1999 NBA Finals
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| Dates: | June 16 - 25 | |||||||||
| MVP: | Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs) |
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| Television: | NBC (U.S.) | |||||||||
| Announcers: | Bob Costas and Doug Collins | |||||||||
| Radio network: | ESPN | |||||||||
| Announcers: | Brent Musburger and Jack Ramsey | |||||||||
| Referees: | ||||||||||
| Game 1: Bennett Salvatore, Hugh Evans, Steve Javie | ||||||||||
| Game 2: | ||||||||||
| Game 3: Dick Bavetta, Hue Hollins, Ronnie Nunn | ||||||||||
| Game 4: | ||||||||||
| Game 5: Joe Crawford, Steve Javie, Bennett Salvatore | ||||||||||
| Hall of Famers: | Patrick Ewing (2008) David Robinson (2009) |
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| Eastern Finals: | Knicks defeat Pacers, 4-2 | |||||||||
| Western Finals: | Spurs defeat Trail Blazers, 4-0 | |||||||||
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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.
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[edit] 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 Robinson 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.
| San Antonio Spurs (Western Conference Champion) | New York Knicks (Eastern Conference Champion) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 37–13 (.740) 1st Midwest, 1st West, 1st overall |
Regular season | 27–23 (.540) 4th Atlantic, 8th East, 14th overall |
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| Defeated the (8) Minnesota Timberwolves, 3–1 | First Round | Defeated the (1) Miami Heat, 3–2 | |
| Defeated the (4) Los Angeles Lakers, 4–0 | Conference Semifinals | Defeated the (4) Atlanta Hawks, 4–0 | |
| Defeated the (3) Portland Trail Blazers, 4–0 | Conference Finals | Defeated the (2) Indiana Pacers, 4–2 | |
[edit] Regular season series
The Knicks and Spurs did not meet in the regular season.
[edit] 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 |
[edit] 1999 NBA Finals Roster
[edit] 1999 San Antonio Spurs
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[edit] 1999 New York Knicks
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[edit] 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 | 89-96 (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.
[edit] Quotes
They want Duncan. Gotten down on the entry pass. Double teamed. Elliot on top. Elliot bluffs, drives, kicks. Avery Johnson for the lead...YES! Avery Johnson from the left baseline knocks it down and the Spurs lead it 78-77. 47 seconds to go.—Brent Musberger calling on Avery Johnson's series-winning shot in Game 5.
[edit] 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 Elliott'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).
