1995–96 New York Knicks season

The 1995–96 New York Knicks season was the 50th season for the New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association.^[1] After Pat Riley left to coach the Miami Heat, the Knicks hired Don Nelson as their new head coach (their "Plan B" after Chuck Daly rejected their offer).^[2][3][4] The team also signed free agent Gary Grant in November.^[5][6]

Under Nelson, the Knicks won ten of their first twelve games of the regular season, got off to a 16–5 start to the season, and later on held a 30–16 record at the All-Star break.^[7] At mid-season, the team traded Charles D. Smith, and second-year forward Monty Williams to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for J.R. Reid, and Brad Lohaus,^[8][9][10] and then traded Doug Christie, and Herb Williams to the expansion Toronto Raptors in exchange for Willie Anderson, and Victor Alexander.^[11][12][13] Williams only played just one game for the Raptors, and was released and re-signed by the Knicks for the remainder of the season.^[14]

However, the Knicks struggled losing nine of their next twelve games after the All-Star break. With a 34–25 record, Nelson was fired as head coach after clashing with several players on the team, and was replaced with long-time assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy.^[15][16][17] Under Van Gundy, the Knicks played around .500 in winning percentage for the remainder of the season, and finished in second place in the Atlantic Division with a 47–35 record, earning the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, and qualifying for the NBA playoffs for the ninth consecutive year.^[18]

Patrick Ewing averaged 22.5 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game, while last season's Sixth Man of the Year Anthony Mason became the team's starting small forward, averaging 14.6 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game, and Derek Harper provided the team with 14.0 points, 4.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game, along with 121 three-point field goals. In addition, John Starks contributed 12.6 points, 3.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game, and led the Knicks with 143 three-point field goals, while Charles Oakley provided with 11.4 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, but only played 53 games due to a broken thumb, and an eye injury,^[19][20][21] and three-point specialist Hubert Davis contributed 10.7 points per game and 127 three-point field goals off the bench, while shooting .476 in three-point field-goal percentage. Meanwhile, Reid averaged 6.6 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in 33 games after the trade, and Anderson contributed 5.0 points per game in 27 games.^[22]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, Ewing was selected for the 1996 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference All-Star team.^[23][24][25] Meanwhile, Davis participated in the NBA Three-Point Shootout,^[26][27] and before the mid-season trade, Christie participated in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.^[26][27]

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1996 NBA playoffs, and for the second consecutive year, the Knicks faced off against the 4th–seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, a team that featured All-Star guard Terrell Brandon, Chris Mills and Bobby Phills. Despite both teams finishing with the same regular-season record, the Cavaliers had home-court advantage in the series. Despite this, the Knicks managed to win their first two road games over the Cavaliers at the Gund Arena, before winning Game 3 at home, 81–76 at Madison Square Garden to win the series in a three-game sweep.^[28][29][30]

In the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, the team faced off against the top–seeded, and Central Division champion Chicago Bulls, who were led by the trio of All-Star guard, and Most Valuable Player of the Year, Michael Jordan, All-Star forward Scottie Pippen, and rebound-specialist Dennis Rodman, and also finished with a league-best 72–10 record. The Knicks lost the first two games to the Bulls on the road at the United Center, but managed to win Game 3 at Madison Square Garden in overtime, 102–99 at Madison Square Garden. However, after losing Game 4 at home, 94–91, the Knicks lost Game 5 to the Bulls at the United Center, 94–81, thus losing the series in five games.^[31][32][33] The Bulls would defeat the Seattle SuperSonics in six games in the 1996 NBA Finals, winning their fourth NBA championship in six years.^[34][35][36]

The Knicks finished sixth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 810,283 at Madison Square Garden during the regular season.^[22][37] Following the season, Mason and Lohaus were both traded to the Charlotte Hornets,^[38][39][40] while Harper re-signed as a free agent with his former team, the Dallas Mavericks,^[41][42][43] Davis was traded to the Toronto Raptors,^[44][45][46] and Reid, Anderson, Grant and Alexander were all released to free agency.^[47]

For the season, the Knicks added the city name "New York" above their primary logo,^[48] and added new blue alternate road uniforms with black side panels;^[49][50] the team wore their new alternate jerseys on the road frequently, that they would eventually become their primary road uniforms for the 1997–98 season, where they would also change their home uniforms, adding blue side panels to their jerseys and shorts.^[51]