NBA Team Results 1988-2013 - was your team a stud, a dud, or just stuck in mud?

[peternorth]

Basketball in the entire Pacific North West has suffered through a pretty tumultuous time.

the PNW is a dull, dreary overcast place filled with vampires and werewolves.

 

[Son of Skeletor]

Very true, the way Seattle fans went nuts over him going to that Summer League game, then a lot, well they got a bit over excited about this quote.

I mean obviously taking back Durant would be amazing, but I don't believe he meant coming back as a player in this instance sadly.

From what I've read, Sonics fans still adore KD and Nick Collison, and are at worst ambivalent about Westbrook and Ibaka.

To that extent, beating them ON the court would be something of a hollow victory- it'd almost feel like they're beating their own team.

It sounds like what they'd really like is for OKC to live life without 'their' superstars- for OKC supporters to suffer penance and Bennett to suffer financial hardship.

I can kinda understand that wish. I can't understand Sonics supporters actively hoping Sacramento's arena plans fail though, that's just petty. Reading stuff like that just makes one realise how ugly the wound of 2008 has become.

 

[Son of Skeletor]

the PNW is a dull, dreary overcast place filled with vampires and werewolves.

 

[zimma]

From what I've read, Sonics fans still adore KD and Nick Collison, and are at worst ambivalent about Westbrook and Ibaka.

To that extent, beating them ON the court would be something of a hollow victory- it'd almost feel like they're beating their own team.

It sounds like what they'd really like is for OKC to live life without 'their' superstars- for OKC supporters to suffer penance and Bennett to suffer financial hardship.

I can kinda understand that wish. I can't understand Sonics supporters actively hoping Sacramento's arena plans fail though, that's just petty. Reading stuff like that just makes one realise how ugly the wound of 2008 has become.

Yeah I don't think any hold grudges against the players and the extent any are against them is when they break Sonics records.

Suppose you have a point there, it isn't the players or the team itself which the grudge is with, would be interesting think it would only be afterwards that what you say is realised. It's just incredibly bittersweet to watch Durant play, I mean it would the like New Orleans being relocated straight after Davis was drafted. He was almost a symbol of hope, the symbol for the future of Seattle basketball and all we got was a single season. Honestly if the Sonics came back and somehow lured KD as a free agent that would be one of the biggest fairytales in NBA history (In my opinion)

That time will come eventually no matter what, as it does to almost all teams, they've lost Harden, the Lakers are going to be going hard in the Free Agent market again soon enough, realistically the glory days could stop sooner than they think and it will be very interesting to see how the team fairs without the success.

Yeah I've never understood this, honestly I hated the idea the first time, I hate it now, it's hypocritical to slam Bennett for stealing away the Sonics but cheer on Hansen doing the same to Sacramento.

Anyway I think I've derailed this thread a bit so perhaps we should leave this topic for now

 

[Oliver King]

Miss the Sonics.

As an old Sonics fan, I would love to see them come back in, but not getting my hopes up.

 

[Oliver King]

Give her a silver bullet.

 

[Son of Skeletor]

RANKING: 20

CHAMPIONSHIPS: 0
CONFERENCE TITLES: 1
DIVISION TITLES: 1
PLAYOFF APPEARANCES: 13
PLAYOFF SERIES WON: 9
SUB-30-WIN SEASONS: 6


Philly were one of three teams (along with Boston and Milwaukee) who dominated the Eastern Conference during the 80s.

All three of these teams shared similar fates- destined to slide into mediocrity, and thus doomed to obscurity during the 90s. But where the Celtics could legitimately claim mitigating circumstances in their fall from grace (the premature deaths of Len Bias and Reggie Lewis), and the Bucks suffered a natural decline as their talented core aged and dissipated, the Sixers implosion was quite spectacular.

Only Dallas and perhaps Golden State could rival Philly for the dubious title of Most Mismanaged Team in the NBA during this period. Mistake after mistake sent the once proud team into a tail-spin from which they'd take nearly the entire decade to recover.

Philly re-captured something of their former glory during the Allen Iverson era, but even the post-millennium fortunes of the Sixers have tended more towards the mediocre than the magnificent.

Coming in at #20 in these rankings, the Sixers have obviously given their fans precious little to sing about recently..





To illustrate the cruel nature of beginning these rankings from 1988 onwards for Philly, a little context is needed.

Between 1975 and 1991, the Sixers missed the playoffs just once. Along they way they won a famous title (their 1983 team is considered one of the greatest in NBA history), did battle in the NBA Finals on three other occasions ('77, '80 & '82) and reached the Eastern Conference Finals a further three times ('78, '81 & '85).

As late as 1985, Philly could boast an embarrassment of riches on their team- Moses Malone, Dr. J., Maurice Cheeks, Charles Barkley, Andrew Toney and Bobby Jones all graced the floorboards of The Spectrum, under Sixers legend Billy Cunningham.

In 1986, infamous owner Harold Katz sanctioned two disastrous trades, sending Malone, Terry Catledge and two first round picks to Washington for Jeff Ruland and Cliff Robinson. Ruland's knees lasted five whole games before his career was effectively ended. It all sounds eerily like a trade Philly would make 26 years later..

Having traded away a HOF centre for five games of Jeff Ruland, Katz then outdid himself by offering Cleveland the #1 pick in the 1986 Draft* for forward Roy Hinson. The Cavs took All-Star centre Brad Daugherty with the pick. Meanwhile Hinson only lasted two seasons in Pennsylvania before being moved on. There's all kinds of comparisons to be made here- rival Eastern Conference power Boston had landed the #2 pick in similar circumstances- they of course took the ill-fated Len Bias. Detroit, on the verge of a championship, wasting the #2 pick of the 2003 Draft on Darko Milicic comes to mind as well.

* Philly had ended up with the #1 pick in the '86 Draft as a result of a trade made seven years earlier. The player they had traded was 'Jumping Jellybean' Bryant, father of Warrior himself..

Still, despite Katz's machinations, the Sixers were still a very decent team as the 90s dawned. Led by Sir Charles, the ever-consistent Hersey Hawkins, point guard Johnny Dawkins and centre Mike Gminski, Philly were good enough to win the Atlantic Division in 1990, finishing 53-29 before falling to Chicago in the conference semi-finals.

