Knicks Bulls March 9th 1997

[Turisas]

Yeah i hate people that bring up this "Ewing theory". We wouldn't have beaten Miami had Ewing not been playing (who was only our top-scorer in the deciding game).

[Daaaarryyl]

^ No, the year of the BS suspensions was '97.

We would have won it all that year, I'm convinced of it.

Yep... The one year we lose to Miami in the playoffs, its the one when we have the best team assembled since the 93-94 seasons go figure. My only gripe with the '97 team was the fact Starks was relegated to 6th man [which he won the award for]... Houston, with his jumpshot and poor defense should've definately been coming off the bench with Starks still starting. Iono, just talkin' .

I loved Starks but that was the perfect role for him. Comprising a starting unit with more passive yet efficient scorers in LJ and Houston to play along side of Ewing made for a much better balance. Starks coming in with the chains off so to speak allowed him to play his game and made teams fear him in that role.

[Daaaarryyl]

There's no way that team was beating the Bulls in a 7 game series.

I was in awe of Chicago as much as anyone but I really really really thought they had a shot that year. In six, not seven, which would have been in Chicago.

Not like it's worth much but Sports Illustrated predicted the Knicks would finally knock off the Bulls that year and be the NBA Champions.

SI jinx again, lol???

[Daaaarryyl]

for some reason i don't remember this game, but i remember the one from 1996 where derek harper went off for around 30 points. the bulls had some insane record at the time too (they lost a couple games at the end of the season so their record should've been even better).

I was so happy watching little van gundy go insane after the game too.

the 1997 team was good though. if they got past the bulls (a BIG if) they probably would have won it all because they matched up very well with jazz.

the last 5-6 years have been really tough. i haven't had a player i've liked enough to buy a jersey but it looks like there is some sort of light at the end of the tunnel with walsh doing his thing.

That was the year before and it was Van Gundy's first game at the Garden (they lost his first on the road). Harper had an incredible scoring run that day. The Bulls were on there way to 72 wins.

The Knicks just made the playoffs and faced the Cavs in round one, who they hadn't beaten that year IIRC.

WE SWEPT THEM LOL!!!!

Then played a tough second round series vs the Bulls. (Tough in that the games were close). They only won one game though and I think it was one of only TWO games the Bulls lost that post season.


Harper would have been great on the '97 team but his rights had to be renounced in order to persue the better free agents, specifically Houston, Childs and Buck (who if anyone remembers had an excellent year in '96-97, we may have had the best 6th and 7th men in the league that year).

[Daaaarryyl]

Was that the 72 win Bulls team? And we beat them twice? Even more impressive.... Any team with Both Oak and LJ has a ton of heart ..throw Ewing in and we could have atleast taken them to the brink.

Agree completely. Not sure we would have beat the Bulls that year, but it would have been awesome.

1997 was really the end of the Ewing era. What's most impressive to me is that two years later we were in the finals with a completely different core of Sprewell, LJ and Camby.

This thread kicks ass. I just spent an hour listening to early 90s rap while watching youtube clips of the Knicks' 90s glory days. I was actually present for so many of those games. It's starting to sink in that it will never be that good again for our boys in orange and blue.

No, 1998 was the end of Ewing. People forget that early in 1998 the Knicks were blowing out everybody until Andrew Lang shattered Ewing's wrist. He never had that same fine touch on his shot again. And that brought the ridiculous notion that the Knicks were better off without him. (All because they could beat Indiana without him. Of course they changed their tune against San Antonio)

Actually they were very dissapointing early on but alot of people including myself felt that there was still a hangover over the dissapointing Miami loss (suspensions, ya know) and that they'd wake up at some point during the season.

I also remember people angry with the slow start because it was felt home court was neccesary to win a Championship.


Also, not sure if anyone else remembers this but after Ewing went down the Knicks played some of the most exciting down to the wire games you'd ever see.

I specifically remember a game at the Garden with Ray Allen hitting a catch and shoot 3 with a little more than a second left in regulation to tie the game.

It was also during that period (November '97- Febuary '98) that Starks provided the lasting image when he kissed the Knick logo on the Garden floor (it was after a home win following a very rough road trip).