The 1996–97 New York Knicks season was the 51st season for the

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 ...

in the

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

(NBA). 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, and signed free agents Allan Houston, Chris Childs, and former All-Star forward

Buck Williams Charles Linwood "Buck" Williams (born March 8, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player and former assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers. He was well known for his rebounding ability and trademark goggles. Williams, ...

. 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 ...

, the Knicks won eight of their first ten games, and held a 34–14 record by February 6, finishing in second place in the Atlantic Division with a 57–25 record, and made the NBA Playoffs for the 10th 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; they finished second in the Atlantic Division and third in the Eastern Conference. With Houston in the regular starting lineup at shooting guard, John Starks averaged 13.8 points per game off the bench, and was named the Sixth Man of the Year, while

Patrick Ewing Patrick Aloysius Ewing (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Georgetown University men's team. He played most of his career as the starting center for the N ...

averaged 22.4 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game, and was selected for the

1997 NBA All-Star Game The 1997 NBA All-Star Game was the 47th edition of the All-Star Game and commemorated the 50th anniversary of NBA. The game was played on February 9, 1997, at Gund Arena (now known as Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse) in Cleveland. The winner of the M ...

, but did not play due to a groin injury. It would also be his final All-Star selection, having played his final All-Star game last 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 sele ...

honors, finished in eighth place in Most Valuable Player 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 ...

. 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 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 ...

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 Charlie Ward Jr. (born October 12, 1970) is a former American professional basketball player. Ward was an exceptional football player as well, winning the Heisman Trophy, Davey O'Brien Award, and College Football National Championship while quart ...

contributed 5.2 points and 4.1 assists per game. In the last game of the season, at the

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

, 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 league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...

, 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

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eit ...

, 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, where they faced 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 league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

, in what would eventually become the first chapter of one of the fiercest NBA rivalries of the period. After jumping to a 3–1 lead in the series, the Knicks were eliminated by the Heat in seven games, 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 Ward. Following the season, top draft pick John 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 league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...

, and first round draft pick

Walter McCarty Walter Lee McCarty (born February 1, 1974) is an American basketball coach and former professional player. McCarty played for the NBA's New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, and the Los Angeles Clippers. He last served as head coach ...

was dealt to the Boston Celtics.

NBA Draft

Roster

Roster notes

*Rookie small forward

Dontae' Jones Dontae' Antijuaine Jones (born June 2, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player, formerly of the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Jones played college basketball at Northeast Mississippi Community ...

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 th ...

with a foot injury, missed the entire 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 Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

W 109–99
, Allan Houston (25) ,

(9) , Chris Childs (8) , Madison Square Garden
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W 100–93
,

(30) ,

(10) , Chris Childs (9) , Madison Square Garden
19,763 , 2–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , April 28 , @

W 104–95
, Larry Johnson (22) ,

(11) ,

Johnson Johnson is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin meaning "Son of John". It is the second most common in the United States and 154th most common in the world. As a common family name in Scotland, Johnson is occasionally a variation of ''Johnston'', a ...

, 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 Charlott ...

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

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

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) ,

Miami Arena Miami Arena was an indoor arena located in Miami, Florida. The venue served as the home of the NBA's Miami Heat, and the NHL's Florida Panthers. From 1988 until 1999, it also was the indoor arena for the Miami Hurricanes. History Completed in ...

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

W 89–76
, John Starks (21) ,

(9) , Chris Childs (8) , Madison Square Garden
19,763 , 3–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 5 , May 14 , @

L 81–96
,

(19) ,

(9) , Chris Childs (7) ,