The 1990s were one of the most physical and competitive eras in NBA history. Some of the league's most accomplished players walked away without a championship ring, including Patrick Ewing, who spoke about the challenge the team faced during that era -Michael Jordan.

In a recent THE PIVOT podcast, Patrick Ewing explained how Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls were the primary barrier to the Knicks' championship aspirations. Calling the team "physical," he said:

“We weren’t trying to be the Detroit, weren’t trying to be the Bad Boys, but we had our own version of that. We had myself, you had [Charles Oakley], you had [Anthony Mason]. When [Xavier McDaniel] played with us, you had X. So, we were a physical ball club, and we weren’t going to take any trash from anybody. Detroit, Bulls. Whoever."

The Knicks of that era were regarded as one of the toughest teams in the league, often going toe-to-toe with elite competition.

Ewing said, "Unfortunately, we played in an era where they had that guy 23, we had that guy 23. And then, when he took those two years off, then unfortunately, I couldn’t get past Hakeem [Olajuwon]. I got Hakeem in college, he got me in the NBA.”

That single statement shows the frustration not just of Ewing but of an entire generation of players who were denied championships because of Jordan's dominance. The Knicks lost to the Bulls in the playoffs in 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1996, for a total of 5 eliminations.

The Knicks had multiple opportunities to challenge Jordan's dominance but fell short. Despite trying their best, they were competitive but slipped from victory.

New York Knicks’ Close Calls in the Michael Jordan Era

In 1992, the Knicks pushed the Bulls to a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, one of the rare instances when Jordan faced a deciding game. The next year, the Knicks surged to a 2-0 lead only to lose the series in six, as Jordan went on to win his third straight title against the Phoenix Suns.

Finally, after Jordan’s first retirement in 1993, Ewing and the Knicks saw an opening. They reached the 1994 NBA Finals but were defeated in seven games by Hakeem Olajuwon of the Houston Rockets.

In 1995, the Knicks campaign ended in heartbreak against the Indiana Pacers, highlighted by Ewing’s missed Game 7 layup. Meanwhile, Jordan returned in the same year, which once again shut the door, as he and the Bulls eliminated the Knicks in 1996 and went on another three-peat from 1996 to 1998.

Following Jordan’s second retirement, the Knicks made one last push, reaching the 1999 Finals but lost to the San Antonio Spurs, with Ewing sidelined due to injury. Their final deep run came in 2000, ending in the Conference finals against the Pacers.

Soon after, Ewing’s era with the Knicks came to a close, leaving it competitive but ringless. Later, he shifted to the Seattle SuperSonics, joined the Orlando Magic in 2001, and retired in 2002.

Read more at the Air Jordan Chronicles!

Written by

Hetal Moleshri

Edited by

Siddharth Rawat