Despite losing Dawkins to a serious injury the following season, the Sixers still managed to battle their way through to a re-match with Jordan's Bulls in the '91 conference semis. The result though- a 4-1 thrashing, a repeat of the scoreline 12 months earlier- indicated that Philly's days as a contender in the East were well and truly over. Missing the playoffs in 1992 for only the second time since 1975 only confirmed that message in the eyes of many, including an increasingly frustrated Barkley.

Worryingly for Sixers fans, Katz was still the man with his hand on the till..

In 1992 Philly parted ways with the last remaining link to the glory days, sending Barkley to Phoenix for a package of Jeff Hornacek, Tim Perry and Andrew Lang. Hornacek was by far the best of the three pieces the Sixers had received in return for their superstar. Unfortunately he happened to play exactly the same position as Philly's best remaining player, Hawkins.

While Barkley and the Suns were running riot in the West, Philly spluttered to a miserable 26-56 season, the team's worst since 1974. Clearly Hawkins and Hornacek, though both excellent players, were not going to work together as a backcourt.

Katz and Philly's unique 'solution' to this problem was to trade BOTH their star shooting guards. Hawkins was dispatched to Charlotte for Dana Barros and the return of the Sixers' own '94 Draft pick*. Hawkins would go on to enjoy years of success with both Charlotte and Seattle. The diminutive Barros would win the league's MIP trophy in 1995, then promptly jump ship to join the Celtics.

Just months later Hornacek too departed Philly, sent to a grateful Utah in return for Jeff Malone. Like Hawkins, Hornacek would spend the next few years as an important cog in a very successful Jazz team. At 32 years of age, the injury-prone Malone would play just 71 games in three seasons for the Sixers before retiring.

* In another perplexing move, Philly had traded this pick to Phoenix in 1990 for the rights to Jayson Williams. Williams spent two years on the bench for the Sixers before being moved on to New Jersey for a mere second round pick. He would eventually become an All-Star for the Nets, before his career ended abruptly after being charged with homicide.

Having had their '94 pick returned to them via the Cape, Philly promptly wasted it on Sharone Wright. Twelve months earlier, the Sixers had been lucky enough to grab the #2 pick in the '93 Draft. They used that precious pick to take Shawn Bradley.

The 1993-94 Sixers were thus notable in that they featured the 7'6 Bradley and the 7'7 Manute Bol on the same roster.

Spacing didn't seem to be an issue..





That clip always makes me smile. Hopefully it made Sixers fans smile at the time, because they had precious little else to chuckle about during those years. Having endured one catastrophic move after another over the previous decade, the '95 Sixers featured Clarence 'Baby Barkley' Weatherspoon, Barros, Bradley and Wright as the team's best players.. ouch.

The irascible Katz's constant meddling had left the once-proud team completely bereft of talent. Philly suffered through a nuclear winter in an unforgiving NBA landscape, averaging a paltry 26 wins per season between 1991 and 1998.

The team's hapless plight reached a nadir in 1996, as they finished a woeful 18-64. The roster was a mess, a mixture of flawed youngsters (Jerry Stackhouse, Weatherspoon, Wright) and veteran misfits (Derrick Coleman, Vernon Maxwell).

After winning the #1 pick in a loaded 1996 Draft, Philly could ill-afford yet another mistake..

Having potted them for their errors, it's only fair to give Philly its due here. Hindsight tells us that they made the obvious call, but taking Iverson at #1 took guts. Standing all of 6' 0 (if he was lucky) and already infamous for his life off the court, 'The Answer' was less a certainty than a giant question mark upon his arrival in the city of brotherly love.

Though Iverson would immediately Answer TM some questions by winning Rookie of the Year honours, the path forward was still far from clear in Philadelphia. Chemistry between three ball-dominant types in AI, Stackhouse and Coleman was decidedly lacking, while defense was not so much lacking as it was non-existent.

Needing firm direction, the Sixers handed the team to veteran coach (and noted taskmaster) Larry Brown. A new era in Philly basketball was about to begin..

Brown would waste little time taking a cleaver to the roster, trading the explosive Stackhouse to Detroit for unfashionable duo Theo Ratliff and Aaron McKie, and sending '97 draftee Tim Thomas to Milwaukee for workhorse Tyrone Hill.

After the lockout, the Sixers would eschew re-signing Coleman, instead pursuing the bullocking Matt Geiger and defensive bulldog George Lynch. Philly finished their makeover by acquiring Eric Snow via trade and grabbing the uber-athletic Larry Hughes via the '98 Draft.

This was now very much Brown's team, and he had re-tooled the Sixers with dual purposes in mind. Clearly he meant to place a far greater emphasis on defense and blue-collar mentality in Philadelphia, something he done successfully in his previous job at Indiana.

Brown had also designated Iverson as the star that the team was going to build around. Trading away talents such as Stackhouse, Coleman and Thomas had not only ensured that Iverson would be carrying a bigger load on offense- they almost dictated that he WAS the Sixers' offense!

Years 2 & 3 of Brown's tenure saw Philly's return to the post-season for the first time since 1991. Riding a defense that ranked in the league's top-5 and the mercurial talents of Iverson, the Sixers would acquit themselves well in their initial playoff forays. They reaching the second round in both 1999 and 2000, ironically falling to Conference powerhouse Indiana (Brown's old team, and more or less the blue-print which he aimed to follow in Philly).

The up-turn in Sixer fortunes masked deeper issues however. Where Brown had been able to rely on the shooting heroics of Reggie Miller during his tenure in Indiana, in Phlly he found Iverson anything but reliable. While Brown's strategy of surrounding his controversial star with low-maintenance, blue-collar workers had succeeded to a degree, the team's fortunes were still heavily reliant on Iverson's exploits.

Lacking a reliable second option to ease the scoring burden (unless you count Larry Hughes or (briefly) Toni Kukoc), and seemingly unable to maintain control over his star player, Brown appeared to have painted himself into a corner..




