Last NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden: Revisiting 1999 Spurs championship win 27 years later originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The NBA Finals return to Madison Square Garden on Monday night, ending a 27-year drought at the “World’s Most Famous Arena.”
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While the New York Knicks haven’t won a title since 1973, they did reach the Finals twice in the 1990s, with their most recent appearance coming in 1999 against the San Antonio Spurs. That series wasn’t particularly close, however, as the Knicks never truly threatened a budding Spurs dynasty.
While there are some similarities, a lot has changed since the Knicks last hosted an NBA Finals game. Here’s a look back at the last time Madison Square Garden hosted the NBA Finals.
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What was the last NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden?
Before 2026, the last NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden was Game 5 of the 1999 NBA Finals, which took place on June 25, 1999. That year, the Knicks reached the NBA Finals as a No. 8 seed but lost to the powerhouse Spurs in five games.
The 1999 NBA Finals were played under the league’s former 2-3-2 format, meaning Games 3 through 5 were all held in New York. The Knicks went 1-2 in those contests and lost Game 5 by one point, clinching the championship for San Antonio.
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Game 5 was close throughout, but Tim Duncan played nearly the entire game and scored 31 points to secure the first title of his career. The loss also effectively marked the end of the Patrick Ewing era in New York.
MORE: Where Knicks winning streak ranks in NBA history
Rosters from last NBA Finals game at Madison Square GardenSpurs roster
Player
Position
Age
Tim Duncan
Forward
22
David Robinson
Center
33
Mario Elie
Guard
35
Avery Johnson
Guard
33
Sean Elliott
Forward
30
Jaren Jackson
Guard
31
Antonio Daniels
Forward
23
Steve Kerr
Guard
33
Malik Rose
Forward
24
Jerome Kearsey
Forward
35
Gerard King
Forward
26
Will Perdue
Center
34
The Spurs 1999 team was carried by second-year forward Tim Duncan and veteran center David Robinson, who both had strong series for their first title together. The roster also included Avery Johnson as point guard, Mario Elie and Sean Elliott rounding out the starters, and familiar role players like Steve Kerr.
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Knicks roster
Player
Position
Age
Latrell Sprewell
Forward
28
Allan Houston
Guard
27
Marcus Camby
Center
24
Larry Johnson
Forward
29
Charlie Ward
Guard
28
Kurt Thomas
Forward
26
Chris Childs
Guard
31
Chris Dudley
Center
33
Rick Brunson
Guard
26
Herb Williams
Center
40
Patrick Ewing
Center
36
David Wingate
Guard
35
While Patrick Ewing is the biggest name on the Knicks roster, Ewing missed this entire series after suffering an Achilles injury in the Eastern Conference Finals. Instead, New York’s roster was highlighted by Latrell Sprewell and Allan Houston, who were the team’s two best players throughout the playoff run.
MORE:Ranking the 11 greatest players in Knicks history
Stats from last NBA Finals game at Madison Square GardenLine score
1
2
3
4
F
Spurs
20
20
19
19
78
Knicks
23
15
20
19
77
Spurs box score
Player
Points
Rebounds
Assists
Steals
Blocks
Turnovers
Fouls
FGM-FGA
3PM-3PA
FTM-FTA
+/-
Tim Duncan
31
9
2
0
1
2
2
12-22
0-1
7-9
+5
David Robinson
15
12
0
2
1
2
1
5-14
0-0
2-2
0
Avery Johnson
8
2
9
0
0
6
3
4-10
0-1
0-0
+1
Sean Elliott
2
6
5
0
0
0
4
0-4
0-2
2-2
+12
Mario Elie
10
6
3
2
0
1
2
2-6
2-3
4-4
-9
Jaren Jackson
11
3
0
2
0
2
1
4-9
2-6
0-0
-1
Malik Rose
1
0
1
1
0
1
3
0-1
0-0
102
-3
Steve Kerr
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0-1
0-0
0-0
-2
Antonio Daniels
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
0-0
0-0
0-0
+2
Knicks box score
Player
Points
Rebounds
Assists
Steals
Blocks
Turnovers
Fouls
FGM-FGA
3PM-3PA
FTM-FTA
+/-
Latrell Sprewell
35
10
2
2
0
3
1
13-27
1-1
8-10
-5
Allan Houston
16
7
5
2
0
4
2
8-17
0-3
0-1
+2
Larry Johnson
7
6
4
2
0
0
5
3-10
0-3
1-2
+9
Marcus Camby
7
5
1
0
1
1
4
3-6
0-0
1-1
-3
Charlie Ward
4
3
2
2
0
2
1
2-4
0-1
0-0
+1
Chris Childs
2
0
4
0
0
2
1
1-4
0-1
0-0
-5
Kurt Thomas
6
3
0
0
0
0
5
2-4
0-0
2-2
+2
Chris Dudley
0
1
0
0
0
0
4
0-0
0-0
0-0
-3
Herb Williams
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0-0
0-0
0-0
-3
MORE:How Knicks’ NBA Finals got its start at Villanova
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How much was a ticket to the last NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden
The cheapest ticket for Game 5 in the 1999 NBA Final was just $50 for a nosebleed seat, which is thousands of dollars less than the cheapest ticket for Game 3 this year. The most expensive tickets, however, were still pricey, as courstside seats went for $2,500 that year.
MORE:When was the Knicks’ last championship?
Who was on celebrity row for the last NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden?
Celebrity row during Game 5 was a mix of faces that still attend Knicks games decades later and those who stopped, for various reasons. Among those in attendance include:
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MORE: Inside celebrity row at Madison Square Garden
Pop culture from week of last NBA Finals game at Madison Square GardenMusic
The No.1 song on the Billboard that day was “If You Had My Love” by Jennifer Lopez, a song that was in the middle of a five-week run.
Movies
1999 was a big year for movies. Adam Sandler’s Big Daddy was released the day of Game 5 of the NBA Finals, while Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me and Tarzan were both in theaters.
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Television
The TV season had just ended as the Summer approached, but the three most popular shows in America at the time were “ER,” “Friends,” and “Frasier.”
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