The five best individual playoff performances for the New York Knicks in the NBA

The five best individual playoff performances for the New York Knicks in the NBA

Which players broke out in pivotal moments for the franchise?

The New York Knicks are one of the legendary teams in the National Basketball Association. The franchise is among the creators of the league and has an extremely rich history. Over the years, a number of famous basketball players have worn the Knicks team, and it is no coincidence that as many as 9 numbers have been retired. And in the legendary hall "Madison Square Garden", players, coaches, fans and professionals have more than impressive memories. Although the two titles of the team from the city of the big apple were in the distant 1970 and 1973, the history that is still being written remains forever. The Knicks are also one of the teams that regularly reach the playoffs. And not only that, they make incredible matches. In the following lines, we will recall the five best individual performances for this franchise during the direct elimination matches.

We start with a match from the first round of the playoff phase in 1999. The Knicks' opponent is the Miami Heat, who finished first in the regular season in the East. Nevertheless, New Yorkers bring the battle to the fifth game, in which, however, the "hot" have a lead of 77:76 with just over 4 seconds remaining. Then comes Alan Huston's moment. A basketball player who played a key role in the playoffs for the New York franchise, but this is definitely the most memorable moment. Houston dribbled successfully and with less than a second left, managed to bring his team's ranking forward. The victory in Florida is for the Knicks - 78:77. Miami is out of contention, and the New York team reaches the NBA Finals, becoming the first team to finish in the 8th position in any conference in the regular season to play in the key series for the title. There, however, the Knicks lost 1:4 to the San Antonio Spurs.

Fast forward 14 years into the future for the fourth seed, and the hopes of the fans are that Carmelo Anthony will lead the team to great heights. And Melo is off to a more than good start. From the first game of the first round against the Boston Celtics, the heavy wing showed that he was in top form. Anthony scored 36 points in the 85-78 victory that started the streak, which ended with a 4-2 victory for the Knicks. Aside from the points though, he managed 6 rebounds, dished out 1 assist and managed an impressive 4 steals. Although he also dominated the games with the Indiana Pacers, his presence proved to be insufficient and the Knicks were already eliminated in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Patrick Ewing is bound to be in the top three. Although he doesn't have an NBA title, Ewing is one of the best players of all time, and Game 7 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals proved it in full force. After the Knicks took a 2-0 lead in the series against the Indiana Pacers, they allowed a turnaround to 2-3. Ewing helps his team take the clash to a decisive seventh game. And not only. He scored 24 points in this game, and with 22 rebounds managed to form his double-double. A performance that earned the New York team its first conference finals appearance since 1973. Ewing's overall play in the playoffs and especially in the series with Indiana has been more than unique, but his best performance came in this crucial game. However, in the clashes with the Houston Rockets, the Knicks fall behind with 3:4 victories, because on the other side of the floor is the incredible Hakeem Olaijuan.

And if Patrick Ewing is among the franchise's greatest basketball players, but hasn't won a title, we're going to focus on two players who helped this team capture its first NBA trophy. In second place is Willis Reed's performance in the decisive Game 7 of the 1970 Finals. After his remarkable double-double performance in Game 3, Reed was able to give the Knicks back home advantage. Then he scored 38 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. However, an injury to the center followed, which took him out of the sixth game and allowed the Lakers to dream and bring the series to a seventh meeting. In it, although still injured, Reid returns. Yes, his numbers may not be the most remarkable, he may not be the guy who shined for the Knicks according to the statistics, but his mere presence helps to lift the morale of the team and even more, manages to frustrate the opponent. Reed's inspiration is quite enough to see some remarkable performances from Walt Frazier.

It is his performance against the Los Angeles Lakers that we rank first. Walt Clyde Frazier topped everyone in the game with 36 points and 19 rebounds in nearly 20,000 at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks win the game 113:99 and secure their first title in history. Not only did the point guard entertain fans with his actions on the court, but he also went down in history forever with just this matchup. However, he says that precisely in the decisive meeting with the "lakes" he was inspired by the presence of Willis Reed, without whom he would not have managed in this way. At the most crucial moment, to make the most memorable game for the New York Knicks is truly remarkable.

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