With Philly's brief rejuvenation in danger of falling apart almost as soon as it had begun, Brown and Iverson managed to abort trade talks and call a truce of sorts in 2000.

The turbulent off-season seemed only to inspire Iverson, Brown and the rest of the Sixers, as they raced away to the best record in the East by the All-Star break. Having finally found a winning formula, Philly then took an almighty risk.

Ratliff and Kukoc were sent to Atlanta in a mega trade-line deal, bringing Dikembe Mutombo to Philly in their place. Mutombo was 34, and despite remaining the dominant defensive force in the game, the Sixers risked fracturing the team's fragile chemistry.

Philadelphia finished the season with the best record in the East at 56-26, but their extreme reliance on Iverson to create the bulk of their offense almost brought them undone several times in the playoffs. Having come from 1-0 behind to oust nemesis the Pacers in the first round and recovered from a 2-1 deficit to out-last the Raptors in seven in round two, Philly faced a talented Milwaukee team for the right to contest the Finals.

Again the Sixers lived dangerously, falling behind 2-1 once again. With Iverson suffering through an ill-timed shooting slump, Philly had their defense (and some luck with the refs) to thank for forcing a decisive Game 7. Iverson finally broke out of his slump in spectacular manner, scoring 44 points to lead the Sixers to the Finals for the first time since 1983.

Awaiting them was Laker team that had swept all before them in the much tougher Western Conference, riding an incredible 11 game winning streak en route to the Finals. Few gave the Sixers any chance in this match-up..





Iverson's incredible 48-point performance in front of a stunned Staples Center in Game 1 was the defining game of his career. It captured the essence of his enduring underdog battle in the NBA- seemingly out-gunned and out-matched, he willed his team to victory against all odds. The upset victory proved to be little more than a footnote in the inevitable Laker march to claim back-to-back titles, Philly eventually humbled 4-1.

Now aware that the team could not continue to rely on just one man (no matter how indomitable) to score the bulk of their points, Philadelphia acquired Matt Harpring and re-acquired Derrick Coleman for the 2002 season. The moves did not work out as planned, as the team regressed, winning just 43 games before being knocked out by the Celtics in the first round.

In a brave move the Sixers sent Mutombo, now beginning to age noticeably, to rival Eastern Conference contender New Jersey for Keith Van Horn in preparation of the 2003 season. Despite an improved campaign, winning 48 games before advancing to the second round of the playoffs, a 4-2 defeat to the emergent Pistons signaled the end of an era in Philly.

Brown left to coach those very Pistons who had ended the Sixers' season, and most probably their championship dreams with it. The Sixers had averaged almost 50 wins per season between 1998 and 2003, their run to the 2001 Finals proving the high-point. Owing to the steady contributions of a host of above-average role players (Ratliff, McKie, Hill, Snow, Lynch), Philly had been an admirably tough, honest and consistent team during this time.

On reflection, the Sixers probably over-achieved in coming within three games of a fairy-tale title. A dependable second option on offense was never found during the entirety of Brown's six year stay in Philadelphia- too much had been left to ever-willing Iverson. Incidentally, the 2000-01 season marked the only time the Sixers have reached 50 wins since 1990.

The past decade following Brown's departure has been marked by consistent mediocrity in Philadelphia.

The Sixers have cobbled together between 33 and 43 wins in an amazing nine out of the last ten seasons (they went 27-55 in 2010), becoming something of a kindred spirit for the likes of Milwaukee.

Attempts to provide Iverson with belated scoring help through the acquisitions of Glenn Robinson and Chris Webber proved to be too little, too late. In late 2006, Philly finally parted with their most iconic player since Barkley, sending him to Denver for Andre Miller.

The Sixers have attempted to do the right thing in recent years and rebuild via the draft. One may certainly argue that they have actually done quite well to find Dalambert (pick 26), Igoudala (pick 9), Lou Williams (pick 45), Thad Young (pick 12) and Jrue Holiday (pick 17) with a collection of middling picks.

Philly's opportunity to become a contender arrived again in 2008. With young stars Igoudala, Young and Williams already in place and veteran Andre Miller providing veteran leadership, the Sixers had a solid nucleus and the luxury of money to spend in free agency. Fate decreed that they gave Elton Brand a huge contract, and then watched his career deteriorate on the back of a succession of injuries.

The Sixers had another chance to rise above perennial mediocrity when they landed the #2 pick in the 2010 Draft. Taking Evan Turner is looking like another mistake at this early stage, although the jury is still out on that one.

What is not debatable is that Philly set themselves back years in trading Igoudala, Nic Vucevic, Mo Harkless and a future first round pick just one year ago, all for the fun of Andrew Bynum's hairstyles and bowling exploits (plus Jason Richardson).

The Brand contract, the Turner pick and the Bynum trade are all echoes of a bygone era in Philly, when a meddlesome owner's ego tore apart one of the NBA's proudest franchises and sentenced them to years in basketball purgatory.

For Sixers' fans' sake, one can only hope that the current Philly rebuild does not extend as long as the dark old days of the 1990s. The 1996 Draft proved to be the impetus for a Sixer revival- the 2014 Draft may well end up doing likewise in the years to come.

 

[stewie griffen]

Great as always SoS, even if it lacked this

 

[Primetime Pricey]

God damn it i want the Knicks one already LOL. Better be top 10 man!

 

[stewie griffen]

God damn it i want the Knicks one already LOL. Better be top 10 man!

NY hit the playoffs a fair bit in the 90's with 2 Finals appearance in there for good measure. My guess would be 6th.

 

[OrdinaryJoel]

Iverson was defs the heart and soul of Philly, for shame that they never got a star to pair him up with.

 

[Son of Skeletor]

RANKING: 13

CHAMPIONSHIPS: 0
CONFERENCE TITLES: 2
DIVISION TITLES: 3
PLAYOFF APPEARANCES: 17
PLAYOFF SERIES WON: 18
SUB-30-WIN SEASONS: 3



Aaaah the Knickerbockers.

If I was ranking teams on their ability to remain consistently entertaining, New York would be damn near the top. As it is, I'm going to have to settle for ranking their results.

