14. 1992 Eastern Conference Semis Game 7 Knicks vs. Bulls

Even though he could not deliver a ring, Patrick Ewing is unquestionably the greatest Knick of all time.  The main reason why Ewing doesn’t have a ring?

The Goddamned Bulls and Michael Jordan….

After the Knicks were swept in 91 (remember Jordan did this to Ewing?), everyone predicted the Bulls would steamroll the Knicks again.  After all, the Bulls had beaten the Knicks 14 straight times, and had beaten the Knicks at home 17 straight times.

But after the Knicks stole Game 1, the Bulls found out the Knicks were not going to be pushovers. Both teams went back and forth, trading wins in a series so physical, the league would eventually be forced to change the rules.

And then Game 7 arrived…

Jordan completely dominated the Knicks.   He decided, with some advice from his father, he would not let the Bulls lose, and took over the game scoring 42 points. This was the first game I’ve ever watch where one player decided the game. I had never seen someone take control of the game like that before. Didn’t any of the Knicks have fathers who advised him to stop Jordan?

  
 It was at that moment I realized the Knicks would never be able to beat the Bulls as long as Jordan was on the court, which is the reason why this game makes the list. There is nothing more frustrating as a fan than watching one guy completely ruin your season, year after year.  No matter how good the Knicks were, they simply were not good enough.  For much of the 90s, thanks to the Bulls, I had the same feelings Andy Roddick had after he lost to Roger Federer in the 2009 Wimbledon Final. Jordan is definitely on the Mount Rushmore of my sporting villains (along with Reggie Miller, Aaron Rogers, and that god awful Tyler Hansbrough).   

The Knicks were crushed 110-81 and just like that, the season was over. The good news: The Knicks used this loss as motivation to form, perhaps the greatest Knick team in NBA history.

The bad news: The Knicks lost to the Bulls again, including a game that will certainly be on this list...

Up Next: 13. Game 7 1952 NBA Finals vs Minneapolis Lakers

15. 1999 NBA Finals Game 5 Knicks vs. Spurs

Let’s be honest, in hindsight, the Knicks were doomed the moment the NBA Finals began June 16^th, 1999.  The Spurs had the homecourt advantage. Patrick Ewing was out with an Achilles injury, and the guy who initially took Ewing’s spot (Chris Dudley), reminded me of Stinky Peterson from Hey Arnold.

But it didn’t matter; the Knicks would find a way somehow to win the title!

Well, let’s just say, things didn’t go according to plan. The Knicks lost three out of the first four games. The Knicks managed to win Game 3, 89-81, thanks to Latrell Sprewell (24 points) and Allan Houston (34 points).

Although no team has ever come back from a 3-1 deficit[i], I still believed the Knicks were still going to win the series, before Game 5 began. The game was close throughout, my heart was beating at least 1,000 times per second.

 Avery Johnson, the same player who Damon Stoudamire ,infamously proclaimed, “Would never be a point guard on a championship team”,   hit a wide open corner jumper with 47 seconds left to give the Spurs a one point lead. After both teams exchanged empty possessions, the Knicks had the ball with two seconds left.  Sprewell got the ball and airballed a desperation turnaround jumper, which probably would not have counted anyways.

And that was it the Knicks lost 78-77… the game, and the series was over.

This game was painful for several reasons. Obviously, it’s always painful to lose a championship game, or series, especially during an extended championship drought.

(Cue to Mets fans nodding their heads)

But besides that, it was painful to watch Sprewell play the game of his life, and have nothing to show for it.   He finished the game with 35 points and 10 rebs, and literally carried the team on his back in the fourth quarter. This game is one of the reasons why he is one of the most beloved Knicks in franchise history.

It was also painful to watch Ewing wear that ugly grey suit , during the Knicks last timeout, when he should be playing.  This was perhaps Ewing’s, by far the greatest player in Knick history last chance at a ring and he couldn’t do anything but mercifully watch the Knick’s title hopes go up in flames.

 

But even though the Knicks had lost this series, fans, myself included of course, believed the Knicks would be back in the Finals. The Knicks were undermanned and still managed to put up a damn good fight against a great Spurs team.

Boy, were we wrong..

 

The Knicks haven’t been back to the Finals ever since. In fact, the Knicks would only win three playoff series in the next 15 years. While the Spurs would go on to become the model NBA franchise, winning four more titles during that same span.

 

 

 

Up Next: 14. 1992 Eastern Conference Semis Game 7 Knicks vs. Bulls

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[i] No team still has not been able to come back from a 3-1 deficit to win the Finals

16. Game 6 1969 NBA Eastern Division Finals Celtics vs. Knicks

Four straight Celtic games!!!!!

 

God I hate the Celtics…

 

When it comes to painful losses, this game never gets mentioned. To no fault of their own, Knicks fans do not have any recollection of this game whatsoever because there isn’t a plethora of NBA footage from the 60s.

 

The Knicks were favorited to win this series; they won six of the seven regular season meetings. But after going down 3-1 in the series, the Knicks managed to get a Pyrrhic eight point victory, as Walt Clyde Frazier suffered a groin injury in the final minute.

The injury hampered Frazier and the Celtics won game six , by one point,  and would go on to win the NBA Championship, defeating the Lakers in seven games.

 

“I took one look at Clyde and knew we were out of it.”

-Willis Reed

That quote says it all: Imagine if social media was around back then!

 

The good news: That loss, along with Bill Russell’s retirement, propelled the Knicks to win their first NBA title, which led to approximately 203,309,390 books about that historic team.

 

Up Next: 15. 1999 NBA Finals Game 5 Knicks vs. Spurs