Ewing reflects on the franchise’s long, poor performances and why stars steered clear of New York for years.

For the first time in over a decade, the New York Knicks have made three straight playoff appearances. This is a small but powerful breakthrough for a franchise that had only made the postseason once over the past 12 years.

The Tragic History Of The New York Knicks

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In the bigger picture, this is just the fourth time in the last 25 years that they’ve advanced past the first round. A flicker of hope, but far from the roaring fire Madison Square Garden once embodied.

Knicks’ fallout

Since their NBA Finals loss to the San Antonio Spurs in 1999, the franchise has spiraled into a seemingly endless cycle of rebuilds and disappointment. Sixteen playoff misses in 25 years, to be exact. Even franchise legend Patrick Ewing himself can feel the weight of what has slipped away.

“It’s hard to say what is going on because I’m not there; I’m not living there,” he said. “As a Knicks fan, I’m sad. I’m hoping that things would turn back around.”

The legacy that once drew top-tier talents like moths to flame began to dim, overshadowed by dysfunction, front-office turnover, and underwhelming on-court performance.

There was a time when the Knicks were more than a basketball team — but an institution. During the Ewing era, the Knicks were a perennial Eastern Conference force, constantly clashing with the likes of Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls, Reggie Miller’s Indiana Pacers, and Tim Hardaway’s Miami Heat.

From 1988 to 2000, the Knicks made the playoffs 13 straight seasons and went to the NBA Finals twice — in 1994 and 1999.

The city breathed basketball, and “Big Pat” stood at the center of it all.

Turn back around — it’s a sentiment loaded with longing. For Ewing and the generation that witnessed the “Big Apple” squad at their competitive peak, the fall from grace has been about losing a lot of games, about losing identity.

During his time, the Knicks were producing stars. Yet after his departure, New York struggled to attract marquee-free agents.

Struggling to attract stars

In an era where superstar players often dictated franchise power structures, the Knicks found themselves inexplicably left out.

Whether Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving chose Brooklyn, the cross-town rival, in 2019 or LeBron James said no in 2010, the city’s biggest basketball stage kept getting overlooked.

Carmelo Anthony was the rare exception. The Brooklyn-born All-Star forced a trade to New York in 2011 and immediately injected the franchise with relevance.

His 2012–2013 season earned him a scoring title and led the Knicks to a 54–28 record, marking their best campaign in twenty years.

But the success was short-lived. Over Anthony’s six full seasons in New York, the team only reached the playoffs three times and never made it past the second round.

The presence of one star couldn’t mask organizational issues. Coaching changes, questionable trades, and a lack of long-term vision stalled momentum.

Melo’s prime came and went, with little to show for it in the postseason. With every missed opportunity, New York’s appeal to other big-name talents continued to erode.

“I want to see them back where they need to be. Kicking a** and taking names,” Ewing said.

Now, however, there are signs of life. Jalen Brunson has emerged not just as a capable leader but as a playoff performer who embraces the spotlight. Since he arrived in 2022, the Knicks have steadily climbed the Eastern Conference hierarchy.

JB has taken them to the playoffs and has only grown more consistent, giving New York something it hasn’t had in years — stability at the point guard position and a clear offensive identity.

Alongside a core of hard-nosed players, the Knicks are beginning to reflect the grittiness and pride that defined Ewing’s era. The team now sits among the top seeds in the East, no longer chasing relevance but building it brick by brick.