2005 New York Knicks

The New York Knickerbockers have come far since their championship days, and no one is happy about the direction they've taken. Finishing last in their division in 2004-05, the Knicks have had to swallow their considerable pride this season. Their #1 draft pick, center Channing Frye, may well help the Knicks out of the cellar this year, so be sure to get your tickets while you can.

The word "knickerbockers" comes from the Dutch term referring to the style of pants, rolled up just below the knee, that immigrants became so noticeable for in New York City. The name became so synonymous with the city that in 1946, when New York joined with nine other teams to form the Basketball Association of America, the predecessor to the NBA, the city adopted the term as the team name.

In 1949, the BAA merged with the National Basketball League to form the NBA as we know it today. The New York Knicks were in the league's Eastern Conference. In 1950, despite finishing only third in the East, the Knicks ran through the playoffs and met the Rochester Royals in the NBA Finals. The series went to a decisive game seven and the score was tied at 75 with just 40 seconds to play. This was in the pre-shot clock era, so Rochester held the ball and scored as time expired to win the title. Perhaps more important to the Knicks' run to the finals was the fact that the Knicks opened the door to one of the first blacks in the league, Nathaniel "Sweetwater" Clifton. Clifton, as well as several other black players in the league, helped pave the way for what is today one of the most racially diverse leagues in all of professional sports.

The New York Knicks hold an intense cross-coastal rivalry with the Los Angeles Lakers. The modern personification of the rivalry seems to be the incessant jawing of Spike Lee and Jack Nicholson, court-side fixtures at Knicks and Lakers games respectively. The rivalry, however, stems all the way back to the 1950s when the Lakers called Minneapolis home. The Knicks went to the finals three consecutive times in the 1950s, twice being defeated by the Lakers, thus the inception of one of the greatest rivalries in all of basketball.

The Knicks call New York, New York's Madison Square Garden home. The Garden is known as one of the most historic venues in all of sports. It was at the Garden that one of the great teams in basketball history, led by Hall of Famers Walt Frazier, Willis Reed, Dave DeBusschere, Earl Monroe, and Bill Bradley, won two NBA championships in the 1970s. It was at the Garden where Patrick Ewing returned the Knicks to their place among the NBA's elite in the 1990s, leading them to NBA finals twice. Tickets are tough to find in New York. The Knicks enjoyed a period with 433 consecutive sell-outs.

Herb Williams is now at the helm of the Knicks. With Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas in the front office and Williams on the sideline, the Knicks have great veterans to guide them in their rebuilding process. In 2003, the Knicks brought Stephon Marbury in to join the team. Marbury hails from Brooklyn, so his arrival in a Knicks uniform was a nice homecoming for his New York fans. Marbury averages over twenty points and eight assists during his career. He is consistently among the league's leaders in scoring, assists, and steals. Allan Houston is another great scoring threat for the Knicks. Also averaging nearly twenty points per game for his career, the Knicks hope that the combination of Marbury and Houston will bring the Knicks back to the top.

New York is also home of baseball's Yankees and Mets. Playing at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees are among the most historic teams in all of sports history. The Mets play at Shea Stadium. New York is also home to football's Jets and Giants. Though they both play in New Jersey's Giants Stadium, the teams still call New York home. The NHL shares a place in New York also, with the Rangers playing at Madison Square Garden and the Islanders playing at Nassau Coliseum.