New York Knicks: In celebration of the first Championship
By Teresa Powe
Rolling up wins in the regular season
All the pieces were assembled. Red Holzman had everything he wanted and needed to win. The fall of 1969 was the time to see if he was right.
The New York Knicks started their season 23-1. At one point, they won 18 straight, with the18th game a thrilling come from behind victory against the Cincinnati Royals and the legendary “Big O” Oscar Robertson.
The fans were as integral a part of this team as their coaches were. We knew the plays. The pick and rolls with Bradley and Frazier. The unstoppable fall away from Barnett. Finally, the tenacious defense of DeBusschere and Reed.
Red’s team finished the regular season with a phenomenal 60-22 record. That was the best by any New York Knicks team up to that point. There were some questions, however. The team was almost as cold at the end end of the regular season as was hot at its start. They lost seven of ten to end the season including the final four in a row.
New York still won the Eastern Conference by four games over second-place Milwaukee. Even with their late-season swoon, expectations were high. Knicks fans were ready for the City’s third championship in almost seven months and another parade through the Canyon of Heroes in Lower Manhattan.