2000–01 New York Knicks season

The 2000–01 New York Knicks season was the 54th season for the New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association.^[1] During the off-season, the Knicks acquired All-Star forward Glen Rice from the Los Angeles Lakers,^[2][3][4] acquired Erick Strickland from the Dallas Mavericks,^[5][6] and acquired Luc Longley from the Phoenix Suns; Longley won three NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls during their second three-peat in the 1990s.^[7][8]

With the addition of Rice, and in their first season without Patrick Ewing since the 1984–85 season, the Knicks remained a perennial playoff contender, holding a 29–18 record at the All-Star break.^[9] At mid-season, the team traded Chris Childs to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for former Knicks guard Mark Jackson and Muggsy Bogues, who never played for the Knicks due to a knee injury,^[10][11][12] while Strickland was dealt to the Vancouver Grizzlies in exchange for Othella Harrington.^[13][14][15] The Knicks finished in third place in the Atlantic Division with a 48–34 record, and earned the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference;^[16] the team qualified for the NBA playoffs for the 14th consecutive year.^[1]

Allan Houston led the Knicks in scoring with 18.7 points per game, while Latrell Sprewell averaged 17.7 points, 3.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game, and Rice contributed 12.0 points per game. In addition, Marcus Camby provided the team with 12.0 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, while Kurt Thomas averaged 10.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, Larry Johnson provided with 9.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, and Charlie Ward contributed 7.1 points and 4.5 assists per game. Meanwhile, Harrington averaged 6.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in 30 games after the trade, and Jackson provided with 5.9 points and 5.6 assists per game in 29 games.^[17]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C., Houston and Sprewell were both selected for the 2001 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Eastern Conference All-Star team; it was the final All-Star appearance for both players.^[18][19][20] In addition, Houston also participated in the NBA Three-Point Shootout.^[21][22]

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 2001 NBA playoffs, and for the second consecutive year, the Knicks faced off against the 5th–seeded Raptors, who were led by All-Star guard Vince Carter, All-Star center Antonio Davis, and former Knicks forward Charles Oakley. With the series tied at 1–1, the Knicks won Game 3 over the Raptors on the road, 97–89 at the Air Canada Centre to take a 2–1 series lead.^[23][24][25] However, the Knicks lost the next two games, which included a Game 5 loss to the Raptors at home, 93–89 at Madison Square Garden, thus losing in a hard-fought five-game series; it was the first time that the Knicks lost in the opening round of the NBA playoffs since the 1990–91 season.^[26][27][28]

The Knicks finished fourth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 810,283 at Madison Square Garden during the regular season.^[17][29] Following the season, Rice was traded to the Houston Rockets after only one season in New York.^[30][31][32] Also following the season, due to lingering injuries, Johnson, Longley and Bogues all retired.^[33]

The Knicks would not return to the NBA playoffs again until the 2003–04 season.