Last Knicks vs. Spurs NBA Finals: What stands out from 1999 matchup

Scooby Axson, USA TODAYWed, June 3, 2026 at 12:03 PM UTC

0

The 1998-99 season was a year of change in the NBA.

Michael Jordan had retired for a second time, and the league's owners, fed up with the league's financial structure and players' rising salaries, locked the players out after failing to reach a new collective bargaining agreement.

Once a deal was reached, the season began on Feb. 5, and the schedule was reduced to 50 games. The San Antonio Spurs tied for the league's best record and beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Lakers, and Portland Trail Blazers on the way to the Finals.

The New York Knicks, as the No. 8 seed, upset the Miami Heat in the first round, becoming the second No. 8 seed to beat a top seed. After sweeping the Atlanta Hawks, they beat the Indiana Pacers in six games to advance to the championship round.

Here are some takeaways from the last Knicks-Spurs NBA Finals matchup:

PARTY LIKE IT'S 1999: 10 things that didn't exist last time Knicks made the Finals

A masterclass in 'offensive' basketball

If fans were coming into this series looking for aesthetically pleasing basketball, they came to the wrong place. Only one time did a team score 90 or more points, and New York failed to even crack 80 points in three separate games. New York shot 39% in the series, including 20% from 3-point land.

Advertisement

Tim Duncan, at 22 years old, was named Finals MVP after averaging 27.4 points and 14 rebounds in the series, which the Spurs won four games to one.

Beginning of a dynasty

San Antonio continued its winning ways for much of the next two decades, winning titles in 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014.

Duncan was the catalyst for those winning teams and, in later years, was joined by Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Kawhi Leonard. Duncan was a three-time Finals MVP during the dynasty, and head coach Gregg Popovich retired in 2025 with 1,390 victories, adding 284 more postseason triumphs.

Knicks family ties

Jalen Brunson, the three-time NBA All-Star for the Knicks, will attempt to help bring home the team's first title since 1973. Brunson's father, Rick, was a second-year guard on the 1999 Knicks roster. Rick Brunson played only 10 seconds in that series, though, getting in the game in the latter stages of the second quarter of Game 3, an 89-81 New York victory at Madison Square Garden without an injured Patrick Ewing.

Rock bottom for the Knicks

After reaching the Eastern Conference finals in the 1999-2000 season and losing to the Indiana Pacers, the Knicks' playoff success — or success in general — became few and far between. New York had nine straight losing seasons, starting in 2001.

The Knicks did not make a conference finals appearance this century until last season, when they suffered another disappointing loss to the Pacers.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Knicks vs Spurs 1999 NBA Finals matchup: What stands out

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Sports”