<Table> <Tr> <Td> Home </Td> <Td> Away </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> Home </Td> <Td> Away </Td> </Tr> <P> The New York Knickerbockers, commonly referred to as the Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan . The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference . The team plays its home games at Madison Square Garden, located in the borough of Manhattan . They are one of two NBA teams located in New York City; the other is the Brooklyn Nets . The team, established by Ned Irish in 1946, was one of the founding members of the Basketball Association of America (BAA), which became the NBA after merging with the rival National Basketball League (NBL) in 1949 . Along with the Boston Celtics, the Knicks are one of only two original NBA teams still located in its original city . </P> <P> The Knicks were successful during their early years and were constant playoff contenders under the franchise's first head coach Joe Lapchick . Beginning in 1950, the Knicks made three consecutive appearances in the NBA Finals, all of which were losing efforts . 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 . Holzman successfully guided the Knicks to two NBA championships, in 1970 and 1973 . The Knicks of the 1980s had mixed success that included six playoff appearances; however, they failed to participate in the NBA Finals . </P>

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