1996–97 New York Knicks season

The 1996–97 New York Knicks season was the 51st season for the Knicks in the National Basketball Association (NBA).[3] For the season, the Knicks celebrated their 50th anniversary in the NBA by revealing an anniversary version of the team's primary logo.[4] During the off-season, the team acquired All-Star forward Larry Johnson from the Charlotte Hornets,[5][6] and signed free agents Allan Houston, Chris Childs,[7] and Buck Williams.[8] In the regular season, the Knicks won eight of their first ten games, and held a 34–14 record by February 6,[9] finishing in second place in the Atlantic Division with a 57–25 record,[10] and made the NBA Playoffs for the 10th consecutive year.[3] The team also posted three seven-game winning streaks during the regular season, which were its longest this season.[9] The Knicks enjoyed a successful season, with their 57 wins tied for the third-most in franchise history;[3] they finished second in the Atlantic Division and third in the Eastern Conference.[11]

1996–97 New York Knicks season
Head coachJeff Van Gundy
General managerErnie Grunfeld
Owners
ArenaMadison Square Garden
Results
Record57–25 (.695)
PlaceDivision: 2nd (Atlantic)
Conference: 3rd (Eastern)
Playoff finishConference Semifinals
(Lost to Heat 3–4)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
TelevisionMSG Network[1]
RadioWFAN[2]

With Houston in the regular starting lineup at shooting guard, John Starks averaged 13.8 points per game off the bench,[10] and was named the Sixth Man of the Year,[11] while Patrick Ewing averaged 22.4 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game,[10] and was selected for the 1997 NBA All-Star Game,[12] but did not play due to a groin injury.[13] Ewing also earned All-NBA Second Team honors,[11] finished in eighth place in Most Valuable Player voting,[14] and was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.[15] In addition, Houston finished second on the team in scoring with 14.8 points per game, while Johnson averaged 12.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, Charles Oakley provided the team with 10.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game, and Childs contributed 9.3 points and 6.1 assists per game.[10] 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, and tying the best home record (40–1 set by the 1985–86 Boston Celtics, and later matched by the 2015–16 San Antonio Spurs).[16][17]

In the playoffs, New York defeated the Charlotte Hornets in a three-game sweep in the Eastern Conference first round and advanced to the Eastern Conference semi-finals,[18][19] where they faced the Atlantic Division champion Miami Heat, in what would eventually become the first chapter of one of the fiercest NBA rivalries of the period.[11][20] After jumping to a 3–1 lead in the series,[21] the Knicks were eliminated by the Heat in seven games,[22] 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.[23][24]

Following the season, top draft pick John Wallace was traded to the Toronto Raptors,[25][26] and first round draft pick Walter McCarty was dealt to the Boston Celtics.[25][27]

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/PF  United States Kentucky
1 21 Dontae' Jones SF  United States Mississippi State

Roster
1996–97 New York Knicks roster
Players Coaches
Pos.No.NameHeightWeightDOB (YYYY-MM-DD)From
G 4 Brooks, Scott 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 1965–07–31 UC Irvine
G 1 Childs, Chris 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1967–11–20 Boise State
C 33 Ewing, Patrick (C) 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1962–08–05 Georgetown
G 20 Houston, Allan 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1971–04–20 Tennessee
F 2 Johnson, Larry 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1969–03–14 UNLV
F 13 Jones, Dontae'  (IN) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1975–06–02 Mississippi State
F 40 McCarty, Walter 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1974–02–01 Kentucky
F 34 Oakley, Charles 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1963–12–18 Virginia Union
G 3 Starks, John 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1965–08–10 Oklahoma State
F 44 Wallace, John 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1974–02–09 Syracuse
G 21 Ward, Charlie 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1970–10–12 Florida State
F 52 Williams, Buck 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1960–03–08 Maryland
C 32 Williams, Herb 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 242 lb (110 kg) 1958–02–16 Ohio State
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • (IN) Inactive
  • Injured

