New Yorkers Relive Knicks' 1973 Title Run as Team Eyes First Championship in 53 Years
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 13
New Yorkers Relive Knicks' 1973 Title Run as Team Eyes First Championship in 53 Years
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 13
Summary
53 years after the Knicks’ last NBA title, the team’s 2026 championship chance is stirring déjà vu across New York among fans who remember the 1970 and 1973 wins.
1973 memories are resurfacing alongside newer nostalgia for the Knicks’ 1999 near-miss, with older fans recalling Madison Square Garden moments such as Willis Reed’s hobbled entrance in the 1970 Finals.
Manhattan businesses are leaning into the run — William Greenberg Desserts iced its black-and-white cookies in blue and orange as anticipation builds.
The mood reflects how a possible title would end one of New York sports’ longest droughts, reconnecting the current team with the franchise’s only two championships.