Were 2012-13 Knicks Ahead of Their Time? Jason Kidd Comments

Jason Kidd is the latest participant to look back on the New York Knicks' accomplished yet disappointing 2012-13 campaign.

Leave to the new century's New York Knicks to bungle even the timing of a dominant 54-win season.

The Knicks' group from 2012-13 remains one of the most uncanny legacies in recent NBA memory: behind an Association-best scoring effort from Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks won 54 games and were the only team to defeat the LeBron James-led Miami Heat three times during that regular season. 

Though the Knicks also enjoyed a Sixth Man of the Year effort from J.R. Smith and ended a dozen-year drought in terms of postseason series victories, the team is mostly viewed as a disappointment thanks to a six-game loss to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinal round. 

Veteran leaders from that team have spoken about their experience in recent times: Tyson Chandler, whose efforts earned him an invite to the 2013 All-Star Game in Houston, lamented the lack of an opportunity to play Miami for an NBA Finals berth while Jason Kidd addressed the idea of the 2012-13 group being ahead of its time during an interview with Dexter Henry of the New York Post.

"It was a lot of fun to play and be able to shoot those threes," Kidd, now the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, told Henry of the Knicks' propensity to shoot from beyond the arc. "Melo was incredible, J.R., Tyson, it was a great team. We were a little older. We probably could play today in the league with the threes we were attempting. But it was a special year for me."

Joe Camporeale, USA TODAY SPORTS

Beyond the marquee names, New York was armed with the deep talents of Steve Novak, Chris Copeland, Iman Shumpert, and Pablo Prigioni, all of whom shot at least 39 percent from three-point range. As a result, the Knicks dug the long ball, hoisting 28.9 three-point attempts per game. 

That was well above the NBA average of 20 tries a game ... a number that has since skyrocketed to 34.2 last season. The boom is typically attributed to the offensive emergence of Golden State Warriors shooter Stephen Curry, who broke Ray Allen's NBA record for most career three-pointers during a visit to Madison Square Garden in December 2021. 

Kidd credited then-Knicks head coach Mike Woodson for putting the blue-and-orange shooters in positions to succeed.

"To be with those players was a lot of fun. The Garden was rocking, there's no better place to play when you're winning," Kidd said. "But Woody put us in that situation to be successful, so it started with our coach."

The modern Knicks were, in a case of cruel irony, done in by struggles from deep: last year's team won 47 games and also earned a first-round series victory, reaching those landmarks for the first time since Kidd's group. But the team shot only 35.4 percent with an extra point on the line during the regular season and that number dropped to 29.2 during the playoff run (the only team among the 16 competitors to shoot below 30). 

Though better known in the metropolitan area for his efforts across the Hudson River with the New Jersey Nets, Kidd was a solid contributor for the Knicks in what became his final NBA season at age 39: often coming off the bench in relief of Shumpert, Kidd averaged 6.0 points and 4.3 rebounds and was looked upon as one of the team's wisest voices.

Despite the bitter ending, Kidd lauded his New York experience. 

"I couldn't ask to end my career in a better situation than the Knicks'," Kidd said. "We came up short but we had an incredible season."