1996–97 New York Knicks season

1996–97 New York Knicks season
Larry Johnson's first season with the Knicks Allan Houston's first season with the Knicks
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]

During the offseason, the Knicks acquired All-Star forward Larry Johnson from the Charlotte Hornets,^[3] while signing free agents Allan Houston, Chris Childs^[4] and Buck Williams.^[5] 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 due to an injury), earned All-NBA Second Team honors,^[6] and was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.^[7] 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).^[8]

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.^[9] After jumping to a 3–1 lead in the series, the Knicks were eliminated by the Heat in seven games,^[6] 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.^[10] Following the season, John Wallace was traded to the Toronto Raptors.^[11]

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)
1.0 !PG	4	USA !	Brooks, Scott	7000180340000000000♠5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	UC Irvine
1.0 !PG	1	USA !	Childs, Chris	7000190500000000000♠6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Boise State
6.0 !C	33	USA !	Ewing, Patrick	7000213360000000000♠7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)	240 lb (109 kg)	Georgetown
2.0 !SG	20	USA !	Houston, Allan	7000198120000000000♠6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Tennessee
3.0 !SF	2	USA !	Johnson, Larry	7000198120000000000♠6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	250 lb (113 kg)	UNLV
3.0 !SF	13	USA !	Jones, Dontae'	7000203200000000000♠6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Mississippi State
3.0 !SF	40	USA !	McCarty, Walter	7000208279999999999♠6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	Kentucky
4.5 !PF	34	USA !	Oakley, Charles	7000203200000000000♠6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Virginia Union
2.0 !SG	3	USA !	Starks, John	7000190500000000000♠6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Oklahoma State
3.0 !SF	44	USA !	Wallace, John	7000203200000000000♠6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Syracuse
1.0 !PG	21	USA !	Ward, Charlie	7000187960000000000♠6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Florida State
4.5 !PF	52	USA !	Williams, Buck	7000203200000000000♠6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Maryland
6.0 !C	32	USA !	Williams, Herb	7000208279999999999♠6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	242 lb (110 kg)	Ohio State

Head coach

Jeff Van Gundy (Nazareth College)

Assistant coach(es)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(DP) Unsigned draft pick
(FA) Free agent
(S) Suspended
Injured

Roster • Transactions

Roster notes

Forward Dontae' Jones was on the injured reserve list and missed the entire season.^[12]

