Knicks 2004-05 Season in Review, Part I

THE NEW YORK KNICKERBOCKERS marked their 59th season as a charter member of the NBA with a 33-49 (.402) regular season mark... Knicks finished in a fourth-place tie with Toronto in the Atlantic Division, 12 games behind division champion Boston, and failed to qualify for the NBA Playoffs.

Herb Williams gives a thumbs up to his team during a game against the Milwaukee Bucks on January 23, 2005 at MSG. Jim McIsaac/NBAE/Getty Images

THE RECORD (33-49): Knicks recorded six fewer victories than in 2003-04 (39-43)... Knicks were 16-27 (.372) following the Jan 22 appointment of Herb Williams as head coach... After going 16-13 in their first 29 games, Knicks lost 36 of their remaining 53 contests... Knicks have recorded four consecutive sub-.500 campaigns for the first time since they finished below .500 for four straight seasons, 1984-85 through 1987-88... Last time Knicks recorded more than four straight sub.-500 seasons was when they finished under .500 for eight straight years, from 1959-60 through 1966-67... After a club record 14 consecutive post-season appearances (1988-2001), Knicks missed the Playoffs for the third time in the last four seasons... Knicks were mathematically eliminated from the Eastern Conference Playoff race on April 8, by virtue of a 102-94 loss to Chicago (game no. 75) and Philadelphia’s 103-98 win over Cleveland.

WON-LOST STREAKS: Knicks’ longest winning streak was three games, three times (Nov 27-Dec 1, Dec 26-29, Feb 24-28)... Longest losing streak was nine games (March 25-April 8), Knicks’ longest losing streak since their club record 12-game streak in 1984-85 (March 23-April 13, 1985; final 12 games of season).

BY THE MONTHS: Knicks were 7-6 in November, 9-7 in December, 2-13 in January, 6-7 in February, 5-8 in March and 4-8 in April... Knicks’ 2-13 January marked their lowest win total in a “full” month since February 2002 (2-10).

Jamal Crawford shoots the game-winning shot as time expired to help the Knicks defeat the Rockets 93-92. Bill Baptist/NBAE/Getty Images

AT HOME (22-19): Knicks’ 22 home wins marked their lowest total since 2001-02 (19-22)... Knicks’ longest home winning streak was seven from Feb 13-March 8 (vs. Charlotte, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Indiana, Lakers, Golden State and Washington)... Knicks also won six straight home games from Nov 9-Dec 1 (vs. Philadelphia, Clippers, Cleveland, Atlanta, Toronto and Memphis)... Longest home losing streak was five from April 1-17 (vs. New Jersey, Indiana, Chicago, Toronto and Atlanta)... Knicks lost five of the season’s last six home games.

ON THE ROAD (11-30): After winning 16 road games in 2003-04, Knicks’ 11 road wins in 2004-05 marked their lowest total since 2001-02 (11-30)... Longest road winning streak was three (April 10-16 at Indiana, Cleveland and Charlotte) as Knicks won three of the season’s last four road games... Longest road losing streak was nine (Jan 5-Feb 5 at Miami, Cleveland, Chicago, Toronto, Detroit, Clippers, Denver, Sacramento and Phoenix), snapped with 102-99 OT win at Utah, Feb 7. Nine-game road losing streak was Knicks’ longest since they dropped a club record 18 straight road games in 1987-88 (Dec 3, 1987-Feb 22, 1988)... Knicks recorded just three road wins against the Western Conference (3-12), winning at Houston on Nov 18 (93-92 on Crawford’s buzzer-beater), at New Orleans on Dec 8 (86-79) and at Utah on Feb 7 (102-99, OT)... For the second straight season, Knicks failed to win a game in the Pacific Time Zone, a span of 17 consecutive losses (last win at Pacific on Feb 16, 2003 at Lakers, 117-110 behind Allan Houston’s 53 points).

STREAKBUSTERS: Despite winning only 11 road games, Knicks snapped three significant road losing streaks this season: nine games overall (seven regular season + two Playoff) at New Jersey with 87-79 win on Dec 14; eight games at Indiana with 113-112 OT win on April 10, and seven games at Cleveland with 95-89 win on April 14.

THE NEW YORK KNICKERBOCKERS marked their 59th season as a charter member of the NBA with a 33-49 (.402) regular season mark... Knicks finished in a fourth-place tie with Toronto in the Atlantic Division, 12 games behind division champion Boston, and failed to qualify for the NBA Playoffs.

