The New York Knicks completed their sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers to advance to their first NBA Finals since the 1998-99 season, when they lost in five games to the San Antonio Spurs.

To put things in perspective, the New York Islanders were five years into their 23-season playoff series win drought at the time, coming off a 24-48-9-1 season, tied for the second-worst record in the NHL.

This was also Mike Milbury's final season as the team's head coach.

Following an 11-game winless streak, he stepped away from the bench to focus solely on his role as general manager, handing the coaching reins to Bill Stewart, who took over on January 21, 1999.

The Islanders’ leading point scorer was Robert Reichel, who had 56 points in 70 games before being dealt to the Phoenix Coyotes on March 20, 1999, for then-21-year-old Brad Isbister and a 1999 third-round pick.

Other notable Islanders from that season included Žigmund Pálffy, who was traded to the Los Angeles Kings during the 1999 offseason, and Zdeno Chara, who was in the second of four seasons during his initial stint with the Islanders.

At the time, Roberto Luongo and Mike Rupp were also prospects in the Islanders’ system, though both would be with new franchises by the 2000 offseason.

The Knicks will now face either the reigning NBA Finals champion Oklahoma City Thunder or the San Antonio Spurs in a 1999 rematch.