- Oct 16, 2026
- 0
- 0
SportsMafia Wire graphic. Team logos and player headshots via ESPN.
The 1973-74 New York Knicks entered the season as defending champions for the first time since the 1973-74 campaign, following their 2025-26 NBA championship that ended a 53-year title drought. The club posted a 49-33 record, second-best in the Eastern Conference behind the 56-26 Boston Celtics.
New York survived a seven-game opening series against the Capital Bullets, prevailing 91-81 in Game 7. Earl Monroe led all scorers with 30 points in the decisive contest. Dave Debusschere contributed 13.9 points and 9.6 rebounds per game in the series.
The Knicks' title defense ended in the Eastern Conference finals, where Boston eliminated them 4-1. John Havlicek dominated the series, averaging 29.6 points and leading all scorers in four of five games. Walt Frazier posted 24.6 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists per contest in the losing effort.
"If we were going to go out, at least we lost to a great team," Frazier said.
The defeat marked the end of an era. Willis Reed's career concluded due to chronic knee injuries, and Debusschere retired at 33. The following season, New York went 40-42 and lost in the first round to the Houston Rockets. The franchise missed the postseason the next year for the first time since 1965-66.
Written by the SportsMafia Wire desk in our own words from the original reporting (AI-assisted, checked against the source).