1969–70 New York Knicks season

1969–70 New York Knicks season
First NBA Championship
Head coach Red Holzman
General manager Eddie Donovan
Arena Madison Square Garden
Results
Record 6022 (.732)
Place Division: 1st (Eastern)
Playoff finish NBA Champions

Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com

Local media
Television WOR–TV 9
(Bob Wolff)
Manhattan Cable Television
(Bob Wolff and Marty Glickman)
Radio WHN–AM 1050
(Marv Albert)

The 1969–70 New York Knicks season was the 24th season of NBA basketball in New York City. The Knicks had a then single-season NBA record 18 straight victories en route to 60–22 record, which was the best regular season record in the team's history. After defeating the Bullets in the Eastern Division semifinals and the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Division finals, the Knicks defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games to capture their first NBA title.

NBA Draft

Main article: 1969 NBA draft
Round Pick Player Position Nationality School/Club Team
1 11 John Warren C  United States St. John's
2 26 Bill Bunting F/C  United States North Carolina
3 40 Eddie Mast G  United States Temple
4 54 Elnardo Webster  United States Saint Peter's College
5 68 Gene Littles  United States High Point
6 82 Dwight Durante  United States Catawba College
7 96 Chris Thomforde  United States Princeton
8 110 Jim Healey  United States Rockhurst
9 124 Roger Walaszak  United States Columbia
10 138 Frank McLaughlin  United States Fordham
11 152 Marvin Lewis  United States Long Island University, Southampton Campus
12 165 Bill O'Rourke  United States St. John Fisher College
13 177 James Wyatt  United States Northwestern State
14 186 Rich Travis  United States Oklahoma City

Roster

1969–70 New York Knicks roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY–MM–DD) From
SG 12 Barnett, Dick 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1936–10–02 Tennessee State
C 17 Bowman, Nate 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1945–03–19 Wichita State
SF 24 Bradley, Bill 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1943–07–28 Princeton
PF 22 DeBusschere, Dave 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1940–10–16 Detroit
PG 10 Frazier, Walt 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1945–03–29 Southern Illinois
PF 20 Hosket, Bill, Jr. 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1946–12–20 Ohio State
SF 5 May, Don 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1946–01–03 Dayton
C 19 Reed, Willis (C) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1942–06–25 Grambling State
SG 6 Riordan, Mike 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1945–07–09 Providence
SF 33 Russell, Cazzie 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 218 lb (99 kg) 1944–06–07 Michigan
SF 9 Stallworth, Dave 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1941–12–20 Wichita State
SG 16 Warren, John 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1947–07–07 St. John's
Head coach

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

RosterTransactions
Last transaction: 1970–05–08

Pre season

Game log

1969–70 Pre Season Game Log

All times are EASTERN time

Regular season

Standings

Eastern Division W L PCT GB Home Road Neutral Div
x-New York Knicks 60 22 .732 30–11 27–10 3–1 28–12
x-Milwaukee Bucks 56 26 .683 4 27–11 24–14 5–1 27–13
x-Baltimore Bullets 50 32 .610 10 25–12 19–18 6–2 21–19
x-Philadelphia 76ers 42 40 .512 18 22–16 16–22 4–2 20–20
Cincinnati Royals 36 46 .439 24 19–13 14–25 3–8 18–22
Boston Celtics 34 48 .415 26 16–21 13–27 5–0 16–24
Detroit Pistons 31 51 .378 29 18–20 10–25 3–6 10-30
x – clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents

1969–70 NBA records
Team ATL BAL BOS CHI CIN DET LAL MIL NYK PHI PHO SDR SFW SEA
Atlanta 2–4 6–0 5–2 3–3 3–3 4–3 3–3 4–2 3–3 2–4 4–2 5–2 4–2
Baltimore 4–2 5–2 5–1 4–3 5–2 4–2 3–3 1–5 3–4 3–3 6–0 2–4 5–1
Boston 0–6 2–5 3–3 3–3 4–3 2–4 1–6 4–3 2–4 2–4 4–2 5–1 2–4
Chicago 2–5 1–5 3–3 3–3 3–3 4–2 4–2 0–6 3–3 5–2 3–4 4–2 4–3
Cincinnati 3–3 3–4 3–3 3–3 4–2 2–4 2–5 2–5 4–3 3–3 4–2 2–4 1–5
Detroit 3–3 2–5 3–4 3–3 2–4 3–3 1–6 1–6 1–5 3–3 3–3 3–3 3–3
Los Angeles 3–4 2–4 4–2 2–4 4–2 3–3 3–3 2–4 4–2 3–4 5–2 5–2 6–0
Milwaukee 3–3 3–3 6–1 2–4 5–2 6–1 3–3 2–4 5–2 6–0 6–0 4–2 5–1
New York 2–4 5–1 3–4 6–0 5–2 6–1 4–2 4–2 5–2 6–0 5–1 5–1 4–2
Philadelphia 3–3 4–3 4–2 3–3 3–4 5–1 2–4 2–5 2–5 4–2 4–2 6–0 0–6
Phoenix 4–2 3–3 4–2 2–5 3–3 3–3 4–3 0–6 0–6 2–4 7–0 3–3 4–3
San Diego 2–4 0–6 2–4 4–3 2–4 3–3 2–5 0–6 1–5 2–4 0–7 5–2 4–2
San Francisco 2–5 4–2 1–5 2–4 4–2 3–3 2–5 2–4 1–5 0–6 3–3 2–5 3–4
Seattle 2–4 1–5 4–2 3–4 5–1 3–3 0–6 1–5 2–4 6–0 3–4 2–4 4–3

Game log

1969–70 Game Log (60–22) (Home: 30–11; Road: 27–10; Neutral: 3–1)
1969-70 Schedule

All times are EASTERN time

Playoffs

1969–70 NBA Playoffs Game Log (12–7) (Home: 9–2; Road: 3–5)
1969-70 Schedule

All times are EASTERN time

Player statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game

Season

Player Games Played Games Started Minutes Played Field Goals Free Throws Rebounds Assists Points
Willis Reed 81 3089 702 351 1126 161 1755
Walt Frazier 77 3040 600 409 465 629 1609
Dick Barnett 82 2772 494 232 221 298 1220
Dave DeBusschere 79 2627 488 176 790 194 1152
Bill Bradley 67 2098 413 145 239 268 971
Cazzie Russell 78 1563 385 124 236 135 894
Dave Stallworth 82 1375 239 161 323 139 639
Mike Riordan 81 1677 255 114 194 201 624
Nate Bowman 81 744 98 41 257 46 237
Bill Hosket 36 235 46 26 63 17 118
John Warren 44 272 44 24 40 30 112
Don May 37 238 39 18 52 17 96
Knicks 82 19730 3803 1821 4006 2135 9427
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Barnett, DickDick Barnett 82 33.8 6.0 2.8 2.7 3.6 14.9
Bowman, NateNate Bowman 81 9.2 1.2 0.5 3.2 0.6 2.9
Bradley, BillBill Bradley 67 31.3 6.2 2.2 10.0 2.5 14.5
DeBusschere, DaveDave DeBusschere 79 33.3 6.2 2.2 10.0 2.5 14.6
Frazier, WaltWalt Frazier 77 39.5 7.8 5.3 6.0 8.2 20.9
Hosket, BillBill Hosket 36 6.5 1.3 0.7 1.8 0.5 3.3
May, DonDon May 37 6.4 1.1 0.5 1.4 0.5 2.6
Reed, WillisWillis Reed 81 38.1 8.7 4.3 13.9 2.0 21.7
Riordan, MikeMike Riordan 81 20.7 3.1 1.4 2.4 2.5 7.7
Russell, CazzieCazzie Russell 78 20.0 4.9 1.6 3.0 1.7 11.5
Stallworth, DaveDave Stallworth 82 16.8 2.9 2.0 3.9 1.7 7.8
Warren, JohnJohn Warren 44 6.2 1.0 0.5 0.9 0.7 2.5
Knicks, New YorkNew York Knicks 82 240.6 46.4 22.2 48.9 26.0 115.0

Opponents

vs. Atlanta

Team Games Played Minutes Played Field Goals Free Throws Rebounds Assists Points
Knicks 6 293 282 130 694
Hawks 6 293 279 122 680

vs. Baltimore

Team Games Played Minutes Played Field Goals Free Throws Rebounds Assists Points
Knicks 6 288 254 127 710
Bullets 6 288 236 135 607

vs. Boston

Team Games Played Minutes Played Field Goals Free Throws Rebounds Assists Points
Knicks 7 341 302 180 784
Celtics 7 341 281 192 754

vs. Chicago

Team Games Played Minutes Played Field Goals Free Throws Rebounds Assists Points
Knicks 6 288 292 113 697
Bulls 6 288 223 156 602

vs. Cincinnati

Team Games Played Minutes Played Field Goals Free Throws Rebounds Assists Points
Knicks 7 336 313 163 789
Royals 7 336 271 171 713

