1999 NBA Finals

The 1999 NBA Finals was the championship round of the shortened 1998–99 NBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs took on the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks 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. The Spurs defeated the Knicks 4 games to 1 to win their first NBA championship. As of 2021, this is the last NBA Finals where neither team scored 100 or more points in any game during the series.

1999 NBA Finals
TeamCoachWins
San Antonio Spurs Gregg Popovich 4
New York Knicks Jeff Van Gundy 1
DatesJune 16–25
MVPTim Duncan
(San Antonio Spurs)
Hall of FamersSpurs:
Tim Duncan (2020)
David Robinson (2009)
Knicks:
Patrick Ewing (2008; did not play)
Officials:
Dick Bavetta (2015)
Eastern FinalsKnicks defeat Pacers, 4–2
Western FinalsSpurs defeat Trail Blazers, 4–0

Background

The 1998-1999 NBA season was shortened due to a labor dispute that led to a lockout, canceling the first 3 months of the season, technically making this the 1999 NBA season and Finals (as all games were played in the year 1999). The NBA schedule consisted of 50 regular season games (61% of regular 82 games), and a normal playoff schedule; many teams never played each other.

San Antonio Spurs

This was the second year of the "Twin Towers" pairing of David Robinson and second year star forward Tim Duncan, who switched from his natural center position in college to power forward to play alongside Robinson in San Antonio; the two had been teammates since the Spurs drafted Duncan with the first overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft- a pick they earned through the draft lottery, due to a 62-loss 1996–97 season that saw Robinson suffer an injury very early in the season and the team collapsed from there. As a result of the shaky start, veteran coach Bob Hill was fired and replaced by then-general manager Gregg Popovich. In the first season of the Duncan/Robinson tandem the Spurs won 56 games but were eliminated by the Utah Jazz in the second round of the playoffs. The following year, led by Robinson, Duncan, Sean Elliott, and Avery Johnson, the Spurs recovered from a 6–8 start to the season to win 31 of their last 36 games and qualify as the top seed in the Western Conference, as well as the league's best record.

After defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves in four games, San Antonio recorded back-to-back sweeps in the second round and conference finals, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers. The victory over Portland gave the Spurs their first ever trip to the NBA Finals.

New York Knicks

The Knicks had a harder time getting to the playoffs than the Spurs did. Toward the end of the season, with the team teetering on the brink of making the playoffs, rumors had begun to spread in the New York media that head coach Jeff Van Gundy would lose his job before the end of the season if the team did not make the playoffs. Instead, New York fired general manager Ernie Grunfeld and allowed Van Gundy to lead the team to the playoffs, with the team barely qualifying as the #8 seed. They faced the Miami Heat, the top seed, in the first round.

Led by an injured Patrick Ewing and relying on contributions from Larry Johnson, Latrell Sprewell, and Allan Houston, as well as a newly acquired Marcus Camby, the Knicks were able to keep pace with the Heat and after Houston hit a shot with 0.8 seconds remaining in Game 5 of that series, the Knicks were victorious and became the second team in NBA history after the Denver Nuggets to win a playoff series as the #8 seed. The Nuggets were led by Dikembe Mutombo in that series, a center who now was playing for the Atlanta Hawks, the Knicks' next opponent. Although the center from Zaire guaranteed a victory, the Knicks won in a four-game sweep to set up a matchup with the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Ewing could not continue due to an injury and was lost for the series after the first two games. In the third game, with 11.9 seconds left and the Knicks trailing 91–88, Johnson looked to attempt a three-point shot but was unable to shake the defender. He continued moving, however, and got off the shot while being fouled. He made the basket and converted the subsequent free-throw for a game-winning four-point play and gave his team a 2–1 lead in the series. In Game 6, however, Johnson suffered a knee injury and although the Knicks rallied around him to get the victory and the conference championship, it proved costly as his playing time was limited in the Finals.

Result

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 with 47 seconds to go in Game 5, Avery Johnson hit the game-winner. Johnson's shot was followed by a Latrell Sprewell miss that would have sent the series back to San Antonio, and TV broadcasts showed that the clock ran out before Sprewell could release the ball.

This was the first of San Antonio's five NBA Championships, but they did not return to the Finals until 2003. New York has yet to return to the Finals. No #8 seed has advanced to the NBA Finals or as far as the Conference Finals since, but there have been other instances of #8 seeds defeating #1 seeds in the playoffs: in 2007 the Golden State Warriors defeated the Dallas Mavericks; in 2011 the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Spurs; and in 2012 the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Chicago Bulls.

The Spurs were also the first champions since 1986 to not go on to repeat as champions. From 1987 to 1998 every champion either repeated or three-peated.

Prior to the 2020 NBA Finals which were moved to September and October due to the COVID-19 pandemic, June 25 was the latest date in the calendar year that any NBA Finals game has ever been played. Had a Game 7 been needed, it would have been played on June 30, which was the latest calendar date a Finals game had been scheduled until 2020.

