The 1988–89 New York Knicks season was the 43rd

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and ...

for the team in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

(NBA). During the off-season, the Knicks acquired

Charles Oakley Charles Oakley (born December 18, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player. Oakley played for the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards, and Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association ...

from the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...

, and selected point guard

Rod Strickland Rodney Strickland (born July 11, 1966) is an American basketball coach and former professional basketball player. He is currently the head coach at Long Island University. Prior to LIU, he served as the program manager for the NBA G League's profe ...

out of

DePaul University DePaul University is a private, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul. In 1998, it became the largest Ca ...

with the 19th overall pick in the

1988 NBA draft The 1988 NBA draft took place on June 28, 1988, in New York City, New York. The length was reduced from seven rounds in the previous year to three rounds. This was also the first draft for the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat, prior to their i ...

. At midseason, the team acquired Kiki Vandeweghe from the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

. In the

regular season In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of ...

, the

Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

held a 32–16 record at the All-Star break, finished with a 52–30 record, and won the Atlantic Division title for the first time since 1970–71.

Patrick Ewing Patrick Aloysius Ewing (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Georgetown University men's team. He played most of his career as the starting center for the N ...

averaged 22.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 3.5 blocks per game, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team and NBA All-Defensive Second Team, and finished in fourth place in Most Valuable Player voting. In addition, second-year guard Mark Jackson averaged 16.9 points, 8.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game, and Johnny Newman provided the team with 16.0 points and 1.4 steals per game.

Gerald Wilkins Gerald Bernard Wilkins (born September 11, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player. He is a 6'6" (1.98 m) shooting guard/small forward, who played collegiately at Moberly Area Community College and the University of Tennessee a ...

contributed 14.3 points and 1.4 steals per game, while Oakley provided with 12.9 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game, and Strickland contributed 8.9 points and 3.9 assists per game off the bench, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. Ewing and Jackson were both selected to play in the 1989 NBA All-Star Game, which was Jackson's first and only All-Star appearance. Kenny Walker won the

Slam Dunk Contest The NBA Slam Dunk Contest (officially known as the AT&T Slam Dunk) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) competition held during the NBA All-Star Weekend. ''Sports Illustrated'' wrote "the dunk contest was the best halftime inventio ...

during the All-Star Weekend in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

, and head coach

Rick Pitino Richard Andrew Pitino (born September 18, 1952) is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach for Iona College. He was also the head coach of Greece's senior national team. He has been the head coach of several teams in NCAA ...

finished in sixth place in

Coach of the Year Many sports leagues, sportswriting associations, and other organizations confer "Coach of the Year" awards. In some sports — including baseball and association football — the award is called the "Manager of the Year" award. Some of the ...

voting. In the

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eit ...

, the Knicks swept the Philadelphia 76ers, 3–0 in the Eastern Conference first round, to advance to the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, where the team lost to Michael Jordan, and the 6th-seeded

in six games. Following the season, Pitino resigned after two seasons with the Knicks and became the head coach at the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...

, and Sidney Green left in the 1989 NBA Expansion Draft.

Draft picks

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

:z – clinched division title :y – clinched division title :x – clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Regular season

, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 1 , November 4 , @ Boston , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 2 , November 5 , @ New Jersey , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , November 8, 1988 ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

W 126–117
, , , , Madison Square Garden , 1–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 4 , November 9 , @ Washington , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 5 , November 11 , @ Indiana , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 6 , November 12 , Washington , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 7 , November 15 , @ Houston , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 8 , November 18 , @ Philadelphia , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 9 , November 19 , Philadelphia , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 10 , November 22, 1988 ,

L.A. Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

L 98–110
, , , , Madison Square Garden , 6–4 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 11 , November 23, 1988 , @

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

W 133–111
, , , , Palace of Auburn Hills , 7–4 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 12 , November 26 , Cleveland , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 13 , November 29 , @ Denver , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 14 , November 30 , @ L.A. Clippers , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 15 , December 2 , @ Dallas , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 16 , December 3 , @ San Antonio , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 17 , December 6 , Denver , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 18 , December 8, 1988 ,

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...

W 113–109
, , , , Madison Square Garden , 12–6 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 19 , December 10 , Sacramento , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 20 , December 13 , New Jersey , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 21 , December 15 , Utah , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 22 , December 17 , Washington , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 23 , December 18 , @ Boston , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 24 , December 20 , Indiana , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 25 , December 22, 1988 ,

W 88–85
, , , , Madison Square Garden , 18–7 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 26 , December 27 , @ Atlanta , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 27 , December 29 , @

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

L 106–108
, , , ,

Chicago Stadium Chicago Stadium was an indoor arena in Chicago, Illinois, that opened in 1929, closed in 1994 and was demolished in 1995. It was the home of the National Hockey League's Chicago Blackhawks and the National Basketball Association's Chicago Bulls. ...