Roster
Last transaction: January 6, 1997

Roster notes

Regular season

Season standings
Atlantic Division W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Miami Heat 6121.744–29–1232–916–8
x-New York Knicks 5725.695431–1026–1519–6
x-Orlando Magic 4537.5491626–1519–2213–11
x-Washington Bullets 4438.5371725–1619–2214–10
New Jersey Nets 2656.3173516–2510–3111–13
Philadelphia 76ers 2260.2683911–3011–3011–14
Boston Celtics 1567.1834611–304–371–23
1996–97 NBA East standings
# Eastern Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Chicago Bulls6913.841–
2 y-Miami Heat6121.7448
3 x-New York Knicks5725.69512
4 x-Atlanta Hawks5626.68313
5 x-Detroit Pistons5428.65915
6 x-Charlotte Hornets5428.65915
7 x-Orlando Magic4537.54924
8 x-Washington Bullets4438.53725
9 Cleveland Cavaliers4240.51227
10 Indiana Pacers3943.47630
11 Milwaukee Bucks3349.40236
12 Toronto Raptors3052.36639
13 New Jersey Nets2656.31743
14 Philadelphia 76ers2260.26847
15 Boston Celtics1567.18354
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 —3–11–31–33–12–01–11–32–01–13–12–01–11–24–02–03–11–33–14–01–12–02–02–01–14–01–12–02–1
Boston 1–3—0–40–41–21–11–10–41–10–21–20–21–10–41–30–20–40–40–41–31–11–10–21–10–23–10–20–20–4
Charlotte 3–14–0—0–43–11–12–02–22–02–02–21–11–11–22–22–04–03–11–24–01–10–22–02–02–02–20–22–03–1
Chicago 3–14–04–0—3–12–02–03–12–01–14–02–01–12–24–02–03–12–23–04–02–02–02–02–02–03–11–12–02–1
Cleveland 1–32–11–31–3—2–01–12–21–10–23–12–01–10–42–22–04–01–32–23–01–11–12–00–20–23–11–12–01–3
Dallas 0–21–11–10–20–2—3–10–20–40–41–12–20–40–20–21–31–11–11–12–01–31–32–21–31–30–21–33–10–2
Denver 1–11–10–20–21–11–3—0–21–31–30–21–30–40–21–10–41–10–20–21–12–20–42–22–20–41–10–43–11–1
Detroit 3–14–02–21–32–22–02–0—2–01–13–12–01–10–43–12–04–01–22–22–10–21–11–12–01–13–11–12–04–0
Golden State 0–21–10–20–21–14–03–10–2—0–41–11–30–40–21–11–32–00–21–12–00–42–21–34–00–42–00–43–10–2
Houston 1–12–00–21–12–04–03–11–14–0—1–13–13–10–21–14–02–01–10–22–02–22–24–03–13–11–12–23–12–0
Indiana 1–32–12–20–41–31–12–01–31–11–1—2–01–11–32–22–02–21–31–33–01–11–11–11–11–14–00–22–01–3
L.A. Clippers 0–22–01–10–20–22–23–10–23–11–30–2—2–20–22–01–31–10–21–11–12–20–42–24–01–32–01–34–00–2
L.A. Lakers 1–11–11–11–11–14–04–01–14–01–31–12–2—1–12–03–12–01–11–12–04–01–34–02–23–11–11–34–02–0
Miami 2–14–02–12–24–02–02–04–02–02–03–12–01–1—4–01–13–11–32–23–12–01–12–02–00–23–10–22–03–1
Milwaukee 0–43–12–20–42–22–01–11–31–11–12–20–20–20–4—0–22–11–22–23–11–10–20–21–11–13–11–12–01–3
Minnesota 0–22–00–20–20–23–14–00–23–10–40–23–11–31–12–0—2–01–11–11–13–12–20–44–00–41–11–34–01–1
New Jersey 1–34–00–41–30–41–11–10–40–20–22–21–10–21–31–20–2—2–21–32–21–10–21–12–01–10–30–22–01–3
New York 3–14–01–32–23–11–12–02–12–01–13–12–01–13–12–11–12–2—3–13–21–11–12–02–00–23–01–12–04–0
Orlando 1–34–02–10–32–21–12–02–21–12–03–11–11–12–22–21–13–11–3—2–21–12–01–11–11–14–00–21–11–3
Philadelphia 0–43–10–40–40–30–21–11–20–20–20–31–10–21–31–31–12–22–32–2—1–11–10–21–10–21–30–22–01–3
Phoenix 1–11–11–10–21–13–12–22–04–02–21–12–20–40–21–11–31–11–11–11–1—1–34–03–12–20–21–32–21–1
Portland 0–21–12–00–21–13–14–01–12–22–21–14–03–11–12–02–22–01–10–21–13–1—2–24–01–30–22–24–00–2
Sacramento 0–22–00–20–20–22–22–21–13–10–41–12–20–40–22–04–01–10–21–12–00–42–2—3–11–31–10–44–00–2
San Antonio 0–21–10–20–22–03–12–20–20–41–31–10–42–20–21–10–40–20–21–11–11–30–41–3—0–41–11–31–30–2
Seattle 1–12–00–20–22–03–14–01–14–01–31–13–11–32–01–14–01–12–01–12–02–23–13–14–0—2–01–34–02–0
Toronto 0–41–32–21–31–32–01–11–30–21–10–40–21–11–31–31–13–00–30–43–12–02–01–11–10–2—1–11–12–2
Utah 1–12–02–01–11–13–14–01–14–02–22–03–13–12–01–13–12–01–12–02–03–12–24–03–13–11–1—4–02–0
Vancouver 0–22–00–20–20–21–31–30–21–31–30–20–40–40–20–20–40–20–21–10–22–20–40–43–10–41–10–4—1–1
Washington 1–24–01–31–23–12–01–10–42–00–23–12–00–21–33–11–13–10–43–13–11–12–02–02–00–22–20–21–1—

