A Knick(s) in time

 Your New York Knickerbockers are back in the NBA Finals again, and, listen, pal, they mean bidness. Lathered the Cleveland Cavaliers in four straight in the Eastern Conference, winning Games 2, 3 and 4 by a combined 66 points. That includes Game 4 in C-town, when they squashed the Cavs like a bug, 130-93.

One-thirty to 93! That's 37 points to you and me, kids.

In any case, they look unstoppable right now, having won 11 straight playoff games. Now they await the winner between the Spurs and the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, either of whom will presumably be the favorite in the NBA Finals.

Think New York will care. if so?

Hell, no, New York won't care. This is, after all, the first time the Knicks have been in the Finals in 27 years. And it's the first time they've been in the Finals after a full 82-game season in 32 years.

The 1998-99 season, see, got cut to 50 games thanks to a lockout, and the Knicks only showed up for a little more than half of those. They went a "meh" 27-23 in the regular season, then shocked a whole lot of people by making it to the Finals.

Beat Reggie Miller, the Davis boys and the Indiana Pacers in six games in the Eastern Conference finals, the Knicks did. Lost in five in the Finals to the Big Fundamental, Tim Duncan, and the San Antonio Spurs. 

Patrick Ewing, Allan Houston, Latrell Sprewell and Marcus Camby were the big names on that Knicks team. They're all in their 50s now -- except for Ewing, who's 63.

Which is to say, 1999 was a long time ago.

It's so long ago nine players on the current roster hadn't even been born. Bill Clinton was president, and everyone was worried about Y2K, one of the biggest nothingburgers in contemporary American history. "You've got mail!" was still a thing; Facebook and Twitter and Instagram and TikTok were not. Heck, MySpace wasn't even around yet.

That year, the Yankees won the World Series. John Elway was still playing football, and Wayne Gretzky was still playing hockey.  Dr. Jack Miller the Racing Dentist was racing in the Indianapolis 500, and so were Jeret Schroeder, Stan Wattles, Buzz Calkins and John Hollansworth Jr. And instead of a Ford or Offy power plant, almost everyone was driving an Oldsmobile. 

The winner that year?

Kenny Brack, a Swede.

The winner this year?

Felix Rosenqvist, another Swede.

One of the two teams playing for the right to face the Knicks in the Finals?

The Spurs. Same as in '99.

Hmm.

I sense some temporal convergence here. But maybe that's just me.