Road to the Finals

San Antonio Spurs (Western Conference champion)New York Knicks (Eastern Conference champion)
# Western Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-San Antonio Spurs3713.740
2 y-Portland Trail Blazers3515.7002
3 x-Utah Jazz3713.740
4 x-Los Angeles Lakers3119.6206
5 x-Houston Rockets3119.6206
6 x-Sacramento Kings2723.54010
7 x-Phoenix Suns2723.54010
8 x-Minnesota Timberwolves2525.50012
9 Seattle SuperSonics2525.50012
10 Golden State Warriors2129.42016
11 Dallas Mavericks1931.38018
12 Denver Nuggets1436.28023
13 Los Angeles Clippers941.18028
14 Vancouver Grizzlies842.16029

1st seed in the West, best league record

Regular season
# Eastern Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 c-Miami Heat3317.660
2 y-Indiana Pacers3317.660
3 x-Orlando Magic3317.660
4 x-Atlanta Hawks3119.6202
5 x-Detroit Pistons2921.5804
6 x-Philadelphia 76ers2822.5605
7 x-Milwaukee Bucks2822.5605
8 x-New York Knicks2723.5406
9 Charlotte Hornets2624.5207
10 Toronto Raptors2327.46010
11 Cleveland Cavaliers2228.44011
12 Boston Celtics1931.38014
13 Washington Wizards1832.36015
14 New Jersey Nets1634.32017
15 Chicago Bulls1337.26020

8th seed in the East, 14th best league record

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 (2) Portland Trail Blazers, 4–0 Conference Finals Defeated the (2) Indiana Pacers, 4–2

Regular season series

The Knicks and Spurs did not play each other in the regular season.

1999 NBA Finals team rosters

San Antonio Spurs

Roster listing
1998–99 San Antonio Spurs roster
Players Coaches
Pos.No.NameHeightWeightDOB (YYYY-MM-DD)From
PG 33 Daniels, Antonio 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Bowling Green
PF 21 Duncan, Tim 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Wake Forest
SG 17 Elie, Mario 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) American International
SF 32 Elliott, Sean 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Arizona
SG 10 Gaze, Andrew 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Seton Hall
SG 2 Jackson, Jaren 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Georgetown
PG 6 Johnson, Avery 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Southern
PG 4 Kerr, Steve 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Arizona
SF 25 Kersey, Jerome 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Longwood
PF 54 King, Gerard 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Nicholls State
C 41 Perdue, Will 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Vanderbilt
C 50 Robinson, David 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Navy
PF 31 Rose, Malik 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Drexel
SG 11 Williams, Brandon 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Davidson
Head coach

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Roster

New York Knicks

Roster listing
1998–99 New York Knicks roster
Players Coaches
Pos.No.NameHeightWeightDOB (YYYY-MM-DD)From
PG 9 Brunson, Rick 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Temple
C 23 Camby, Marcus 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Massachusetts
PG 1 Childs, Chris 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Boise State
PF 4 Davis, Ben 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Arizona
C 14 Dudley, Chris 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Yale
C 33 Ewing, Patrick  7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Georgetown
SG 20 Houston, Allan 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Tennessee
PF 2 Johnson, Larry 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 250 lb (113 kg) UNLV
SF 8 Sprewell, Latrell 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Alabama
PF 40 Thomas, Kurt 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) TCU
PG 21 Ward, Charlie 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Florida State
C 32 Williams, Herb 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 242 lb (110 kg) Ohio State
SG 25 Wingate, David 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Georgetown
Head coach

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Series summary

GameDateAway TeamResultHome Team
Game 1Wednesday, June 16New York Knicks77–89 (0–1)San Antonio Spurs
Game 2Friday, June 18New York Knicks67–80 (0–2)San Antonio Spurs
Game 3Monday, June 21San Antonio Spurs81–89 (2–1)New York Knicks
Game 4Wednesday, June 23San Antonio Spurs96–89 (3–1)New York Knicks
Game 5Friday, June 25San Antonio Spurs78–77 (4–1)New York Knicks

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 between 1985 and 2013. In 2014, the Finals returned to a 2–2–1–1–1 site format.

