[15] The Knicks' fifth-place finish in the Eastern Conference earned them a berth in the NBA playoffs for the third straight year.
[3][15] Patrick Ewing averaged 28.6 points, 10.9 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per game,[16] and was named to the All-NBA First Team, selected for the 1990 NBA All-Star Game in Miami, Florida,[15][17][18][19][20] and finished in fifth place in Most Valuable Player voting.
[16] In the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, New York trailed 0–2 to Larry Bird and the 4th-seeded Boston Celtics, suffering a 157–128 road loss in Game 2,[22][23][24][25] but managed to win the next three games and the series.
[26][27][28][29] The Knicks were then eliminated in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals by the defending champion Detroit Pistons in five games.
[30][31][32][33][34] The Pistons would go on to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers in five games in the NBA Finals, winning their second consecutive championship.