1969–70 New York Knicks season
The 1969–70 New York Knicks season was the 24th season of NBA basketball in New York City. The Knicks had a then single-season NBA record 18 straight victories en route to 60–22 record, which was the best regular season record in the team's history. They set the record for the best start in the first 24 games of a season at 23–1 before the Golden State Warriors surpassed it in 2015. After defeating the Bullets in the Eastern Division semifinals and the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Division finals, the Knicks defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games to capture their first NBA title.
NBA Draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | School/Club Team |
| 1 | 11 | John Warren | C | United States | St. John's |
| 2 | 26 | Bill Bunting | F/C | United States | North Carolina |
| 3 | 40 | Eddie Mast | G | United States | Temple |
| 4 | 54 | Elnardo Webster | United States | Saint Peter's College | |
| 5 | 68 | Gene Littles | United States | High Point | |
| 6 | 82 | Dwight Durante | United States | Catawba College | |
| 7 | 96 | Chris Thomforde | United States | Princeton | |
| 8 | 110 | Jim Healey | United States | Rockhurst | |
| 9 | 124 | Roger Walaszak | United States | Columbia | |
| 10 | 138 | Frank McLaughlin | United States | Fordham | |
| 11 | 152 | Marvin Lewis | United States | Long Island University, Southampton Campus | |
| 12 | 165 | Bill O'Rourke | United States | St. John Fisher College | |
| 13 | 177 | James Wyatt | United States | Northwestern State | |
| 14 | 186 | Rich Travis | United States | Oklahoma City |
Roster
Pre season
Game log
All times are EASTERN timeRegular season
Standings
Record vs. opponents
Game log
All times are EASTERN timePlayoffs
All times are EASTERN timePlayer statistics
Season
Opponents
vs. [1969–70 [Atlanta Hawks season|Atlanta]]
| Team | Games Played | Minutes Played | Field Goals | Free Throws | Rebounds | Assists | Points |
| Knicks | 6 | 293 | 282 | 130 | 694 | ||
| Hawks | 6 | 293 | 279 | 122 | 680 |
vs. [1969–70 [Baltimore Bullets season|Baltimore]]
| Team | Games Played | Minutes Played | Field Goals | Free Throws | Rebounds | Assists | Points |
| Knicks | 6 | 288 | 254 | 127 | 710 | ||
| Bullets | 6 | 288 | 236 | 135 | 607 |
vs. Boston">1969–70 Boston Celtics season">Boston
| Team | Games Played | Minutes Played | Field Goals | Free Throws | Rebounds | Assists | Points |
| Knicks | 7 | 341 | 302 | 180 | 784 | ||
| Celtics | 7 | 341 | 281 | 192 | 754 |
vs. Chicago">1969–70 Chicago Bulls season">Chicago
| Team | Games Played | Minutes Played | Field Goals | Free Throws | Rebounds | Assists | Points |
| Knicks | 6 | 288 | 292 | 113 | 697 | ||
| Bulls | 6 | 288 | 223 | 156 | 602 |
vs. [1969–70 [Cincinnati Royals season|Cincinnati]]
| Team | Games Played | Minutes Played | Field Goals | Free Throws | Rebounds | Assists | Points |
| Knicks | 7 | 336 | 313 | 163 | 789 | ||
| Royals | 7 | 336 | 271 | 171 | 713 |
vs. [1969–70 [Detroit Pistons season|Detroit]]
| Team | Games Played | Minutes Played | Field Goals | Free Throws | Rebounds | Assists | Points |
| Knicks | 7 | 336 | 317 | 162 | 796 | ||
| Pistons | 7 | 336 | 290 | 158 | 738 |
vs. Los Angeles">1969–70 Los Angeles Lakers season">Los Angeles
| Team | Games Played | Minutes Played | Field Goals | Free Throws | Rebounds | Assists | Points |
| Knicks | 6 | 288 | 254 | 127 | 635 | ||
| Lakers | 6 | 288 | 236 | 135 | 607 |
vs. Milwaukee">1969–70 Milwaukee Bucks season">Milwaukee
| Team | Games Played | Minutes Played | Field Goals | Free Throws | Rebounds | Assists | Points |
| Knicks | 6 | 288 | 277 | 100 | 654 | ||
| Bucks | 6 | 288 | 252 | 125 | 629 |
vs. [1969–70 [Philadelphia 76ers season|Philadelphia]]
| Team | Games Played | Minutes Played | Field Goals | Free Throws | Rebounds | Assists | Points |
| Knicks | 7 | 336 | 309 | 178 | 789 | ||
| 76ers | 7 | 336 | 294 | 163 | 751 |
vs. Phoenix">1969–70 Phoenix Suns season">Phoenix
| Team | Games Played | Minutes Played | Field Goals | Free Throws | Rebounds | Assists | Points |
| Knicks | 6 | 288 | 310 | 150 | 770 | ||
| Suns | 6 | 288 | 246 | 172 | 664 |
vs. [1969–70 [San Diego Rockets season|San Diego]]
| Team | Games Played | Minutes Played | Field Goals | Free Throws | Rebounds | Assists | Points |
| Knicks | 6 | 288 | 294 | 132 | 720 | ||
| Rockets | 6 | 288 | 232 | 200 | 664 |
vs. [1969–70 [San Francisco Warriors season|San Francisco]]
