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1999–2000 New York Knicks season

The 1999–2000 NBA season was the 53rd season of the team in the National Basketball Association.^[1] The Knicks entered the season as runner-ups of the 1999 NBA Finals, where despite losing to the San Antonio Spurs in five games, they became the first eighth seeded team to reach the NBA Finals. During the off-season, the team signed free agents John Wallace and Andrew Lang; Wallace previously played for the Knicks during the 1996–97 season.^[2][3][4][5] After advancing to the NBA Finals as the #8 seed last year, the Knicks won their first three games, but then lost seven of their next ten games, as Patrick Ewing missed the first 20 games with Achilles tendonitis.^[6][7][8][9] However, they won 11 of their next 13 games, then later on held a 29–18 record at the All-Star break,^[10] and finished second in the Atlantic Division with a 50–32 record, good enough for their first 50-win season since 1997.^[11]

Allan Houston led the team in scoring averaging 19.7 points per game, while Latrell Sprewell, who became the team's starting small forward after playing off the bench the previous season, averaged 18.6 points and 1.3 steals per game, and Ewing provided the team with 15.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. In addition, Larry Johnson contributed 10.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, while Marcus Camby played a sixth man role averaging 10.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game off the bench, but only played 59 games due to a knee injury.^[12][13][14] Kurt Thomas provided with 8.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game also off the bench, while Charlie Ward contributed 7.3 points, 4.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game, and Chris Childs contributed 5.3 points and 4.0 assists per game off the bench.^[15] Houston and head coach Jeff Van Gundy both represented the Eastern Conference during the 2000 NBA All-Star Game.^{[16][17][18][19][20][21]}

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the playoffs, the Knicks swept the Toronto Raptors in three straight games.^{[22][23][24][25]} In the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, they faced the Miami Heat for the fourth consecutive year. Despite trailing 2–3 after losing Game 5 in Miami, 87–81,^[26][27][28] the Knicks would defeat the 2nd-seeded Heat in a tough, hard-fought seven-game series,^{[29][30][31][32]} but would lose in six games to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals, ending their hopes of making the Finals for a second straight year.^{[33][34][35][36]} The Pacers would lose in six games to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals.^{[37][38][39][40][41]} As of 2023, this marks the last time the Knicks had reached the Eastern Conference finals.

This season marked an end of an era as Ewing was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics in an off-season four-team trade, after playing fifteen seasons in New York.^{[42][43][44][45][46]} Also following the season, Chris Dudley was traded to the Phoenix Suns,^[47] while Wallace was dealt to the Dallas Mavericks,^[48][49][50] and Lang was released to free agency.

Offseason[edit]

NBA draft[edit]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	School/Club Team
1	15	Frédéric Weis	C	France	Limoges (France)

Roster[edit]

Regular season[edit]

Standings[edit]

c – clinched conference title

y – clinched division title

x – clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents[edit]

Playoffs[edit]

Player stats[edit]

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

Season[edit]

Playoffs[edit]

Awards and records[edit]

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Transactions[edit]

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References[edit]

• Knicks on Database Basketball
• Knicks on Basketball Reference