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1989–90 New York Knicks season

Season of National Basketball Association team the New York Knicks

Season of National Basketball Association team the New York Knicks

FieldValue
teamNew York Knicks
end_year1990
wins45
losses37
divisionAtlantic
division_place3
conf_place5
coachStu Jackson
gmAl Bianchi
ownersParamount Communications, Inc.
arenaMadison Square Garden
televisionMSG Network
(Marv Albert, John Andariese)
radioWFAN
(Jim Karvellas, Walt Frazier)
playoffs[Conference semifinals](1990-nba-playoffs-bracket)
(lost to [Pistons](1989-90-detroit-pistons-season) 1–4)
bbr_teamNYK

(Marv Albert, John Andariese) (Jim Karvellas, Walt Frazier) (lost to Pistons 1–4)

The 1989–90 New York Knicks season was the 44th season for the Knicks in the National Basketball Association. Before the season, owners Gulf+Western reorganized and became Paramount Communications, renaming themselves after the Paramount Pictures film studio.

During the off-season, the Knicks hired Stu Jackson as their new head coach; Jackson previously worked as an assistant coach for the Knicks. The team got off to a solid start, winning 20 of their first 27 games of the regular season, while posting a nine-game winning streak, and holding a 32–16 record at the All-Star break. At mid-season, the Knicks traded second-year guard Rod Strickland to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for All-Star guard Maurice Cheeks. However, as the team stood at a 39–22 record, they struggled and lost 15 of their final 21 games. The Knicks finished in third place in the Atlantic Division with a 45–37 record, which earned them the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, as they qualified for the NBA playoffs for the third consecutive year.

Patrick Ewing averaged 28.6 points, 10.9 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per game, and was named to the All-NBA First Team. In addition, Charles Oakley averaged 14.6 points and 11.9 rebounds per game, while Gerald Wilkins provided the team with 14.5 points and 4.0 assists per game, and Johnny Newman contributed 12.9 points per game. Meanwhile, Kiki Vandeweghe provided the Knicks with 11.7 points per game in only 22 games, and Mark Jackson averaged 9.9 points, 7.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Off the bench, three-point specialist Trent Tucker contributed 8.2 points per game, and Kenny Walker averaged 7.9 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Miami Arena in Miami, Florida, Ewing was selected for the 1990 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference All-Star team, while Walker participated in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest for the second consecutive year; Walker won the Slam Dunk Contest the previous year. Ewing finished in fifth place in Most Valuable Player voting, and also finished tied in fifth place in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1990 NBA playoffs, the Knicks faced off against the 4th–seeded Boston Celtics, who were led by the quartet of All-Star forward Larry Bird, All-Star forward Kevin McHale, Reggie Lewis, and All-Star center Robert Parish. The Knicks lost the first two games to the Celtics on the road, including suffering a 157–128 loss in Game 2 at the Boston Garden. However, the Knicks managed to win the next two games at home, including a Game 4 win over the Celtics at Madison Square Garden, 135–108, to even the series. The Knicks won Game 5 over the Celtics at the Boston Garden, 121–114, to win in a hard-fought five-game series.

In the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, the team faced off against the top–seeded and defending NBA champion Detroit Pistons, who won the Central Division title and were led by the All-Star trio of Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, and Defensive Player of the Year Dennis Rodman. The Pistons took a 2–0 series lead, but the Knicks managed to win Game 3 at Madison Square Garden, 111–103. However, the Knicks lost the next two games to the Pistons, including a Game 5 road loss at The Palace of Auburn Hills, 95–84, as the team lost the series in five games. The Pistons would go on to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers in five games in the 1990 NBA Finals, winning their second consecutive NBA championship.

The Knicks finished fifth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 730,432 at Madison Square Garden during the regular season. Following the season, Newman signed as a free agent with the Charlotte Hornets. For the season, the Knicks slightly changed their primary logo, changing the color of the basketball under the team name from brown to orange; the logo would remain in use until 1992.

