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The New York Knicks are one of the most popular franchises in NBA history. However, they have not achieved much in the last few years and were regarded as one of the worst teams in the league before they made the playoffs in 2020.
Nevertheless, New York will always be a big market in the NBA. Anytime a superstar or an All-Star becomes available, the New York Knicks seem like a place they would consider, though it has not happened quite often for the team lately.
The franchise has won a couple of NBA championships, but both came in the early 1970s. Since then, the Knicks had some success in the 1990s, but often ran into Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls and failed to advance. The team made it to a couple of NBA Finals in the 1990s, but did not have success in any of those appearances.
Nevertheless, the franchise has had some extraordinary players playing for them over the years. On that note, here's a look at the five best players in the history of the New York Knicks.
#5 Earl Monroe
Earl Monroe had great performances in the first four seasons of his NBA career with the Baltimore Bullets. He averaged 23.7 points per game and made two All-Star games before arriving at the New York Knicks in 1971 and becoming a Knicks legend.
Monroe quickly became one of the key players in the team and formed a formidable dynamic duo in the backcourt with Walt Frazier.
Monroe won the 1973 NBA championship with the New York Knicks and played nine seasons with the franchise, made it to two All-Star games and averaged 16.2 points and 3.5 assists per outing.
Monroe's number 15 jersey has been retired by the New York Knicks franchise.
#4 Dave DeBusschere
Dave DeBusschere played half of his NBA career with the New York Knicks, but he definitely made the most of his time with the franchise. He helped them win their only two NBA championships and also made it to five All-Star games in as many full seasons in New York.
DeBusschere made his NBA debut with the Detroit Pistons in 1962 before he was traded to the New York Knicks in 1968. In his first full season with the New York Knicks, the franchise won the 1970 NBA championship, the first in the organization's history.
Dave DeBusschere was a tough power forward, averaging 16 points, ten rebounds and three assists per game for the Knicks in the regular season. In the postseason, DeBusschere put up 15.6 points and 11.6 rebounds per game for the Knicks.
In the 1970 NBA Finals, the Hall-of-Famer DeBusschere had a great series, averaging 19 points and 12.6 rebounds per game en route their first championship.
#3 Walt Frazier
Walt Frazier played for the New York Knicks for the first ten seasons of his 13-year NBA career. He was in both championship-winning Knicks teams and was one of the best players in the team.
Frazier averaged 19.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game for the New York Knicks. He played 759 regular-season games for the Knicks in his career, the second-most in franchise history. He is also the franchise leader in assists, with 4,719 and in Offensive Win Shares as well.
Walt Frazier is definitely remembered as one of the best players in New York Knicks' history. But arguably, the greatest performance of his career often went under the radar.
In Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals against the LA Lakers, which is always remembered as the Willis Reed game, Frazier led the team to victory with 36 points, 19 assists and seven rebounds in one of the best Game-7 performances in the history of the NBA Finals.
#2 Patrick Ewing
Patrick Ewing is often referred to as the greatest player in the history of the New York Knicks, and rightly so. If one thing is certain, it is that Ewing is one of the best players to have played for the New York Knicks.
Although Ewing did not lead the New York Knicks to an NBA championship throughout his illustrious career, the center is the all-time leader in franchise history in most categories, including games, points, rebounds, steals and blocks.
He was the first pick in the 1985 NBA Draft and played 15 seasons with the New York Knicks. Ewing averaged 22.8 points and 10.4 rebounds per game with the Knicks in the regular season and made 11 All-Star teams and seven All-NBA teams.
#1 Willis Reed
If Patrick Ewing is not the greatest player in New York Knicks' history, it is only because Willis Reed was the leader of a New York team that won the only two championships in franchise history in 1970 and 1973.
The New York Knicks have two NBA championships in their history, and Reed was the Finals MVP on both occasions. His most memorable moment with the franchise came in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals. Reed made an unlikely appearance in the game despite a thigh injury and made the first two baskets for the team.
His leadership spurred the New York Knicks to a win against Wilt Chamberlain's LA Lakers. In his 10-year career, all with the New York Knicks, Reed averaged 18.7 points and 12.9 rebounds per game.
Reed is also the only Knicks player to win the regular-season MVP, an award he won in the 1969-70 season, before also becoming the first, and so far the only, New York Knicks player to win the Finals MVP.
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