vs. Detroit

Team Games Played Minutes Played Field Goals Free Throws Rebounds Assists Points
Knicks 7 336 317 162 796
Pistons 7 336 290 158 738

vs. Los Angeles

Team Games Played Minutes Played Field Goals Free Throws Rebounds Assists Points
Knicks 6 288 254 127 635
Lakers 6 288 236 135 607

vs. Milwaukee

Team Games Played Minutes Played Field Goals Free Throws Rebounds Assists Points
Knicks 6 288 277 100 654
Bucks 6 288 252 125 629

vs. Philadelphia

Team Games Played Minutes Played Field Goals Free Throws Rebounds Assists Points
Knicks 7 336 309 178 789
76ers 7 336 294 163 751

vs. Phoenix

Team Games Played Minutes Played Field Goals Free Throws Rebounds Assists Points
Knicks 6 288 310 150 770
Suns 6 288 246 172 664

vs. San Diego

Team Games Played Minutes Played Field Goals Free Throws Rebounds Assists Points
Knicks 6 288 294 132 720
Rockets 6 288 232 200 664

vs. San Francisco

Team Games Played Minutes Played Field Goals Free Throws Rebounds Assists Points
Knicks 6 288 274 132 680
Warriors 6 288 228 144 600

vs. Seattle

Team Games Played Minutes Played Field Goals Free Throws Rebounds Assists Points
Knicks 6 288 283 133 699
SuperSonics 6 288 240 173 653

Total

Team Games Played Minutes Played Field Goals Free Throws Rebounds Assists Points
Opponents 82 19730 3308 2062 8682
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Knicks, New YorkNew York Knicks 82 240.6 40.3 25.1 105.9

Playoffs

Player Games Played Games Started Minutes Played Field Goals Free Throws Rebounds Assists Points
Willis Reed 18 732 178 351 70 51 426
Dick Barnett 19 714 131 59 39 64 321
Dave DeBusschere 19 701 130 45 220 46 305
Walt Frazier 19 834 118 68 149 156 304
Bill Bradley 19 616 100 35 72 60 235
Cazzie Russell 19 306 80 18 47 16 178
Dave Stallworth 19 275 61 15 77 20 137
Mike Riordan 19 296 53 25 46 27 131
Nate Bowman 18 128 18 7 44 6 43
Bill Hosket 5 29 4 3 5 2 11
Don May 2 7 2 0 3 2 4
John Warren 10 22 2 0 3 2 4
Knicks 19 4660 877 345 950 450 2099
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Barnett, DickDick Barnett 19 37.6 6.9 3.1 2.1 3.4 16.9
Bowman, NateNate Bowman 18 7.1 1.0 0.4 2.4 0.3 2.4
Bradley, BillBill Bradley 19 32.4 5.3 1.8 3.8 3.2 12.4
DeBusschere, DaveDave DeBusschere 19 36.9 6.8 2.4 11.6 2.4 16.1
Frazier, WaltWalt Frazier 19 43.9 6.2 3.6 7.8 8.2 16.0
Hosket, BillBill Hosket 5 5.8 0.8 0.6 1.0 0.4 2.2
May, DonDon May 10 3.5 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.0
Reed, WillisWillis Reed 18 40.7 9.9 3.9 13.8 2.8 23.7
Riordan, MikeMike Riordan 19 15.6 2.8 1.3 2.4 1.4 6.9
Russell, CazzieCazzie Russell 19 16.1 4.2 0.9 2.5 0.8 9.4
Stallworth, DaveDave Stallworth 19 14.5 3.2 0.8 4.1 1.1 7.2
Warren, JohnJohn Warren 2 2.2 0.2 0.0 0.3 0.2 0.4
Knicks, New YorkNew York Knicks 19 256.3 48.3 18.8 51.8 24.2 115.6

Opponents

1970 NBA Eastern Division Semifinals: vs. Baltimore

Team Games Played Minutes Played Field Goals Free Throws Rebounds Assists Points
Knicks 7 346 307 137 746
Bullets 7 346 286 163 735

1970 NBA Eastern Division Finals: vs. Milwaukee

Team Games Played Minutes Played Field Goals Free Throws Rebounds Assists Points
Knicks 5 240 238 91 567
Bucks 5 240 208 99 515

1970 NBA Finals vs. Los Angeles

Team Games Played Minutes Played Field Goals Free Throws Rebounds Assists Points
Knicks 7 346 332 122 786
Lakers 7 346 302 176 780

