2008-09 Season in Review: How it Played Out

Part 2. How it Played Out

Usually teams that are in a “rebuilding period” don’t make a playoff push like the Knicks did during the 2008-09 season. But then again, who ever said the new-look Knicks were like most teams?

The Knicks entered the season with the long-term goal of developing their current players and adding pieces throughout the year while creating financial flexibility to help bring a championship back to New York. Not many people thought New York would be anywhere near a playoff team in its first year under the Donnie Walsh-Mike D’Antoni regime - expect for maybe Walsh and D’Antoni.

“The thing that excites me is that there is a nucleus of good stuff that we have,” D'Antoni said a week before training camp. “There's enough stuff there where we can win some basketball games. We don't have to go get somebody. It's up to me to figure out how to do it... I would not be excited if I thought there was no way that we can do this.”

D’Antoni’s run-and-gun offense that made him one of the NBA’s best coaches over the past decade would be enough to get his new squad off to a fast start.

The Knicks opened the season on a tear, winning four of their six games to move two games above .500 for the first time since Jan. 1, 2005. They instantly became one of the league’s best offensive squads as they raced out to a 6-3 record for their best start since the lockout-delayed 1998-99 season, when they made their last NBA Finals appearance.

But despite winning games early on, the Knicks stuck to their original plan and traded away their two leading scorers, Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph, whose contracts did not fit in with the team’s long term plans. The Knicks did, however, receive two veteran scorers in return in Al Harrington and Tim Thomas, who instantly found their way into D’Antoni’s rotation.

“We’re not throwing this year away or think that we’re not going to make the playoffs or think that we’re waiting for three years now,” D’Antoni said following the Nov. 21 trades. “We’re going to go out and we’re going to develop this team and we’re going to really fight hard to get into the playoffs.”

The Knicks had somewhat of a shaky adjustment period with the new players throughout December, but things began to click right around the New Year. After losing a season-high six straight game for the first time in the season, the Knicks went 10-7 from Dec. 30 to the end of January to move within two victories of the previous season’s 23-game win total.

“I'm pleased with the way we're playing and the group we have because they're really trying,” D'Antoni said after the Knicks improved to 21-25 with a win in Indiana on Jan. 30. “We won't look back, we'll look forward. We want to make the playoffs, we've said that all along.”

The Knicks’ playoff dreams got sidetracked for a moment after the NBA’s three best teams – L.A. Lakers, Boston and Cleveland – visited New York during “Dream Week” at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks proved they can play with the league’s elite during the five-day stretch, but fell short in all three matchups and eventually watched their losing streak reach six before the All-Star break.

The Knicks needed to make some changes if they wanted to make a late playoff push. And those changes came when the Knicks acquired Larry Hughes and Chris Wilcox at the NBA’s trade deadline on Feb. 19.

“With these trades, we have added two talented players and strengthened our backcourt and frontline, while also not losing sight of our long-term goals,” Walsh said. “Chris and Larry are versatile players that will have good opportunities to thrive in our system.”

Unlike the first set of trades earlier in the season, the Knicks didn’t have time for a long adjustment period with a limited number of games remaining to make up for lost ground in the Eastern Conference. Apparently, a week or two was all they needed.

The Knicks moved a half-game out the Eastern Conference’s eighth seed after winning three straight road games from March 10-13 as they continued to fight and claw for a playoff position.

But similar to the end of other big winning streaks in the season, New York suffered another six-game skid. The Knicks were officially eliminated from playoff contention with a loss to Toronto on Apr. 4.

New York missed the playoff for the fifth straight season with a 32-50 record, but not everything was going to fall into place in just one season.

“I think before the season the only two guys I heard say we should make the playoffs was me and (D’Antoni),” Walsh said. “I point out that we won nine more games than they won the past two years. I don’t like that we didn’t make the playoffs, but I think it’s a difficult job because of what the roster was. And it wasn’t going to be done in one trade.”

The next steps to building a contender now continue with the NBA Draft Lottery on May 9. The Knicks will have the eighth most lottery balls (28) with a 2.8 percent chance of obtaining the No. 1 pick, 3.3 percent chance for the second pick and a 3.9 percent chance for the third pick. The NBA Draft will be held on June 25.