 to 1965-66 24. 52.307 Charlie Ward 1994-95 to 2003-04 25. 51.948 Dave Stallworth 1965-66 to 1966-67, 1969-70 to 1971-72, 1974-75 26. 51.145 Bernard King 1982-83 to 1984-85, 1986-87 27. 51.003 Kenny Sears 1955-56 to 1960-61, 1962-63 28. 50.753 Gerald Wilkins 1985-86 to 1991-92 29. 49.864 Bill Cartwright 1979-80 to 1983-84, 1985-86 to 1987-88 30. 47.238 Ray Felix 1954-55 to 1959-60 31. 46.977 Ray Williams 1977-78 to 1980-81, 1983-84 32. 46.816 Anthony Mason 1991-92 to 1995-96 33. 45.987 Latrell Sprewell 1998-99 to 2002-03 34. 45.906 Trent Tucker 1982-83 to 1990-91 35. 44.973 Kurt Thomas 1998-99 to 2004-05 36. 43.727 Jerry Lucas 1971-72 to 1973-74 37. 42.569 David Lee 2005-06 to 2009-10 38. 40.969 Larry Johnson 1996-97 to 2000-01 39. 39.729 Stephon Marbury 2003-04 to 2007-08
