Christmas Day and the NBA have become synonymous over the years, and no venue has been more identifiable with the tradition than Madison Square Garden.
It all started in 1947 at the old Madison Square Garden location – on the west side of Eighth Avenue between 49th and 50th Street in Manhattan – when the Knicks defeated the Providence Steamrollers, 89-75.
When the Knicks host the Cavaliers at noon Thursday, it will be the 50th Knicks Christmas game played at Madison Square Garden (both the old and the current building, which opened in 1968). Here’s a look at the top-five MSG moments on Dec. 25:
1. 1984: Bernard King scores 60 points
Bernard King’s performance still stands as the NBA Christmas Day record, and you can’t watch a Knicks game on Christmas Day without hearing about it, despite it coming in a 120-114 loss to the Nets. The 6-7 King, an All-NBA first-teamer that season, was a force around the rim. He shot 19-for-30 (63.3%) from the field and 22-for-26 (84.6%) from the free-throw line. Though the 3-point line was in effect (it was adopted in 1979), the Knicks took only one three in the game.
King had 40 in the first half but only nine in the fourth quarter, when he went 1-for-6 from the field. Result aside, the King performance truly was memorable. It stood as the Knicks’ all-time single game scoring record until Jan. 24, 2014, when Anthony dropped 62 against Charlotte.
“Whether I scored 15 points or 60 in a game, the bottom line was: Did we win?” King told Sports Illustrated in 2014. “Scoring 60 points may take on an added flavor, especially after many years because it’s still so memorable for so many people, but in that moment I felt total dejection. There was no excitement. What bothered me most is that we didn’t get a win for the fans.”
2. 1961: Knicks overcome Wilt Chamberlain’s 59 points
P lenty of all-time greats made their mark as visiting players at Madison Square Garden. Wilt Chamberlain was among them. Philadelphia may not have ended up on the right side of the Knicks’ 136-135 win in double overtime, but Chamberlain’s performance was one of the best – if not the best – in Christmas history. He posted 59 points and 36 rebounds, part of an unthinkable se ason in which he averaged a career-high 50.4 points and 25.7 rebounds.
As good as Chamberlain was, the Knicks received incredible efforts from their own stars. Richie Guerin had 40 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, Willie Naulls had 33 points, 13 rebounds and five assists, Phil Jordon had 24 points and Johnny Green had 16 points and 24 rebounds.
3. 1986: Ewing’s buzzer-beating putback over Jordan, Bulls
Michael Jordan played in several home games on Dec. 25, but this was the only time he played on the Garden’s Christmas stage. However, it was Patrick Ewing who put his stamp on the Knicks’ 86-85 win. Trailing 85-84 with six seconds left, the Knicks had possession. Louis Orr inbounded to Trent Tucker, whose three clanked off the side of the backboard with two seconds left. Ewing corralled the rebound off a deflection in midair and quickly put up a shot from a few feet away. It bounced on the front rim and rolled in as time expired, giving the Knicks a dramatic victory.
Ewing had 28 points and 17 rebounds, and Jordan had 30 points – though he was limited to four in the fourth quarter as he was triple-teamed, according to the CBS broadcast – five assists and six steals.
4. 1985: Rookie Ewing takes down Bird-led Celtics in double overtime
Six months before the Celtics won their 16th championship, they visited the Garden to face a rookie center named Patrick Ewing. They left stunned after the Knicks pulled off a 113-104 double-overtime upset. In the first of three Christmas games he played at the Garden, Ewing dominated with 32 points and 11 rebounds. The Knicks trailed 58-33 with 6:39 left in the third quarter, and Ewing scored 18 fourth-quarter points, according to Newsday’s account of the game. He hit a bank shot with 4:05 left in the second overtime that put the Knicks ahead for good.
“It shows we have heart,” Ewing said of the comeback after the game.
The Knicks, who went 23-59 that season, trailed 86-80 with 1:51 left in regulation and by three with 11 seconds left in the first overtime. For Boston, Kevin McHale had 29 points and 14 rebounds, Larry Bird had 23 points and 10 rebounds and Robert Parish had 24 points and 18 boards.
5. 2011: Carmelo’s 37 power Knicks past Celtics in season opener
A lockout delayed the start of the 2011-12 NBA season, making Christmas the first day of the season. Carmelo Anthony made the wait well worth it by leading the Knicks to a 106-104 win over Boston. He scored 17 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter, shooting 4-for-5 from the field and 7-for-8 from the free-throw line. He hit a pair of free throws with 16.3 seconds left, and Kevin Garnett’s 14-foot jumper missed at the buzzer. Things got chippy afterward when Garnett put his left hand on Bill Walker’s throat. Anthony also had eight rebounds, and Rajon Rondo had 31 points, 13 assists and five steals for the Celtics.
“I don’t really have to show everybody I can score the basketball,” Anthony said after the game. “I think that’s self-explanatory.”
Ben Dickson is Newsday Sports’ general assignment reporter. He joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins’ teams.
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