1975–76 New York Knicks season

Season of National Basketball Association team the New York Knicks

NBA professional basketball team season

1975–76 New York Knicks season

Head coach| Red Holzman
General manager| Eddie Donovan
Arena| Madison Square Garden
Results
Record| 38-44 (.463)
Place| Division: 4th (Atlantic)
Conference: 7th (Eastern)
Playoff finish| Did not qualify

* * *

Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television| WOR-TV
Manhattan Cable Television[1]
Radio| WNEW[2]
| < 1974–75  | 1976–77 >

|

The 1975–76 New York Knicks season was the 30th season for the team in the National Basketball Association (NBA). In the regular season, the Knicks had a 38–44 win–loss record, finishing in fourth place in the Atlantic Division and failing to qualify for the 1976 NBA Playoffs. Earl Monroe was the leading scorer for the Knicks with 20.7 points per game. Spencer Haywood led New York in rebounding with 11.3 per game, and Walt Frazier averaged a team-best 5.9 assists per game.[3]

In the 1975 NBA draft, the Knicks had the ninth overall pick and used it to select Gene Short.[4] New York reached an agreement with American Basketball Association forward George McGinnis for a six-year contract, but it was rejected by the NBA because the Philadelphia 76ers held his rights after choosing him in the 1973 NBA draft. The Knicks were stripped of their first-round pick in the 1976 draft for attempting to sign McGinnis.[5][6] Attempts to sign retired center Wilt Chamberlain were also unsuccessful.[7]

Early in the season, the Knicks lost five consecutive games in November 1975, and by mid-December they had lost 20 of their first 30 games. At this time the Knicks went on a six-game winning streak, and in January 1976 they had another unbeaten run of six games that left their record at 24–23. This was the only point during the season when New York had a winning percentage above .500; they immediately lost five games in a row and remained under .500 for the rest of the season.[8] A March 30 loss to the Phoenix Suns officially eliminated the Knicks from postseason contention; it was the first season since 1965–66 that the team did not reach the playoffs.[9]

## Roster[edit]

1975–76 New York Knicks roster

Players  | Coaches
| Pos. | No. | Name | Height | Weight | DOB | From

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G | 25 | Barnett, Jim | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)  | 170 lb (77 kg)  |  | Oregon
SF | 24 | Bradley, Bill | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)  | 205 lb (93 kg)  | 1943-07-28  | Princeton
PF | 31 | Davis, Mel | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)  | 220 lb (100 kg)  |  | St. John's
PG | 10 | Frazier, Walt | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)  | 200 lb (91 kg)  | 1945-03-29  | Southern Illinois
C | 40 | Gianelli, John | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)  | 220 lb (100 kg)  | 1950-06-10  | Pacific
F | 42 | Haywood, Spencer | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)  | 225 lb (102 kg)  |  | Detroit Mercy
PF | 18 | Jackson, Phil | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)  | 220 lb (100 kg)  | 1945-09-17  | North Dakota
G | 15 | Monroe, Earl | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)  | 185 lb (84 kg)  | 1944-11-21  | Winston-Salem State
C | 41 | Walk, Neal | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)  | 220 lb (100 kg)  | 1948-07-29  | Florida
PF | 43 | Wingo, Harthorne | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)  | 210 lb (95 kg)  | 1947-09-09  | Friendship College

Head coach

* Red Holzman

* * *

Legend

* (C) Team captain
* (DP) Unsigned draft pick
* (FA) Free agent
* (S) Suspended
* Injured

## Regular season[edit]

### Season standings[edit]

Atlantic Division

* v
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* e

|  W  |  L  |  PCT  |  GB  |  Home  |  Road  |  Div

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y-Boston Celtics | 54 | 28 | .659 | – | 31–10 | 23–18 | 13–8
x-Philadelphia 76ers | 46 | 36 | .561 | 8 | 34–7 | 12–29 | 9–12
x-Buffalo Braves | 46 | 36 | .561 | 8 | 28–14 | 18–22 | 10–11
New York Knicks | 38 | 44 | .463 | 16 | 24–17 | 14–27 | 10–11
#  |

Eastern Conference

* v
* t
* e

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Team  |  W  |  L  |  PCT  |  GB
1  | z-Boston Celtics | 54 | 28 | .659 | –
2  | y-Cleveland Cavaliers | 49 | 33 | .598 | 5
3  | x-Washington Bullets | 48 | 34 | .585 | 6
4  | x-Philadelphia 76ers | 46 | 36 | .561 | 8
5  | x-Buffalo Braves | 46 | 36 | .561 | 8
6  | Houston Rockets | 40 | 42 | .488 | 14
7  | New York Knicks | 38 | 44 | .463 | 16
8  | New Orleans Jazz | 38 | 44 | .463 | 16
9  | Atlanta Hawks | 29 | 53 | .354 | 25

z – clinched division title
y – clinched division title
x – clinched playoff spot

