The fighting New York Knicks were toughest crew in NBA history and hammered Michael Jordan

May 19, 2026 - 14:00

Pat Riley came out of retirement to turn Madison Square Garden into the Knicks’ playground.

Patrick Ewing became the perfect top pick for New York.

Patrick Ewing was an all-time great in the paint for the New York Knicks[/caption]

No one was tougher than the 90s Knicks

While the 2025-26 version of the Knicks attempt to return to the NBA Finals by beating the Cleveland Cavaliers — Game 1 is on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden — the 1990s Knicks are known as the toughest team in NBA history to never win a championship.

Blame Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Phil Jackson and the first era of the Chicago Bulls‘ dynasty.

“Anybody that was trying to take something from us, that’s a rivalry,” Jordan told Ahmad Rashad.

“Every game, we tried to send a statement. We tried to make sure they don’t gain anything against us.”

But also blame Hakeem Olajuwon, the Houston Rockets in the first post-Jordan era, and John Starks shooting 2-of-18 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

The Knicks led 3-2 in the 1994 Finals, moving one win away from a world championship.

The Rockets rode The Dream inside The Summit to back-to-back victories, and a trophy that New York is still seeking more than 30 years later.

“You never get over it,” Starks told Sports Illustrated in 2023.

Knicks blew 3-2 lead in NBA Finals

“You just kind of put it in a little box in your mind and keep it there. Playoffs come around, it starts to open up a little bit. As a player, you never forget that.

“I don’t care what anybody says. When you have a moment like that, and I know a lot of guys had moments like that, let that destroy their lives and never recovered from it. You never forget about it.”

The Knicks weren’t afraid to mix it up on the court[/caption]

Pat Riley dove on the floor and ended up on the bottom of a pile[/caption]

Greg Anthony got involved from the bench[/caption]

On Tuesday, Jalen Brunson’s Knicks will face Donovan Mitchell, James Harden and the resilient Cavs in Game 1.

The cheapest ticket on the secondary market is $502 to have a seat inside famous Madison Square Garden.

As the Knicks fought off 20-point deficits and humbled the Boston Celtics in the playoff semifinals last season, echoes of the 1990s team could still be heard.

“Going home we realize the opportunity we have. We just have to stay locked in,” Brunson said.

Riley toughened New York after taking over

Riley created intense belief within the Knicks as the 1990s began, toughening up his Showtime Lakers image and leaving behind the TV booth.

The New York native went 223-105 in blue and orange, and collected four consecutive winning seasons.

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Prior to Riley’s arrival, the Knicks posted just four winning seasons in 10 years.

He recorded at least 50 wins in each of his four seasons, topped off by leading New York to its first NBA Finals appearance since 1972-73.

Riley won NBA Coach of the Year in 1993, while Ewing was an annual MVP contender and became one of the best big men of all-time.

‘Let them know what they are,’ Jordan said

Charles Oakley, Derek Harper, Anthony Mason, Greg Anthony, Doc Rivers, Charles Smith and Jeff Van Gundy became lasting names in New York.

But Jordan and Pippen also played in the Eastern Conference, and the Bulls knocked the Knicks out of the playoffs in 1992 and ’93 on the way to world titles.

“As long as Patrick was gonna be there, as long as Oakley was gonna be there, as long as Starks was gonna be there, you gotta let them know what they are, this is where you belong,” Jordan said.

“I don’t care who you think you are, this is where you belong.”

Jordan and Oakley later became friends.

Patrick Ewing and Pat Riley defined the New York Knicks' toughness in the 1990s — Ewing and Pat Riley defined the Knicks’ toughness in the 1990s

Ewing won two gold medals, made the Hall of Fame and coached Georgetown, his alma mater.

Knicks and Bulls had mutual respect

He also wasn’t afraid to praise Air Jordan, despite his former nemesis going 6-0 in the Finals and getting in the way of a potential Knicks championship in the early 1990s.

“Michael Jordan is the best in my era,” Ewing said on The Mark Jackson Show.

“The way that he played, everything he brought to the table — not to take anything away from LeBron (James) and Kobe (Bryant).”

The Knicks reached the Eastern Conference semis in 1992, advanced to the conference finals in ’93, and were four quarters away from a world championship in ’94.

The Knicks were a tough out and almost won the Finals[/caption]

Riley lasted one more year, then got it all right again in Miami.

One of the best coaches and front-office leaders in NBA history lured King James out of Cleveland to create the most famous Big 3 in basketball history.

Against the Cavs, Brunson and his current New York crew will attempt to carry the 2026 Knicks to the Finals for the first time in 27 years.