After a historic 11-game winning streak in the playoffs, the Knicks are in the NBA Finals for the first time in 27 years. And it’s fair to ask where this Knicks team ranks among the greatest squads in the franchise’s history. 

The Knicks had a really strong regular season, winning 53 games. The playoffs have been even better, with New York winning its the last 11 playoff games by a 262-point differential -- an NBA record. 

With this Finals run still in progress, let’s look at where the 2025-26 team stacks up against the best Knicks squads past and present. 

Regular season record, playoff record, opponent strength, and memorable moments were all factors in these rankings.

Here are the top five Knicks teams ever...

The 1998-99 team, which was the first No. 8 seed to advance to an NBA Finals, deserves an honorable mention. But the only team on this list to not make the NBA Finals, the 1992-93 Knicks, was memorable. New York finished with the second-best record in the NBA at 60-22. The Knicks had the top-ranked defense, which propped up an offense that was ranked just 22nd.

Fifth in net rating, the Knicks were led by All-Star Patrick Ewing. John Starks emerged as a full-time starter by the second half of the season and was second on the club in scoring.

New York went 7-2 in the first two rounds before the ultimate showdown with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, with the Knicks having homecourt advantage in the Conference Finals. The swing moment of the series was Game 5, when Knicks forward Charles Smith was stuffed on four consecutive shot attempts in the waning moments of a deflating 97-94 loss at home. New York would’ve taken a lead if Smith converted. Chicago closed out the series in Game 6.

Going 47-23 during the regular season, the Knicks had the best record in the Eastern Division and the second-best mark out of 10 teams. New York was led by All-Stars and future Hall-of-Famers Carl Braun and Harry Gallatin. 

The Knicks swept the Baltimore Bullets in two games and beat the Boston Celtics 3-1 before dropping the final four games to the Minneapolis Lakers in a 4-1 NBA Finals loss. But the combined success in both the regular season and the playoffs gives this group a spot in the top five.

After multiple years in the shadow of the Bulls, New York was an instant title favorite for 1994 when Jordan announced his sudden retirement.

Bolstered by strong play from three All-Stars in Ewing, Starks, and Charles Oakley, and a midseason trade for point guard Derek Harper, the Knicks finished tied for the third-best record in the NBA at 57-25.

After two seven-game series in the first three rounds, New York got to the NBA Finals for the first time in 21 years. Facing the Houston Rockets, the Knicks held a 3-2 series advantage after five games. But a game-saving block from Houston’s Hakeem Olajuwon on Starks -- who was taking a potential title-clinching three-pointer -- gave the Rockets Game 6 before Houston closed it out in Game 7.

New York’s first truly dominant team came in 1969. Led by Willis Reed and Walt Frazier, the Knicks won 23 of their first 24 games in the regular season on their way to setting a franchise record with an NBA-high 60 wins.

The playoffs saw the Knicks beat the Bullets 4-3 and the Milwaukee Bucks 4-1 before advancing to the NBA Finals. The Knicks needed seven games to defeat the 46-36 Los Angeles Lakers. 

Part of the reason for the long series was a torn thigh muscle Reed suffered in Game 5. He famously returned briefly for Game 7, and Frazier led the Knicks to a championship with a remarkable 36 points and 19 assists in the clincher.

The last championship squad for the franchise, this Knicks team ranked third in offensive efficiency and fourth in defensive efficiency during the regular season. With a 57-25 record, the Knicks had the fourth-best record in the NBA.

The playoff run was of supreme quality. The Knicks had the top net rating (plus-4.9) in the playoffs, per Basketball Reference. After defeating the 52-win Bullets in five games, the highlight of this Knicks team’s run came in the Eastern Conference Finals against the 68-14 Celtics, when the Knicks won 94-78 at the Boston Garden in Game 7. New York then vanquished another 60-win juggernaut with a 4-1 NBA Finals win over the Lakers.

The Knicks' starting lineup was stacked. Its starting five of Frazier, Earl Monroe, Dave DeBusschere, Bill Bradley, and Reed is the last championship team to have all five starters make the Hall-of-Fame.

Regardless of a win or loss, a competitive NBA Finals would vault this current Knicks squad easily into the top five. 

Thanks to a top 10 finish in both offense and defense during the regular season and a historically dominant run in the playoffs, the 2025-26 Knicks are quickly moving up the list as one of the top teams in franchise history.