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

Record vs. opponents

1996-97 NBA Records
Team	ATL	BOS	CHA	CHI	CLE	DAL	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	LAC	LAL	MIA	MIL	MIN	NJN	NYK	ORL	PHI	PHO	POR	SAC	SAS	SEA	TOR	UTA	VAN	WAS
Atlanta	—	3–1	1–3	1–3	3–1	2–0	1–1	1–3	2–0	1–1	3–1	2–0	1–1	1–2	4–0	2–0	3–1	1–3	3–1	4–0	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–1	4–0	1–1	2–0	2–1
Boston	1–3	—	0–4	0–4	1–2	1–1	1–1	0–4	1–1	0–2	1–2	0–2	1–1	0–4	1–3	0–2	0–4	0–4	0–4	1–3	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	3–1	0–2	0–2	0–4
Charlotte	3–1	4–0	—	0–4	3–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	2–0	2–0	2–2	1–1	1–1	1–2	2–2	2–0	4–0	3–1	1–2	4–0	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–2	0–2	2–0	3–1
Chicago	3–1	4–0	4–0	—	3–1	2–0	2–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	4–0	2–0	1–1	2–2	4–0	2–0	3–1	2–2	3–0	4–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	3–1	1–1	2–0	2–1
Cleveland	1–3	2–1	1–3	1–3	—	2–0	1–1	2–2	1–1	0–2	3–1	2–0	1–1	0–4	2–2	2–0	4–0	1–3	2–2	3–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	0–2	0–2	3–1	1–1	2–0	1–3
Dallas	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	—	3–1	0–2	0–4	0–4	1–1	2–2	0–4	0–2	0–2	1–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–3	1–3	2–2	1–3	1–3	0–2	1–3	3–1	0–2
Denver	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–3	—	0–2	1–3	1–3	0–2	1–3	0–4	0–2	1–1	0–4	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	2–2	0–4	2–2	2–2	0–4	1–1	0–4	3–1	1–1
Detroit	3–1	4–0	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–0	2–0	—	2–0	1–1	3–1	2–0	1–1	0–4	3–1	2–0	4–0	1–2	2–2	2–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	3–1	1–1	2–0	4–0
Golden State	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	4–0	3–1	0–2	—	0–4	1–1	1–3	0–4	0–2	1–1	1–3	2–0	0–2	1–1	2–0	0–4	2–2	1–3	4–0	0–4	2–0	0–4	3–1	0–2
Houston	1–1	2–0	0–2	1–1	2–0	4–0	3–1	1–1	4–0	—	1–1	3–1	3–1	0–2	1–1	4–0	2–0	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–2	2–2	4–0	3–1	3–1	1–1	2–2	3–1	2–0
Indiana	1–3	2–1	2–2	0–4	1–3	1–1	2–0	1–3	1–1	1–1	—	2–0	1–1	1–3	2–2	2–0	2–2	1–3	1–3	3–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–0	0–2	2–0	1–3
L.A. Clippers	0–2	2–0	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–2	3–1	0–2	3–1	1–3	0–2	—	2–2	0–2	2–0	1–3	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–2	0–4	2–2	4–0	1–3	2–0	1–3	4–0	0–2
L.A. Lakers	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–0	4–0	1–1	4–0	1–3	1–1	2–2	—	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	4–0	1–3	4–0	2–2	3–1	1–1	1–3	4–0	2–0
Miami	2–1	4–0	2–1	2–2	4–0	2–0	2–0	4–0	2–0	2–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	—	4–0	1–1	3–1	1–3	2–2	3–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–0	0–2	3–1	0–2	2–0	3–1
Milwaukee	0–4	3–1	2–2	0–4	2–2	2–0	1–1	1–3	1–1	1–1	2–2	0–2	0–2	0–4	—	0–2	2–1	1–2	2–2	3–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	3–1	1–1	2–0	1–3
Minnesota	0–2	2–0	0–2	0–2	0–2	3–1	4–0	0–2	3–1	0–4	0–2	3–1	1–3	1–1	2–0	—	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–1	2–2	0–4	4–0	0–4	1–1	1–3	4–0	1–1
New Jersey	1–3	4–0	0–4	1–3	0–4	1–1	1–1	0–4	0–2	0–2	2–2	1–1	0–2	1–3	1–2	0–2	—	2–2	1–3	2–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	0–3	0–2	2–0	1–3
New York	3–1	4–0	1–3	2–2	3–1	1–1	2–0	2–1	2–0	1–1	3–1	2–0	1–1	3–1	2–1	1–1	2–2	—	3–1	3–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	0–2	3–0	1–1	2–0	4–0
Orlando	1–3	4–0	2–1	0–3	2–2	1–1	2–0	2–2	1–1	2–0	3–1	1–1	1–1	2–2	2–2	1–1	3–1	1–3	—	2–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–0	0–2	1–1	1–3
Philadelphia	0–4	3–1	0–4	0–4	0–3	0–2	1–1	1–2	0–2	0–2	0–3	1–1	0–2	1–3	1–3	1–1	2–2	2–3	2–2	—	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–3	0–2	2–0	1–3
Phoenix	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–1	2–2	2–0	4–0	2–2	1–1	2–2	0–4	0–2	1–1	1–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	—	1–3	4–0	3–1	2–2	0–2	1–3	2–2	1–1
Portland	0–2	1–1	2–0	0–2	1–1	3–1	4–0	1–1	2–2	2–2	1–1	4–0	3–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–1	—	2–2	4–0	1–3	0–2	2–2	4–0	0–2
Sacramento	0–2	2–0	0–2	0–2	0–2	2–2	2–2	1–1	3–1	0–4	1–1	2–2	0–4	0–2	2–0	4–0	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	0–4	2–2	—	3–1	1–3	1–1	0–4	4–0	0–2
San Antonio	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–0	3–1	2–2	0–2	0–4	1–3	1–1	0–4	2–2	0–2	1–1	0–4	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–3	0–4	1–3	—	0–4	1–1	1–3	1–3	0–2
Seattle	1–1	2–0	0–2	0–2	2–0	3–1	4–0	1–1	4–0	1–3	1–1	3–1	1–3	2–0	1–1	4–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–2	3–1	3–1	4–0	—	2–0	1–3	4–0	2–0
Toronto	0–4	1–3	2–2	1–3	1–3	2–0	1–1	1–3	0–2	1–1	0–4	0–2	1–1	1–3	1–3	1–1	3–0	0–3	0–4	3–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	0–2	—	1–1	1–1	2–2
Utah	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	3–1	4–0	1–1	4–0	2–2	2–0	3–1	3–1	2–0	1–1	3–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–0	3–1	2–2	4–0	3–1	3–1	1–1	—	4–0	2–0
Vancouver	0–2	2–0	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–3	1–3	0–2	1–3	1–3	0–2	0–4	0–4	0–2	0–2	0–4	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	2–2	0–4	0–4	3–1	0–4	1–1	0–4	—	1–1
Washington	1–2	4–0	1–3	1–2	3–1	2–0	1–1	0–4	2–0	0–2	3–1	2–0	0–2	1–3	3–1	1–1	3–1	0–4	3–1	3–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	0–2	2–2	0–2	1–1	—

