Since 1946 the New York Knickerbockers have been astounding their passionately loyal fans. The team, who play out of the legendary 19,763 seat Madison Square Garden, are one of only two teams of the original National Basketball Association that is still located in its original city. That kind of history and tradition means a lot in the unorthodox NBA.

Head coach, Larry Brown, personifies that tradition 33 years as a coach with a career .605 record, Brown joined the Knicks in 2005. In the 2003-2004 season be became the seventh coach in NBA history to win 900 games. Four time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Jackie Butler, fills in a hole in the middle, while a hopefully healthy, Trevor Ariza, will team up with Tim Thomas to build an invincible frontcourt.

In New York City, tradition doesnt mean dull Buy your Knicks tickets today and come on out to witness some of the most breathtaking basketball around as the Knicks battle their way to the championships.

A brief history of the New York Knicks

The New York Knicks, short for Kinickerbockers, are a National Basketball Association Team based out of New York City, New York. The Knicks are currently a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference and are owned by Cablevision, an American Cable Television company. The Knicks are coached by legendary Detroit Piston, Isiah Thomas and they play their home games at Madison Square Garden in downtown Manhattan. Madison Square Garden was opened in 1968 and is also the home of the WNBAs New York Liberty and the NHLs New York Rangers. Madison Square Garden seats over 19,000 NBA fans.

The New York Knicks have won 2 NBA Titles and appeared in 35 Playoffs during their 56 seasons in the NBA. The Knicks joined the NBA in 1950 after the BAA and the NBL merged to form the new league. The Knicks were one of the dominant teams during the NBAs first decade. Coached by Joe Lapcheck, the Kincks reached 3 consecutive NBA finals from 1951 thorough 1953 but lost each time. Beginning in 1960, the Knicks began a playoff drought that lasted for 7 seasons, the longest drought in franchise history. From 1967 through 1975 the Knicks had their greatest success. They reached 3 NBA Finals during this span and won their only 2 NBA Finals Championships.

The Knicks won the 1970 NBA Finals title behind head coach Red Holzman and all Star players Walt Frazier and Willis Reed. The Knicks lost in the NBA Finals to the Lakers in 1972 but won a rematch vs the Lakers in the 1973 NBA Finals. Red Holzman, the Knicks most successful coach retired after the 1977 season and the Knicks went through a decade of inconsistent play. With great young talent, like Patrick Ewing, Gerald Wilkins and Kenny Walker, the Knicks created a new winning tradition just as the 1980s were ending. The Knicks rode this wave of success for 14 straight seasons from 1988 through 2001. In between the Knicks won 2 Eastern Conference Championships, loosing the NBA Finals in 1994 to the Houston Rockets and 1999 NBA Finals to the San Antonio Spurs. Head Coach Pat Riley led the first wave of success with veteran players like Patrick Ewing and John Starks. Coach Jeff Van Gundy led the latest wave of success behind Star players like Allen Houston and Latrell Sprewell.

In 2002, the Knicks began a slow decline. Depleted talent and botched front office moves have left the Knicks undermanned and out played on a consistent basis. The Knicks have not reached the playoffs since 2004 and have failed to win more than 40 games since 2001. In that time span the Knicks have gone through 6 different head coaches including 3 in 2004, the last time they made the playoffs.

The 2005-2006 season was suppose to be different. The New York Knicks season ticket holders were promised a winning team. Proven head coach Larry Brown was brought in to turn the Knicks into a playoff team. Despite constant player moves to improve the team, Larry Brown was unable to resurrect this feeble franchise. Despite having the Leagues highest payroll, the Knicks won just 23 games in 2005/2006, their lowest total in 30 plus years. Isiah Thomas, the teams president of basketball operations over the past few feeble seasons was named as head coach at the end of the disastrous 2005/2006 season. Isiah Thomas and has been given a 1 year time frame to make the team better or be fired.