The good news for Knicks fans is that their team turned in a really solid performance between 1988 and 2001. The bad news is that the 'back nine' were absolutely horrendous, which has dropped New York to 13th place in these rankings.

(sorry Primetime Pricey )

Along the way the Knicks have had more than their fare share of triumphs, tragedies, rivalries and (mis)adventures, which I'll endeavour to do justice to here.

Alas, the long wait for that elusive title goes on in basketball's Mecca.

For a team with such a storied name, the Knicks have been less successful than one might suspect over the years. New York's all time record in the NBA is basically bang on .500.

Save for the glory years (spanning roughly 1968-74, resulting in two championships), basketball in the Big Apple had endured some pretty lean stretches. In the 14 years leading up to 1988, the Knicks had won just three playoff series.

New York's best season during this stretch occurred in 1984, when they took the eventual champion Celtics to 7 games in the conference semi-finals. Their two most prominent players at this time were scoring legend Bernard King and wily centre Bill Cartwright.

Ironically, it was injuries to both King and Cartwright the following season that helped sew the seeds for the next great era in New York basketball. Slumping down the stretch to finish 24-58 (halving their win total from the previous season), the Knicks were one of seven teams placed into the drum for the very first NBA Draft Lottery drawing.





New York of course would select Patrick Ewing, much to their lottery rivals' collective chagrin, fueling conspiracy theories regarding the new league commissioner that have survived to this day.

The Knicks would embrace the Draft beyond merely scooping Ewing however. Gerald Wilkins, Kenny Walker, Mark Jackson (the 1988 rookie of the year) and Rod Strickland would join the youthful revolution taking place at Madison Square Garden.

Even with the addition of a young franchise big-man, New York would adroitly resist the temptation to give away veteran centre Cartwright in a fire-sale. They waited three years before finally sending Cartwright to Chicago in 1988 in return for the indestructible Charles Oakley.

With an imposing front-line that would endure for the next decade firmly in place, the Knicks next sought a presence on the sidelines..

The Knicks had made a promising start to the Ewing era, capturing the Atlantic Division title in 1989 under Rick Pitino and pushing future rival Chicago to six games in the conference semi-finals. The team's performance plateau-d over the next two seasons however, culminating in an embarrassing first round sweep at the hands of the soon-to-be-champion Bulls in '91.

Pat Riley was lured away from LA amid much fanfare, promising to revive New York's basketball pride. He began by preaching defense, and with Ewing and Oakley manning the paint the Knicks begun a metamorphosis, becoming a true hardened Beast in the East.

Filling the point guard position satisfactorily however proved to be more problematic. New York had actually made excellent back-to-back Draft choices in '87 and '88 in finding Jackson and Strickland late in the first round, and both men begun their Knick careers promisingly.

Eager for a calming veteran presence, the Knicks had traded Strickland to San Antonio for Mo Cheeks in 1990. Although Cheeks would play very well for New York initially, he was nearing the end of his career. Strickland would go on to become a fine point guard for the Spurs, Blazers and Bullets during a long career.

With New York native Jackson enjoying a fine start to his NBA career, the Knicks still seemed to have their point guard of the future already in their keeping. Jackson though would suffer through something of a confidence crisis and form slump, alternating between starting and coming off the bench behind Cheeks. Having drafted Greg Anthony in '91, Riley saw fit to trade Jackson to the Clippers a year later for Charles Smith and veteran Doc Rivers. Unbeknownst to Knicks fans at the time, Riley would unwittingly set in motion a never-ending search for a stable point guard that has arguably not ended to this day.

Though New York held natural advantages as a lure to potential recruits, the Knicks and Riley really built their great team of the early 90s on the back of internal development and the discovery of a couple of diamonds in the rough.

John Starks and Anthony Mason were both picked up off the free agent scrapheap, unfashionable and seemingly unwanted. Despite their rough edges, under Riley's tutelage this enigmatic duo became vital spark-plugs in New York's revival.

The Knicks won 51 games during the 1991-92 season before taking down the veteran Pistons in the first round. They would then face off with a now familiar adversary in Chicago. New York, decided underdogs, gave the champion Bulls the fright of their life before eventually falling in seven games.

Buoyed by the experience, the Knicks romped away with the East in 1993, finishing with the best record at 60-22. Both New York and Chicago breezed through the early rounds of the playoffs, leading to the seemingly inevitable (and much anticipated) re-match for the Eastern Conference Crown.

The Knicks would ride the fevered crowd support at a packed Madison Square Garden to take a 2-0 lead in the series, leading many to declare the Bulls' reign atop the NBA over. The Bulls would hit back in Chicago, squaring the series at 2-2 behind 54 points from Jordan in Game 4. The scene was set for a crucial Game 5 amid an electric atmosphere in New York..




The game would go down as one of the greatest in NBA playoff history, Marv Albert's iconic commentary remaining etched in the memories of all who witnessed the epic finale.

Charles Smith's repeated denial at the rim became the defining moment in a rivalry that captured the imagination of the basketball public. The Bulls would eliminate New York from the playoffs on five separate occasions between 1989 and 1996, with the Knicks gaining their solitary revenge during the '94 playoffs.

That year, with Jordan retired, the path seemed open for New York to claim its first title in 20 years. Bolstered by the mid-season acquisition of veteran guard Derek Harper, the team finished tied with Atlanta atop the Eastern Conference standings. Despite making heavy weather of series against the Nets, Bulls and Pacers, the Knicks eventually played their way through to a title showdown with Houston.

The two teams appeared to be exceptionally evenly matched, each surrounding their superstar centre with a deep cast of shooters and blue-collar workers. In a series not dissimilar to the Heat/Spurs Finals just completed, the two teams traded blows, with the Knicks winning Game 5 in New York (amid the OJ Simpson drama) to take a 3-2 lead heading back to Houston..



After nearly shooting New York to a coveted title, John Starks would famously follow his near miss in the dying seconds of Game 6 with a horrid 2/18 shooting performance in Game 7. In a series with so little separating the combatants, Starks' struggles (and the heroics of Olajuwon) tipped the battle Houston's way. So near, yet so far for the Knicks.

