Party Like It's 1999: Knicks Can Make Playoff Run Like Turn-of-the-Century Squad
New York fans are infamous for demanding instant success. When they don’t get their way, they call for a drastic change—whether it be firing a coach or an epic trade. Media chatter abounds, and questions have arisen concerning how many more years the Knicks front office should allow Mike D’Antoni to right the ship before they toss him overboard.
Give the guy a break.
Miami Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra went through it while his “big three” became acclimated, and now it’s D’Antoni’s turn. He’ll figure it out, and with any luck, he’ll do it in time for the playoffs.
Let’s take a trip down memory lane to the spring of 1999 and the lockout-shortened 50-game season.
With a 27-23 record, the Knicks snuck into the playoffs as an eight seed. While Patrick Ewing was on the downside of his career, New York showcased an offensive arsenal in his supporting cast of Latrell Sprewell, Allan Houston and Larry Johnson.
After a close call versus the Miami Heat in the first round, the Knicks swept the Atlanta Hawks in the semifinals, and cruised past Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals en route to an NBA Finals matchup with the San Antonio Spurs.
Unfortunately, Ewing was a spectator with an Achilles injury, and the Knicks’ Cinderella story concluded prematurely, as they were no match for the towering tandem of David Robinson and Tim Duncan.
Although San Antonio embarrassed New York 4-1 in that series, the Knicks shocked the sports world by becoming the first eight seed in NBA history to reach the finals.
Fast forward to the spring of 2011. The Knicks are in the midst of playing their worst basketball since a streak of six consecutive losses in early November, when a trade for Carmelo Anthony was nowhere on the radar. Having lost six in a row and nine out of 10, the players and coaching staff are searching for answers.
Everybody thought too much emphasis was placed on offense, and the defense suffered as a result. A notoriously offensive-minded coach, D’Antoni dedicated an entire practice to defense.
What happened the next game? The offense was in shambles.
On the brink of a monumental collapse, the Knicks have already conceded sixth place in the East to the Philadelphia 76ers and have dropped below .500 for the first time since November 30. Just a couple weeks ago, we were discussing whether New York could overtake Atlanta for the fifth spot.
What’s even more discouraging is after a promising 6-3 start following the blockbuster deal, the revamped team has fallen to 7-12. To make matters worse, the Denver Nuggets are 12-4 in the post-Carmelo era.
Realistically, with nine games remaining on the schedule and a 5.5-game lead over the ninth place Milwaukee Bucks, the Knicks will make the playoffs as a seven or eight seed.
With the race as tight as it is at the top of the conference, their first round foe will likely be Chicago, Boston or Miami.
Once upon a time, Mr. Spoelstra and the “Heatles” were facing some struggles of their own, and the move to unite LeBron James and Chris Bosh with Dwyane Wade in Miami appeared to be backfiring. Beginning the season 3-5 and sitting at an even 12-12 record on November 27, a championship appearance once believed to be guaranteed was suddenly years down the road.
Understanding that it takes time for players of that caliber to mesh with one another, the Heat got over the hump by rattling off 12 straight wins.
During a five-week span, they proceeded to beat 20 of 21 opponents and haven’t looked back.
Using the Heat as a model for success, the same should hold true for the Knicks and their superstar trio of Amare Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups. It took the Heat 24 games to iron out the kinks, so a quarter of the season should be approximately what the Knicks require to get on track.
Together for 19 games, this new group will turn the corner any day now. Besides, a team typically takes one step back before it takes two steps forward under these circumstances.
While a first round matchup against the Bulls, Celtics, or Heat would be much to the chagrin of many, fear not Knicks fans because New York plays its best against teams with winning records. In the brief period following the trade deadline, the Knicks have beaten Miami, New Orleans, Atlanta, Utah and Memphis (twice). This past week, they also held leads into the fourth quarter against Boston and Orlando.
If all goes as planned, the potential greatness that Donnie Walsh envisioned when he began dismantling the Knicks will come to fruition at the tail end of the regular season and carry over into the playoffs. What a perfect time to click.
