premise: The New York Knicks are one of the professional teams in the National Basketball Association's Eastern Conference.
hypothesis: The National Basketball Association ( NBA ) is the major men 's professional basketball league in North America , and is widely considered to be the premier men 's professional basketball league in the world . The New York Knickerbockers , commonly referred to as the Knicks , are an American professional basketball team based in New York City . The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference . They are one of two NBA teams located in New York City ; the other is the Brooklyn Nets .