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New York Knicks: Ranking the greatest coaches in franchise history

By Maxwell Ogden

May 11, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; ESPN broadcaster Jeff Van Gundy during game four of the second round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
May 11, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; ESPN broadcaster Jeff Van Gundy during game four of the second round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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3. Joe Lapchick

Tenure: 1947-1956
Regular Season Record: 326-246 (.569)
Postseason Record: 30-30 (.500)
Accolades: 3 (1951, 1952, 1953) NBA Finals Appearances

Joe Lapchick is one of the greatest coaches in the history of New York City. He led the New York Knicks to eternally resounding success, and helped the St. John’s Red Storm win four NIT Championships.

His accomplishments in the former role earned Lapchick a place as one of the greatest coaches in Knicks history.

Lapchick led New York to three consecutive NBA Finals appearances between 1951 and 1953. That puts him in a tie with the No. 1 coach on this list for the most NBA Finals appearances in Knicks history.

That alone is a fair reason to name Lapchick one of the Top 3 coaches to ever lead the men in the orange and blue.

Lapchick is No. 2 amongst Knicks coaches in regular season wins and No. 4 in postseason victories. The latter number is especially impressive when one considers the fact that there were Best-of-3 series and only three rounds in the NBA Playoffs during his era.

Lapchick was the Knicks’ coach in both the BAA and NBA, and achieved as much as any New York frontman ever has. Excluding him from this list would be as much of a crime as it would be ignorant.

Nothing matters more to Lapchick’s legacy than his influence on the breaking of the NBA’s color barrier with Knicks legend Nathaniel Clifton.

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