The New York Knicks are in the Atlantic Division of the National Press Club's Eastern Conference.
The New York Knickerbockers , commonly referred to as the Knicks , are an American professional basketball team based in New York City .. basketball. basketball. New York City. New York City. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Association -LRB- NBA -RRB- as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference .. Eastern. Eastern Conference ( NBA ). Atlantic. Atlantic Division ( NBA ). National Basketball Association. National Basketball Association. Atlantic Division. Atlantic Division ( NBA ). Eastern Conference. Eastern Conference ( NBA ). The team plays its home games at Madison Square Garden , located in the borough of Manhattan .. Madison Square Garden. Madison Square Garden. borough. Borough ( New York City ). Manhattan. Manhattan. They are one of two NBA teams located in New York City ; the other is the Brooklyn Nets .. New York City. New York City. Brooklyn Nets. Brooklyn Nets. The team , established by Ned Irish in 1946 , was one of the founding members of the Basketball Association of America -LRB- BAA -RRB- , which became the NBA after merging with the rival National Basketball League -LRB- NBL -RRB- in 1949 .. Ned Irish. Ned Irish. Basketball Association of America. Basketball Association of America. after merging. National Basketball Association#Creation and merger. National Basketball League. National Basketball League ( United States ). Along with the Boston Celtics , the Knicks are one of only two original NBA teams still located in its original city .. Boston Celtics. Boston Celtics. The Knicks were successful during their early years and were constant playoff contenders under the franchise 's first head coach Joe Lapchick .. Joe Lapchick. Joe Lapchick. Beginning in 1950 , the Knicks made three consecutive appearances in the NBA Finals , all of which were losing efforts .. NBA Finals. NBA Finals. Lapchick resigned in 1956 and the team subsequently began to falter .. It was not until the late 1960s when Red Holzman became head coach that the Knicks began to regain their former dominance .. Red Holzman. Red Holzman. Holzman successfully guided the Knicks to two NBA championships , in 1970 and 1973 .. 1969–70 NBA season. 1972–73 NBA season. The Knicks of the 1980s had mixed success that included six playoff appearances ; however , they failed to participate in the NBA Finals .. NBA Finals. NBA Finals. The playoff-level Knicks of the 1990s were led by future Hall of Fame center Patrick Ewing ; this era was marked by passionate rivalries with the Chicago Bulls , Indiana Pacers , and Miami Heat .. Patrick Ewing. Patrick Ewing. Chicago Bulls. Bulls-Knicks rivalry. Indiana Pacers. Indiana Pacers. Miami Heat. Heat-Knicks rivalry. During this time , they were known for playing tough defense under head coaches Pat Riley and Jeff Van Gundy .. Pat Riley. Pat Riley. Jeff Van Gundy. Jeff Van Gundy. During this era , the Knicks made two appearances in the NBA Finals , in 1994 and 1999 , though they were unable to win an NBA championship .. 1994 NBA Finals. 1999 NBA Finals. NBA Finals. NBA Finals. Since 2000 , the Knicks have struggled to regain their former glory .. In 2012 -- 13 , the franchise won its first division title in 19 years , but was eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the Indiana Pacers .. Willis Reed. Indiana Pacers. Indiana Pacers. According to a 2016 Forbes report , the Knicks were the most-valuable NBA franchise , worth approximately $ 3 billion .