{"id":9262,"date":"2017-08-17T06:18:47","date_gmt":"2017-08-17T10:18:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnba.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=9262"},"modified":"2017-08-17T07:14:52","modified_gmt":"2017-08-17T11:14:52","slug":"greatest-new-york-knicks-moment-21st-century","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2017\/08\/17\/greatest-new-york-knicks-moment-21st-century\/","title":{"rendered":"Greatest New York Knicks Moment of the 21st Century"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to the\u00a0Greatest Moment series<\/a>\u00a0at Last Word On Pro Basketball, where we\u2019ll present to you each NBA team\u2019s 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.<\/em><\/p>\n

In this edition, we will relive the greatest New York Knicks<\/a> moment\u00a0of 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\u00a0campaign\u00a0has\u00a0been the lone bright spot for them.<\/p>\n

Greatest New York Knicks Moment of the 21st Century: The 2012-13 Season<\/strong><\/h2>\n

This season\u00a0happened due to the\u00a0moves that were made leading up to 2012.\u00a0In\u00a0the summer of 2010, the\u00a0Knicks signed\u00a0Amare Stoudemire<\/b><\/a>. Without this move, the Knicks do not have their best season in years. By bringing in\u00a0Stoudemire,\u00a0other\u00a0players 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\u00a0certainly\u00a0came to light over the course of his contract, but it was\u00a0totally\u00a0worth it for a franchise that was in the dumps of losing.<\/p>\n

In the\u00a0first\u00a0half 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\u00a0Raymond Felton<\/b><\/a>,\u00a0Wilson Chandler<\/b><\/a>,\u00a0and\u00a0Danil<\/b>o<\/b>\u00a0<\/b>Gallinari<\/b><\/a>.\u00a0It was a\u00a0feel-good\u00a0story, and this\u00a0town\u00a0finally had a team to can get behind and root for.<\/p>\n

With this success, owner\u00a0James Dolan<\/b>\u00a0began to think big. The taste of winning felt good. There was a big star on the trading\u00a0block. His childhood had ties to this city, and the owner wanted to make this move\u00a0happen. That move was trading for\u00a0Carmelo Anthony<\/b><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Right before the 2011 trade\u00a0deadline, the Knicks traded for Anthony, sending Felton, Chandler, and\u00a0Gallinari to the\u00a0Denver Nuggets<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

In the summer of 2012, the Knicks decided to bring in veterans. They signed\u00a0Jason Kidd<\/b><\/a>,\u00a0Kenyon Martin<\/b><\/a>, and\u00a0Rasheed Wallace<\/b><\/a>. All three of these players had big-game experience. They also traded back for Felton, who played his best basketball in New York.\u00a0With\u00a0these veteran\u00a0additions, the Knicks took off.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0anticipating\u00a0when 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.<\/p>\n

With veteran leadership,\u00a0Anthony\u00a0focused on playing basketball. He\u00a0looked\u00a0motivated. It was one of the better all-around seasons Anthony has had in his NBA\u00a0career. He scored at will, grabbed rebounds, and played better defensively than he was known for.<\/p>\n

The Knicks would finally get past the first round, defeating their rivals the\u00a0Boston Celtics<\/a>. The city was filled with excitement and hope. This team looked poised to make a run. However, they would end up losing to the\u00a0Indiana Pacers<\/a>\u00a0in 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\u00a0back. The season came to a disappointing end.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0century.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Main Photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>