Undeterred, New York would post another 55-win season in '95 before confronting another familiar foe in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. This was to be another chapter in an unlikely rivalry that would dominate the Eastern Conference during the decade. Something about the Knicks always brought out the best in Reggie Miller and the Pacers..





In 1995 Indiana would avenge their defeats at the hands of the Knicks during the previous two campaigns, outlasting New York in another epic seven game war.

The Pacers and Knicks would meet each other in the playoffs no fewer than five times between 1993 and 2000, New York prevailing three times and Indy twice.

In the meantime, the winds of change were blowing in the Big Apple. In the wake of another heartbreaking playoff exit in '95, Riley received a Godfather-type offer from Miami owner Micky Arison and bolted to South Beach.

After a short-lived Don Nelson experiment, assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy was promoted midway through the 1995-96 season. Although he helped restore New York's defensive ethos, Van Gundy found himself at the helm of a team that was aging rapidly. If the city of New York was to win another championship, help for Patrick Ewing needed to be found fast..

The Knicks went on something of a shopping spree during the wild 1996 off-season, bagging prolific shooting guard Allen Houston, point guard Chris Childs and veteran Buck Williams via free agency. In addition they sent the moody Mason to Charlotte in order to acquire Larry Johnson.

Confident that their new roster contained the firepower necessary to maintain a title assault, the Knicks enjoyed an improved 1996-97 season, finishing 57-25. Surprisingly this record had not been sufficient to win the Atlantic Division- further south Riley had wasted little time in re-shaping the Miami roster, and the Heat had surged up the standings to finish above his former employers.

Perhaps inevitably, the two teams would meet in the conference semi finals. Did New York have room for yet another bitter Eastern Conference rivalry? You bet they did..





Though the Heat would upset New York's apple-cart in '97, controversially over-turning a 3-1 series deficit with the help of some timely suspensions, the Knicks would have the last laugh in this duel, ousting Miami from the playoffs in each of the following three seasons.

Lamentably for Ewing and long-suffering New Yorkers, the championship window appeared to be closing further by the year.

The Knicks struggled through the lockout shortened '99 season, at one point seeming doomed to miss the playoffs altogether. A controversial decision to trade stalwart Oakley to Toronto for spindly pogo-stick Marcus Camby had appeared to have backfired, with the young centre slow to find his feet under the glare of Madison Square Garden's bright lights. New York had further gambled in acquiring noted coach-choker Latrell Spewell. With Ewing battling through age and injuries and new additions Camby, Sprewell and Kurt Thomas taking time to mesh, New York despaired.

An unlikely late-season surge however saw the Knicks scrape into the playoffs as the 8th seed. Having enacted a sweet revenge in shocking the top-seeded Heat in round one, New York's juggernaut gathered momentum in a semi-final sweep of Atlanta.

Confronting old nemesis Miller and his Pacers in the Conference Finals, New York overcame Ewing's absence to snatch a 3-2 series lead heading in to Game 6 in New York. Despite another injury to LJ, the Knicks would ride the coat-tails of Houston, Sprewell and a suddenly revitalised Camby to victory, and an unlikely Finals berth. New York's Cinderella run was eventually ended by the twin towers of San Antonio.

Ewing and the Knicks would re-load for one last shot in 2000. After surviving another battle of attrition against Miami to reach the Conference Finals once more, New York would ultimately be defeated by an Indiana team equally desperate to shoot for a title before the window closed.

After 15 years, the Patrick Ewing era was finally over in New York, the 38 year old traded to Seattle. He would be judged perhaps a little harshly by history for his inability to land the holy grail for his team.

Despite this momentous departure, the new Knick era was outwardly much the same. Van Gundy led his team to a 48-34 record, with Houston, Sprewell, Johnson, Camby, Thomas and Childs all still playing prominent roles. An upset first round defeat at the hand of the Raptors (Toronto's sole playoff triumph in its history) would signal a true changing of the guard.

Unfortunately for Knick fans, the heartache of the Ewing era would soon be a nostalgic memory as New York entered a horror period in its history.

Here's a brief summary of some of the low-lights of the Knicks' decade from hell.

- Signing an ailing Houston to a six year, $100 million contract

- Trading Camby and Nene for a crocked (and expensive) Antonio McDyess

- Trading McDyess's soon-to-expire contract to Phoenix for Stephon Marbury and and even more crocked Penny Hardaway

- Handing Isiah Thomas a cheque-book and the keys to one of basketball's most storied franchises.

- Trading what would become the 2nd pick in the 2006 Draft (LaMarcus Aldridge) and the 9th pick in the 2007 Draft (Jo Noah) to Chicago for Eddy Curry.

- Handing Curry a six year, $55 million contract soon after.

- Signing Jerome James to a five year, $30 million deal that same month.

- Burning first round draft picks on the likes of John Wallace, Walter McCarty, Dontae Jones, John Thomas (!), Frederic Weis, Donnell Harvey, Mike Sweetney, Renaldo Balkman and Mardy Collins between 1996 and 2006.

Exasperated New Yorkers lived to see the wonders of a Steve Francis/Steph Marbury backcourt. They covered their eyes as Nate Robinson, Jamal Crawford David Lee and Curry took the court together and attempted to play defense. They sat patiently through Don Chaney, Lenny Wilkins, Larry Brown, Isiah Thomas and Mike D'Antoni..

The carnage was remarkable- nine successive seasons below .500, eleven years between playoff victories. It was a stunning fall from grace after a decade spent in title contention during the 90s.

Happily for Knickerbockers, better days have arrived of late at long last. Whether New York can return to their former lofty position in the East remains to be seen, but between Melo, Stoudamire, J.R., pipes and fire extinguishers, the Knicks will keep us entertained.

They always have.

 

[peternorth]

really enjoyed the fily one. the use of the word "nadir" was effective and ingenious.

furthermore, the uniform hrnacek was wearing. wtf was with that??

 

[Primetime Pricey]

u are dead to me. 13th!!!!! I HATE U

 

[peternorth]

u are dead to me. 13th!!!!! I HATE U

lucky to be that high!

