The

1996–97 NBA season The 1996–97 NBA season was the 51st season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league used this season to celebrate its 50th anniversary, which included the unveiling of the league's list of its 50 greatest players. This particu ...

was the 51st season for the

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 Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

. For the season, the Knicks celebrated their 50th anniversary in the NBA by revealing an anniversary version of the team's primary logo. During the off-season, the team acquired All-Star forward Larry Johnson from 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 Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

, and signed free agents Allan Houston, Chris Childs, and former All-Star forward Buck Williams. The Knicks also had three first-round draft picks in the

1996 NBA draft The 1996 NBA draft was the 50th NBA draft, draft in the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was held on June 26, 1996–97 NBA season, 1996, at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. In this draft, NBA teams took turns s ...

, selecting small forward John Wallace out of

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

with the 18th overall pick, small forward

Walter McCarty Walter Lee McCarty (born February 1, 1974) is an American basketball coach and former professional player who serves as the head coach of the Freseros de Irapuato in the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP). McCarty played for the NBA ...

from the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

with the 19th overall pick, and small forward Dontae' Jones out of

Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, Un ...

with the 21st overall pick. However, Jones would miss the entire regular season due to a foot injury, and would never play for the Knicks. In the

regular season In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of S ...

, the Knicks won eight of their first ten games, and held a 34–14 record by February 6, 1997, finishing in second place in the Atlantic Division with a 57–25 record, earning the #3 seed in the Eastern Conference, and qualifying for the

NBA playoffs The NBA playoffs is the annual Playoffs, postseason Tournament#Knockout tournaments, tournament of the National Basketball Association (NBA) held to determine the league champion. Since 1949, the four-round, best-of-seven tournament is held afte ...

for the tenth consecutive year. The team also posted three seven-game winning streaks during the regular season, which were its longest this season. The Knicks enjoyed a successful season, with their 57 wins tied for the third-most in franchise history. With Houston as the team's starting shooting guard, John Starks played a sixth man role off the bench, averaging 13.8 points per game and leading the team with 150 three-point field goals; he was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year, receiving 84 out of a possible 115 first-place votes from the media. In addition,

Patrick Ewing Patrick Aloysius Ewing Sr. (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American basketball coach and former professional player who is a basketball ambassador for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he played most o ...

averaged 22.4 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game, and was selected for the 1997 NBA All-Star Game in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

, but did not play due to a groin injury, despite playing 78 games this season; it would also be his final All-Star selection, having played in his final All-Star Game the previous year. Ewing also earned

All-NBA Second Team The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The team has been sel ...

honors, finished in eighth place in

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (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 particular competition, or ...

voting, and was named one of the

50 Greatest Players in NBA History The 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, also referred to as NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, were chosen in 1996 to honor the 50th anniversary of the founding of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was the third anniversary team ...

. Meanwhile, Houston finished second on the team in scoring with 14.8 points per game, and with 148 three-point field goals, 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. Off the bench, Williams averaged 6.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, and Charlie Ward contributed 5.2 points and 4.1 assists per game. In the final game of the regular season, at the

United Center The United Center is an indoor arena on the Near West Side, Chicago, Near West Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is home to the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL) ...

on April 19, 1997, the Knicks defeated the then-69–12

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

, 103–101, 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). In the 1997 NBA playoffs, the Knicks defeated the

in a three-game sweep in the Eastern Conference First Round, and advanced to the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, where they faced off against the Atlantic Division champion

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

, in what would eventually become the first chapter of one of the fiercest NBA

rivalries A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...

of the period. After jumping to a 3–1 lead in the series, the Knicks were eliminated by the Heat in seven games. Game 5 of the Heat-Knicks series at the

Miami Arena Miami Arena was an indoor arena located in Miami, Florida. The venue served as the home of the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). From 1988 until 1999, it also ...

featured a brawl, where during the fourth quarter, Heat forward

P.J. Brown Collier "P. J." Brown Jr. (born October 14, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The , center/power forward was selected out of Louisiana Tech University by the New ...

picked up Ward and threw him off the court, and several Knicks players: Ewing, Houston, Johnson and Starks, came off the bench during the altercation and all received automatic one-game suspensions; Ward was also suspended for one game, while Brown was suspended for two games. The Heat defeated the Knicks, 96–81. The Knicks finished fifth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 790,520 at

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 Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

during the regular season. Following the season, Wallace was traded to the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

in a three-team trade, and McCarty and Jones were both dealt to the

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 Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

NBA draft

Roster

Roster notes

* Rookie small forward Dontae' Jones was on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in t ...

due to a foot injury, missed the entire regular season, and never played for the Knicks.

Regular season

Season standings

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

Record vs. opponents

Playoffs

, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , April 24 , Charlotte
W 109–99
, Allan Houston (25) ,

(9) , Chris Childs (8) ,

19,763 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , April 26 , Charlotte
W 100–93
,

(30) , Charles Oakley (10) , Chris Childs (9) ,

19,763 , 2–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , April 28 , @ Charlotte
W 104–95
, Larry Johnson (22) ,

(11) ,

Johnson Johnson may refer to: People and fictional characters *Johnson (surname), a common surname in English * Johnson (given name), a list of people * List of people with surname Johnson, including fictional characters *Johnson (composer) (1953–2011) ...

, Childs (5) ,

Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte Coliseum was a multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena located in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was operated by the Charlotte Coliseum Authority, which also oversees the operation of Bojangles Coliseum, which was called Charlotte ...

24,042 , 3–0 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , May 7 , @

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

W 88–79
, Allan Houston (27) ,

(16) ,

Ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

(5) ,

14,870 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 2 , May 9 , @

L 84–88
, Allan Houston (19) ,

(11) , Chris Childs (7) ,

14,870 , 1–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , May 11 ,

W 77–73
,

(25) , Ewing, Oakley (11) ,

, Starks (4) ,

19,763 , 2–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 4 , May 12 ,

W 89–76
, John Starks (21) , Charles Oakley (9) , Chris Childs (8) ,

19,763 , 3–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 5 , May 14 , @

L 81–96
,

(19) , Charles Oakley (9) , Chris Childs (7) ,

14,782 , 3–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 6 , May 16 ,

L 90–95
, Chris Childs (22) , Charles Oakley (12) , Chris Childs (9) ,

19,763 , 3–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 7 , May 18 , @

L 90–101
,

(37) ,

(17) , Charlie Ward (8) ,

14,870 , 3–4 , -

Player statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Player Statistics Citation:

Awards and records

* John Starks,

NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award The National Basketball Association's Sixth Man of the Year (colloquially known as the 6MOY) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1982–83 NBA season to the league's best performing player for his team coming ...

Transactions

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1996-97 New York Knicks season New York Knicks seasons 1996 in sports in New York City 1997 in sports in New York City New York Knick 1990s in Manhattan