| Team | Games Played | Minutes Played | Field Goals | Free Throws | Rebounds | Assists | Points |
| Knicks | 6 | 288 | 274 | 132 | 680 | ||
| Warriors | 6 | 288 | 228 | 144 | 600 |
vs. [1969–70 [Seattle SuperSonics season|Seattle]]
| Team | Games Played | Minutes Played | Field Goals | Free Throws | Rebounds | Assists | Points |
| Knicks | 6 | 288 | 283 | 133 | 699 | ||
| SuperSonics | 6 | 288 | 240 | 173 | 653 |
Total
| Team | Games Played | Minutes Played | Field Goals | Free Throws | Rebounds | Assists | Points |
| Opponents | 82 | 19730 | 3308 | 2062 | 8682 |
Playoffs
Opponents
1970 [NBA Eastern Division Semifinals">1970 NBA Playoffs">1970 [NBA Eastern Division Semifinals]: vs. Baltimore">1969–70 Baltimore Bullets season">Baltimore
| Team | Games Played | Minutes Played | Field Goals | Free Throws | Rebounds | Assists | Points |
| Knicks | 7 | 346 | 307 | 137 | 746 | ||
| Bullets | 7 | 346 | 286 | 163 | 735 |
1970 NBA Eastern Division Finals">1970 NBA Playoffs">1970 NBA Eastern Division Finals: vs. Milwaukee">1969–70 Milwaukee Bucks season">Milwaukee
| Team | Games Played | Minutes Played | Field Goals | Free Throws | Rebounds | Assists | Points |
| Knicks | 5 | 240 | 238 | 91 | 567 | ||
| Bucks | 5 | 240 | 208 | 99 | 515 |
[1970 NBA Finals] vs. Los Angeles">1969–70 Los Angeles Lakers season">Los Angeles
| Team | Games Played | Minutes Played | Field Goals | Free Throws | Rebounds | Assists | Points |
| Knicks | 7 | 346 | 332 | 122 | 786 | ||
| Lakers | 7 | 346 | 302 | 176 | 780 |
Total
Media
Local TV
Some New York Knicks TV Games never aired on WOR-TV because of broadcast conflict with the New York Rangers.Local Cable TV
National TV
Local Radio
Some New York Knicks radio games never aired on WHN because of broadcast conflict with the New York Rangers.National Radio
Public Address Announcer
Transactions
Transactions listed are from July 1, 1969 to June 30, 1970.1970 NBA Expansion Draft
Trades
Awards and records
20th NBA All-Star Game
NBA All-Star representatives at the 1970 NBA All-Star Game in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at The Spectrum.| Player | Team | Position | Minutes | Points | Field Goals | FGA | Free Throws | FTA | Rebounds | Assists | Personal Fouls |
| Dave DeBusschere | F | 14 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 1 | |
| Walt Frazier | G, Starter | 24 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | |
| Willis Reed MVP | C, Starter | 30 | 21 | 9 | 18 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 6 |
| Coach | Team |
| Red Holzman | Head Coach |
NBA finals
Without question, the defining moment in the series occurred in Game 7, where an injured Reed limped onto the court right before the start of the game.On a re-creation of that moment, Marv Albert described it: "Here comes Willis! The crowd is going wild! Willis passes the scorers table, he grabs a basketball. The Lakers have stopped, the Lakers are watching Willis!"
He scored the game's first two baskets and proceeded not to score for the remainder of the game. Contrary to popular lore, he did not sit out after his first two baskets, but remained on the floor for 27 minutes. Despite his lack of scoring after his first four points, Reed's heroics inspired the team, and they won the game by a score of 113–99. The entire starting line up for the 69–70 Knicks had their jerseys retired by the New York Knicks. The jerseys of Walt Frazier, Willis Reed, Dave DeBusschere, Bill Bradley, and Dick Barnett all hang from the rafters at Madison Square Garden. Reed walking on to the court was voted the greatest moment in Madison Square Garden history.
| Game | Date | Result | Site | Series | |
| Game 1 | April 24 | New York Knicks 124, Los Angeles Lakers 112 | @ New York | Knicks lead, 1 game to 0 | |
| Game 2 | April 27 | Los Angeles Lakes 105, New York Knicks 103 | @ New York | Series tied, 1 game each | |
| Game 3 | April 29 | New York Knicks 111, Los Angeles Lakers 108 | @ Los Angeles | Knicks lead, 2 games to 1 | |
| Game 4 | May 1 | Los Angeles Lakers 121, New York Knicks 105 | @ Los Angeles | Series tied, 2 games each | |
| Game 5 | May 4 | New York Knicks 107, Los Angeles Lakers 100 | @ New York | Knicks lead, 3 games to 2 | |
| Game 6 | May 6 | Los Angeles Lakers 135, New York Knicks 113 | @ Los Angeles | Series tied, 3 games each | |
| Game 7 | May 8 | New York Knicks 113, Los Angeles Lakers 99 | @ New York | Knicks win, 4 games to 3 |
Knicks win series 4–3