The far more pertinent discussion involving Carmelo Anthony’s Knicks tenure should be regarding the difficulty of pulling off a blockbuster trade for a superstar in the modern NBA.
Van Gundy’s Knicks finished the 50-game 1998-99 campaign with a record of 27-23, winning six of their final eight games for the final playoff berth in the East.
Nikola Jokic got a triple-double in his NBA Finals debut, Jamal Murray scored 26 points and the Denver Nuggets had little trouble with the cold-shooting Miami Heat.
Erik Spoelstra, a two-time champion coaching in his sixth NBA Finals, pressed the right buttons once again after his team was overpowered in the series opener.