1999 NBA Finals
Encyclopedia
The 1999 NBA Finals was the championship round of the shortened 1998–99 NBA season or the 1999 season. The San Antonio Spurs
of the Western Conference
took on the New York Knicks
of the Eastern Conference
for the title, with the Spurs holding home court advantage
. The series was played under a best-of-seven format, with the first team to collect four game victories winning the series.
Will Lyman narrated the season-ending documentary Go Spurs Go! for NBA Entertainment
.
and second year star forward Tim Duncan
. The Spurs carried a 37-13 record, the best in NBA.
Meanwhile, the Knicks had a tumultuous regular season in which they went 27-23 and sneaked into the playoffs as the eighth and final seed. However, the Knicks would upset the Miami Heat
, Atlanta Hawks
and the Indiana Pacers
en route to becoming the only 8th seed in NBA history to reach the Finals. Unfortunately, starting center and future Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing
battled through an Achilles tendon injury that finally forced him to be benched for the finals; and small forward Larry Johnson injured his knee in the series with the Pacers, limiting him (but not forcing him out of) in the Finals.
The Spurs won the series 4 games to 1. Spurs forward
Tim Duncan
was named the Most Valuable Player of the finals. On June 25 In Game 5, with 47 seconds to go, it was Avery Johnson
who hit the game-winner. Johnson's shot was followed by a Latrell Sprewell miss that would have sent the series back to San Antonio, as the Knicks couldn't continue their Cinderella
run.
As of 2011, June 25 is the latest in the calendar that any NBA Finals game has ever been played. If there was Game 7 it would have been played on Tuesday, June 29.
The Finals were played using a 2-3-2 site format, where the first two and last two games are held at the team with home court advantage. The NBA, after experimenting in the early years, restored this original format for the Finals in 1985. As of yet, the other playoff series are still running on a 2-2-1-1-1 site format.
's early season kidney transplant, and Tim Duncan
's late-season knee injury. The Spurs were eliminated in the first round of the 2000 NBA Playoffs
by the Phoenix Suns
. The Spurs would also win three more NBA titles in 2003
, 2005
and 2007
, however were unsuccessful in collecting consecutive championships.
To date, the series would be the Knicks' last NBA Finals appearance. The next season, the Knicks won 50 games but fell to the Indiana Pacers
in six games of the Eastern Conference Finals. After that season, the Patrick Ewing
era came to an end when Ewing was traded to the SuperSonics
. In the post-Ewing era the Knicks only managed three playoff appearances (2001
, 2004
, 2011
) and two playoff game victories (all in 2001).
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
of the Western Conference
Western Conference (NBA)
Below is a list of current Western Conference NBA team rosters.-Western Conference:There are a total of 15 teams in the Western Conference. The current leading team of the Western conference are the Dallas Mavericks....
took on the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
of the Eastern Conference
Eastern Conference (NBA)
The Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association is made up of fifteen teams, organized in three divisions of five teams each.The three division winners and the non-division winner with the best record are seeded 1 through 4 for the playoffs in order of their records, with all...
for the title, with the Spurs holding home court advantage
Home team
In team sports, the term home advantage describes the advantage–usually a psychological advantage–that the home team is said to have over the visiting team as a result of playing in familiar facilities and in front of supportive fans...
. The series was played under a best-of-seven format, with the first team to collect four game victories winning the series.
Will Lyman narrated the season-ending documentary Go Spurs Go! for NBA Entertainment
NBA Entertainment
NBA Entertainment is the production arm of the National Basketball Association and produces numerous NBA-related films including team championship videos and blooper and entertainment reels. It was previously associated with CBS/Fox Video, but now distributes its films through Warner Bros....
.
Background
The 1999 NBA season was shortened due to a labor dispute that led to a lockout, canceling the first 3 months of the season, literally making this the 1999 NBA Season & Finals (as all games were played in the year 1999). The NBA would have teams play 50 games in the regular season or 61% of regular 82 games, and a normal playoffs, many teams never even played each other. The San Antonio Spurs had the fearsome "Twin Towers", veteran center David RobinsonDavid Robinson (basketball)
David Maurice Robinson is a retired American NBA basketball player, who played center for the San Antonio Spurs for his entire NBA career. Based on his prior service as an officer in the United States Navy, Robinson earned the nickname "The Admiral". He and teammate power forward Tim Duncan were...
and second year star forward Tim Duncan
Tim Duncan
Timothy Theodore "Tim" Duncan is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association . The 6-foot 11-inch , 255-pound power forward/center is a four-time NBA champion, two-time NBA MVP, three-time NBA Finals MVP, and NBA Rookie of the Year...
. The Spurs carried a 37-13 record, the best in NBA.
Meanwhile, the Knicks had a tumultuous regular season in which they went 27-23 and sneaked into the playoffs as the eighth and final seed. However, the Knicks would upset the Miami Heat
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...
, Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
and the Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
en route to becoming the only 8th seed in NBA history to reach the Finals. Unfortunately, starting center and future Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing
Patrick Ewing
Patrick Aloysius Ewing Sr. is a Jamaican-American retired Hall of Fame basketball player and current assistant coach for the National Basketball Association's Orlando Magic. He played most of his career with the NBA's New York Knicks as their starting center and played briefly with the Seattle...
battled through an Achilles tendon injury that finally forced him to be benched for the finals; and small forward Larry Johnson injured his knee in the series with the Pacers, limiting him (but not forcing him out of) in the Finals.
