The greatest moment for the New York Knicks in the 21st Century was their 54-win season in 2012-13. The Knicks have had an abysmal start to this century. But the 2012-13 campaign has been the lone shining light for the Knicks.
This season happened due to the moves that were made leading up to 2012. In the summer of 2010, the Knicks signed Amare Stoudemire. Without this move, the Knicks do not have their best season in years. By bringing in Stoudemire, other players would be more adept to sign in New York because they were headed towards a direction with a star player. Stoudemire did have injury risk and it certainty came into light over the course of his contract, but it was totally worth it for a franchise that was in the dumps of losing.
In the first half of the season, the Knicks were winning games, led by Stoudemire. Around him, he had a good supporting cast of Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, and Danilo Gallinari. It was a feel-good story, and this town finally had a team it can get behind and root for.
With this success, owner James Dolan began to think big. The taste of winning felt good. There was a big star that was on the trading block. His childhood had ties to this city, and the owner wanted to make this move happen. That move was trading for Carmelo Anthony.
In 2011 right before the trade deadline, the Knicks traded for Anthony, sending back Felton, Chandler, and Gallinari to the Denver Nuggets.
With the tandem of Anthony and Stoudemire, the Knicks would have their best star combo in years. This combo would take the Knicks to the playoffs. However, the chemistry was quite not perfect between these two as their style of play was very similar and occupied the same space on the court. In their first two seasons together, the Knicks would make the playoffs, but they would be ousted in the first round each year.
In the summer of 2012, the Knicks decided to bring in veterans. They signed Jason Kidd, Kenyon Martin, and Rasheed Wallace. All three of these players had big-game experience. They also traded back for Felton, who played his best basketball in New York. With these veteran additions, the Knicks took off.
The Knicks began that season 6-0. They were playing the right way. Knicks’ fans were not used to this. They were waiting for the big fall and anticipating when the Knicks would have a long losing streak. However, the Knicks rolled on and began 11-4 in the month of November. They would go on to win 54 games, including reeling off 13 straight wins towards the end of the season.
With veteran leadership, Anthony focused on playing basketball. He looked motivated. It was one of the better all-around seasons Anthony has had in his NBA career. He scored at will, grabbed rebounds, and played better defensively than he was known for.
The Knicks would finally get past the first round, defeating their rivals the Boston Celtics. The city was filled with excitement and hope. This team looked poised to make a run. However, they would end up losing to the Indiana Pacers in the second round in six games. They lost home court advantage by losing the opening game on their home floor, and could never get a game back. The season came to a disappointing end.
However, that did not take away from the fun season this team had. They were fun to watch and you knew night-in and night-out, the Knicks could easily win every single game. The 2012-13 season is the greatest moment for the New York Knicks in the 21st Century.