Draft picks

Main article: 1989 NBA draft

RoundPickPlayerPositionNationalitySchool/Club team
250Brian QuinnettSFWashington State

Roster

  • Stu Jackson
  • Ernie Grunfeld
  • Paul Silas
  • Jeff Van Gundy

Regular season

Season standings

:z – clinched division title :y – clinched division title :x – clinched playoff spot

Game log

|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 1 | 8:00p.m. EST | @ Detroit | L 103–106 | Ewing (23) | Oakley (11) | Jackson (9) | The Palace of Auburn Hills 21,454 | 0–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 6 | 10:30p.m. EST | @ Portland | L 117–118 | Ewing (43) | Oakley (12) | Jackson (7) | Memorial Coliseum 12,848 | 3–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 30 | 7:30p.m. EST | @ Detroit | L 106–117 | Ewing (29) | Oakley (12) | Jackson (5) | The Palace of Auburn Hills 21,454 | 21–9 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 54 | 12Noon EST | Detroit | L 87–98 | Ewing (37) | Oakley (14) | Jackson (8) | Madison Square Garden 18,212 | 35–19 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 58 | 7:30p.m. EST | Portland | L 100–112 | Ewing (40) | Oakley (14) | Ewing, Oakley (5) | Madison Square Garden 18,212 | 37–21 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 76 | 8:00p.m. EDT | Detroit | L 98–108 | Ewing (26) | Ewing (9) | Cheeks (6) | Madison Square Garden 18,032 | 43–33

Playoffs

|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 1 | April 26 | @ Boston | L 105–116 | Patrick Ewing (22) | Patrick Ewing (9) | Maurice Cheeks (9) | Boston Garden 14,890 | 0–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 2 | April 28 | @ Boston | L 128–157 | Patrick Ewing (28) | Charles Oakley (9) | Gerald Wilkins (7) | Boston Garden 14,890 | 0–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 | May 2 | Boston | W 102–99 | Patrick Ewing (33) | Patrick Ewing (19) | Maurice Cheeks (11) | Madison Square Garden 18,212 | 1–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 4 | May 4 | Boston | W 135–108 | Patrick Ewing (44) | Patrick Ewing (13) | Maurice Cheeks (12) | Madison Square Garden 18,212 | 2–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 5 | May 6 | @ Boston | W 121–114 | Patrick Ewing (31) | Charles Oakley (17) | Patrick Ewing (10) | Boston Garden 14,890

3–2
- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
1

| 8:00p.m. EDT | @ Detroit | L 77–112 | Ewing (19) | E Wilkins (8) | Cheeks (6) | The Palace of Auburn Hills 21,454 | 0–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 2 | 8:00p.m. EDT | @ Detroit | L 97–104 | G Wilkins (24) | Oakley (15) | Cheeks (8) | The Palace of Auburn Hills 21,454 | 0–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 | 1:00p.m. EDT | Detroit | W 111–103 | Ewing (45) | Oakley (20) | Cheeks (12) | Madison Square Garden 18,212 | 1–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 4 | 3:30p.m. EDT | Detroit | L 90–102 | Ewing (30) | Oakley (14) | Cheeks, Jackson (6) | Madison Square Garden 18,212 | 1–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 5 | 8:00p.m. EDT | @ Detroit | L 84–95 | Ewing (22) | Ewing (14) | Cheeks (9) | The Palace of Auburn Hills 21,454

1–4

Player statistics

Regular season

PlayerGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
1302.5.250.000.7.1.0.0.5
†311324.3.579.429.8772.44.91.4.27.9
828238.6.551.250.77510.92.21.04.028.6
†1904.9.235.000.875.7.1.2.1.8
826929.6.437.267.7273.97.41.3.09.9
†2408.7.333.000.5161.21.5.6.11.9
806928.5.476.317.7992.42.31.2.312.9
616136.0.524.000.76111.92.41.0.314.6
3106.2.328.000.667.9.4.1.11.3
†51020.0.440.286.6382.54.31.4.28.4
81221.3.417.388.7672.12.1.9.18.2
221325.6.442.526.9172.41.9.7.111.7
682123.5.531.400.7235.0.7.5.87.9
79012.3.455.000.6053.4.2.2.24.7
828031.8.457.312.8034.54.01.2.314.5

Playoffs

PlayerGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
101038.8.481.000.9033.98.51.7.212.8
101039.5.521.500.82310.53.11.32.029.4
403.0.4002.0.0.3.01.0
909.0.419.000.727.62.3.2.03.8
10023.1.447.400.7552.11.0.9.311.7
10833.6.5121.000.65411.02.71.1.212.1
305.3.5001.0002.7.7.0.01.7
10017.8.400.3701.0001.42.01.0.06.0
101023.6.419.462.8001.21.4.5.27.6
10215.4.552.000.6432.5.6.0.44.1
707.7.500.5451.6.0.3.03.4
101031.9.460.250.8183.65.21.4.114.6
  • † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Knicks only.

