The first season of the new era of New York Knicks basketball started off with a major overhaul and ended with hope and promise for the upcoming season.
For a team that entered the season with a new president, new coach and the optimistic plan of building for the future while still putting a competitive group on the floor each night, the Knicks managed to play exciting ball most of the time they hit the court, much to the delight of their fans.
Over the next few weeks, nyknicks.com will take a look at how the 2008-09 season played out and what to expect for the future.
Part 1. Building the Knicks
Part 2. How it Played Out
Part 3. Noteworthy Stats
The 2008-09 season found the Knicks setting new franchise marks as well as posting personal records. Below are the season's most noteworthy accomplishments:
Top Individual Accomplishments:
Lee recorded a league-leading 65 double-doubles in 81 games and ranked third in the league with 11.7 rebounds per game.
Nate Robinson ranked second in scoring among players who have come off the bench in at least half of their team’s games with 17.2 points per game. He tied Bob McAdoo’s franchise record for most points off the bench with 41 on Feb. 23.
Wilson Chandler finished fifth in the NBA in scoring among second-year players with 14.4 points per game. He finished tied for first for the league’s largest scoring increase (7.1 pts.) from the previous season.
Al Harrington led the Knicks and ranked 20th in the NBA with 20.1 points per game. He eclipsed the 10,000-point mark for his career on Apr. 12.
Chris Duhon recorded a franchise record 22 assists on Nov. 29 against the Golden State Warriors. The previous record was held by Richie Guerin, who dished out 21.
Duhon made a franchise-record 44 consecutive free throws, surpassing Latrell Sprewell’s previous mark of 41.
Top Team Accomplishments:
The Knicks set a franchise record with only three turnovers in a win at Detroit on March 11.
The Knicks went 20-21 at home after going 15-26 at The Garden the year before.
The Knicks led the NBA in 3-pointers attempted (27.9) and 3-pointers made (10.0). They surpassed the franchise records for 3-pointers made (823) and attempted (2,284).
The Knicks finished fourth in the league with 105.2 points per game.
The Knicks scored a season-high 138 points against Golden State on Nov. 29. The Knicks eclipsed the 100-point mark in 26 straight games from Jan. 19 – March 13.
Additional Season Notes:
Robinson defeated Orlando’s Dwight Howard at the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star Weekend in Phoenix.
The Knicks honored Dick McGuire, Carl Braun, Richie Guerin, Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, Bernard King and Patrick Ewing on Legends Award Night on March 23.