 

[peternorth]

- Signing an ailing Houston to a six year, $100 million contract

my personal fave knick thingo. lulzworthy.

loved using knicks in nba live during the houston, LJ years.

 

[Primetime Pricey]

lucky to be that high!

Disagree.

 

[peternorth]

Disagree.

i partially disagree with your disagreance.

actually, NY has a storied history and is one of the biggest franchises in the league.

 

[stewie griffen]

Depends on whose above them tbh. I back SoS in to make the right call, after all he has done the research.
Those dead years from 2001-2010ish would have cost them in the rankings, even tho they made the playoffs a lot in the 1990's

 

[Son of Skeletor]

Depends on whose above them tbh. I back SoS in to make the right call, after all he has done the research.
Those dead years from 2001-2010ish would have cost them in the rankings, even tho they made the playoffs a lot in the 1990's

This is pretty much it in a nutshell. New York was basically the bizarro Dallas- great for the first decade, terrible thereafter.

It was very hard to split some groups of teams- I could have probably thrown a blanket over the group placed 6th -> 15th

By way of a rough guide, all teams ranked 11th through 15th contested in two NBA Finals over the past 25 years.

Anyone interested in the updated rankings can view them here:

http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threa...d-or-just-stuck-in-mud.1021488/#post-29330429

u are dead to me. 13th!!!!! I HATE U

If it's any consolation, if I were to do the same exercise for the EPL, Man Utd would be numero uno.

furthermore, the uniform hrnacek was wearing. wtf was with that??

Do you think Barkley was laughing more at Manute Bol shooting 10 threes in a single half, or at the uniform he was wearing?

my personal fave knick thingo. lulzworthy.
.

Had to be Eddy Curry for me- it worked on so many levels..

http://deadspin.com/5129959/eddy-curry-and-the-disturbing-big-gay-sexual-harassment-lawsuit

 

[Footypie32]

Ha. New York comes in at unlucky 13th. Perfect.

 

[TheLad!]

One thing i've noticed in all of this, is that as soon as Stephon Marburry joins a franchise it ends up tanking,

very much a common theme

 

[Son of Skeletor]

One thing i've noticed in all of this, is that as soon as Stephon Marburry joins a franchise it ends up tanking,

very much a common theme

You've been paying attention young Jedi.

Or to put it another way- the moment he departs, teams suddenly start winning (eg New Jersey, Phoenix).

Similar arguments can be made for the likes of J.R. Rider, Corey Maggette & Juwan Howard too.

 

[fidstar]

You've been paying attention young Jedi.

Or to put it another way- the moment he departs, teams suddenly start winning (eg New Jersey, Phoenix).

Similar arguments can be made for the likes of J.R. Rider, Corey Maggette & Juwan Howard too.

What are you talking about, Juwan Howard is a key member of the Heat

 

[Son of Skeletor]

RANKING: 18

CHAMPIONSHIPS: 0
CONFERENCE TITLES: 0
DIVISION TITLES: 1
PLAYOFF APPEARANCES: 12
PLAYOFF SERIES WON: 5
SUB-30-WIN SEASONS: 6


This one's a little personal.

Supporting the Hornets Pelicans can be... confusing.


The team burst on to the NBA scene in 1988 full of colour and vitality (if not talent). Fans in the Queen City flocked to the Charlotte Coliseum in droves- the Hornets led the league in attendance in 8 of their first 10 seasons.

The Hornets also enjoyed more than their fair share of lottery luck over the seasons, meaning that many a star name began their NBA career with a teal cap on their head and a song in their heart..

Oops.. let's just pretend we didn't see that.

What the basketball gods have bestowed upon the Bees, they have also unfailingly taken away just as promptly. After striking lottery gold in the early 90s, and enjoying a popularity surge around the globe, Charlotte looked to be an NBA dynasty in the making.

It never eventuated.

What did occur was a form of unremarkable consistency. For 12 successive seasons between 1992 and 2004, the team's record never dipped below .500, yet the tealsters never could advance past the conference semi-finals.

It's partly for this reason that I've come to think of the Hornets as the NBA's own 'Even Steven'




The good and the bad always seemed to even themselves out for the Hornets. Every potential saviour arrived with a caveat attached, yet every storm cloud brought with it a silver lining.

To put it another way, here's a creepy guy who sells frozen yoghurt:





That's the story of the Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans in a nutshell- equal parts ecstasy and agony which tend to average out to a maddening middle-ground.

As one of several new expansion teams in the late 80s, one thing Charlotte did well was to use its expansion draft privileges astutely. Muggsy Bogues and Dell Curry would each go on to serve the team with distinction for an entire decade, making them probably the best expansion draft choices in recent history (along with Gerald Wallace- ironically again in Charlotte).

The Hornets' early drafting was not nearly as successful- Rex Chapman, J.R. Reid and Kendall Gill proving to be uninspired choices, each destined to be career role-players.

With such inauspicious names as Kelly Tripucka, Armen Gilliam and Johnny Newman leading the team in scoring in early years, Charlotte badly needed a headline act. Winning the 1991 Draft Lottery presented them with the perfect opportunity to land a franchise cornerstone.

Enter Larry Johnson.





Those who remember LJ as a Knick would probably find it hard to believe that he began his career being compared to Charles Barkley. His powerful build was complimented by explosive athleticism and deft ball-handling and passing abilities. A runaway Rookie of the Year winner, Johnson looked for all the world to be a career 20/10 player in the making. Alas a serious back injury suffered during his second season curtailed his athleticism, meaning he would finish his career as more of a spot shooter.

Riding Johnson's strong play, Charlotte would would win a team record 31 games. While the young team showed promise, a gaping hole in the middle meant the Hornets were bullied inside. A lucky bounce of the ping pong ball in 1992 offered the perfect chance to remedy this problem..

Few rookies will ever post the numbers Alonzo Mourning did and fail to win Rookie of the Year- as he had on Draft night, 'Zo was fated to fall into line behind the monstrous Shaquille O'Neal. He was nevertheless a godsend for Charlotte, transforming a team that had finished dead last in shot-blocking, rebounding and field goal percentage allowed into a team that could hold its own in the paint.