Total

Team Games Played Minutes Played Field Goals Free Throws Rebounds Assists Points
Opponents 19 922 796 438 2030
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Knicks, New YorkNew York Knicks 19 48.5 41.9 23.1 106.8

Media

Local TV

Date Opponent Channel
October 15, 1969 @ Cincinnati WOR-TV
October 17, 1969 @ Chicago WOR-TV
October 24, 1969 @ Detroit WOR-TV
November 3, 1969 @ Milwaukee WOR-TV
November 26, 1969 @ Atlanta WOR-TV
December 5, 1969 @ Baltimore WOR-TV
December 10, 1969 @ Milwaukee WOR-TV
January 6, 1970 @ Baltimore WOR-TV
February 4, 1970 @ Atlanta WOR-TV
March 20, 1970 @ Atlanta WOR-TV
March 27, 1970 @ Baltimore WOR-TV
March 31, 1970 @ Baltimore WOR-TV
April 17, 1970 @ Milwaukee WOR-TV

Some New York Knicks TV Games never aired on WOR-TV because of broadcast conflict with the New York Rangers (NHL).

Local Cable TV

Date Opponent Cable TV
October 14, 1969 Seattle Manhattan Cable Television
October 18, 1969 Los Angeles Manhattan Cable Television
October 21, 1969 Phoenix Manhattan Cable Television
October 23, 1969 San Francisco Manhattan Cable Television
October 25, 1969 Baltimore Manhattan Cable Television
October 28, 1969 Atlanta Manhattan Cable Television
October 30, 1969 San Diego Manhattan Cable Television
November 1, 1969 Milwaukee Manhattan Cable Television
November 22, 1969 Phoenix Manhattan Cable Television
December 6, 1969 Milwaukee Manhattan Cable Television
December 16, 1969 Atlanta Manhattan Cable Television
December 20, 1969 Baltimore Manhattan Cable Television
February 21, 1970 Atlanta Manhattan Cable Television
February 24, 1970 Phoenix Manhattan Cable Television
February 28, 1970 Baltimore Manhattan Cable Television
March 18, 1970 Milwaukee Manhattan Cable Television
March 26, 1970 Baltimore Manhattan Cable Television
April 2, 1970 Baltimore Manhattan Cable Television
April 6, 1970 Baltimore Manhattan Cable Television
April 13, 1970 Milwaukee Manhattan Cable Television
April 20, 1970 Milwaukee Manhattan Cable Television

National TV

Date Opponent Network Play-by-play Color analyst
January 2, 1970 @ Milwaukee ABC
February 22, 1970 @ Baltimore ABC
March 29, 1970 Baltimore ABC
April 5, 1970 @ Baltimore ABC
April 11, 1970 Milwaukee ABC
April 19, 1970 @ Milwaukee ABC
April 24, 1970 Los Angeles ABC
April 27, 1970 Los Angeles ABC
April 29, 1970 @ Los Angeles ABC
May 1, 1970 @ Los Angeles ABC
May 4, 1970 Los Angeles ABC
May 6, 1970 @ Los Angeles ABC
May 8, 1970 Los Angeles ABC

Local Radio

Date Opponent Flagship station
October 14, 1969 Seattle WHN
October 17, 1969 @ Chicago WHN
October 18, 1969 Los Angeles WHN
October 21, 1969 Phoenix WHN
October 23, 1969 San Francisco WHN
October 24, 1969 @ Detroit WHN
October 25, 1969 Baltimore WHN
October 28, 1969 Atlanta WHN
October 30, 1969 San Diego WHN
November 1, 1969 Milwaukee WHN
November 3, 1969 @ Milwaukee WHN
December 5, 1969 @ Baltimore WHN
December 6, 1969 Milwaukee WHN
December 16, 1969 Atlanta WHN
December 20, 1969 Baltimore WHN
January 2, 1970 @ Milwaukee WHN
January 6, 1970 @ Baltimore WHN
February 21, 1970 Atlanta WHN
February 22, 1970 @ Baltimore WHN
February 28, 1970 Baltimore WHN
March 18, 1970 Milwaukee WHN
March 20, 1970 @ Atlanta WHN
March 26, 1970 Baltimore WHN
March 27, 1970 @ Baltimore WHN
March 29, 1970 Baltimore WHN
March 31, 1970 @ Baltimore WHN
April 2, 1970 Baltimore WHN
April 6, 1970 Baltimore WHN
April 11, 1970 Milwaukee WHN
April 13, 1970 Milwaukee WHN
April 17, 1970 @ Milwaukee WHN
April 19, 1970 @ Milwaukee WHN
April 20, 1970 Milwaukee WHN
April 24, 1970 Los Angeles WHN
April 27, 1970 Los Angeles WHN
April 29, 1970 @ Los Angeles WHN
May 1, 1970 @ Los Angeles WHN
May 4, 1970 Los Angeles WHN
May 6, 1970 @ Los Angeles WHN
May 8, 1970 Los Angeles WHN

Some New York Knicks radio games never aired on WHN because of broadcast conflict with the New York Rangers (NHL).

