The 1972âÂÂ73 New York Knicks season was the 27th season of NBA basketball in New York City. The Knicks captured their second NBA title as they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals, four games to one, which was exactly the same count the Knicks lost to the Lakers a year earlier. To date this is the last Knicks' championship. This is also the Knicks' last season with a Finals appearance until 1994.
Besides being the last Knicks team to win a championship, the team is also remembered for the deep roster of future Hall of Fame players, which included Dave DeBusschere, Walt "Clyde" Frazier, Jerry Lucas, Earl "The Pearl" Monroe, Willis Reed, Future U.S. Senator Bill Bradley, and future Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson. In fact, as of 2025, the 1972âÂÂ73 Knicks are the last championship team to have all of their five regular starters enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
Note: This is not an extensive list; it only covers the first and second rounds, and any other players picked by the franchise that played at least one game in the league.
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All times are EASTERN time
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1 | March 30 | Baltimore | W 95âÂÂ83 | Walt Frazier (25) | Frazier, DeBusschere (7) | Walt Frazier (6) | Madison Square Garden<br>19,694 | 1âÂÂ0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 2 | April 1 | Baltimore | W 123âÂÂ103 | Walt Frazier (29) | Dave DeBusschere (11) | Walt Frazier (13) | Madison Square Garden<br>19,694 | 2âÂÂ0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 | April 4 | @ Baltimore | W 103âÂÂ96 | Bill Bradley (23) | Dave DeBusschere (11) | Walt Frazier (7) | Baltimore Civic Center<br>12,289 | 3âÂÂ0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 4 | April 6 | @ Baltimore | L 89âÂÂ97 | Walt Frazier (17) | Willis Reed (8) | DeBusschere, Monroe (4) | Baltimore Civic Center<br>12,289 | 3âÂÂ1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 5 | April 8 | Baltimore | W 109âÂÂ99 | Earl Monroe (26) | Dave DeBusschere (15) | Walt Frazier (7) | Madison Square Garden<br>19,694 | 4âÂÂ1 |-
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 1 | April 15 | @ Boston | L 108âÂÂ134 | Walt Frazier (24) | Walt Frazier (7) | Walt Frazier (10) | Boston Garden<br>15,320 | 0âÂÂ1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 2 | April 18 | Boston | W 129âÂÂ96 | Walt Frazier (24) | Dave DeBusschere (8) | Walt Frazier (10) | Madison Square Garden<br>19,694 | 1âÂÂ1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 | April 20 | @ Boston | W 98âÂÂ91 | Walt Frazier (23) | DeBusschere, Reed (11) | Walt Frazier (5) | Boston Garden<br>15,320 | 2âÂÂ1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 4 | April 22 | Boston | W 117âÂÂ110 (2OT) | Walt Frazier (37) | Dave DeBusschere (10) | Dean Meminger (7) | Madison Square Garden<br>19,694 | 3âÂÂ1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 5 | April 25 | @ Boston | L 97âÂÂ98 | Walt Frazier (21) | Dave DeBusschere (12) | Frazier, DeBusschere (5) | Boston Garden<br>15,320 | 3âÂÂ2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 6 | April 27 | Boston | L 100âÂÂ110 | Walt Frazier (29) | Dave DeBusschere (17) | Bradley, DeBusschere (5) | Madison Square Garden<br>19,694 | 3âÂÂ3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 7 | April 29 | @ Boston | W 94âÂÂ78 | Walt Frazier (25) | Walt Frazier (10) | Dave DeBusschere (8) | Boston Garden<br>15,320 | 4âÂÂ3 |-