Playoffs
1997 playoff game log
First Round: 3–0 (Home: 2–0; Road: 1–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 April 24 Charlotte W 109–99 Allan Houston (25) Patrick Ewing (9) Chris Childs (8) Madison Square Garden
19,763		 1–0
2 April 26 Charlotte W 100–93 Patrick Ewing (30) Charles Oakley (10) Chris Childs (9) Madison Square Garden
19,763		 2–0
3 April 28 @ Charlotte W 104–95 Larry Johnson (22) Patrick Ewing (11) Johnson, Childs (5) Charlotte Coliseum
24,042		 3–0
Conference Semifinals: 3–4 (Home: 2–1; Road: 1–3)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 May 7 @ Miami W 88–79 Allan Houston (27) Patrick Ewing (16) Johnson, Ward (5) Miami Arena
14,870		 1–0
2 May 9 @ Miami L 84–88 Allan Houston (19) Patrick Ewing (11) Chris Childs (7) Miami Arena
14,870		 1–1
3 May 11 Miami W 77–73 Patrick Ewing (25) Ewing, Oakley (11) Ward, Starks (4) Madison Square Garden
19,763		 2–1
4 May 12 Miami W 89–76 John Starks (21) Charles Oakley (9) Chris Childs (8) Madison Square Garden
19,763		 3–1
5 May 14 @ Miami L 81–96 Patrick Ewing (19) Charles Oakley (9) Chris Childs (7) Miami Arena
14,782		 3–2
6 May 16 Miami L 90–95 Chris Childs (22) Charles Oakley (12) Chris Childs (9) Madison Square Garden
19,763		 3–3
7 May 18 @ Miami L 90–101 Patrick Ewing (37) Patrick Ewing (17) Charlie Ward (8) Miami Arena
14,870		 3–4
1997 schedule

Player statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game

NOTE: Please write player statistics in alphabetical order by last name.