, 18–9 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 28 , December 30 , @ Charlotte , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 29 , January 3 , Boston , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 30 , January 4 , @ New Jersey , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 31 , January 7 , @ Cleveland , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 32 , January 8 , L.A. Clippers , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 33 , January 11, 1989 , @

W 100–93
, , , , Palace of Auburn Hills , 22–11 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 34 , January 12 , Charlotte , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 35 , January 14 , Atlanta , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 36 , January 16 , San Antonio , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 37 , January 18, 1989 , @ Golden State
L 119–133
, , , , Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena , 25–12 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 38 , January 19 , @ Sacramento , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 39 , January 21, 1989 , @

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

L 119–121
, , , , Seattle Center Coliseum , 25–14 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 40 , January 22 , @ Portland , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 41 , January 24, 1989 , @

W 122–117
, , , ,

Great Western Forum Kia Forum (formerly The Forum) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Inglewood, California, United States, adjacent to Los Angeles. Located between West Manchester Boulevard, across Pincay Drive and Kareem Court, it is north of SoFi Stadium and ...

, 27–14 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 42 , January 27, 1989 , @

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

L 130–132
, , , ,

Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum is a 14,870-seat multi-purpose indoor arena in Phoenix, Arizona, located at the Arizona State Fairgrounds. It hosted the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association from 1968 to 1992, as well as indoor s ...

, 27–15 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 43 , January 28 , @ Utah , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 44 , January 31 , Indiana , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 45 , February 2 , Cleveland , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 46 , February 4 , @ Indiana , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 47 , February 7 , Washington , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 48 , February 8 , @ Atlanta , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 49 , February 14 , @ Charlotte , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 50 , February 15 , @ Cleveland , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 51 , February 18 , New Jersey , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 52 , February 21 , Houston , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 53 , February 23 , Charlotte , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 54 , February 24 , @ Washington , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 55 , February 26 , Boston , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 56 , March 1, 1989 , @

L 111–121
, , , , Bradley Center , 37–19 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 57 , March 2 , Miami , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 58 , March 4, 1989 ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

W 122–104
, , , , Madison Square Garden , 39–19 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 59 , March 7, 1989 ,

W 124–119
, , , , Madison Square Garden , 40–19 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 60 , March 11 , Indiana , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 61 , March 14, 1989 ,

W 116–110
, , , , Madison Square Garden , 42–19 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 62 , March 16 , Philadelphia , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 63 , March 17, 1989 , @

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

L 124–129
, , , ,

, 42–21 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 64 , March 19, 1989 ,

W 128–104
, , , , Madison Square Garden , 43–21 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 65 , March 20 , @ Philadelphia , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 66 , March 22 , @ Miami , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 67 , March 24 , @ Boston , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 68 , March 25 , Atlanta , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 69 , March 27 , @ Charlotte , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 70 , March 28 , Portland , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 71 , March 30 , Dallas , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 72 , March 31, 1989 , Golden State
L 114–134
, , , , Madison Square Garden , 47–25 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 73 , April 4 , Philadelphia , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 74 , April 6, 1989 , @

W 112–99
, , , , Bradley Center , 48–26 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 75 , April 7 , @ New Jersey , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 76 , April 9 , @ Washington , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 77 , April 12 , Charlotte , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 78 , April 14, 1989 ,

W 104–100
, , , , Madison Square Garden , 50–38 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 79 , April 16 , @ Philadelphia , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 80 , April 17, 1989 , @

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

L 100–104
, , , ,

, 50–30 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 81 , April 20 , Boston , , , , , , , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 82 , April 22 , New Jersey , , , , , ,

Playoffs

, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , April 27 ,

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

W 102–96
,

(34) ,

(12) , Mark Jackson (9) , Madison Square Garden
19,591 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , April 29 ,

W 107–106
, Johnny Newman (20) ,

(12) , Mark Jackson (10) , Madison Square Garden
19,591 , 2–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , May 2 , @

W 116–115 (OT)
, Mark Jackson (24) ,

(17) , Mark Jackson (9) ,

Spectrum A spectrum (plural ''spectra'' or ''spectrums'') is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary, without gaps, across a continuum. The word was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of colors ...

16,236 , 3–0 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 1 , May 9, 1989 ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

L 109–120 (OT)
, Johnny Newman (27) ,

(10) , Mark Jackson (11) , Madison Square Garden
19,591 , 0–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , May 11, 1989 ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

W 114–97
,

(23) ,

(13) , Mark Jackson (16) , Madison Square Garden
19,591 , 1–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 3 , May 13, 1989 , @

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

L 88–111
,

(19) ,

(9) , Mark Jackson (6) ,

18,599 , 1–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 4 , May 14, 1989 , @

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

L 93–106
, Johnny Newman (23) ,

(16) ,

(5) ,

18,637 , 1–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 5 , May 16, 1989 ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

W 121–114
,

(32) ,

(13) , Mark Jackson (14) , Madison Square Garden
19,591 , 2–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 6 , May 19, 1989 , @

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

L 111–113
, three players tied (22) ,

(13) , Mark Jackson (12) ,

18,676 , 2–4 , -

Player statistics

Season

Playoffs

Awards and records

All-NBA Second Team The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The team has been sele ...

NBA All-Defensive Second Team The NBA All-Defensive Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1968–69 NBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. The All-Defensive Team is generally composed of ten players in two ...

NBA All-Rookie Team The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for player ...

2nd Team

Transactions

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1988-89 New York Knicks season New York Knicks seasons New York Knick New York Knicks New York Knicks 1980s in Manhattan Madison Square Garden