### Record vs. opponents[edit]

1975–76 NBA Records

Team  | ATL  | BOS  | BUF  | CHI  | CLE  | DET  | GSW  | HOU  | KCK  | LAL  | MIL  | NOJ  | NYK  | PHI  | PHO  | POR  | SEA  | WAS
Atlanta | — | 2–3 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 2–5 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–5 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–4 | 3–2 | 2–3 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–5
Boston | 3–2 | — | 4–3 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 4–1 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 4–1 | 5–2 | 4–3 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–2
Buffalo | 3–2 | 3–4 | — | 3–1 | 3–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 3–2 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 4–1 | 4–3 | 3–4 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–3
Chicago | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | — | 0–4 | 3–4 | 1–4 | 1–3 | 1–6 | 3–2 | 3–4 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 2–3 | 1–4 | 2–3 | 0–4
Cleveland | 5–2 | 2–3 | 2–3 | 4–0 | — | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–4 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 4–3 | 3–2 | 3–2 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 4–2
Detroit | 3–1 | 0–4 | 3–1 | 4–3 | 2–2 | — | 0–5 | 2–2 | 5–2 | 1–4 | 3–4 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–4 | 2–3 | 3–2 | 2–2
Golden State | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 4–1 | 3–1 | 5–0 | — | 2–2 | 4–1 | 5–2 | 5–0 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 4–3 | 3–1
Houston | 5–2 | 1–4 | 2–3 | 3–1 | 4–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | — | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–4 | 3–2 | 3–2 | 0–4 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 3–4
Kansas City | 2–2 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 6–1 | 3–1 | 2–5 | 1–4 | 2–2 | — | 2–3 | 2–5 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 3–2 | 0–5 | 2–3 | 1–3
Los Angeles | 3–1 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 4–1 | 2–5 | 3–1 | 3–2 | — | 2–3 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–4 | 3–4 | 3–3 | 1–3
Milwaukee | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 4–3 | 0–4 | 4–3 | 0–5 | 2–2 | 5–2 | 3–2 | — | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 2–3 | 2–3 | 2–2
New Orleans | 4–2 | 1–4 | 1–4 | 2–2 | 3–4 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 4–2 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | — | 2–3 | 1–4 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 4–3
New York  | 2–3 | 2–5 | 3–4 | 4–0 | 2–3 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 2–3 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 3–2 | — | 5–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 0–4 | 3–2
Philadelphia | 3–2 | 3–4 | 4–3 | 4–0 | 2–3 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 2–3 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 4–1 | 2–5 | — | 3–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 2–3
Phoenix | 4–0 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 3–2 | 1–3 | 4–1 | 2–4 | 4–0 | 2–3 | 4–2 | 2–3 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | — | 5–2 | 4–3 | 0–4
Portland | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 4–1 | 0–4 | 3–2 | 2–4 | 1–3 | 5–0 | 4–3 | 3–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 2–5 | — | 3–3 | 2–2
Seattle | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 1–3 | 2–3 | 3–4 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 3–3 | 3–2 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 3–4 | 3–3 | — | 1–3
Washington | 5–1 | 2–3 | 3–2 | 4–0 | 2–4 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 4–3 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 3–4 | 2–3 | 3–2 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 3–1 | —

## References[edit]

1. ^ The Fourth Estate (PDF). New York Knicks. 2003. p. 331. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
2. ^ The Fourth Estate (PDF). New York Knicks. 2003. p. 330. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
3. ^ "1975–76 New York Knicks Roster and Statistics". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
4. ^ "1975 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
5. ^ "Basketball Briefs: Kennedy Charges Knicks Fouled In McGinnis Deal". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. June 3, 1975. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
6. ^ "O'Brien punishes Knicks". The Deseret News. United Press International. June 6, 1975. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
7. ^ "Knicks Close Door On Chamberlain". Lakeland Ledger. October 21, 1975. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
8. ^ "1975–76 New York Knicks Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
9. ^ "Westphal, Phoenix Eliminate Knicks". The Pittsburgh Press. United Press International. March 31, 1976. Retrieved December 30, 2011.

* v
* t
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1975–76 NBA season by team

* 1975 NBA draft
* All-Star Game
* Playoffs
* Finals
* Transactions

Eastern|

| Atlantic|

* Boston
* Buffalo
* New York
* Philadelphia

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Central|

* Atlanta
* Cleveland
* Houston
* New Orleans
* Washington

Western|

| Midwest|

* Chicago
* Detroit
* Kansas City
* Milwaukee

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Pacific|

* Golden State
* Los Angeles
* Phoenix
* Portland
* Seattle

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New York Knicks seasons

* Franchise
* Seasons

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1960s|

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1970s|

|  1969–70 |  1970–71 |  1971–72 |  1972–73 |  1973–74 |  1974–75 |  1975–76 |  1976–77 |  1977–78 |  1978–79

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1980s|

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1990s|

|  1989–90 |  1990–91 |  1991–92 |  1992–93 |  1993–94 |  1994–95 |  1995–96 |  1996–97 |  1997–98 |  1998–99

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2000s|

|  1999–00 |  2000–01 |  2001–02 |  2002–03 |  2003–04 |  2004–05 |  2005–06 |  2006–07 |  2007–08 |  2008–09

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2010s|

|  2009–10 |  2010–11 |  2011–12 |  2012–13 |  2013–14 |  2014–15 |  2015–16 |  2016–17 |  2017–18 |  2018–19

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2020s|

|  2019–20 |  2020–21 |  2021–22 |  2022–23 |  2023–24 |  |  |  |  |

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Bold indicates NBA Finals victory
*[Pos.]: Position
*[No.]: Number
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[ W ]: Games won
*[ L ]: Games lost
*[ PCT ]: Winning percentage
*[ GB ]: Games behind
*[ Home ]: Home record
*[ Road ]: Road record
*[ Div ]: Division record