The Spurs won the series 4 games to 1. Spurs forward
Power forward (basketball)
Power forward is a position in the sport of basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF". It has also been referred to as the "post" position. Power forwards play a role similar to that of center in what is called the "post" or "low...
Tim Duncan
Tim Duncan
Timothy Theodore "Tim" Duncan is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association . The 6-foot 11-inch , 255-pound power forward/center is a four-time NBA champion, two-time NBA MVP, three-time NBA Finals MVP, and NBA Rookie of the Year...
was named the Most Valuable Player of the finals. On June 25 In Game 5, with 47 seconds to go, it was Avery Johnson
Avery Johnson
Avery Johnson is a former American professional basketball player and current head coach of the National Basketball Association team New Jersey Nets. He has also coached the Dallas Mavericks, leading them to their first NBA Finals appearance and four consecutive 50+ win seasons...
who hit the game-winner. Johnson's shot was followed by a Latrell Sprewell miss that would have sent the series back to San Antonio, as the Knicks couldn't continue their Cinderella
Cinderella (sports)
In American and Canadian sports, a Cinderella or "Cinderella Story" refers to a team or player who advances much further in a tournament or career than originally anticipated. Cinderellas tend to gain much media and fan attention as they move closer to the championship game at the end of the...
run.
As of 2011, June 25 is the latest in the calendar that any NBA Finals game has ever been played. If there was Game 7 it would have been played on Tuesday, June 29.
Games
The following scoring summary is written in a line score format, except that the quarter numbers are replaced by game numbers.| Team | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Antonio (West) | 89 | 80 | 81 | 96 | 78 | 4 |
| New York (East) | 77 | 67 | 89 | 89 | 77 | 1 |
1999 New York Knicks
Series summary
| Game | Date | Home Team | Result | Road Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | Wednesday, June 16 | San Antonio Spurs | 89-77 (1-0) | New York Knicks |
| Game 2 | Friday, June 18 | San Antonio Spurs | 80-67 (2-0) | New York Knicks |
| Game 3 | Monday, June 21 | New York Knicks | 89-81 (1-2) | San Antonio Spurs |
| Game 4 | Wednesday, June 23 | New York Knicks | 67-80 (1-3) | San Antonio Spurs |
| Game 5 | Friday, June 25 | New York Knicks | 77-78 (1-4) | San Antonio Spurs |
The Finals were played using a 2-3-2 site format, where the first two and last two games are held at the team with home court advantage. The NBA, after experimenting in the early years, restored this original format for the Finals in 1985. As of yet, the other playoff series are still running on a 2-2-1-1-1 site format.
Quotes
Aftermath
The Spurs would become the first defending champion since the 1985-86 Celtics to not win consecutive championships. They won 53 games that season, but were severely handicapped by Sean ElliottSean Elliott
Sean Michael Elliott is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA.-Early life:Elliott was born in Tucson, Arizona and was youngest of three boys. He was a very intelligent boy growing up and attended the G.A.T.E. program at Toleson Elementary School in Tucson, Arizona...
's early season kidney transplant, and Tim Duncan
Tim Duncan
Timothy Theodore "Tim" Duncan is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association . The 6-foot 11-inch , 255-pound power forward/center is a four-time NBA champion, two-time NBA MVP, three-time NBA Finals MVP, and NBA Rookie of the Year...
's late-season knee injury. The Spurs were eliminated in the first round of the 2000 NBA Playoffs
2000 NBA Playoffs
The 2000 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1999–2000 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers win their first championship in twelve years by defeating the Eastern Conference champion Indiana Pacers...
by the Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
. The Spurs would also win three more NBA titles in 2003
2003 NBA Finals
The 2003 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2002–03 NBA season. The San Antonio Spurs of the Western Conference took on the New Jersey Nets of the Eastern Conference for the title, with the Spurs holding home court advantage. The series was played under a best-of-seven format. The Spurs...
, 2005
2005 NBA Finals
The 2005 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2004-05 National Basketball Association season. The San Antonio Spurs of the Western Conference faced the Detroit Pistons of the Eastern Conference for the title, with the Spurs holding home court advantage. The series was played under a...
and 2007
2007 NBA Finals
The 2007 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2006-07 National Basketball Association season, and was the conclusion of the 2007 NBA Playoffs. The best-of-seven series was played between the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs and the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland...
, however were unsuccessful in collecting consecutive championships.
To date, the series would be the Knicks' last NBA Finals appearance. The next season, the Knicks won 50 games but fell to the Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
in six games of the Eastern Conference Finals. After that season, the Patrick Ewing
Patrick Ewing
Patrick Aloysius Ewing Sr. is a Jamaican-American retired Hall of Fame basketball player and current assistant coach for the National Basketball Association's Orlando Magic. He played most of his career with the NBA's New York Knicks as their starting center and played briefly with the Seattle...
era came to an end when Ewing was traded to the SuperSonics
Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...
. In the post-Ewing era the Knicks only managed three playoff appearances (2001
2001 NBA Playoffs
The 2001 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2000–01 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers winning their second consecutive championship by defeating the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers...
, 2004
2004 NBA Playoffs
The 2004 NBA Playoffs were the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2003–04 season. Consisting of 16 teams in two conferences, the playoffs involved about two months of play. The playoffs were conducted in seven-game series, with the team with the better record holding home court...
, 2011
2011 NBA Playoffs
The 2011 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2010–11 season. Eight teams from each of the league's two conferences qualified for the playoffs, all seeded 1 to 8 in a tournament bracket, with all rounds in a best-of-seven format. The 2011 NBA Playoffs began on...
) and two playoff game victories (all in 2001).