Source:

Awards and records

  • Patrick Ewing, All-NBA First Team

References

References

  1. (2003). "The Fourth Estate". New York Knicks.
  2. (2003). "The Fourth Estate". New York Knicks.
  3. "New York Knickerbockers Franchise Index". Basketball-Reference.
  4. (April 11, 1989). "Gulf and Western plans to sell off its financial services". New Straits Times.
  5. Fabrikant, Geraldine. (April 10, 1989). "Divestiture Is Planned By G.&W.". The New York Times.
  6. (July 9, 1989). "Knicks Expected to Hire Jackson". United Press International.
  7. Goldaper, Sam. (July 11, 1989). "Jackson, the Knicks' New Coach, Contends He Has All the N.B.A. Experience He Needs". The New York Times.
  8. Brown, Clifton. (September 13, 1989). "No Timeout for Knicks' Coach". The New York Times.
  9. "1989–90 New York Knicks Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference.
  10. "NBA Games Played on February 8, 1990". Basketball-Reference.
  11. Goldaper, Sam. (February 22, 1990). "Knicks Trade Strickland to Spurs for Cheeks". The New York Times.
  12. (February 22, 1990). "Spurs Deal Cheeks to Knicks for Strickland". St. Petersburg Times.
  13. McManis, Sam. (February 27, 1990). "The NBA: A Trade They Both Felt They Had to Make". Los Angeles Times.
  14. "1989–90 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.
  15. "1989–90 New York Knicks Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.
  16. Howard-Cooper, Scott. (February 11, 1990). "NBA All-Star Game: Entire Family Is Back Together—Almost". Los Angeles Times.
  17. (September 13, 2021). "1990 NBA All-Star recap". NBA.com.
  18. "1990 NBA All-Star Game: East 130, West 113". Basketball-Reference.
  19. (February 9, 1990). "NBA All-Star Weekend". The Hour.
  20. "NBA & ABA All-Star Game Contest Winners". Basketball-Reference.
  21. "1989–90 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference.
  22. "1989–90 Boston Celtics Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.
  23. Goldaper, Sam. (April 29, 1990). "Boston Massacre: Knicks Lose Historically". The New York Times.
  24. Hafner, Dan. (April 29, 1990). "NBA Roundup: Celtics Run Knicks Out of Town, 157-128". Los Angeles Times.
  25. "1990 NBA Eastern Conference First Round Game 2: New York Knicks at Boston Celtics Box Score, April 28, 1990". Basketball-Reference.
  26. "1990 NBA Eastern Conference First Round Game 4: Boston Celtics at New York Knicks Box Score, May 4, 1990". Basketball-Reference.
  27. Goldaper, Sam. (May 7, 1990). "Breakthrough in Boston: Knicks Roll, 121–114". The New York Times.
  28. Aldridge, David. (May 7, 1990). "Knicks Nix Jinx, Celtics in Game 5". The Washington Post.
  29. "1990 NBA Eastern Conference First Round: Knicks vs. Celtics". Basketball-Reference.
  30. "1989–90 Detroit Pistons Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.
  31. "1990 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals Game 3: Detroit Pistons at New York Knicks Box Score, May 12, 1990". Basketball-Reference.
  32. "1990 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals Game 5: New York Knicks at Detroit Pistons Box Score, May 15, 1990". Basketball-Reference.
  33. Goldaper, Sam. (May 16, 1990). "Pistons' Defense Leaves Knicks Out in Cold". The New York Times.
  34. (May 16, 1990). "Detroit Eliminates New York, 95-84: Eastern Conference: Mark Aguirre Comes Off the Bench to Scores 25 Points. Pistons Make Their Fourth Consecutive Trip to the conference finals". Los Angeles Times.
  35. "1990 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals: Knicks vs. Pistons". Basketball-Reference.
  36. Brown, Clifton. (June 15, 1990). "Pistons Rally to Repeat as N.B.A. Champions". The New York Times.
  37. McManis, Sam. (June 15, 1990). "Vinnie, Vidi, Vici: Pistons Repeat Feat: NBA Finals: Johnson Hits Game-Winner in Last Second as Detroit Rallies from Seven-Point Deficit for a 92–90 Victory. Thomas Is the Unanimous Choice as MVP". Los Angeles Times.
  38. "1990 NBA Finals: Trail Blazers vs. Pistons". Basketball-Reference.
  39. Preston, June. (July 13, 1990). "Hornets Woo Knicks Forward". United Press International.
  40. (July 14, 1990). "Newman Signs Hornet Offer Sheet, Leaving Next Move to Knicks". The New York Times.
  41. (July 29, 1990). "Pro Basketball; Knicks Won't Match Newman's Hornet Deal". The New York Times.
  42. "New York Knicks Logo".
  43. "All-NBA & All-ABA Teams". Basketball-Reference.
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