Let’s talk about the New York Knicks, specifically their miracle run to the 1999 NBA Finals.
Every fan who was old enough remembers this deep in their sports fan bones. In a lockout-shortened season, the Knicks fought their way to the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference before going on the most improbable playoff run. Allan Houston’s miracle tip shot clinched the decisive Game 5 over rival Miami in the first round. Then, the Knicks quickly dispatched Dikembe Mutombo and the Hawks in a clean sweep.
Reggie Miller and the pesky Indiana Pacers were knocked off six games later, and the underdog Knicks were headed to the NBA Finals. And without the injured Patrick Ewing to boot! There, they faced a tough San Antonio Spurs team anchored by Hall of Fame bigs Tim Duncan and David “The Admiral” Robinson. Of course, New York was outclassed by the far superior Spurs in five games.
Now, over 25 years later, the two will meet again under similar circumstances. The NBA Cup Final is no NBA Finals, but it might as well be for Knicks fans. A big reason the team’s 20 years of failures stung so much was because of that 1999 run to the Finals. It was a taste of how good the Knicks could be before everything derailed. Duncan and the Spurs, meanwhile, went on to win four more championships.
Fast forward to today, and the teams are far more even on paper. This won’t be a simple case of an underprepared and outmatched Knicks team being fed to Victor Wembenyama. If anything, Wemby being fresh off an injury and on a possible minutes restriction helps New York.
But that doesn’t mean the Knicks can coast on Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns leading the way in Las Vegas. San Antonio still has the dynamic De’Aaron Fox and athletic Stephon Castle. Devin Vassell sinks dagger threes at the worst times. These aren’t the late Gregg Popovich Era Spurs that looked a step behind the rest of the league.
Rather, the Knicks and Spurs are each 18-7 and rank within the Top 10 in league scoring. This isn’t the NBA Finals, but there’s plenty of pride and money on the line. Remember that the winning team’s players get over $500,000 apiece along with the trophy.
And for a small pocket of New York Knicks fans? Maybe, just maybe, could this game be about avenging 1999. The Knicks aren’t just “the hottest team” who made the big game this time. They are a legitimate team with a legitimate front office with an even more legitimate presence in the league. New York currently holds the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, two-and-a-half games behind the No. 1 Detroit Pistons.
San Antonio is currently No. 4 in the deeper, more competitive Western Conference, trailing the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder by 5.5 games. The same Oklahoma City Thunder who only have two losses on the season. And whose most recent loss was in the NBA Cup Semifinal against…the San Antonio Spurs.
Both teams have earned their place in the NBA Cup Final. For San Antonio, a win means turning the page on a new era of Spurs basketball under Wembenyama and coach Mitch Johnson. In New York’s case, it’s proving that the Knicks are a legit contender and not a roster full of system players driven by Brunson and the “‘Nova Knicks.”
And, if only a little bit, putting the ghosts of ’99 to bed once and for all.
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