The 2000âÂÂ01 New York Knicks season was the 54th season for the New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association. During the off-season, the Knicks acquired All-Star forward Glen Rice from the Los Angeles Lakers, acquired Erick Strickland from the Dallas Mavericks, 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.
In their first season without Patrick Ewing since the 1984âÂÂ85 season, the Knicks remained a perennial playoff contender, holding a 29âÂÂ18 record at the All-Star break. 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, while Strickland was dealt to the Vancouver Grizzlies in exchange for Othella Harrington. The Knicks finished in third place in the Atlantic Division with a 48âÂÂ34 record, earning the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, and qualifying for the NBA playoffs for the 14th consecutive year.
Allan Houston led the Knicks in scoring with 18.7 points per game, while Latrell Sprewell averaged 17.7 points 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.
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. In addition, Houston also participated in the NBA Three-Point Shootout.
In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 2001 NBA playoffs, and for the second consecutive year, the Knicks faced off against the 5thâÂÂseeded Raptors, a team that featured All-Star guard Vince Carter, All-Star center Antonio Davis, and former Knicks forward Charles Oakley. The Knicks took a 2âÂÂ1 series lead, winning Game 3 over the Raptors on the road, 97âÂÂ89 at the Air Canada Centre. However, the Knicks lost the next two games to the Raptors, including a Game 5 home loss at Madison Square Garden, 93âÂÂ89, thus losing in a full five-game series; it was the first time that the Knicks lost in the opening round of the NBA playoffs since the 1990âÂÂ91 season.
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. Following the season, Rice was traded to the Houston Rockets after only one season in New York. Also following the season, due to lingering injuries, Johnson, Longley and Bogues all retired.
The Knicks would not return to the NBA playoffs again until the 2003âÂÂ04 season.
After 15 years with the New York Knicks, due to chronological age and injuries, Patrick Ewing parted ways with the organization on September 20, 2000, in a 4-team trade which involves the Seattle SuperSonics, the Phoenix Suns, and the Los Angeles Lakers. In the deal, the Knicks acquire Travis Knight, Glen Rice, and a 2001 1st round draft pick (#27, traded to Vancouver) from the Lakers, Luc Longley from the Phoenix Suns, Lazaro Borrell, Vernon Maxwell, Vladimir Stepania, two 2001 2nd round picks (#s 39 and 43; neither player selected ever played in the NBA), and a 2002 1st round pick (#20, traded to Toronto) from Seattle. During regular season, the Knicks later traded Erick Strickland, a 2001 1st and 2nd round draft picks to the Vancouver Grizzlies for Othella Harrington. And then Chris Childs and a 2002 1st round pick to the Toronto Raptors for Muggsy Bogues and Mark Jackson.
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1 | April 22 | Toronto | W 92âÂÂ85 | Allan Houston (23) | Marcus Camby (18) | Mark Jackson (6) | Madison Square Garden<br>19,763 | 1âÂÂ0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 2 | April 26 | Toronto | L 74âÂÂ94 | Kurt Thomas (23) | Kurt Thomas (12) | Mark Jackson (5) | Madison Square Garden<br>19,763 | 1âÂÂ1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 | April 29 | @ Toronto | W 97âÂÂ89 | Allan Houston (24) | Kurt Thomas (9) | Latrell Sprewell (5) | Air Canada Centre<br>20,217 | 2âÂÂ1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 4 | May 2 | @ Toronto | L 93âÂÂ100 | Allan Houston (27) | Kurt Thomas (10) | Kurt Thomas (5) | Air Canada Centre<br>20,282 | 2âÂÂ2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 5 | May 4 | Toronto | L 89âÂÂ93 | Latrell Sprewell (29) | Kurt Thomas (12) | Mark Jackson (7) | Madison Square Garden<br>19,763 | 2âÂÂ3 |-
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