1973–74 New York Knicks season

1973–74 New York Knicks season
Reed, Lucas and DeBusschere's final season
Head coach	Red Holzman
General manager	Red Holzman
Arena	Madison Square Garden
Results
Record	49–33 (.598)
Place	Division: 2nd (Atlantic) Conference: 3rd (Eastern)
Playoff finish	East Conference Finals (Eliminated 1–4)
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	MSG Network, WOR-TV
Radio	WOR Radio

The 1973–74 New York Knicks season was the 28th season for the team in the National Basketball Association (NBA).^[1] In the regular season, the Knicks finished in second place in the Atlantic Division with a 49–33 record,^[2] and qualified for the NBA Playoffs for the eighth consecutive year.^[1]

New York, which won the 1972–73 NBA championship,^[1] opened the 1974 playoffs against the Capital Bullets. With a 4–3 series victory, the Knicks advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they faced the Boston Celtics. The Celtics, who later won the NBA Finals, defeated the Knicks in five games,^[3] ending New York's title defense.^[1]

Draft picks

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.^[4]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	School/Club Team
1	14	Mel Davis	F	United States	St. John's
2	28	Pat McFarland	F/G	United States	Saint Joseph's
3	49	Allie McGuire	F	United States	Marquette
4	66	George Karl	G	United States	North Carolina
5	83	Dennis Bell	F	United States	Drake

Regular season

Season standings

Atlantic Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Neutral	Div
y-Boston Celtics	56	26	.683	–	26–6	21–18	9–2	17–5
x-New York Knicks	49	33	.598	7	28–13	21–19	0–1	10–12
x-Buffalo Braves	42	40	.512	14	19–13	17–21	6–6	12–10
Philadelphia 76ers	25	57	.305	31	14–23	9–30	2–4	5–17

#	Eastern Conference
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-Boston Celtics	56	26	.683	–
2	y-Capital Bullets	47	35	.573	9
3	x-New York Knicks	49	33	.598	7
4	x-Buffalo Braves	42	40	.512	14
5	Atlanta Hawks	35	47	.427	21
6	Houston Rockets	32	50	.390	24
7	Cleveland Cavaliers	29	53	.354	27
8	Philadelphia 76ers	25	57	.305	31

z – clinched division title

y – clinched division title

x – clinched playoff spot

Playoffs

East Conference Semifinals

• (2) New York Knicks vs. (3) Capital Bullets: Knicks win series 4–3
• Game 1 @ New York: New York 102, Capital 91
• Game 2 @ Capital: Capital 99, New York 87
• Game 3 @ New York: Capital 88, New York 79
• Game 4 @ Capital: New York 101, Capital 93 (OT)
• Game 5 @ New York: New York 106, Capital 105
• Game 6 @ Capital: Capital 109, New York 92
• Game 7 @ New York: New York 91, Capital 81

East Conference Finals

• (1) Boston Celtics vs. (2) New York Knicks: Celtics win series 4–1
• Game 1 @ Boston: Boston 113, New York 88
• Game 2 @ New York: Boston 111, New York 99
• Game 3 @ Boston: New York 103, Boston 100
• Game 4 @ New York: Boston 98, New York 91
• Game 5 @ Boston: Boston 105, New York 94

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

Awards and records

• Walt Frazier, All-NBA First Team^[5]
• Walt Frazier, NBA All-Defensive First Team^[6]
• Dave DeBusschere, NBA All-Defensive First Team^[6]

References

1. "New York Knickerbockers Franchise Index". Basketball-Reference. Archived from the original on 24 April 2010. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
2. "1973–74 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
3. "1974 NBA Playoff Summary". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
4. "1973 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
5. "All-NBA & All-ABA Teams". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
6. "NBA & ABA All-Defensive Teams". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved August 24, 2013.

External links

• 1973–74 New York Knickerbockers Statistics