Playoff history.... 1999: Unforgettable Run to the Finals The Knicks made two big trades, yet they barely made the playoffs. While there, they lost their captain to an injury. And they still found a way to become the first No. 8 seed in history to reach the NBA Finals. Two weeks before the season, New York acquired Latrell Sprewell from Golden State for John Starks, Chris Mills and Terry Cummings. Months earlier, the Knicks got Marcus Camby in a deal that sent Charles Oakley to Toronto. After all the changes, the rotation took time to form and New York stumbled to a 27-23 record in the regular season. Watch: Knicks Become First No. 8 to Reach Finals From then on, it was a different story. New York was matched against top-seeded Miami in the first round. The series went to a deciding Game 5, won by the Knicks on Allan Houstons running one-hander with 0.8 seconds to play. The game-winner bounced off both the rim and backboard before dropping through. New York swept Atlanta in the second round as Camby emerged as one of the most exciting players of the 1999 playoffs. Cambys playing time was erratic for most of the season, but there was no holding him back after he notched 11 points and 13 rebounds in Game 2 of the Atlanta series. For the remainder of the postseason, his rebounding, shot-blocking and highlight dunks energized the Knicks. Patrick Ewings season ended after Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals against Indiana. The Knicks captain had been playing despite a painful Achilles injury, but was relegated to the sideline after doctors discovered the tendon was partially torn. The Knicks needed a magic moment in Game 3 at Madison Square Garden, and they got it when Larry Johnson broke a 1-1 series tie with his game-winning four-point play. New York clinched in Game 6 despite losing Johnson to a knee injury in the first half. He was able to play in the Finals against San Antonio, but the injury limited his mobility. Despite Sprewells 35 points and 10 rebounds in Game 5, the Spurs wrapped up the title with a 78-77 victory. Sprewell (26.0 ppg) and Houston (21.6) formed a high-scoring duo in the Finals, but the Knicks missed Ewing in the paint and were no match for San Antonios Twin Towers, Tim Duncan and David Robinson. -- Courtesy Knicks
Posted on: Sun, 20 Apr 2014 23:07:36 +0000
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