The NBA Finals return to Madison Square Garden on Monday night, ending a 27-year drought at the "World's Most Famous Arena."
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.
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.
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Rosters from last NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden
Spurs 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.
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.
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Stats from last NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden
Line 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
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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.
Sure Knicks tickets are expensive but they've always been hard to get for the Finals. The last time the Knicks made it to the Finals in 1999, Muhammad Ali barely got a pair. Courtside seats went for $2,500 in 1999. pic.twitter.com/dIISQqltCe
— Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) May 25, 2026
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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:
Matt Dillon
Woody Allen
Rick Moranis
Bill Bradley
Billy Crystal
Billy Baldwin
Macho Camacho
Matthew Modine
But what about celebrity row in Game 5, the final game in which the Knicks played in the Finals (until now)? Well, here ya go! pic.twitter.com/b8gnd2ds23
— Velodus✨ (@velodus) May 26, 2026
MORE: Inside celebrity row at Madison Square Garden
Pop culture from week of last NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden
Music
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.
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."