Stephon Marbury drives to the basket against the T-Wolves Kevin Garnett. Jim McIsaac/NBAE/Getty Images

ON THE LEADER BOARD: Stephon Marbury finished fourth in the NBA in assists per game (8.1), and his 668 total assists ranked second to Phoenix’ Steve Nash (861)... Steph also ranked 15th in the NBA in scoring (21.7 ppg), sixth in minutes per game (40.0) and 17th in steals per game (1.49)... Kurt Thomas was seventh in the NBA in rebounding (career-high 10.4 rpg), the highest finish for a Knick on the NBA Leader Board since Patrick Ewing ranked fifth in 1996-97 (10.7 rpg). Kurt was fourth in the NBA in defensive rebounds per game (8.3) and tied for 12th in double-doubles (32)... Jamal Crawford was sixth in the NBA in 3PT FGM (185), sixth in 3PT FGA (512), 28th in scoring (17.7 ppg) and tied for 16th in mpg (38.4)... Tim Thomas ranked 14th in 3 PT shooting pct (.409)... Among NBA rookies (using same qualifiers as regular season leaders), Trevor Ariza finished tied for 14th in scoring average (5.9), 11th in rebounding (3.0), 12th in assists (1.1) and eighth in steals (0.88 spg).

EAST/WEST: Knicks went 21-31 against the Eastern Conference, 12-18 against the West (in 2003-04, they were 31-23 vs. East, 8-20 vs. West)... Knicks recorded just one series sweep this season, going 2-0 vs. Utah (first series sweep vs. Jazz since 2-0 in 1991-92)... On the flip side, Knicks were swept in the season series by Chicago (0-4), Dallas (0-2), Detroit (0-3), Miami (0-4, first-ever season sweep by Heat over Knicks), Phoenix (0-2), Sacramento (0-2) and Seattle (0-2)... Knicks recorded season series wins over Atlanta (3-1), Charlotte (3-1), Cleveland (3-1), Philadelphia (3-1) and Washington (2-1).

HERB: Herb Williams was named head coach of the Knickerbockers on Jan 22, 2005, following the resignation of Hall of Fame coach Lenny Wilkens... Knicks went 17-22 under Wilkens, 16-27 under Williams... Williams has a career mark of 17-27 as Knicks head coach (incl. 120-110 win over Orlando as interim head coach; Jan 14, 2004)... On Nov 8, assistant coach Dick Helm resigned while director, pro player personnel Brendan Suhr took on additional duties as assistant coach.

NEW FACES OF ’05: In his first full season as president, basketball operations, Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas continued a wide series of player moves geared to the short- and long-term improvement of the Knicks... Opening Night roster featured newcomers Jamal Crawford, Jerome Williams, Trevor Ariza and Jamison Brewer (injured list)... For the second straight year, Thomas again swung into action as the trading deadline approached, acquiring veterans Malik Rose from San Antonio and Maurice Taylorfrom Houston on Feb 24... Rookie center Jackie Butler (Feb 27) and veteran backcourt man Jermaine Jackson (Feb 28) were signed as free agents... At the close of the 2004-05 season, only three players remained from the Knicks’ 15-man 2003-04 Opening Night roster: Allan Houston (injured list), Michael Sweetney and Kurt Thomas.

THE NEW YORK KNICKERBOCKERS marked their 59th season as a charter member of the NBA with a 33-49 (.402) regular season mark... Knicks finished in a fourth-place tie with Toronto in the Atlantic Division, 12 games behind division champion Boston, and failed to qualify for the NBA Playoffs.

Rookie Trevor Ariza showed off his dunking skills all season for New York making some sweet plays. Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images

YOUTH SHALL BE SERVED: A Knicks squad that traditionally leaned on veterans had a distinct accent on youth in 2004-05... The 2004-05 Knicks roster averaged 27.1 years of age, the youngest for a Knicks team since 1989-90 (26.8)... With Michael Sweetney and Trevor Ariza both making the Opening Night roster, it marked the first time since 1992-93 (Greg Anthony, Hubert Davis) that the Knicks had players from two consecutive drafts on the team at the same time... This year’s squad featured the two youngest Knicks in the franchise’s 59-year history: Ariza (who debuted at 19 years, four months and four days old on Nov 3 at Minnesota) and Jackie Butler (20 years, 11 days old on March 21 vs. Spurs). Both supplanted five-time All-Star Carl Braun, who debuted at 20 years, one month and 19 days old on Nov 13, 1947 vs. Washington... Including Sweetney (who debuted at 21 years, four days old on Oct 29, 2003), the 2004-05 Knicks featured three of the four youngest Knicks since 1964-65.

LIFE AT THE TOP: Knicks held at least a share of first place in the Atlantic Division for 56 consecutive days (Nov 23-Jan 19)... On Nov 23, Knicks took a half-game lead over Boston with a 104-88 rout of Atlanta at the Garden. Except for a 1-0 start in 2001-02, it marked the first time the Knicks held undisputed possession of the Atlantic Division lead since Feb 22, 2000 (one-half game ahead of Miami)... Knicks held down first place until Jan 19, when a 98-81 loss at Toronto knocked them from the top spot. They would not return to first place for the remainder of the season.