Buoyed by the infusion of young talent, Charlotte rode a high-octane offense en route to their maiden playoff voyage. The diminutive Bogues provided a calm hand on the tiller, while the Hornets surrounded their young bucks in the frontcourt with an array of perimeter scorers in Gill, Curry and Newman.

Awaiting them in the first round were the vastly experienced Celtics. After the Celtics lost Reggie Lewis, the Hornets took control of the series, winning their first playoff game in history in the fabled Boston Garden, before running their older opponents ragged back in Charlotte.

With a large lead entering the fourth quarter in Game 4, the Hornets looked to have clinched their first ever series victory. The dogged Celtics had other ideas however, climbing off the mat to launch once last desperate rally. Incredibly they overturned an 18 point deficit to take a one point lead in the dying seconds. Cue pandemonium..





After giving a good account of themselves against the powerful New York Knicks in the next round, the future of the NBA appeared to be wearing teal with pinstripes.

Storm clouds however were looming on the horizon..

The first sign of trouble appeared during those '93 Playoffs, as Johnson found himself hampered by a bulging disc in his back. Worryingly, the off-season did little to cure his ailment, and he would miss 31 games during the 1993-94 season.

Winning the chance to draft a superstar in '91- that's good. Watching his career plateau due to injury- that's bad.

Meanwhile Charlotte's other prized big man was also spending more time in the medical room than the team would have hoped for, missing 22 games. After a fast start, the Hornets plummeted down the rankings without their dynamic duo. Healthy again, a late season rally would ultimately prove fruitless, Charlotte falling one game short of the playoffs.

More troubling were the rumours that had began to surface indicating that the ebullient Johnson and ultra-intense Mourning were not getting along. Drafting franchise stars in back-to-back drafts- that's good. Having them not get along- that's bad.

The team attempted to bolster its depth, signing veterans Robert Parish and Michael Adams to play key reserve roles. With the sweet-shooting Hersey Hawkins having replaced the erratic Gill at shooting guard, young draftee Scott Burrell showing promise as a small forward and Sixth Man of the Year Curry providing firepower off the bench, the Hornets still seemed well positioned to take advantage of the power vacuum created in the East by Jordan's unexpected retirement.

The Hornets would break their franchise record in winning 50 games during the 94-95 season. Unfortunately their first round opponent Chicago had recently acquired a new (old) secret weapon- MJ was back. He proved the difference in a Game 1 overtime classic in Charlotte, and again in Game 4 when a couple of patented 'Jordan Rules' calls got the Bulls over the line by one point.





And then it was all over almost as suddenly as it had begun. 'Zo asked for a $13 million per year contract extension. Owner George Shinn offered $11 million. Mourning demanded a trade, and the ever-astute Pat Riley was quick to exploit the opportunity, offering a package including Glen Rice, Matt Geiger and Khalid Reeves to the Hornets. Charlotte accepted, and the dynasty-to-be was no more. Incidentally, 'Zo ended up receiving a seven year, $105 million deal from the Heat.

Lucking into drafting a once-in-a-generation defensive demon big-man.. that's good. Trading him away over $2 million per season- that's really, REALLY bad.

Mourning's was not to be the only departure from North Carolina that off-season. In a bizarre trade, the Hornets re-acquired Gill from Seattle, sending the more dependable Hawkins a grateful Seattle's way in return. Hawkins would help the Sonics reach the '96 NBA Finals. Gill would last all of 36 games in his second tour of duty in Charlotte, before being flipped again for Kenny Anderson. Anderson himself would depart to Portland as a free agent at the end of the season.

Swapping the inefficient Gill for the ultra-efficient Hawkins in '93- that was smart. Reversing the trade, before finally ending up with a guy who walked as a free agent- that was dumb.

On-court, the Hornets spluttered through the post 'Zo apocalypse, finishing 41-41 on the back of a defense that regressed back to pre-1992 horror levels. The sweet shooting Rice had added extra perimeter firepower, but did little to address the problems at the other end of the court. Having essentially chosen Johnson over Mourning as their primary building block, Charlotte then promptly dealt him to New York for Anthony Mason.

With Mourning, Johnson and Anderson now all departed, the Hornets had considerable room to move within the salary cap. When Jerry West called before the 1996 Draft offering an intriguing proposal regarding their #13 pick, Charlotte was willing to listen..

What transpired on Draft night in '96 has become the subject of folklore. One theory holds that a headstrong young Kobe Bryant told Charlotte that he would never consider playing there. The alternative theory holds that the Hornets made the pick for the Lakers, knowing in advance they were about to receive the talented Vlade Divac in return.

Regardless, between Divac and Geiger, the Hornets had filled the void at center created by 'Zo's departure- that was good. That the price they paid to fill the position involved losing Kobe Bryant and Mourning himself- not so good.

Still, under new coach Dave Cowens, Charlotte's new frontcourt in Divac, Mason and Geiger meshed relatively well with long-range bombers Rice and Curry, leading to an unexpected team-best 54-28 record. Of course with the Hornets being the Hornets, they followed their regular season high with a playoff low, being swept by the Knicks.

Needing reinforcements in the backcourt with club stalwarts Bogues and Curry nearing the end, Charlotte then splashed out to sign free agents David Wesley and Bobby Phills. Now blessed with depth and a formidable inside-outside game, the Hornets again surpassed 50 wins during the 1997-98 season, eventually falling victim to Chicago's quest for a three-peat.

One of the team's strengths had been the two-headed monster approach at centre with the wily Divac and the bustling Geiger. With Geiger harbouring ambitions of a starting role, Cowens experimented in playing each off the bench for periods. Despite both men continuing to play well, the approach grated with Divac, a reluctant arrival in Charlotte to begin with.

When the Kings called offering a chance to return to his former home in California, Divac did not have to think twice. Meanwhile Geiger, seemingly free to inherit the starting position he so desired, instead signed as a free agent with the Sixers.

Trying to juggle two talented centres on the one team- that's a good problem to have. Wholly satisfying neither and losing them both to free agency- that's not such a good problem to have.