National Radio

Date Opponent Network Play-by-play Color analyst
April 24, 1970 Los Angeles Mutual Bob Wolff
April 27, 1970 Los Angeles Mutual Bob Wolff
April 29, 1970 @ Los Angeles Mutual Bob Wolff
May 1, 1970 @ Los Angeles Mutual Bob Wolff
May 4, 1970 Los Angeles Mutual Bob Wolff
May 6, 1970 @ Los Angeles Mutual Bob Wolff
May 8, 1970 Los Angeles Mutual Bob Wolff

Public Address Announcer

Madison Square Garden PA Announcer
John Condon

Transactions

Transactions listed are from July 1, 1969 to June 30, 1970.

1970 NBA Expansion Draft

May 11, 1970 To Buffalo Braves
Bill Hosket
Don May
To Cleveland Cavaliers
John Warren

Trades

June 20, 1970 To Buffalo Braves
Nate Bowman
Mike Silliman
for cash

Awards and records

Player/Coach Award
Willis Reed NBA Most Valuable Player Award
NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award
All-NBA First Team
NBA All-Defensive First Team
Walt Frazier All-NBA First Team
NBA All-Defensive First Team
Dave DeBusschere NBA All-Defensive First Team
Red Holzman NBA Coach of the Year Award

20th NBA All-Star Game

New York Knicks NBA All-Star representatives at the 1970 NBA All-Star Game in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at The Spectrum.

Player Team Position Minutes Points Field Goals FGA Free Throws FTA Rebounds Assists Personal Fouls
Dave DeBusschere (Eastern Conference All-Stars) F 14 10 5 10 0 0 7 2 1
Walt Frazier (Eastern Conference All-Stars) G, Starter 24 7 3 7 1 2 3 4 2
Willis Reed
MVP
(Eastern Conference All-Stars) C, Starter 30 21 9 18 3 3 11 0 6
Coach Team
Red Holzman (Eastern Conference All-Stars) Head Coach

NBA finals

Without question, the defining moment in the series occurred in Game 7, where an injured Reed limped onto the court right before the start of the game.

On a re-creation of that moment, Marv Albert described it: "Here comes Willis! The crowd is going wild! Willis passes the scorers table, he grabs a basketball. The Lakers have stopped (shooting), the Lakers are watching Willis!"

He scored the game's first two baskets and proceeded not to score for the remainder of the game. Contrary to popular lore, he did not sit out after his first two baskets, but remained on the floor for 27 minutes. Despite his lack of scoring after his first four points, Reed's heroics inspired the team, and they won the game by a score of 113–99. The entire starting line up for the 69–70 Knicks had their jerseys retired by the New York Knicks. The jerseys of Walt Frazier (#10), Willis Reed (#19), Dave DeBusschere (#22), Bill Bradley (#24), and Dick Barnett (#12) all hang from the rafters at Madison Square Garden. Reed walking on to the court was voted the greatest moment in Madison Square Garden history.

Game Date Result Site Series
Game 1 April 24 (Fri.) New York Knicks 124, Los Angeles Lakers 112 @ New York Knicks lead, 1 game to 0
Game 2 April 27 (Mon.) Los Angeles Lakes 105, New York Knicks 103 @ New York Series tied, 1 game each
Game 3 April 29 (Wed.) New York Knicks 111, Los Angeles Lakers 108 @ Los Angeles Knicks lead, 2 games to 1
Game 4 May 1 (Fri.) Los Angeles Lakers 121, New York Knicks 105 @ Los Angeles Series tied, 2 games each
Game 5 May 4 (Mon.) New York Knicks 107, Los Angeles Lakers 100 @ New York Knicks lead, 3 games to 2
Game 6 May 6 (Wed.) Los Angeles Lakers 135, New York Knicks 113 @ Los Angeles Series tied, 3 games each
Game 7 May 8 (Fri.) New York Knicks 113, Los Angeles Lakers 99 @ New York Knicks win, 4 games to 3

Knicks win series 4–3

References

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