The New York Knicks defeated the Los Angeles Lakers four games to one in the best-of-seven NBA Finals series to conclude the 1972-73 season. The Knicks won their second NBA championship in four seasons.

The Lakers entered the series as the defending champions, having defeated the Knicks in the 1972 NBA Finals. This was the first finals rematch since the Celtics and Lakers met in 1968 and 1969. As of 2009, this was the last time the Knicks won an NBA championship. The Knicks made the NBA Finals in 1994, losing to the Houston Rockets.

Willis Reed won NBA Finals MVP honors after also winning the award for the 1970 NBA Finals. Reed averaged 16.4 points and 9.2 rebounds in the series.

The Knicks didn't have home-court advantage for the finals, which were played under the 2-2-1-1-1 format. The two teams split their four regular-season meetings, with each team winning once at home and once on the road.

Team	Knicks	Lakers
Regular Season	57-25, 2nd in Atlantic Division	60-22, 1st in Pacific Division
Conference Semifinals	Def. (2) Baltimore Bullets, 4-1	Def. (3) Chicago Bulls, 4-3
Conference Finals	Def. (1) Boston Celtics. 4-3	Def. (4) Golden State Warriors, 4-1

The Lakers led by as many as 20 points late in the third quarter but had to scramble to win. Los Angeles didn't breathe easy until Bill Bridges went in for a layup to give the Lakers a 5-point cushion with 18 seconds remaining. The Lakers had to overcome 21 turnovers, eight in the fourth quarter when the Knicks outscored them 33-20.

Jerry West did the damage early, outscoring Walt Frazier 19-2 in the first half, but foul trouble hurt West in the second half and he finished with 24 points. Gail Goodrich had a game-high 30 points. Dave DeBusschere led the Knicks with 25 points and 16 rebounds.

The Knicks took the lead for good at 35-34 midway through the second quarter but never led by more than 10 points the rest of the way. Bill Bradley led the Knicks with 26 points, and the Knicks defense held the Lakers to 43 percent shooting from the field. Jerry West led the Lakers with a game-high 32 points on 12-of-21 from the field.

Wilt Chamberlain was held to 5 points, although he did grab 20 rebounds. The Lakers wasted a 58-43 rebounding advantage by missing 13 free throws and turning the ball over 19 times. The Knicks also got a lift from reserve Phil Jackson, who had 17 points.

With Jerry West straining hamstring muscles in both legs and watching from the bench in the fourth quarter, the Knicks held off the Lakers. The Lakers got to within 85-83 with 55 seconds remaining and had a chance to send the game to overtime, but Keith Erickson missed a tough shot with 22 seconds to go and Willis Reed grabbed the rebound. Walt Frazier was fouled and hit two free throws with two seconds left for the final margin. The Knicks overcame eight turnovers in the last 11 minutes of the game.

Jim McMillian led the Lakers with 22 points, but the story for the Lakers was 5 points and 13 rebounds from Wilt Chamberlain. Reed led the Knicks with 22 points, and Earl Monroe added 21 points, 9 in the final quarter.

Once again, the Knicks took a big lead and had to scramble to hold on to the win. With 48 seconds remaining and the Lakers on the verge of an incredible comeback, Dave DeBusschere stole a rebound from Wilt Chamberlain and converted it into a 3-point play. The Knicks led by as many as 21, but it was only 94-92 when DeBusschere threw up a prayer shot that went in and converted the free throw. DeBusschere and Earl Monroe sealed the game with six free throws down the stretch.

DeBusschere led the Knicks with a game-high 33 points and 14 rebounds while Willis Reed had 21 points and 11 rebounds. Jerry West and Gail Goodrich each had 23 points. Wilt Chamberlain had 13 points and 19 rebounds.

The Knicks used balanced scoring with five players in double figures to secure their second NBA championship in the past four seasons. After two injury-prone years, Willis Reed was named NBA Finals MVP, which included 18 points and 12 rebounds in the clincher.

The Lakers had a 2-point lead at the half, but the Knicks outscored the Lakers 32-18 in the third quarter, forcing 12 Lakers turnovers in the quarter. The Knicks again had to scramble to hold on to the lead. Dave DeBusschere left with an injury, and the Lakers used an 11-5 run to close the gap to 84-80. The lead was 95-91 with 1:04 to play, but New York scored 7 of the game's final 9 points.

Earl Monroe led the Knicks with 23 points and got his first NBA championship. Gail Goodrich led the Lakers with 28 points, while Wilt Chamberlain added 23 points and 21 rebounds.