5 Teams that were lucky to reach the NBA Finals

#2 1999 – New York Knicks

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In a lockout-shortened season in 1999, the Knicks became one of the few 8th seeds to win a playoff series and advance all the way to the Finals.

Beating the top seed Miami in a slugfest, the Knicks powered their way through the Eastern Conference to reach the finals and meet the clinical and talented Spurs roster where a young Tim Duncan was making his presence felt.

All the Knicks were not talent light with the likes of Sprewell, Larry Johnson, and Allan Houston. The path through the East while victorious was costly as they lost Ewing to injury and also Johnson battled an injury which limited his performance.

Facing the dynamic duo of Duncan and Robinson without Ewing was always going to be an uphill battle for the untested Marcus Camby and the series, barring a Game 3 victory for the Knicks in front of a raucous Garden crowd quickly turned into a one-sided affair with a 1-4 series loss for the Knicks who would never make it to the Finals post that.