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We’re getting closer and closer to basketball, ladies and gentlemen. Can you smell it?
Preseason kicked off in South Philly on Monday, and the Knicks played a basketball game in the World’s Most Famous Arena for the first time since OG Anunoby’s Game 4 heroics last night. Before you know it, in 11 days time, a banner will be raised that carries the weight of 53 years of dread.
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Speaking of those 53 years, it’s time to talk about the darkest days of that drought. The Patrick Ewing era ended with his bittersweet trade to the Seattle SuperSonics. The core that got you within an inch of glory in 1994 was gone, and the core that got to the 1999 NBA Finals wasn’t good enough to keep it going.
Before long, the team would be in the hands of an idiocracy that threatened to tank the franchise for good. By the time he was gone, the drought was over 30 years long and days like June 13, 2026, seemed more distant than ever.
Jeff Van Gundy Resigns (2001)
The post-Ewing era began in October 2000 and resulted in a 48-win team that fizzled out in the first round. That year’s deadline, the Knicks traded 2001 and 2002 first-round picks in separate deals for a solid young big in Othella Harrington and 35-year-old Mark Jackson in a reunion bid. Those picks became Jamaal Tinsley and Kareem Rush, which wasn’t much, but it’s the principle of trading the future for a fleeting present.
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Going into 2001-02, the team continued to change. They bought out Larry Johnson just before the season after he agreed to retire due to his chronic back issues. The season started wobbly, but after a 5-8 start, the Knicks had rallied to win five of six after a double-digit victory in Milwaukee on December 4 and were heading home to play Indiana.
Three days after beating Milwaukee, head coach Jeff Van Gundy resigned. He had strongly considered stepping away in the offseason, but tried to grit things out in 2001-02. Just 19 games in, and after a heated practice where he felt his players weren’t playing with intensity, he quit. While the decision was made over the course of a few days, it hit the team and the public like a truck.
For those…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/dumb-moments-title-much-sweeter-214354502.html
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Publish date : 2026-10-09 21:43:00
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