[6][7] The Knicks won ten of their first twelve games, leading to a 16–5 start and held a 30–16 record at the All-Star break.
[8] However, the team never seemed to get under Nelson down the stretch, as he was fired and replaced with long-time assistant Jeff Van Gundy after 59 games.
[9][10][11][12] At mid-season, the Knicks traded Charles D. Smith, and second-year forward Monty Williams to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for J.R. Reid and Brad Lohaus,[13][14][15][16] and dealt Doug Christie and Herb Williams to the expansion Toronto Raptors in exchange for Willie Anderson and Victor Alexander.
[21] Under Van Gundy, the Knicks finished the regular season playing around .500 to post a 47–35 record, second place in the Atlantic Division.
[35][36][37][38] The Bulls would defeat the Seattle SuperSonics in six games in the NBA Finals, winning their fourth championship in six years.