The New York Knicks last captured the National Basketball Association championship when Richard Nixon was in the White House. Since 1973, despite many greats suiting up for the blue and orange–Bernard King, Patrick Ewing, and Carmelo Anthony being some of the most noteworthy–the team has never made it back to the top. In the last decade, they’ve only made the playoffs twice, and have languished in the shadow of the more palatable (but volatile) success of the Brooklyn Nets.
But is this year different?
To the naked eye, yes. Heading into tonight’s matchup with the Miami Heat, the Knicks have won seven straight games dating back before the All-Star Break. After the Nets collapsed following their decision to ship off Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, they’ve climbed up to the East’s fifth seed (37-27) and are knocking on the door of the fourth. Julius Randle regained All-Star form this season, reminding everyone what he was able to do in 2021.
Offseason acquisition Jalen Brunson has played like an All-Star this season, stepping up his game against the NBA’s best. And among the supporting cast, Mitchell Robinson, RJ Barrett, Quinten Grimes, Immanuel Quickley, and even Josh Hart have played well enough to turn heads towards the emerging depth on the team.
One never wants to cling too closely to the hype, but there’s little evidence by this point that the Knicks will fall off. They own the NBA’s seventh best net rating and had a great February by tearing apart the Boston Celtics, the former top team in the East. If they secure the 4th seed, that would mean home court advantage in the playoffs, and given how far they have risen recently they could certainly clinch it. The whole team is young (only two players over 30), everyone is back from injuries, and the resume is strong.
The issue is that this team is not a championship contender. Despite their odds of winning it all, improving rapidly over the past few weeks, a quick survey around the NBA reveals that the Knicks sit comfortably outside the true upper tier. In the West, the win-loss records may not jump out, but the Nuggets have been dominant, the Warriors just got Steph Curry back, and the Suns just traded for KD. And in the East, New York’s direct competition, they may have beaten Boston, but that was without Celtics’ star Jaylen Brown suiting up. The Milwaukee Bucks have additionally taken the throne as kings of the East with their incredible 16-game win streak strung together on the back of MVP-candidate (and one of the two best players in the world) Giannis Antetokounmpo. Even if you think the Knicks could stack up with the West (which is a huge if), nobody can catch the Bucks.
Will the Knicks be a postseason team? Of course. Will they win a series? You bet. Can they make the Eastern Conference Finals? That’s pushing it. Will they win it all? No.
