The 1990–91 New York Knicks season was the 45th season for the Knicks in the National Basketball Association. In the off-season, the Knicks signed free agent John Starks, who played in the Continental Basketball Association the previous season. The Knicks changed their on-court leadership early in the season as head coach Stu Jackson was replaced by John MacLeod after 15 games. After a 6–3 start to the season, the Knicks lost eight of their next nine games, and held a 20–27 record at the All-Star break. They recovered to a 34–33 record near the end of the season, but then went 5–10 in their last 15 games. New York finished in third place in the Atlantic Division with a 39–43 record, and earned the #8 seed in the Eastern Conference for the NBA Playoffs.