The New York Knicks are one of the most storied franchises in the NBA despite only having two championships. The allure of playing in Madison Square Garden and in front of celebrity row used to be a selling point for superstars, but the Knicks have recently turned into a walking disaster under owner James Dolan.
Since becoming a professional team in 1946, the Knicks have a regular-season record of 2,799-2,988. New York has also made the playoffs 42 times and been home to some of the best players and coaches in NBA history.
For this piece, we will be focusing on the four-best Knicks coaches in franchise history, starting off with a guy who is currently flawlessly running the Miami Heat organization.
4. Pat Riley
Riley coached the Knicks for four seasons. He won 223 games in the regular season. The Hall of Famer ranks fourth in franchise history in that category.
The Knicks made the playoffs all four years under Riley, going 35-28. Riley has the third-most postseason wins for a New York head coach. He was named the 1992-93 Coach of the Year after guiding the Knicks to 60 wins.
The following season, Riley led New York to the NBA Finals, where the team wound up losing to the Houston Rockets in seven epic games. Riley resigned from his post after the '95 season. He's been with the Heat ever since, first as a coach and then as president of basketball operations.
Riley was named a Hall of Famer as a head coach in 2008. He has five championship rings as a head coach. Riley won four titles with the Los Angeles Lakers and one with the Heat.
3. Jeff Van Gundy
Under Van Gundy, the Knicks won 248 games in the regular season. Van Gundy has the third-most wins in franchise history.
The Knicks went to the Finals in 1999. The club fell to the San Antonio Spurs in five games. New York hasn't been to the Finals since.
Van Gundy racked up a postseason record of 37-32 with the Knicks. His 37 wins are good for second place in franchise history for playoff records. Van Gundy also has the second-highest winning percentage in the regular season. It's a shame he wasn't able to win a championship, but Van Gundy did the best he could in the Big Apple and won a handful of games.
2. Joe Lapchick
Lapchick is the second-longest tenured Knicks coach in franchise history. He was in New York for nine seasons and guided the team to the playoffs eight times.
The Knicks went 326-247 under Lapchick from 1948-1956. He has the second-most regular-season wins in New York coaching history. Lapchick also led the Knicks to 30 postseason victories. He's fourth on the all-time playoff wins list.
Lapchick passed away in 1970 at the age of 70. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player in 1966.
1. Red Holzman
Holzman coached the Knicks to two championship victories. He also won a whopping 613 games with the franchise, putting him in first place by a wide margin.
Holzman won 54 games in the playoffs and guided New York to titles in 1970 and 1973. Walt Frazier and Willis Reed captured their first titles apiece in 1970, with Reed winning Finals MVP. He won Finals MVP in 1973, too.
Holzman was awarded 1969-70 Coach of the Year honors. New York won 60 games during the regular season, finishing with the top record in the league.
Follow Us
Subscribe