1996–97 New York Knicks season

The 1996–97 NBA season was the 51st season for the New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association). In the regular season, the Knicks finished in second place in the Atlantic Division with a 57–25 record, and made the NBA Playoffs for the 10th consecutive year.

Contents

• Roster notes
• Season standings
• East First Round
• East Conference Semifinals
• Awards and records
• References

During the offseason, the Knicks acquired All-Star forward Larry Johnson from the Charlotte Hornets, while signing free agents Allan Houston, Chris Childs and Buck Williams. 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. John Starks was named the Sixth Man of the Year, and Patrick Ewing was selected to the 1997 NBA All-Star Game (he did not play due to an injury), earned All-NBA Second Team honors, and was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. In the last game of the season, at the United Center, the Knicks defeated the then-69–12 Chicago Bulls, preventing them from posting two consecutive 70-win seasons in a row and tying the best home record (40–1 set by the 1985–86 Boston Celtics).

In the playoffs, New York defeated the Charlotte Hornets in a three-game sweep in the first round and advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, where they faced the Miami Heat 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 Charlie Ward. Following the season, John Wallace was traded to the Toronto Raptors. and Walter McCarty was dealt to the Boston Celtics.