1998: Alonzo Mourning vs. Larry Johnson

We reach the second best Knicks brawl of the 1990’s and this one was a tough one. Some may say that the fight between Alonzo Mourning and Larry Johnson in the first round of the 1998 Eastern Conference playoffs takes the cake, but it only reaches second on this list.

Following a disappointing year for the Knicks, both teams met again and this time it was the first round. In Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals, the Knicks were down 2-1 in the series, but evened everything up with a 90-85 win. Once again, despite the score, the game was highlighted with another brawl and this one came in the closing seconds.

With just five seconds left, Mourning and Johnson found themselves in a tussle and before either of them landed a punch, the team benches were already cleared. Knicks head coach Jeff Van Gundy found himself caught up in the middle of it and was trying to grab onto Mourning’s legs to break up the fight—that was evidently unsuccessful.

Both players would end up suspended, but the Knicks ended up moving on from the series.