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 City	1	MSG
2	April 26	New York	100	Charlotte	93	2–0	Madison Square Garden, New York City	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 City	3	NBC
4	May 12	New York	89	Miami	76	1–3	Madison Square Garden, New York City	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 City	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

References

1 2 "1996–97 New York Knickerbockers Roster and Statistics". Basketball-Reference. Archived from the original on 25 April 2010. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
1 2 "New York Knickerbockers Franchise Index". Basketball-Reference. Archived from the original on 24 April 2010. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
↑ Isola, Frank (July 13, 1996). "Larry Loves N.Y. Knicks, Hornets Work Out Bugs". New York Daily News. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
↑ Wise, Mike (July 15, 1996). "Pro Basketball; It's a Blockbuster Day for Knicks". The New York Times. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
↑ "Knicks Ink Veteran Forward Buck Williams". Philadelphia Daily News. July 27, 1996. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
1 2 "1996–97 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference. Archived from the original on 12 April 2010. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
↑ "NBA History: The NBA's 50 Greatest Players". National Basketball Association. Archived from the original on 5 April 2010. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
↑ Brown, Clifton (April 20, 1997). "When a Knick Victory Is Not Just a Victory". The New York Times. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
↑ Sheridan, Chris (May 7, 2000). "Knicks, Heat continue their simmering rivalry". The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
↑ Isola, Frank (May 16, 1997). "NBA – No Brawls Allowed Ewing Among Five Suspended Knicks". New York Daily News. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
↑ Whitehorn, Dave (February 22, 2011). "The 13 biggest Knicks trades in history". Newsday. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
↑ May, Peter (October 24, 1997). "Jones envisions much better time". The Boston Globe. p. D3.

1996–97 NBA season by team

Eastern

Atlantic	Boston Miami New Jersey New York Orlando Philadelphia Washington

Central	Atlanta Charlotte Chicago Cleveland Detroit Indiana Milwaukee Toronto

Western

Midwest	Dallas Denver Houston Minnesota San Antonio Utah Vancouver

Pacific	Golden State L.A. Clippers L.A. Lakers Phoenix Portland Sacramento Seattle

New York Knicks

Founded in 1946 Based in New York City

Franchise	Franchise All-time roster Draft history Head coaches Seasons Current season

Arenas	Madison Square Garden III 69th Regiment Armory Madison Square Garden IV

General Managers	Podesta Boryla Donovan Holzman Donovan DeBusschere Stirling Bianchi Checketts Grunfeld Layden Thomas Walsh Grunwald Mills

D-League affiliate	Westchester Knicks

Administration	The Madison Square Garden Company (Owner) James Dolan (Chairman & CEO) Steve Mills (GM) Phil Jackson (President) Jeff Hornacek (Head Coach)

Retired numbers	10 12 15 (McGuire) 15 (Monroe) 18 19 22 24 33 613

Hall of Fame members	Walt Bellamy Bill Bradley Hubie Brown Larry Brown Nathaniel Clifton Dave DeBusschere Patrick Ewing Walt Frazier Harry Gallatin Tom Gola Richie Guerin Spencer Haywood Red Holzman Bernard King Jerry Lucas Slater Martin Bob McAdoo Dick McGuire Earl Monroe Dikembe Mutombo Don Nelson Rick Pitino Willis Reed Pat Riley Lenny Wilkens Phil Jackson

NBA Championships (2)	1970 1973

Eastern Conference Championships (8)	1951 1952 1953 1970 1972 1973 1994 1999

Rivalries	Boston Celtics Brooklyn Nets Chicago Bulls Indiana Pacers Miami Heat

Culture and lore	Dancing Harry Eddie Spike Lee Disputed foul against Scottie Pippen Diedrich Knickerbocker Knicks–Nuggets brawl Whatever Happened to Micheal Ray? Mike Walczewski George Kalinsky John Starks' 2-for-18 in Game 7 of the 1994 Finals Linsanity

Media	TV MSG Network Radio WEPN-FM Announcers Mike Breen Walt Frazier Kenny Albert Mike Crispino

New York Knicks seasons

1940s

1950s

1954-55

1960s

1970s

1969–70

1972–73

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

Bold indicates NBA Finals victory

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