From the Knickerbockers of New York to the New York Knicks

The New York Knicks was also called the New York Knickerbockers in the past in honor of one of the great symbols of New York, Father Knickerbocker. The word "Knicks" in the name New York Knicks is a shortened term for the word Knickerbocker and has been the name the team officially used since 1946. The New York Knicks is also historically one of the remaining two NBA franchises that still play out of their original cities.

The New York Knicks has had a few ups and downs like all NBA teams and has had their share of glory with the two NBA Championship Titles they won in the past. These two NBA Championship titles that the team won were for the championship years of 1970 and 1973. They were a constant fixture of the playoffs however, during their earlier years, particularly during the 1950s. The New York Knicks gained a lot of respect from their peers as well as from their fans for their gallant gameplay and for their valiant efforts, yet the title they hankered to have remained elusively out of reach until they won in 1970 against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The years preceding their first NBA championship were considered some of the leanest years for the New York Knicks with a sad last place finish in the standings from 1960 to 1966. The team's luck started to turn in 1967 when they finally made it to the playoffs that season. This trend continued with another playoff slot in 1968 and finally a Division, Conference and NBA Championship title in the 1969-1970 Season. The next time the New York Knicks was to repeat such a spectacular feat, minus the winning of the Division Title, was in 1973 when the team won the Eastern Conference and NBA Championship titles.