The 1968β69 New York Knicks season was the 23rd season for the team in the
National Basketball Association (NBA). The
Knicks finished third in the Eastern Division with a 54β28
regular season record, and qualified for the
NBA playoffs for the third straight year.[3] In the first round of the
playoffs, New York defeated the
Baltimore Bullets in a four-game sweep to earn a berth in the Eastern Division finals. The Knicks lost the division finals to the eventual NBA champion
Boston Celtics in six games.[4]Willis Reed scored a team-best 21.1 points per game for the Knicks;
Walt Frazier led the team with 7.9 assists per game and Reed averaged 14.5 rebounds per game.[5]
The Knicks selected
Bill Hosket, Jr. in the opening round of the
1968 NBA draft,[6] and made a significant trade early in the season, acquiring
Dave DeBusschere from the
Detroit Pistons in exchange for
Walt Bellamy and
Butch Komives. Author Harvey Araton called him "the player who would complete the championship puzzle in New York."[7] After a 5β11 start to the season, New York went on a long winning streak, winning all but 2 of 19 games in one stretch that included 13 straight home wins.[8] After a two-game losing streak, the Knicks won 11 consecutive games from January 25 to February 15 to bring their record to 44β21. The Knicks had two four-game winning streaks during the rest of the season, and ended with a 54β28 record.[9] This mark placed them third in the Eastern Conference; only the Bullets and
Philadelphia 76ers had superior records. New York saw an increase in attendance during the regular season; after having six sellouts in their entire history, the Knicks played to capacity crowds in 14 games at
Madison Square Garden.[10]
New York faced the Bullets, who had won 57 games in the regular season and held the number one seed in the Eastern Conference, in their first playoff round.[11] The Knicks won the first two games by over 10 points each, and a pair of closer victories in games three and four eliminated Baltimore.[9] They held home court advantage for their series with the Celtics, but lost it with a 108β100 loss in the first game. After losing two of the next three games, New York won game five to force a sixth game. However, Boston's
Sam Jones posted 29 points to help the Celtics to a 106β105 win that ended the Knicks' season.[12]
Note: This is not an extensive list; it only covers the first and second rounds, and any other players picked by the franchise that played at least one game in the league.[13]
The 1968β69 New York Knicks season was the 23rd season for the team in the
National Basketball Association (NBA). The
Knicks finished third in the Eastern Division with a 54β28
regular season record, and qualified for the
NBA playoffs for the third straight year.[3] In the first round of the
playoffs, New York defeated the
Baltimore Bullets in a four-game sweep to earn a berth in the Eastern Division finals. The Knicks lost the division finals to the eventual NBA champion
Boston Celtics in six games.[4]Willis Reed scored a team-best 21.1 points per game for the Knicks;
Walt Frazier led the team with 7.9 assists per game and Reed averaged 14.5 rebounds per game.[5]
The Knicks selected
Bill Hosket, Jr. in the opening round of the
1968 NBA draft,[6] and made a significant trade early in the season, acquiring
Dave DeBusschere from the
Detroit Pistons in exchange for
Walt Bellamy and
Butch Komives. Author Harvey Araton called him "the player who would complete the championship puzzle in New York."[7] After a 5β11 start to the season, New York went on a long winning streak, winning all but 2 of 19 games in one stretch that included 13 straight home wins.[8] After a two-game losing streak, the Knicks won 11 consecutive games from January 25 to February 15 to bring their record to 44β21. The Knicks had two four-game winning streaks during the rest of the season, and ended with a 54β28 record.[9] This mark placed them third in the Eastern Conference; only the Bullets and
Philadelphia 76ers had superior records. New York saw an increase in attendance during the regular season; after having six sellouts in their entire history, the Knicks played to capacity crowds in 14 games at
Madison Square Garden.[10]
New York faced the Bullets, who had won 57 games in the regular season and held the number one seed in the Eastern Conference, in their first playoff round.[11] The Knicks won the first two games by over 10 points each, and a pair of closer victories in games three and four eliminated Baltimore.[9] They held home court advantage for their series with the Celtics, but lost it with a 108β100 loss in the first game. After losing two of the next three games, New York won game five to force a sixth game. However, Boston's
Sam Jones posted 29 points to help the Celtics to a 106β105 win that ended the Knicks' season.[12]
Note: This is not an extensive list; it only covers the first and second rounds, and any other players picked by the franchise that played at least one game in the league.[13]