Overview
The San Antonio Spurs defeated the New York Knicks four games to one in the best-of-seven NBA Finals series to conclude the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season. It was the first of four titles for the Spurs, who were the first former ABA franchise to reach the NBA Finals. The Knicks were the first 8-seed to reach the Finals under the NBA's 16-team playoff format, which began in 1984.
The 1998-99 regular season was shortened to just 50 games due to a labor dispute between the players' union and the owners, which led to a league-wide lockout. Even with the reduced season, the Finals were pushed to late June, because the season did not start until February. Game 5, the last game of the series, was played on June 25, the latest date on which the Finals were completed.
Tim Duncan won the first of his three NBA Finals MVP awards.
The Spurs had home-court advantage for the Finals. The two teams did not meet during the 1998-99 regular season.
The 1998-99 regular season was shortened to just 50 games due to a labor dispute between the players' union and the owners, which led to a league-wide lockout. Even with the reduced season, the Finals were pushed to late June, because the season did not start until February. Game 5, the last game of the series, was played on June 25, the latest date on which the Finals were completed.
Tim Duncan won the first of his three NBA Finals MVP awards.
The Spurs had home-court advantage for the Finals. The two teams did not meet during the 1998-99 regular season.
Road to the Finals
| Team | Knicks | Spurs |
| Regular Season | 27-23, 4th in Atlantic Division | 37-13, 1st in Midwest Division |
| First Round | Def. (1) Miami Heat, 3-2 | Def. (8) Minnesota Timberwolves, 3-1 |
| Conference Semifinals | Def. (4) Atlanta Hawks, 4-0 | Def. (4) Los Angeles Lakers, 4-0 |
| Conference Finals | Def. (2) Indiana Pacers, 4-2 | Def. (2) Portland Trail Blazers, 4-0 |
Game 1 - Spurs 89, Knicks 77
The Knicks opened up a six-point lead after the first quarter, but were outscored 24-10 in the second quarter, as the Spurs took control and never looked back. San Antonio closed the first half on a 14-2 run and led by as many as 14 points in the fourth quarter, when the Knicks made just 5 of 22 shots from the field.
Tim Duncan led all scorers with 33 points and added 16 rebounds. He became just the third player in NBA history to have at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in his first career Finals game, joining Willis Reed and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. David Robinson, also making his Finals debut, had 13 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, while Jaren Jackson added 17 points off the bench for San Antonio.
The Knicks were led by Latrell Sprewell and Allan Houston, who each scored 19 points. Houston had 10 of his 19 in the first quarter, then struggled with his shot the rest of the game.
Tim Duncan led all scorers with 33 points and added 16 rebounds. He became just the third player in NBA history to have at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in his first career Finals game, joining Willis Reed and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. David Robinson, also making his Finals debut, had 13 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, while Jaren Jackson added 17 points off the bench for San Antonio.
The Knicks were led by Latrell Sprewell and Allan Houston, who each scored 19 points. Houston had 10 of his 19 in the first quarter, then struggled with his shot the rest of the game.
Game 2 - Spurs 80, Knicks 67
The Spurs' defense again proved to be too much for the Knicks, who failed to score 20 points in any quarter and were held to 67 points for the game. The win was the Spurs' 12th straight in the postseason, setting an NBA record. The Spurs used a 12-1 run in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
San Antonio was once again led by Tim Duncan, who finished with 25 points and 15 rebounds. David Robinson also posted a double-double, putting up 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Latrell Sprewell (26) and Allan Houston (19) were the only Knicks players in double figures.
San Antonio was once again led by Tim Duncan, who finished with 25 points and 15 rebounds. David Robinson also posted a double-double, putting up 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Latrell Sprewell (26) and Allan Houston (19) were the only Knicks players in double figures.
Game 3 - Knicks 89, Spurs 81
Back in New York, the Knicks came out firing, scoring 32 points in the first quarter to lead by 11. San Antonio put together a run in the second quarter and kept it close in the third, before the Knicks opened up a seven-point lead early in the fourth quarter to earn their first win of the series.
Allan Houston scored 34 points, including perfect 12-of-12 shooting from the free throw line, to lead the Knicks. He scored 12 of New York's 17 points in the second quarter to keep the Spurs from taking the lead. Latrell Sprewell had 24 points, including eight in the first quarter, while Larry Johnson had 16, his first double-digit game of the series.
David Robinson led the Spurs with 25 points to go along with his 10 rebounds. Tim Duncan had 20 points and 12 rebounds, his lowest totals of the series to that point.
Allan Houston scored 34 points, including perfect 12-of-12 shooting from the free throw line, to lead the Knicks. He scored 12 of New York's 17 points in the second quarter to keep the Spurs from taking the lead. Latrell Sprewell had 24 points, including eight in the first quarter, while Larry Johnson had 16, his first double-digit game of the series.
David Robinson led the Spurs with 25 points to go along with his 10 rebounds. Tim Duncan had 20 points and 12 rebounds, his lowest totals of the series to that point.
Game 4 - Spurs 96, Knicks 89
The Knicks started hot again, as Charlie Ward scored 10 of his 11 points in the first quarter to give New York a 29-27 lead after the first 12 minutes. However, after making 60 percent of their shots in the first quarter, the Knicks struggled for the rest of the game. All five Spurs starters scored in double figures to lead them to the brink of the championship.
Tim Duncan finished with 28 points and 18 rebounds, while David Robinson had 14 points and 17 rebounds. Avery Johnson had his first double-double of the series, putting up 14 points and 10 assists.
Latrell Sprewell again led the Knicks, scoring 26 points on 9-of-22 shooting. Marcus Camby, who missed the first two games of the series and played just 16 minutes before fouling out in Game 3, scored 20 points in 37 minutes for the Knicks.
Tim Duncan finished with 28 points and 18 rebounds, while David Robinson had 14 points and 17 rebounds. Avery Johnson had his first double-double of the series, putting up 14 points and 10 assists.
Latrell Sprewell again led the Knicks, scoring 26 points on 9-of-22 shooting. Marcus Camby, who missed the first two games of the series and played just 16 minutes before fouling out in Game 3, scored 20 points in 37 minutes for the Knicks.
Game 5 - Spurs 78, Knicks 77
Avery Johnson hit the game-winning jumper with 47 seconds left, and the Knicks failed to score for the final 3:12 of the game, giving the Spurs their first championship. San Antonio, one of the four teams the NBA absorbed from the defunct ABA, had never won a title in the ABA either.
A tight contest throughout, Game 5 turned into a showdown between Tim Duncan and Latrell Sprewell in the second half. During one stretch, Sprewell scored 14 consecutive points for the Knicks, while on the other end, Duncan accounted for 14 of the Spurs' 15 points. Both players topped the 30-point mark for the game: Sprewell finished with 35 and Duncan finished with 31.
Steve Kerr, who played just 44 minutes in the series and five minutes in Game 5, earned his fourth consecutive championship ring, having won in each of the previous three seasons with the Chicago Bulls.
A tight contest throughout, Game 5 turned into a showdown between Tim Duncan and Latrell Sprewell in the second half. During one stretch, Sprewell scored 14 consecutive points for the Knicks, while on the other end, Duncan accounted for 14 of the Spurs' 15 points. Both players topped the 30-point mark for the game: Sprewell finished with 35 and Duncan finished with 31.
Steve Kerr, who played just 44 minutes in the series and five minutes in Game 5, earned his fourth consecutive championship ring, having won in each of the previous three seasons with the Chicago Bulls.