Recent History
On December 16, 2006, the Knicks and the Denver Nuggets broke into a brawl during their game in Madison Square Garden.
On December 20, 2006, with many players still serving the suspension above, David Lee created one of the most memorable plays in recent Knicks history during a game against the Charlotte Bobcats.
With a tie game and 0.1 seconds left on the game clock in double overtime, Jamal Crawford inbounded from the sideline, near half-court. The ball sailed towards the basket, and with that 0.1 seconds still remaining on the game clock, Lee tipped the ball off of the backboard and into the hoop.
Because of a rule instituted in 1994, a player is allowed solely to tip the ball to score. A "catch and shoot" play is disabled with less than 0.3 seconds remaining. Because of this rule, the rarity of Lee's play increases. The Knicks won, 111-109 in double overtime.
The Knicks improved by 10 games in the 2006-2007 campaign, and were only eliminated from playoff contention in the last week of the season.
Injuries ravaged the team at the end of the year, and they ended with a 33-49 (.402) record, avoiding a 50-loss season by defeating the Charlotte Bobcats 94-93 in a thriller on the last day of the season.
At the 2007 NBA Draft, Thomas traded Channing Frye and Steve Francis to the Portland Trail Blazers for Zach Randolph, Fred Jones, and Dan Dickau. The draft also featured the Knicks selecting Wilson Chandler with the 23rd pick and later acquiring the rights to Demetris Nichols - the 53rd pick in the draft - from the Blazers.
Dickau and Nichols were both released by the end of the preseason, bringing the roster to 15 players.
The Knicks started out 2-1 after an exciting victory over the Denver Nuggets at Madison Square Garden but since then have struggled and lost 8 straight games.
Many Knicks fans called for the firing of coach/GM Isiah Thomas, feeling that he is the cause of the current state of the Knicks team.
The chant "Fire Isiah" became common at Madison Sqaure Garden over the first few weeks of the season.