Season
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Scott Brooks 3806.6
Chris Childs 656131.9
Patrick Ewing 787837.0
Allan Houston 818133.1
Chris Jent 303.3
Larry Johnson 767634.4
Walter McCarty 3505.5
Charles Oakley 808035.9
John Starks 77126.5
John Wallace 68611.6
Charlie Ward 792122.3
Buck Williams 74420.2
Herb Williams 2128.8

Playoffs
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Scott Brooks
Chris Childs
Patrick Ewing
Allan Houston
Larry Johnson
Walter McCarty
Charles Oakley
John Starks
John Wallace
Charlie Ward
Buck Williams
Herb Williams

Awards and records

References
  1. 2016–17 New York Knicks Media Guide (PDF). New York Knicks. 2016. p. 305. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  2. 2016–17 New York Knicks Media Guide (PDF). New York Knicks. 2016. p. 304. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  3. "New York Knickerbockers Franchise Index". Basketball-Reference. Archived from the original on April 24, 2010. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  4. "New York Knicks Logo". Chris Creamer's Sports Logos Page – SportsLogos.Net. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
  5. Brown, Clifton (July 12, 1996). "Pro Basketball; Knicks Chase Hornets' Johnson as N.B.A. Resumes Business". The New York Times. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  6. Isola, Frank (July 13, 1996). "Larry Loves N.Y.: Knicks, Hornets Work Out Bugs". New York Daily News. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  7. Wise, Mike (July 15, 1996). "Pro Basketball; It's a Blockbuster Day for Knicks". The New York Times. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  8. Roberts, Selena (July 27, 1996). "Pro Basketball; Knicks Seal Up Buck Williams". The New York Times. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  9. "1996–97 New York Knicks Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  10. "1996–97 New York Knickerbockers Roster and Statistics". Basketball-Reference. Archived from the original on April 25, 2010. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  11. "1996–97 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference. Archived from the original on April 12, 2010. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  12. "1997 NBA All-Star Game: East 132, West 120". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  13. Cummings, D. L. (February 6, 1997). "Stars Are Out For Ewing: Groin Injury KOs Patrick". New York Daily News. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
  14. "1996–97 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  15. "NBA History: The NBA's 50 Greatest Players". National Basketball Association. Archived from the original on April 5, 2010. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  16. Brown, Clifton (April 20, 1997). "When a Knick Victory Is Not Just a Victory". The New York Times. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  17. Nathan, Alec. "Spurs Tie All-Time NBA Record for Most Home Wins in Regular Season". Bleacher Report. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  18. Wise, Mike (April 29, 1997). "Knicks Sweep Away Hornets, and Season of Doubts". The New York Times. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  19. "1997 NBA Playoffs Summary". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  20. Sheridan, Chris (May 7, 2000). "Knicks, Heat continue their simmering rivalry". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 9C. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  21. Vecsey, George (May 13, 1997). "Quiet No More: Starks Comes Out Shooting". The New York Times. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  22. Brown, Clifton (May 19, 1997). "Next Stop, Chicago: Riley Adjusts Rearview Mirror to See Knicks". The New York Times. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  23. Wise, Mike (May 15, 1997). "Not for the Faint-Hearted: Knicks–Heat Turns Nasty". The New York Times. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  24. Isola, Frank (May 16, 1997). "NBA – No Brawls Allowed: Ewing Among Five Suspended Knicks". New York Daily News. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
  25. "1996 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  26. Whitehorn, Dave (February 22, 2011). "The 13 biggest Knicks trades in history". Newsday. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  27. Roberts, Selena (October 23, 1997). "Pro Basketball; Knicks Send Four Players To the Celtics for Mills". The New York Times. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  28. May, Peter (October 24, 1997). "Jones envisions much better time". The Boston Globe. p. D3.
  29. "Dontae' Jones". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.