June 16
New York Knicks 77, San Antonio Spurs 89
Scoring by quarter: 27–21, 10–24, 26–26, 14–18
Pts: Sprewell, Houston 19
Rebs: Latrell Sprewell 7
Asts: Houston, Ward 3
Pts: Tim Duncan 33
Rebs: Tim Duncan 13
Asts: Avery Johnson 8
San Antonio led the series, 1–0
Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas
Attendance: 39,514
Referees:
  • Hugh Evans
  • Steve Javie
  • Bennett Salvatore
June 18
New York Knicks 67, San Antonio Spurs 80
Scoring by quarter: 15–20, 19–19, 15–17, 18–24
Pts: Latrell Sprewell 26
Rebs: Latrell Sprewell 7
Asts: Charlie Ward 3
Pts: Tim Duncan 25
Rebs: Tim Duncan 15
Asts: Avery Johnson 5
San Antonio led the series, 2–0
Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas
Attendance: 39,554
Referees:
  • Dan Crawford
  • Joe Crawford
  • Jess Kersey
June 21
San Antonio Spurs 81, New York Knicks 89
Scoring by quarter: 21–32, 25–17, 16–16, 19–24
Pts: David Robinson 25
Rebs: Tim Duncan 12
Asts: Avery Johnson 4
Pts: Allan Houston 34
Rebs: Houston, Johnson 5
Asts: Latrell Sprewell 5
San Antonio led the series, 2–1
Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Attendance: 19,763
Referees:
  • Dick Bavetta
  • Hue Hollins
  • Ronnie Nunn
June 23
San Antonio Spurs 96, New York Knicks 89
Scoring by quarter: 27–29, 23–17, 22–17, 24–26
Pts: Tim Duncan 28
Rebs: Tim Duncan 18
Asts: Avery Johnson 10
Pts: Latrell Sprewell 26
Rebs: Marcus Camby 13
Asts: Charlie Ward 8
San Antonio led the series, 3–1
Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Attendance: 19,763
Referees:
  • Hugh Evans
  • Ron Garretson
  • Mike Mathis
June 25
San Antonio Spurs 78, New York Knicks 77
Scoring by quarter: 20–23, 20–15, 19–20, 19–19
Pts: Tim Duncan 31
Rebs: David Robinson 12
Asts: Avery Johnson 9
Pts: Latrell Sprewell 35
Rebs: Latrell Sprewell 10
Asts: Allan Houston 5
San Antonio won the NBA Finals, 4–1
Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Attendance: 19,763
Referees:
  • Joe Crawford
  • Steve Javie
  • Bennett Salvatore

Player statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs statistics
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Antonio Daniels406.0.8001.000.0000.51.00.30.02.5
Tim Duncan5545.8.537.000.79514.02.41.02.227.4
Mario Elie5535.0.447.308.8704.02.61.20.011.6
Sean Elliott5536.2.333.278.6363.03.00.80.28.0
Jaren Jackson5019.2.324.375.0001.41.01.00.06.6
Avery Johnson5539.2.500.000.6002.67.20.60.09.2
Steve Kerr508.8.400.500.0001.00.40.00.01.8
Jerome Kersey202.01.000.000.0000.00.00.00.01.0
Gerard King201.0.000.000.0000.00.00.00.00.0
David Robinson5537.0.424.000.68811.82.41.03.016.6
Malik Rose5012.8.200.000.5002.40.40.60.41.2
New York Knicks
New York Knicks statistics
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Rick Brunson101.0.001.000.0000.00.00.00.00.0
Marcus Camby5327.0.500.000.7507.80.20.62.09.6
Chris Childs5021.0.227.200.5001.22.20.40.02.4
Chris Dudley5215.6.250.000.3333.80.20.20.61.2
Allan Houston5544.4.427.167.9233.23.40.40.021.6
Larry Johnson5537.0.286.111.6154.81.41.20.27.6
Latrell Sprewell5544.2.410.286.8426.62.61.40.226.0
Kurt Thomas5021.0.344.000.6007.60.41.20.05.6
Charlie Ward5529.0.462.333.5003.23.62.60.45.8
Herb Williams201.5.000.000.0000.00.00.00.00.0

Broadcasting

The 1999 NBA Finals was aired in the United States on NBC, with Bob Costas and Doug Collins on play-by-play and color commentary respectively. Hannah Storm served as the studio host while Isiah Thomas, Bill Walton and Peter Vecsey served as studio analysts. Ahmad Rashād and Jim Gray served as sideline reporters.

Locally, the Finals also marked the comeback of Marv Albert following his infamous sex scandal two years prior. Albert served as the Knicks' radio play-by-play announcer on WFAN with long-time partner John Andariese. NBC Sports rehired Albert shortly after and he eventually returned to the lead play-by-play role in 2000.

Aftermath

The Spurs became 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 also won four more NBA titles in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014 and appeared in the 2013 NBA Finals, with Duncan and head coach Gregg Popovich the only members of the team to appear in all of the Spurs' Finals appearances.

As of the 2018–19 season, the series remains the Knicks' last NBA Finals appearance. The next season, the Knicks won fifty games but fell to the Indiana Pacers in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals. After that season, the Patrick Ewing era came to an end when Ewing was traded to the SuperSonics. Over the fifteen ensuing post-Ewing seasons, the Knicks have been among the least successful NBA franchises, with only three winning seasons and one playoff series win.

See also

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