Twenty-five long years! That’s how long the New York Knicks and their fans had to wait to once again reach the Eastern Conference Finals. After Friday’s Game 6 victory over the Boston Celtics, the Knicks have advanced through two rounds of the playoffs for the first time since 2000. Work isn’t done though. The team would still love to reach their first NBA Finals since 1999 and win their first NBA championship since 1973.
We won’t know if they can accomplish that until a later date though. What we do know in the present is that New York is one of the final four (well, actually five until the loser of Sunday’s Game 7 between the Nuggets and Thunder is eliminated) teams left standing. Who was on their roster the last time they went this far a quarter of a century ago? What were some other things going on at that time?
A Lot Has Changed Since The Knicks Last Made The ECF
2000 Was The Last Time The Knicks Reached The Eastern Conference Finals Prior To This Year
The most notable name on that 1999-00 Knicks team is Basketball Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing. The 7-foot center holds the majority of the franchise’s records. It was his 15th season with the team, as well as his last, because the legendary big man was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics in the 2000 offseason.
New York had one All-Star that season in sharpshooter Allan Houston. Other than the two players mentioned, the rest of their starting lineup when healthy consisted of Latrell Sprewell, Larry Johnson, and Charlie Ward. Their three top reserves were Marcus Camby, Kurt Thomas, and Chris Childs.
Knicks fans who weren’t even alive at this time would recognize another name on the roster. That would be current assistant coach Rick Brunson. Of course, he is the father of Knicks star point guard Jalen Brunson.
New York lost in the 2000 Eastern Conference Finals in six games to the Indiana Pacers. Twenty-five years later, that is once again their same opponent in the same postseason round.
A Lot Has Changed Since Then
The last time the Knicks were in the Eastern Conference Finals, Bill Clinton’s second term as U.S. President was nearing its end. Eminem’s third album, the Marshall Mathers LP, came out on the day of Game 1 of the 2000 Eastern Conference Finals. The PlayStation 2 wouldn’t be released in North America for nearly five months after the series came to its conclusion.
In the NBA that season, the Los Angeles Lakers were crowned NBA champions. It was the first of three straight years where they won it all. Lakers superstar Shaquille O’Neal was named both the regular season and NBA Finals MVP. There were co-Rookie of the Year winners in Elton Brand and Steve Francis.
The best way to show how different the NBA is played today compared to then is by the frequency of three-point shots. In the 1999-00 season, teams attempted on average 13.7 three-pointers per contest. This season, that number was close to being tripled at 37.6 attempts by teams from beyond the arc.
Photo credit: © Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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