The 1989–90 New York Knicks season was the 44th season for the Knicks in the National Basketball Association. Before the season, owners Gulf+Western reorganized and became Paramount Communications, renaming themselves after the

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

film studio. During the off-season, the Knicks hired

Stu Jackson Stuart Wayne Jackson (born December 11, 1955) is an American basketball executive and former basketball coach. He currently serves as the director of basketball operations for the French professional club Élan Béarnais based in Pau. Jackson ...

as their new head coach; Jackson previously worked as an assistant coach for the Knicks. The team got off to a solid start, winning 20 of their first 27 games, while posting a nine-game winning streak, and holding a 32–16 record at the All-Star break. At midseason, the Knicks traded second-year guard Rod Strickland to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for All-Star guard Maurice Cheeks. However, as they stood at a 39–22 record, they struggled and lost 15 of their final 21 games. The Knicks had a 45–37 record and finished third in the Atlantic Division. The Knicks' fifth-place finish in the Eastern Conference earned them a berth in the NBA Playoffs for the third straight year. Patrick Ewing averaged 28.6 points, 10.9 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per game, and was named to the All-NBA First Team, selected for the

1990 NBA All-Star Game The 40th National Basketball Association All-Star Game was played on February 11, 1990, at Miami Arena in Miami. Magic Johnson was named the game's MVP as well as the leading scorer with 22 points. The Eastern Conference All-Star Starters as sel ...

, and finished in fifth place in

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

voting. In addition,

Charles Oakley Charles Oakley (born December 18, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player. Oakley played for the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards, and Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association ( ...

averaged 14.6 points and 11.9 rebounds per game, while Gerald Wilkins provided the team with 14.5 points per game, and

Johnny Newman John Sylvester Newman Jr. (born November 28, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player. A 6' 7" and shooting guard/small forward, Newman starred at the University of Richmond, before going on to play in the National Basketball ...

contributed 12.9 points per game. Kiki Vandeweghe provided with 11.7 points per game, and

Mark Jackson Mark A. Jackson (born April 1, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player. A point guard from St. John's University, he played for the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers, Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets, Toronto Raptors, Utah ...

averaged 9.9 points, 7.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game. In the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, New York trailed 0–2 to Larry Bird and the 4th-seeded

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

, suffering a 157–128 road loss in Game 2, but managed to win the next three games and the series. The Knicks were then eliminated in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals by the defending champion Detroit Pistons in five games. The Pistons would go on to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers in five games in the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...

, winning their second consecutive championship. Following the season, Newman signed as a free agent with the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...

. For the season, the Knicks slightly changed their primary logo, changing the color of the basketball under the team name from brown to orange. The logo remained in use until 1992.

Draft picks

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

:z – clinched division title :y – clinched division title :x – clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Playoffs

, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 1 , April 26 , @ Boston
L 105–116
, Patrick Ewing (22) , Patrick Ewing (9) , Maurice Cheeks (9) , Boston Garden
14,890 , 0–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 2 , April 28 , @ Boston
L 128–157
, Patrick Ewing (28) ,

(9) , Gerald Wilkins (7) , Boston Garden
14,890 , 0–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , May 2 , Boston
W 102–99
, Patrick Ewing (33) , Patrick Ewing (19) , Maurice Cheeks (11) ,

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

18,212 , 1–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 4 , May 4 , Boston
W 135–108
, Patrick Ewing (44) , Patrick Ewing (13) , Maurice Cheeks (12) ,

18,212 , 2–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 5 , May 6 , @ Boston
W 121–114
, Patrick Ewing (31) ,

(17) , Patrick Ewing (10) , Boston Garden
14,890 , 3–2 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 1 , May 8 , @ Detroit
L 77–112
, Patrick Ewing (19) ,

Eddie Lee Wilkins Eddie Lee Wilkins (born May 7, 1962) is an American former basketball player. A 6'10" forward/center from Gardner-Webb University, Wilkins played in six NBA seasons for the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers. Early life Wilkins grad ...

(8) , Maurice Cheeks (6) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 , 0–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 2 , May 10 , @ Detroit
L 97–104
, Gerald Wilkins (24) ,

(15) , Maurice Cheeks (8) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 , 0–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , May 12 , Detroit
W 111–103
, Patrick Ewing (45) ,

(20) , Maurice Cheeks (12) ,

18,212 , 1–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 4 , May 13 , Detroit
L 90–102
, Patrick Ewing (30) ,

(14) , Cheeks, Jackson (6) ,

18,212 , 1–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 5 , May 15 , @ Detroit
L 84–95
, Patrick Ewing (22) , Patrick Ewing (14) , Maurice Cheeks (9) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 , 1–4 , -

Player statistics

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

Season

Playoffs

Awards and records

* Patrick Ewing, All-NBA First Team

Transactions

References

External links

1989–90 New York Knickerbockers Statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:1989-90 New York Knicks season

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

New York Knicks seasons

1980s in Manhattan 1990s in Manhattan Madison Square Garden