Early years Between 1966 and 1980, the Bulls and Knicks were inter-conference rivals, as the Bulls played in the
Western Division/Conference during this period. Both teams were regularly present in the NBA playoffs during the late 1960s to mid-1970s, but neither met in the
NBA Finals. The Bulls of that era, led by
Jerry Sloan,
Bob Love,
Norm Van Lier,
Chet Walker, and
Tom Boerwinkle, struggled to advance deep in the playoffs as they regularly lost to powerhouse teams like the
Jerry West-led
Los Angeles Lakers and
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's
Milwaukee Bucks. The Knicks, on the other hand, made three finals and won two championships featuring players such as
Willis Reed,
Walt Frazier,
Bill Bradley,
Dave DeBusschere,
Jerry Lucas,
Earl Monroe, and future Bulls coach
Phil Jackson.
1981–1988: First playoff meeting and aftermath In the 1980 offseason, the Bulls moved to the
Eastern Conference, making their rivalry with the Knicks an intra-conference affair. The two teams' first playoff meeting was in first round of the
1981 NBA playoffs, a best-of-three series. Chicago, under head coach Jerry Sloan, won both games to sweep the series against New York 2–0. Chicago would be swept in the next round by the
Boston Celtics, the eventual champions, in a best-of-seven series. Sloan was fired during
the following season. In the
1984 NBA draft, the Chicago Bulls used their first-round pick (3rd overall) to select shooting guard
Michael Jordan, who would eventually lead Chicago to six NBA Championships in the 1990s with teammates
Scottie Pippen and
Dennis Rodman, under the direction of head coach Phil Jackson. The next year, the New York Knicks used their first-round pick (1st overall) in the
1985 NBA draft to select center
Patrick Ewing, who would go on to become one of the Knicks' most notable players over the next 15 years.
1988–1993: Chicago Bulls first dynasty The Knicks and Bulls met in the playoffs for the second time in
1989. This time, the rivalry was much more pronounced, as the Knicks had just won their first Atlantic Division title since 1971 with a 52–30 record and clinched the 2nd seed in the East. Meanwhile, 6th-seeded Chicago won just 47 games, but was led by reigning NBA MVP and Defensive Player of the Year Michael Jordan. The Bulls won Game 1 in New York, and all three in Chicago to upset the Knicks 4–2 and qualify for the Eastern Conference Finals, which they lost in six games to the eventual champion
Detroit Pistons. When the two teams met again in 1991, their roles were reversed. Chicago led the East with a then franchise-best 61 wins to capture the Central Division title. On the opposite end, the Knicks limped into the playoffs at 39–43 with the 8th seed. Chicago cruised past New York in a 3-game sweep, winning each game by an average of 20 points. They would go on to claim the first NBA Championship in franchise history.
1992 Eastern Conference Semifinals In , the Bulls (having won six more games than the previous season), led by Jordan and Pippen, were on their way to their second straight title when they met the Knicks led by Ewing and new head coach
Pat Riley in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The series went to a decisive
Game 7, which the Bulls won 110–81 to advance. This kick-started the intense rivalry and made the Knicks into an Eastern Conference powerhouse, replacing the Pistons and Celtics. This was the first of two Game 7's that the Bulls faced in the six seasons they won a championship, the other with the Pacers in the
1998 Eastern Conference Finals. This particular series became intense, with several players, particularly Michael Jordan,
Xavier McDaniel, Scottie Pippen, and
Greg Anthony getting into arguments. Shortly afterwards, there was a moment of peace in the rivalry, with Ewing, Jordan, and Pippen winning gold medals as members of the "Dream Team" at the
1992 Summer Olympics. Ewing, Jordan, and
Chris Mullin are the only basketball players to win gold medals as amateurs and professionals, having won at the
1984 Summer Olympics. Jordan and Pippen, along with
LeBron James in 2012,
Kyrie Irving in 2016,
Jrue Holiday and
Khris Middleton in 2021,
Jayson Tatum,
Jrue Holiday and
Derrick White in 2024, are the eight players to have won an NBA championship and Olympic gold medal in the same year. Pippen and Holiday are the only players to accomplish this feat twice, as Pippen played for the Bulls in and Team USA at the
1996 Summer Olympics, while Holiday played for the Bucks in and Team USA at the
2021 Summer Olympics, and the Celtics in and Team USA at the
2024 Summer Olympics.
1993 Eastern Conference Finals: "The Charles Smith Game" In the
1992–93 season, the Knicks finished ahead of Chicago in the regular season and had home court advantage in the Eastern Conference Finals. The series had the notable highlight of Starks dunking over Horace Grant in front of Michael Jordan late in Game 2. However, despite being down 2–0, the Bulls came back and won the next 4 (by doing so, they became the 1st team in NBA history to overcome a 2–0 series deficit in a best-of-7 series, the 2nd team that year, and 4th overall), including a 97–94 Game 5 victory in New York. In Game 4 of the series, Jordan scored 54 points, the most against the Knicks in a playoff game by any player. The series was also notable for Game 5 of the series; With the series tied 2-2, Knicks forward
Charles Smith was stopped 4 straight times by a series of blocks and strips in the final seconds while trying to score. The Bulls won Game 6 96–88 to advance to the
1993 NBA Finals, where they beat the Suns in 6 games for their first
three-peat. This would be Jordan's last game until 1995, as he retired to play baseball for the
Chicago White Sox.
