1968 NBA Eastern Conference Finals Game 6 vs New York Knicks

Lore & Background

The Knicks were established in 1946 by Ned Irish and were among the founding members of the BAA, which merged with the NBL in 1949 to form the NBA. Under first head coach Joe Lapchick, they reached three consecutive NBA Finals between 1951 and 1953 but never won a championship. After Lapchick resigned in 1956, the franchise entered a prolonged decline. The Knicks returned to prominence in the late 1960s under Red Holzman, winning their first NBA championships in 1970 and 1973. In the 1990s, led by Patrick Ewing and a defense-oriented style under Pat Riley and Jeff Van Gundy, they reached the NBA Finals in 1994 and 1999 but did not win. After signing Jalen Brunson in 2022 and acquiring Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Karl-Anthony Towns between 2023 and 2024, the Knicks won the NBA championship in 2026, ending a 53-year drought.

In Their Own Story

Inside the cavernous Boston Garden, the air hung heavy with cigarette smoke and floor wax, charged by the terrifying possibility that a decade of dominance was about to shatter. The game wasn't played; it was fought in the mud of the paint. Whistles shrieked like gunshots as bodies collided under the basket, turning every possession into a bruising war of attrition. Bill Russell, his face etched with exhaustion yet eyes burning with fierce clarity, secured another critical rebound—not for glory, but to buy his team one more second of life. The crowd's roar was a singular, desperate wail of hope as the clock ticked down on an era that refused to end. Through the chaos, Red Auerbach’s voice cut through the din, calm and commanding, urging his battered veterans forward for one final stand.

Reader's Guide

The Knicks' early years included their first game on November 1, 1946, against the Toronto Huskies, which they won 68–66. They finished their inaugural season 33–27 and reached the playoffs. Under Lapchick, they made nine straight playoff appearances starting in 1947. In 1948, they drafted Dolph Schayes and Harry Gallatin, but Schayes left to play for the Syracuse Nationals. In 1949–50, the BAA merged with the NBL to form the NBA. The Knicks signed Nathaniel Clifton, the first African American player in professional basketball. They reached the NBA Finals in 1951, 1952, and 1953, losing each time.

Did You Know?

• The Knicks were named after the pseudonym used by Washington Irving in A History of New York.
• The Knicks' first head coach was Neil Cohalan, serving as interim coach for the 1946–47 season.
• Wataru Misaka, signed in 1947, was the first non-Caucasian player in the BAA.
• The Knicks won their first NBA championship in 1970 under Red Holzman.