On May 31, 1991, the New York Knicks hired Pat Riley as their head coach.
The hiring was a huge coup for the Knicks, who were bringing in the most esteemed coach of the time. Riley had four championship rings and was inheriting a championship-caliber roster in New York, anchored by center Patrick Ewing.
The Knicks were unable to get past Michael Jordan's Bulls until 1994, in a season where Jordan was temporarily retired. That year, the Knicks reached the NBA Finals and went up 3-2 over the Houston Rockets. They went on to lose the next two games, though, and the NBA championship.
That was the closest the Knicks would come to a title under riley. After the following season, Riley famously resigned via fax and took a coaching and executive position with the Miami Heat.