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 1 | May 1 | @ Los Angeles | L 112âÂÂ115 | Dave DeBusschere (25) | Dave DeBusschere (16) | Walt Frazier (8) | The Forum<br>17,505 | 0âÂÂ1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 2 | May 3 | @ Los Angeles | W 99âÂÂ95 | Bill Bradley (26) | DeBusschere, Reed (9) | Bill Bradley (4) | The Forum<br>17,505 | 1âÂÂ1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 | May 6 | Los Angeles | W 87âÂÂ83 | Willis Reed (22) | Dave DeBusschere (11) | Earl Monroe (6) | Madison Square Garden<br>19,694 | 2âÂÂ1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 4 | May 8 | Los Angeles | W 103âÂÂ98 | Dave DeBusschere (33) | Dave DeBusschere (14) | Walt Frazier (8) | Madison Square Garden<br>19,694 | 3âÂÂ1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 5 | May 10 | @ Los Angeles | W 102âÂÂ93 | Earl Monroe (23) | Willis Reed (12) | Frazier, Bradley (5) | The Forum<br>17,505 | 4âÂÂ1 |-
|- align="center" | || 51 || || 10.1 || 1.7 || || 0.3 || 0.8 || 1.0 || || || 3.8 |- align="center" | || 55 || || 8.6 || 1.4 || || 1.3 || 1.5 || 1.2 || || || 4.2 |- align="center" | || 82 || || 36.6 || 7.0 || || 2.1 || 3.7 || 4.5 || || || 16.1 |- align="center" | || 77 || || 36.7 || 6.9 || || 2.5 || 10.2 || 3.4 || || || 16.3 |- align="center" | || 78 || || 40.8 || 8.7 || || 3.7 || 7.3 || 5.9 || || || 21.1 |- align="center" | || 52 || || 9.9 || 1.5 || || 0.4 || 2.9 || 0.5 || || || 3.5 |- align="center" | || 80 || || 17.4 || 3.1 || || 1.9 || 4.3 || 1.2 || || || 8.1 |- align="center" | || 71 || || 28.2 || 4.4 || || 1.1 || 7.2 || 4.5 || || || 9.9 |- align="center" | || 80 || || 18.2 || 2.4 || || 1.0 || 2.9 || 1.7 || || || 5.7 |- align="center" | || 75 || || 31.6 || 6.6 || || 2.3 || 3.3 || 3.8 || || || 15.5 |- align="center" | || 1 || || 2.0 || 0.0 || || 0.0 || 1.0 || 0.0 || || || 0.0 |- align="center" | || 69 || || 27.2 || 4.8 || || 1.3 || 1.5 || 1.2 || || || 11.0 |- align="center" | || 14 || || 4.6 || 0.7 || || 1.1 || 1.1 || 0.1 || || || 2.5 |- align="center" | || 13 || || 4.5 || 0.7 || || 0.2 || 1.2 || 0.1 || || || 1.5 |- align="center" | || 82 || || 240.6 || 44.2 || || 16.5 || 47.3 || 26.7 || || || 105.0
|- align="center" | || 4 || || 4.3 || 0.8 || || 0.0 || 0.0 || 5.5 || || || 1.5 |- align="center" | || 6 || || 7.2 || 1.3 || || 0.7 || 0.3 || 0.5 || || || 3.3 |- align="center" | || 17 || || 34.5 || 5.8 || || 2.4 || 3.4 || 2.6 || || || 14.0 |- align="center" | || 17 || || 37.2 || 6.9 || || 2.3 || 10.5 || 3.4 || || || 15.6 |- align="center" | || 17 || || 45.0 || 8.8 || || 4.3 || 7.3 || 6.2 || || || 21.9 |- align="center" | || 52 || || 7.9 || 1.6 || || 0.4 || 1.9 || 0.1 || || || 3.6 |- align="center" | || 17 || || 19.9 || 3.5 || || 1.6 || 4.2 || 1.4 || || || 8.7 |- align="center" | || 17 || || 21.6 || 3.2 || || 1.2 || 5.0 || 2.3 || || || 7.5 |- align="center" | || 17 || || 19.0 || 1.8 || || 1.1 || 2.2 || 2.2 || || || 4.8 |- align="center" | || 16 || || 31.5 || 6.9 || || 2.3 || 3.2 || 3.2 || || || 16.1 |- align="center" | || 17 || || 28.6 || 5.7 || || 1.1 || 7.6 || 1.8 || || || 12.5 |- align="center" | || 3 || || 4.0 || 1.7 || || 0.3 || 2.3 || 0.0 || || || 3.7 |- align="center" | || 17 || || 48.4 || 48.0 || || 17.2 || 47.9 || 24.2 || || || 113.2
Some New York Knicks TV Games never aired on WOR-TV because of broadcast conflict with the New York Rangers (NHL).
Some New York Knicks radio games never aired on WNBCâÂÂAM because of broadcast conflict with the New York Rangers (NHL).
New York Knicks NBA All-Star representatives at the 1973 NBA All-Star Game in Chicago, Illinois at Chicago Stadium.
Transactions listed are from July 1, 1972, to June 30, 1973.