With Mason, who played a trojan's minutes in Charlotte, not returning in time for the lockout shortened '99 season, the Hornets suddenly found themselves utterly depleted up front.

In typical Hornet manner, they found a way to 'break even' yet again, signing Derrick Coleman (who actually played some decent basketball in teal) and a young and un-drafted Brad Miller as free agents. The team then traded Rice (who had been a prolific scorer in Charlotte) to LA for Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell.

The team had thus managed to replace Divac, Geiger, Mason and Rice at short notice with Coleman, Campbell, Miller and Jones, a salvage job respectable enough for the team to finish 26-24.

Unluckily, the Hornets just missed the playoffs, the third time they'd missed out by a single game in six years. Wouldn't you know it though, this cloud had a particularly large silver lining, with the lottery gods smiling once more upon Charlotte, handing them the #3 pick in the '99 Draft.

The good news was that Charlotte had turned playoff heart-ache into a talented young point guard in Baron Davis. The bad news was that he was well, Baron Davis.

Under new coach Paul Silas, the team returned to the playoffs in 2000. With Mason returned, the front-court was once more an area of strength for the Hornets. With Jones, Wesley, Phills and Davis in the backcourt as well, Charlotte appeared to have a team set to contend once more.

As ever though, the forecast of smooth sailing ahead proved to be an illusion. The immensely popular Phills was tragically killed in a car accident in February 2000, leaving a void within the playing group. Just as disturbingly, controversial owner Shinn had found himself in hot water over allegations of sexual misconduct. Charlotte fans, to that date among the most zealous in the entire league, began to depart in droves as part of the fallout from Shinn's shenanigans. Rumours began to circulate that he was considering moving the team..

In the meantime, the Hornets had pulled the trigger on yet another big trade, sending Jones and Mason to Miami in return for Jamal Mashburn and PJ Brown. Mashburn would go on to play perhaps the best basketball of his career in teal. Unfortunately, he would also prove to be rather injury-prone, lasting only two and a half seasons before injury ended his career prematurely at the age of 30.

Charlotte had also lost the blossoming Brad Miller to free agency (something of a recurring theme). The Hornets promptly drafted Jamaal Magloire with the 18th pick of the 2000 Draft. Lose a centre, gain a centre- it was classic Charlotte.

The Hornets held their own under Silas in a suddenly dormant Eastern Conference, progressing to the Conference semi-finals in both 2001 and 2002. Besides 2008, the 2001 series against Milwaukee (ending in defeat in seven games) was the closest the Hornets have come to making the Conference Finals in their history.

Off the court, things had gone from bad to worse. Charlotte had fallen from first in attendance in 1997 to dead last in 2002, a mind-boggling development for which onlookers blamed Shinn. Having tried to re-locate the team to Memphis in 2001, the disgraced owner finally succeeded in fleeing to the exotic confines of New Orleans the following year.

The sad story summed up the Hornets' existence in a nutshell. Seemingly charmed early on and destined for great things, it had all gone pear shaped. Even the messy departure was fitting, with Charlotte promised an expansion team in the near future. Lose a team, gain another team instead- the law of 'Even Steven' had held true again.

On the court, the team picked up from where they left off in Charlotte, qualifying twice more for the playoffs (first round victims on each occasion), meaning that the Hornets had compiled 12 successive seasons without a losing record.

The wheels however were about to fall off. The mercurial Davis, a malcontent in New Orleans, forced his way to Golden State in a disastrous trade that netted a meagre return of Speedy Claxton and Dale Davis. Veteran Wesley, after seven steady years with the team, was sent to Houston for peanuts. Coming on top of a season-ending injury to Magloire and the sudden retirement of Mashburn, the exodus of talent doomed the Hornets to an horrific 18-64 campaign.

Once more though, the lottery gods picked the Teal Bees up and dusted them off, sending them on their way with a brand new toy in the form of prodigious point guard Chris Paul. With promising youngsters David West and J.R. Smith having been drafted previously, the seeds of a youth-led revolution had been planted.

Of greater worry was the team's attendance, ranking dead last in 2005. The devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina seemed initially as though it may deliver the inevitable coup de grace to the struggling franchise. In hindsight, the goodwill in the aftermath of the disaster may have saved the team. A natural disaster proving to be a blessing in disguise- it could only happen to the Hornets.

Partly based in OKC for the next two seasons, the team splashed out to sign Peja Stojakovic and acquire Tyson Chandler in 2006. After injuries curtailed the team's progress in 2007, a permanent return to Louisiana seemed to offer the perfect chance for a fresh start.

Riding the outstanding play of their 'Fab Four'- CP3, West, Peja and Chandler- New Orleans surprised the league, racing away to the Division crown on the back of a team record 56 wins. A showdown with the playoff-hardened Mavericks awaited the Hornets..


http://youtu.be/xRK3vv8O59A


Sadly, Nawlins would blow a 2-0 lead in the Conference semi-finals against the veteran San Antonio Spurs, dropping the decisive seventh game at home.

There are eerie parallels to be drawn between Hornet fortunes in 1993 and those of the team in 2008. On each occasion, the future seemed blindingly bright, and the decline depressingly swift.

In reality, New Orleans suffered from a mixture of bad luck (injuries cruelling both Stojakovic and Chandler) and bad decision making (blowing their cap space on Mo Peterson, and veterans in decline in James Posey and Bobby Jackson).

One last hurl of the dice in 2011 came up short once again, a knee injury to West spelling the end of yet another era.

The moral of the Hornet story is that every high precedes a low, and that every cloud contains its silver lining.

The loss of favourite sons CP3 and West brought these three happy campers to the Big Easy. It also brought a season of mediocrity that resulted in the considerable prize of Anthony Davis.

What does the future hold for the Hornets? Who knows, but it will doubtless prove confusing- the Hornets are now of course the Pelicans, having been unable to become the Jazz again because the Jazz are in Utah, while the Bobcats who replaced the Hornets in Charlotte are to become the Hornets again... or something.

Whatever happens, it'll even out. It always does, in a weird and wonderful way.