1969-70 NBA Season Standings

The New York Knicks, led by Willis Reed (regular-season and Finals MVP) and Walt Frazier under coach Red Holzman, went 60-22 to pace the league and beat the Los Angeles Lakers 4-3 in a classic Finals capped by Reed's iconic Game 7 return from a torn thigh muscle to score the game's opening basket, inspiring the rest of the Knicks to a rout. It remains one of the most replayed moments in NBA history. No expansion occurred this season; the league remained at 14 teams for the second year running, the calm before the major three-team expansion (Buffalo, Cleveland, Portland) and full conference/division reorganization that would arrive the following year. The Lakers, despite falling short again in the Finals, still boasted one of the era's most talented rosters with Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, and Wilt Chamberlain, who was working his way back from a serious knee injury suffered early in the season.