1996–97 New York Knicks season

1996–97 New York Knicks season
Head coach Jeff Van Gundy
General manager Ernie Grunfeld
Owner(s) ITT
Cablevision
Arena Madison Square Garden
Results
Record 57–25 (.695)
Place Division: 2nd (Atlantic)
Conference: 3rd (Eastern)
Playoff finish East Conference Semifinals
(eliminated 3–4)

Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com

Local media
Television MSG Network, WBIS, EMI
Radio WFAN

The 1996–97 New York Knicks season was the 51st season for the team in the National Basketball Association (NBA). In the regular season, the Knicks finished in second place in the Atlantic Division with a 57–25 record,[1] and made the NBA Playoffs for the 10th consecutive year.[2]

The Knicks entered the summer of 1996 looking to revamp their line-up. Larry Johnson, a two-time NBA All-Star and the first overall pick in the 1991 NBA Draft, came from the Hornets in exchange for Anthony Mason and Brad Lohaus. Allan Houston and Chris Childs were signed to start in the backcourt.[3]

The Knicks enjoyed a successful season, with their 57 wins tied for the third-most in franchise history;[2] they finished second in the Atlantic Division and third in the Eastern Conference. John Starks was named the Sixth Man of the Year, and Patrick Ewing was selected to the 1997 NBA All-Star Game (he did not play, because he was injured), earned All-NBA Second Team honors,[4] and was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.[5] In the last game of the season, at the United Center, the Knicks defeated the then-69–12 Chicago Bulls, preventing them from posting two consecutive 70-win seasons in a row and tying the best home record (40–1 set by the 1985–86 Boston Celtics).[6]

In the playoffs, New York defeated the Charlotte Hornets in a three-game sweep in the first round and advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals,[1] where they faced the Miami Heat in what would eventually become the first chapter of one of the fiercest NBA rivalries of the period.[7] After jumping to a 3–1 lead in the series, the Knicks were eliminated by the Heat in seven games,[4] after a brawl erupted at the end of Game 5 that led to the suspensions of five key Knicks players: Ewing, Houston, Johnson, Starks and Charlie Ward.[8]

NBA Draft

Main article: 1996 NBA Draft
Round Pick Player Position Nationality School/Club Team
1 18 John Wallace SF  United States Syracuse
1 19 Walter McCarty SF  United States Kentucky
1 21 Dontae' Jones SF  United States Mississippi State

Roster

New York Knicks roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY–MM–DD) From
PG 4 United States Brooks, Scott 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 165 lb (75 kg) UC Irvine
PG 1 United States Childs, Chris 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Boise State
C 33 United States Ewing, Patrick 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Georgetown
SG 20 United States Houston, Allan 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Tennessee
SF 2 United States Johnson, Larry 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 250 lb (113 kg) UNLV
SF 13 United States Jones, Dontae'  6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Mississippi State
SF 40 United States McCarty, Walter 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Kentucky
PF 34 United States Oakley, Charles 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Virginia Union
SG 3 United States Starks, John 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Oklahoma State
SF 44 United States Wallace, John 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Syracuse
PG 21 United States Ward, Charlie 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Florida State
PF 52 United States Williams, Buck 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Maryland
C 32 United States Williams, Herb 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 242 lb (110 kg) Ohio State
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Roster • Transactions

Roster notes

Regular season

Season standings

Atlantic Division W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Miami Heat 61 21 .744 – 29–12 32–9 16–8
x-New York Knicks 57 25 .695 4 31–10 26–15 19–6
x-Orlando Magic 45 37 .549 16 26–15 19–22 13–11
x-Washington Bullets 44 38 .537 17 25–16 19–22 14–10
New Jersey Nets 26 56 .317 35 16–25 10–31 11–13
Philadelphia 76ers 22 60 .268 39 11–30 11–30 11–14
Boston Celtics 15 67 .183 46 11–30 4–37 1–23
# Eastern Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Chicago Bulls 69 13 .841 –
2 y-Miami Heat 61 21 .744 8
3 x-New York Knicks 57 25 .695 12
4 x-Atlanta Hawks 56 26 .683 13
5 x-Detroit Pistons 54 28 .659 15
6 x-Charlotte Hornets 54 28 .659 15
7 x-Orlando Magic 45 37 .549 24
8 x-Washington Bullets 44 38 .537 25
9 Cleveland Cavaliers 42 40 .512 27
10 Indiana Pacers 39 43 .476 30
11 Milwaukee Bucks 33 49 .402 36
12 Toronto Raptors 30 52 .366 39
13 New Jersey Nets 26 56 .317 43
14 Philadelphia 76ers 22 60 .268 47
15 Boston Celtics 15 67 .183 54
z – clinched division title
y – clinched division title
x – clinched playoff spot

Playoffs

East First Round

(3) New York Knicks vs. (6) Charlotte Hornets Last Playoff Meeting: 1993 Eastern Conference Semifinals (New York won 4–1)

Game Date Home Score Visitor Score Record

(NYK-CHA)

 Venue Recap Television
1 April 24 New York 109 Charlotte 99 1–0 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York 1 MSG
2 April 26 New York 100 Charlotte 93 2–0 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York 2 NBC
3 April 28 Charlotte 95 New York 104 3–0 Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina 3 TNT
New York wins series 3–0

East Conference Semifinals

(2) Miami Heat vs. (3) New York Knicks Last Playoff Meeting: Not available (first playoff series)

Game Date Home Score Visitor Score Record

(MIA-NYK)

 Venue Recap Television
1 May 7 Miami 79 New York 88 0–1 Miami Arena, Miami, Florida 1 TNT
2 May 9 Miami 88 New York 84 1–1 Miami Arena, Miami, Florida 2 TNT
3 May 11 New York 77 Miami 73 1–2 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York 3 NBC
4 May 12 New York 89 Miami 76 1–3 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York 4 TNT
5 May 14 Miami 96 New York 81 2–3 Miami Arena, Miami, Florida 5 TNT
6 May 16 New York 90 Miami 95 3–3 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York 6 TNT
7 May 18 Miami 101 New York 90 4–3 Miami Arena, Miami, Florida 7 NBC
Miami wins series 4–3

Awards and records

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "1996–97 New York Knickerbockers Roster and Statistics". Basketball-Reference. Archived from the original on 25 April 2010. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  2. 1 2 "New York Knickerbockers Franchise Index". Basketball-Reference. Archived from the original on 24 April 2010. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  3. ↑ Wise, Mike (July 15, 1996). "Pro Basketball;It's a Blockbuster Day for Knicks". The New York Times. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  4. 1 2 "1996–97 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference. Archived from the original on 12 April 2010. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  5. ↑ "NBA History: The NBA's 50 Greatest Players". National Basketball Association. Archived from the original on 5 April 2010. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  6. ↑ Brown, Clifton (April 20, 1997). "When a Knick Victory Is Not Just a Victory". The New York Times. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  7. ↑ Sheridan, Chris (May 7, 2000). "Knicks, Heat continue their simmering rivalry". The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  8. ↑ Isola, Frank (May 16, 1997). "NBA – No Brawls Allowed Ewing Among Five Suspended Knicks". New York Daily News. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  9. ↑ May, Peter (October 24, 1997). "Jones envisions much better time". The Boston Globe. p. D3.
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