1997–98 New York Knicks season

1997–98 New York Knicks season
Head coach	Jeff Van Gundy
General manager	Ernie Grunfeld
Owner(s)	Cablevision
Arena	Madison Square Garden
Results
Record	43–39 (.524)
Place	Division: 2nd Conference: 7th
Playoff finish	Lost in Eastern Conference Semifinals to Indiana Pacers, 4–1
Local media
Television	MSG Network
Radio	WFAN

The 1997–98 New York Knicks season was the 52nd season for the team in the National Basketball Association (NBA). In the regular season, the Knicks had a 43–39 record, which placed them in a tie for second in the Atlantic Division.^[1] Despite their lowest winning percentage since the 1990–91 season,^[2] the team qualified for the NBA Playoffs as the seventh seed.^[3] They also hosted the 1998 NBA All-Star Game.^[4]

The season saw center Patrick Ewing break his wrist trying to catch an alley-oop during a game against the Milwaukee Bucks on December 20.^[5] The injury kept Ewing out for the rest of the regular season and the entire first-round series against the Miami Heat. Ewing did return for game 2 against the Indiana Pacers in the conference semifinals.^[6]

The 1998 NBA Playoffs matched the Knicks against the Heat, who had eliminated the Knicks in the 1997 playoffs in a series that featured a brawl during Game 5.^[7][8] The altercation led to the suspension of six players, including five Knicks.^[9] In the 1998 series, another brawl occurred in the closing seconds of Game 4, which the Knicks won to even the series at two games each. Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning exchanged punches, and Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy clung to one of Mourning's legs at one point in an attempt to separate the two.^[10] Three players were suspended for Game 5, including Johnson, Mourning, and forward Chris Mills, who left the bench during the fight.^[11] New York won Game 5 to advance to the second round, where it lost to the Pacers in five games.^[1] Following the season, Charles Oakley was traded to the Toronto Raptors, John Starks was dealt to the Golden State Warriors,^[12] and Buck Williams retired.

NBA Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	School/Club Team
1	25	John Thomas	PF	United States	Minnesota

Roster

New York Knicks roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY–MM–DD) From SG 13 Bowie, Anthony 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Oklahoma PG 1 Childs, Chris 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Boise State PF 25 Cummings, Terry 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) DePaul PF 4 Davis, Ben 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Arizona C 14 Dudley, Chris 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Yale C 33 Ewing, Patrick 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Georgetown SG 20 Houston, Allan 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Tennessee SF 2 Johnson, Larry 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 250 lb (113 kg) UNLV SF 42 Mills, Chris 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Arizona PF 34 Oakley, Charles 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Virginia Union SG 3 Starks, John 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Oklahoma State PG 7 Thompson, Brooks 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 193 lb (88 kg) Oklahoma State PG 21 Ward, Charlie 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Florida State PF 52 Williams, Buck 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Maryland	Head coach Jeff Van Gundy (Indiana) Assistant coach(es) Mark Aguirre (DePaul) George Glymph (Benedict) Dave Hanners (North Carolina) Herb Williams (Ohio State) Brendan Suhr (Montclair State) Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured

Season standings

Atlantic Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Miami Heat	55	27	.671	–	30-11	25–16	18–6
x-New York Knicks	43	39	.524	12	28–13	15–26	13–11
x-New Jersey Nets	43	39	.524	12	26–15	17–24	12–12
Washington Wizards	42	40	.512	13	24–17	18–23	12–13
Orlando Magic	41	41	.500	14	24–17	17–24	11–13
Boston Celtics	36	46	.439	19	24–17	12–29	12–23
Philadelphia 76ers	31	51	.378	24	19–22	12–29	7–17

Playoffs

East First Round

(2) Miami Heat vs. (7) New York Knicks Last Playoff Meeting: 1997 Eastern Conference Semifinals (Miami won 4–3)

Game	Date	Home	Score	Visitor	Score	Record (MIA-NYK)	Venue	Box score	Television
1	April 24	Miami	94	New York	79	1–0	Miami Arena, Miami, Florida	1	TBS 7:00et
2	April 26	Miami	86	New York	96	1–1	Miami Arena, Miami, Florida	2	NBC 12:30et
3	April 28	New York	85	Miami	91	2–1	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York	3	TBS 7:00et
4	April 30	New York	90	Miami	85	2–2	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York	4	TNT 8:00et
5	May 3	Miami	81	New York	98	2–3	Miami Arena, Miami, Florida	5	NBC 12:30et
New York wins series 3–2

East Conference Semifinals

(3) Indiana Pacers vs. (7) New York Knicks Last Playoff Meeting: 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals (Indiana won 4–3)

Game	Date	Home	Score	Visitor	Score	Record (IND-NYK)	Venue	Box score	Television
1	May 5	Indiana	93	New York	83	1–0	Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, Indiana	1	TNT 8:00et
2	May 7	Indiana	85	New York	77	2–0	Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, Indiana	2	TNT 8:00et
3	May 9	New York	83	Indiana	76	2–1	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York	3	NBC 1:00et
4	May 10	New York	107	Indiana	118	3–1	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York	4	NBC 12:30et
5	May 13	Indiana	99	New York	88	4–1	Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, Indiana	5	TNT 7:00et
Indiana wins series 4–1

Awards and records

• Charles Oakley, NBA All-Defensive Second Team

See also

• 1997–98 NBA season

References

1. "1997–98 New York Knickerbockers Roster and Statistics". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved 2011-06-15.
2. "New York Knickerbockers Franchise Index". Basketball-Reference. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-21.
3. "1997–98 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference. Archived from the original on 4 July 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-21.
4. Iannazzone, Al (2013-09-24). "League source: Knicks, Nets to co-host NBA All-Star Weekend in 2015". Newsday. Retrieved 2013-12-09.
5. Roberts, Selena (December 22, 1997). "Pro Basketball; Wrist Surgery Sidelines Ewing For the Season". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-06-10.
6. Tatum, Kevin (May 10, 1998). "Knicks Prevail With Childs' Help". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2015-06-10.
7. "1997 NBA Playoffs Summary". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved 2011-05-21.
8. Wise, Mike (May 15, 1997). "Not for the Faint-Hearted: Knicks-Heat Turns Nasty". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
9. Wise, Mike (May 16, 1997). "5 Knicks Barred for Melee; 3 to Miss Game 6". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-10-27.
10. Sutton, Larry; Standora, Leo (May 1, 1998). "Knicks & Heat Slug It Out Johnson–mourning Fight Clears The Benches". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2011-06-15.
11. "Tough play big part of Rileyball". Associated Press (The Augusta Chronicle). May 3, 1998. Retrieved 2011-06-15.
12. Zwerling, Jared (February 25, 2011). "Top 10 trades in Knicks history". ESPN New York. Retrieved March 3, 2016.