Things are exceptionally grim around Madison Square Garden after another disappointing loss to another Eastern Conference als0-ran. But take heart, Knicks fans. As Newsday’s Alan Hahn points out, this isn’t the first time a Knick team has struggled to integrate new players. His example: the post-lockout 1999 team:
With all of the talent on that roster — Sprewell, Houston, Ewing, Camby, Larry Johnson and Kurt Thomas — the Knicks lost four straight in mid-April and were mired at 21-21 with just eight games left in the season. And after a blowout loss in Indiana on May 2 — when Chris Mullin (4-for-4 from three-point range) was left open way too many times (wait . . . even those Knicks had inexcusable defensive breakdowns?) — the Knicks still hadn’t yet clinched a playoff berth with two games left in the season.
You may remember, that team got it together in the playoffs and went all the way to the NBA Finals.
