Twenty-seven years after the 1999 Finals, the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks will meet again in the fight for the NBA ring, reliving a series that marked the beginning of a golden dynasty in Texas and nearly three decades of frustration at Madison Square Garden.
The Finals will kick off Wednesday at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, the same city that opened the 1999 series, although the Spurs then played in the gigantic Alamodome.
From a historic dynasty to decades of frustration
The Spurs, led by young Tim Duncan and veteran David Robinson, won those Finals 4-1 to capture the first title in franchise history.
First stone of the dynasty of a Gregg Popovich who today is still linked to San Antonio.
Those Spurs would add four more championships (2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014) to complete a total of five rings in 15 years.
For the Knicks, it represented the exact opposite.
That defeat was the beginning of a long journey through the desert for the New York franchise.
That had not returned to the Finals since 1999 and is still chasing a third ring since 1973.
Nearly three decades of frustrations and failed projects, with their playoff appearances reduced to anecdotes (Filed under: Spurs vs Knicks NBA Finals).
Opposite destinations
The NBA was very different in 1999, when most of the current Spurs – Victor Wembanyama, Dylan Harper, Stephon Castle or Devin Vassell – had not even arrived in the world.
Neither Knicks nor Spurs exceeded 100 points in any game of the series.
With a scoring average of just 82.3 points per game.
In the current playoffs, the Spurs have not dropped below 100 points in any of the 18 games played.
Although their excellent defense has held their opponents below that number in seven of them.
The Spurs won their first two games at the Alamodome in San Antonio by scores of 89-77 and 80-67.
The second with one of the largest ever recorded entries in an NBA Finals with 39,554 spectators (Filed under: Spurs vs Knicks NBA Finals).
From Tim Duncan to Wembanyama
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A Tim Duncan in his second year in the NBA, who had already earned a spot in Popovich’s quintet and who would be crowned MVP of those Finals, scored 58 points and grabbed 28 rebounds between those two games.
Stratospheric numbers considering the era.
Its parallels with Wembanyama are unquestionable:
Both were selected with the number one pick in the draft during San Antonio’s worst moments.
Called to become the great references of their teams, leading them to the top in record time.
The NBA was very different back in 1999
QuéOnnda.com
With the 2-0 lead, the series moved to Madison Square Garden.
Where the Knicks, led by Allan Houston and Latrell Sprewell, won Game 3 89-81 to put some excitement in the Finals.
The Spurs took the fourth 89-96 to make it 3-1 in the series, a lead that no one had ever come back from in the NBA Finals.
Only LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers, 17 years later, would be able to do it (Filed under: Spurs vs Knicks NBA Finals).
Assault on Madison Square Garden
The fifth game was also played in New York -now it would be played in San Antonio- and the Spurs took it 77-78.
Planting his flag in the heart of Madison Square Garden, something Knicks fans have ingrained in their memories.
Duncan signed another double-double with 31 points and 12 rebounds in that fifth game, to 35 points and 10 rebounds from Sprewell.
“We gave it our all, we didn’t want them to celebrate the title on this court,” Sprewell said after the game.
The last battle
Although 27 years have passed since then, the Spurs and Knicks met again just six months ago in the NBA Cup Finals.
In a game in which the New Yorkers came from behind in the last quarter to win the title 124-113.
“It’s the best preparation for important games.”
“Our focus is already on the playoffs, which is the most important moment of the year, and it’s good to have had this experience.”
Wembanyama said after losing in that final played in Las Vegas (Filed under: Spurs vs Knicks Finals NBA).
With information from EFE
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