Welcome to the Greatest Moment series at Last Word On Pro Basketball, where we’ll present to you each NBA team’s greatest moment of the 21st century. From draft lottery luck, to a franchise-changing trade, to the sweet taste of a championship, every NBA team has had its own special moment to look back on.
In this edition, we will relive the greatest New York Knicks moment of the 21st century, which 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 bright spot for them.
Greatest New York Knicks Moment of the 21st Century: The 2012-13 Season
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 certainly came to 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 that included role players such as Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, and Danilo Gallinari. It was a feel-good story, and this town finally had a team to 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 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.
Right before the 2011 trade deadline, the Knicks traded for Anthony, sending 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.
New York began that season 6-0. The Knicks 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 suffer 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 homecourt 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 everyone knew, night-in and night-out, that the Knicks could easily win any given game. The 2012-13 season is the greatest New York Knicks moment of the 21st century.
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