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Another thing to look at considering the Knicks is the historical accuracy of needing a Top 10 offense and defense to go deep. Yes it can be done without it, but way more often than not the teams in the Finals have both, and the winner is all but a little more than a handful of times ranked Top 10 in both.
Those Knicks team never ranked Top 10 in offense during the Riley or Van Gundy years. They came damn close in 1992 though, but were a 4th seed and faced a superior Bulls team (though took them to 7 games) in the 2nd round.
Concerning Portland meanwhile was Top 10 three years in both categories from 89-92 with two Finals appearances:
Kinda easy to see why the Knicks fell short, and while matchups and talent level matter more than these rankings, they do play a role. The offensive fire power who could also play defense usually beat the Knicks, hence their losses to the Bulls numerous times.
And the year the Knicks made the Finals under Riley, in 1994, they faced:
They didn't face any Top 10 offense in those playoffs (as the East had zero that year, and someone had to go to the Finals) and struggled with the Jordan-less Bulls and Reggie Miller that each went 7 games.
Then in the Finals they faced a team very similar to them that also went to down to the wire and a Game 7. A couple of bounces in Game 6 and they probably win, but no such luck. The Rockets ranked 15-2 that year and were helped out a lot by Seattle getting very very upset in the First Round that year.
Those Knicks team never ranked Top 10 in offense during the Riley or Van Gundy years. They came damn close in 1992 though, but were a 4th seed and faced a superior Bulls team (though took them to 7 games) in the 2nd round.
| Season | Seed | Team | Record | Off Rat | Def Rat | Coach | Results |
| 1991-92 | 4 | Knicks | 51-31 | 11 | 2 | P. Riley | L-2nd Rnd vs CHI 4-3 |
| 1992-93 | 1 | Knicks | 60-22 | 22 | 1 | P. Riley | L-ECF vs CHI 4-2 |
| 1993-94 | 2 | Knicks | 57-25 | 16 | 1 | P. Riley | L-Finals vs HOU 4-3 |
Concerning Portland meanwhile was Top 10 three years in both categories from 89-92 with two Finals appearances:
| Season | Seed | Team | Record | Off Rat | Def Rat | Coach | Results |
| 1989-90 | 3 | Blazers | 59-23 | 9 | 4 | R. Adelman | L-Finals vs DET 4-1 |
| 1990-91 | 1 | Blazers | 63-19 | 2 | 3 | R. Adelman | L-WCF vs LAL 4-2 |
| 1991-92 | 1 | Blazers | 57-25 | 7 | 3 | R. Adelman | L-Finals vs CHI 4-2 |
Kinda easy to see why the Knicks fell short, and while matchups and talent level matter more than these rankings, they do play a role. The offensive fire power who could also play defense usually beat the Knicks, hence their losses to the Bulls numerous times.
And the year the Knicks made the Finals under Riley, in 1994, they faced:
| Seed | Team | Rec | Off Rat | Def Rat | Results |
| 7 | Nets | 45-37 | 13 | 10 | W 3-1 |
| 3 | Bulls | 55-27 | 14 | 6 | W 4-3 |
| 5 | Pacers | 47-35 | 11 | 8 | W 4-3 |
Then in the Finals they faced a team very similar to them that also went to down to the wire and a Game 7. A couple of bounces in Game 6 and they probably win, but no such luck. The Rockets ranked 15-2 that year and were helped out a lot by Seattle getting very very upset in the First Round that year.
