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1988–89 New York Knicks season

The 1988–89 New York Knicks season was the 43rd season for the team in the National Basketball Association (NBA). During the off-season, the Knicks acquired Charles Oakley from the Chicago Bulls, and selected point guard Rod Strickland out of DePaul University with the 19th overall pick in the 1988 NBA draft. At midseason, the team traded their future first-round draft pick to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for All-Star forward Kiki Vandeweghe. In the regular season, the Knicks held a 32–16 record at the All-Star break, finished with a 52–30 record, and won the Atlantic Division title for the first time since 1970–71. The team also posted a successful 35–6 home record at Madison Square Garden during the season.

Patrick Ewing averaged 22.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 3.5 blocks per game, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team and NBA All-Defensive Second Team, and finished in fourth place in Most Valuable Player voting. In addition, second-year guard Mark Jackson averaged 16.9 points, 8.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game, and Johnny Newman provided the team with 16.0 points and 1.4 steals per game. Gerald Wilkins contributed 14.3 points and 1.4 steals per game, while Oakley provided with 12.9 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game, and Strickland contributed 8.9 points and 3.9 assists per game off the bench, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. Ewing and Jackson were both selected to play in the 1989 NBA All-Star Game, which was Jackson's first and only All-Star appearance. Reserve forward Kenny Walker won the Slam Dunk Contest during the All-Star Weekend in Houston, Texas, and head coach Rick Pitino finished in sixth place in Coach of the Year voting.

In the playoffs, the Knicks swept the Philadelphia 76ers, 3–0 in the Eastern Conference first round, to advance to the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, where the team lost to Michael Jordan, and the 6th-seeded Chicago Bulls in six games.

Following the season, Pitino resigned after two seasons with the Knicks and became the head coach at the University of Kentucky, and Sidney Green was left unprotected in the 1989 NBA Expansion Draft, where he was selected by the Orlando Magic expansion team.