1999 NBA Finals
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The 1999 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1998-99 National Basketball Association season. The San Antonio Spurs of the Western Conference took on the New York Knicks of the Eastern Conference for the title, with the Spurs holding home court advantage. The series is played under a best-of-seven format, so the first team to collect four game victories wins the series.
Background
The 1999 NBA season was shortened to a labor dispute that lead to a lockout, canceling the first 4 months of the season. The NBA would have teams play 50 games, and a normal playoffs. The San Antonio Spurs had the fearsome "Twin Towers", veteran center David Robinson and second year star forward Tim Duncan. The Spurs carried a 37-13 record, the best in the Western Conference.Meanwhile, the Knicks had a tumultous regular season in which they went 25-25 and snuck into the playoffs as the eighth and final seed. However, the Knicks would upset the Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks and the Indiana Pacers en route to becoming the first 8th seed in NBA history to reach the Finals.
The Spurs won the series 4 games to 1. Spurs forward Tim Duncan was named the Most Valuable Player of the series. In Game 5, with under a minute to go, it was Avery Johnson who hit the game-winner.
Series scoring summary
The following scoring summary is written in a line score format, except that the quarter numbers are replaced by game numbers.| Team | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Antonio (West) | 89 | 80 | 81 | 96 | 78 | 4 |
| New York (East) | 77 | 67 | 89 | 89 | 77 | 1 |
Schedule
- Game 1 - June 16, Wednesday @San Antonio, San Antonio 89, New York 77: San Antonio leads series 1-0
- Game 2 - June 18, Friday @San Antonio, San Antonio 80, New York 67: San Antonio leads series 2-0
- Game 3 - June 21, Monday @New York, New York 89, San Antonio 81: San Antonio leads series 2-1
- Game 4 - June 23, Wednesday @New York, San Antonio 96, New York 89: San Antonio leads series 3-1
- Game 5 - June 25, Friday @New York, San Antonio 78, New York 77: San Antonio wins series 4-1
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Trivia
- The Spurs became the first former ABA team to play in an NBA Finals.
- Steve Kerr became the first non-Celtic to win four straight championships, as he won titles with the Bulls from 1996 to 1998.
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