Historically, October 20th has been a very busy day for the New York Knicks. From their first ever NBA game to the Karl Anthony-Towns trade, the 20th holds several significant moments in Knicks-tory.
1960
– Although the Knicks played their first franchise game in 1946, that was still during the BAA era. On this date in 1960, New York played its first official NBA game against the Cincinnati Royals. Playing in the third version of Madison Square Garden, a young Oscar Robertson led the Royals into town to face Willie Naulls and Richie Guerin. The game also marked Naulls’ NBA debut, and he made the most of it, scoring 37 points and pulling down 20 rebounds. His impressive performance wasn’t enough, though, as the Knicks came up short to the Big O and his Royals 105-113.
1972 – The Knicks were only five games into what would turn out to be their second championship season when they rolled into Cleveland to take on Austin Carr and the Cavaliers. Carr came out firing, dropping 22 points, while Rick Roberson battled inside for every rebound, finishing with 17 points and 17 boards. Still, the Knicks had too much poise and too much talent. Walt “Clyde” Frazier controlled the game the way only he could, smooth, confident, stylin, and profilin’, mixed in with a little bit of posting and toasting, as he led both teams in scoring with 33 points. All five of the Knicks starters scored in double digits to defeat the Cavs 92-89.
2021 – The Knicks’ franchise record for points in a single game stands at 152, and they nearly touched that mark on this night in 2021 during a wild season-opening overtime battle against the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden.
Boston’s dynamic duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown did everything they could to spoil opening night, combining for 66 of the Celtics’ 134 points. The Celtics’ dynamic duo wasn’t enough to overcome Julius Randle’s all-around brilliance, as he poured in 35 points to go with 8 rebounds and 9 assists. Evan Fournier added one of the best performances of his career, scoring 32 points and knocking down six threes from deep to keep the Garden rocking all night.
Six Knicks scored in double figures, showing off the kind of depth and resilience that fueled their early-season surge. Even though the Celtics had seven players hit double digits, it wasn’t enough to overcome the Knicks’ late-game composure. When the final buzzer sounded in overtime, the Knicks walked off with a thrilling 138 to 134 win.
2024 – One year later, it still stands as one of the most surprising moves in Knicks history. Today marks the one-year anniversary of the blockbuster trade that sent Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota in exchange for Karl-Anthony Towns. There will always be lengthy debates over who won the trade as the Knicks got the bigger household name, but gave up a significant amount of depth, and their franchise leader in three pointers made.
Still, it’s tough to knock the move when you look at how it played out. Towns gave the Knicks exactly what they were looking for, earning an All-Star nod and playing a major role in getting New York back to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years.
Did we miss any particular event from Knicks history which happened on this very date? If you think so, let us know in the comments section below!