1993–1998: Chicago Bulls second dynasty 1994 Eastern Conference Semifinals: Hue Hollins Phantom Call With Jordan's absence in the Knicks had the upper hand and compiled the second best record in the East. The Bulls, led by Pippen and newcomer
Toni Kukoč, met the Knicks in the second round, where the series went 7 games. Game 3 of the series was marred by a brawl between
Jo Jo English and
Derek Harper in which both players rolled into the stands. What made things worse was that the brawl took place with
NBA Commissioner David Stern in attendance. The Bulls had a 19-point lead entering the 4th, but the Knicks tied it with 1.8 seconds left on a Patrick Ewing hook shot. Scottie Pippen famously refused to take the floor after Phil Jackson drew the final play for Kukoc, who hit a buzzer-beater to win the game. In one of the most argued calls in NBA history, a questionable foul was called by
Hue Hollins in the closing seconds of Game 5 against Pippen, which gave
Hubert Davis two free throws to turn a one-point deficit into a one-point victory for the Knicks. After a blowout Bulls win in Game 6, highlighted by a vicious Scottie Pippen over Patrick Ewing and it being the final game ever played at
Chicago Stadium, the Knicks advanced past the Bulls with a series-clinching 87–77 win, but eventually lost to the Rockets in the
1994 NBA Finals. This was the only time the Knicks were able to beat the Bulls in the playoffs during this era. Also, all the games in the series were won by the home team, and the Knicks had home court advantage in the series.
1995 - 1998: Jordan Returns, 1996 Eastern Conference Semifinals, and Jordan's Last Game at MSG In , Jordan returned in the latter half of the regular season. In his return to the Garden, his 5th game back, Jordan scored 55 in a Chicago win on March 29, 1995. This game lifted Jordan's confidence after a mediocre performance in his "comeback game" against the Pacers. They didn't meet in the playoffs that season, but the animosity between the teams still grew. During the Bulls' record-setting
1995–96 season, they suffered their worst loss of the season to the Knicks, 102–74 in March. Two months later, they defeated the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 5 games. During the Bulls' second three-peat, they only met in the playoffs once; in 1996 when the Bulls defeated the Knicks. It was also during this period that other teams in the East grew to be contenders, such as the
Indiana Pacers,
Orlando Magic, and
Miami Heat. All of these teams had their own heated battles with either the Bulls or Knicks in the playoffs. In 1997, Knicks coach
Jeff Van Gundy famously labeled Michael Jordan a "con man" for befriending opponents to gain a competitive edge. Jordan took this personally, responding with a 51-point performance against New York shortly after. In March 8, 1998, Jordan had his last game as a Bull at
Madison Square Garden. In the 1990s, both Knicks Finals appearances (1994 and their
Cinderella march of ) followed a Bulls' 3-peat, but the Knicks lost both times to a team from Texas (
Houston Rockets and
San Antonio Spurs).
Later years The departures of Jordan, Pippen and Ewing led to the decline of both the Bulls and Knicks, and neither team was able to recapture the same success they enjoyed in the 1990s. During this era, the only times both teams were in the playoffs took place in the , and seasons, neither of which resulted in the Bulls and Knicks meeting in a playoff series. Both teams have reached up to the Eastern Conference Finals. On January 18, 2005,
Ben Gordon scored a game-winning layup to lead the Bulls past the Knicks at
Madison Square Garden. Then on April 8, 2012,
Carmelo Anthony's three-point shot in overtime gave the Knicks the win at home over Chicago. Finally, on October 31, 2013,
Derrick Rose banked in a game-winning field goal to beat the Knicks at the
United Center. On June 22, 2016, the Bulls traded Rose,
Justin Holiday, and a 2017 draft pick to the Knicks for
Robin Lopez,
Jerian Grant, and
José Calderón, who was soon traded to the
Los Angeles Lakers. On November 13, 2024,
Coby White made game-winning free throws following a shooting foul committed by
Josh Hart to lead the Bulls past the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. The Bulls and Knicks faced off in East Group C of the
2025 NBA Cup, with their group stage meeting on October 31, 2025, at Chicago. The Bulls gave the Knicks their only loss of the tournament with a 135–125 win. However, in their succeeding regular season game at New York on November 2, the Knicks handed the Bulls their first loss of the regular season with a 128–116 win. The Knicks went on to win the group and eventually the 2025 NBA Cup championship, becoming the first champions in the tournament's history to finish with a non-perfect record. ==Causes==