Hoops Habit
Fansided

NBA: Greatest head coach in each team’s franchise history

By Josh Cornelissen

Gregg Popovich, Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Gregg Popovich, Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
21 of 31
Next
Red Holzman, New York Knicks
Red Holzman, New York Knicks. (Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Greatest head coach in New York Knicks history: William “Red” Holzman, 1967-77, 1978-82

Recent history for the New York Knicks has been a series of disappointments and broken promises. The false hope of ever contending a championship has hung over this franchise for decades. Yet the Knicks did not cultivate such a devoted fanbase by being terrible for their entire history.

In the 1990s, the Knicks made a pair of runs to the NBA Finals, losing to the Houston Rockets in 1994 under Pat Riley’s direction and in 1999 losing to the San Antonio Spurs with Jeff Van Gundy roaming the sidelines.

The team’s true success came years before Riley and Van Gundy when the Knicks were something akin to a powerhouse. The team made nine straight postseasons from 1966 to 1975, the final eight of which came under William “Red” Holzman’s guidance.

Three times did the Knicks make the NBA Finals during that stretch, winning two titles in 1970 and 1973. He won 613 regular-season games, 287 more than the next highest total (Joe Lapchick).

In the NBA playoffs, his 54 wins are also a franchise high. Holzman’s part in establishing the Knicks as one of the most popular and profitable teams in the country deserves a nod.