The New York Knicks haven’t hung a championship banner inside Madison Square Garden since 1973. Leon Rose’s job was to change that, and lately he’s been acting like he’s running out of time.
The Knicks’ lead executive has made nothing but big swings, forcing open a championship window by mortgaging every future draft pick he could find to build a team of highly-paid, in-their-prime stars with five-out spacing, lockdown wing defense, and a true lead engine taking every big shot. The urgency of the Knicks’ mission pulses through every moment of this season, when the East has opened up thanks to a pair of untimely Achilles tears and more lucky ping-pong balls bouncing the West’s way. The Knicks have to win the East this year. Anything else would be considered a moral failing of just about everyone involved.
There’s no telling where the Knicks will hang their 2025 NBA Cup banner (yes, teams hang those), which they earned with an incredibly gritty 124-113 win over the San Antonio Spurs in Las Vegas on Tuesday night. Maybe Madison Square Garden will display it alongside the Atlantic Division title banners that no one cares about, or the Billy Joel banner that was raised in 2006 at the nadir of New York’s organizational malaise. It’s not the banner Rose wants to hang, but it still serves as a proof of concept that this group has what it takes to win big games against the most talented teams in the NBA.
The Spurs might be young, but their performance in the Cup showed they already need to be taken seriously in the championship picture. San Antonio did the impossible by ending the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 16-game winning streak in the semifinals by riding the emotional high and 8-foot wingspan of Victor Wembanyama’s return to action. The Spurs are built to challenge the Thunder long-term with De’Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper, and Stephon Castle growing into a trusted core around the 7’5 French alien, but in the Cup final they learned about all the ways proud, veteran teams will fight back, especially when Wembanyama is still on a minutes restriction.
Wembanyama splashed three straight jump shots at the end of the third quarter that would have ended a lesser team on contact. Not the Knicks. Jordan Clarkson ripped a three on the very next possession, and after a Knicks stop, Tyler Kolek knocked down another one to trim the deficit to five points by the third quarter buzzer.
In the fourth, Mitchell Robinson’s physicality swung the game. Robinson grabbed six of his 10 offensive rebounds on the night in the period, gashing San Antonio’s small lineup around Wembanyama by running through any would-be box outs. Jalen Brunson might have won Cup MVP, but even he couldn’t answer Taylor Rooks’ questions without lauding his teammates for what was a true group effort:
This was not a particularly good night by Brunson’s standards with 25 points on 27 shots with four turnovers, but in some ways proving them could win a high-stakes game against an elite opponent without Brunson at his best is exactly what this team needed. New York did it their way, earning 11 more possessions than San Antonio on the night (according to this formula). The NBA is becoming a possession league and the Knicks can win the possession battle every night with this team. OG Anunoby was spectacular on both ends. Josh Hart’s energy and rebounding just can’t be replicated. On a night when Miles McBride and Landry Shamet were out with injuries, Tyler Kolek stepped up with the best game of his career, and Jordan Clarkson gave his best effort of the season.
Can the Knicks ride their NBA Cup championship to real glory in the playoffs? There’s four more months until the postseason march begins, but a few things are already clear.
The Knicks are in their own tier in the East
The Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers were the two obvious favorites in the East entering the season, and both of them were in Finals-or-bust mode. So far, the Cavs have gone bust. Cleveland has had a nightmare season, with a recent Evan Mobley calf strain adding to Darius Garland’s banged up toe, Max Strus’ fractured foot, Ty Jerome’s free agent departure, and Jarrett Allen’s underwhelming campaign. The Cavs still have plenty of time and plenty of talent to get right, but at the moment they are not close to the Knicks, and it’s going to take a major turnaround for them to ever be.
The Detroit Pistons have risen in Cleveland’s stead, and look like the Knicks’ biggest rival. Detroit is leading the conference with an elite defense, clutch shot-making from Cade Cunningham, and an All-Star turn from young big man Jalen Duren. Detroit can absolutely push the Knicks again after pushing them in the first round last season, but for now New York feels like a solid favorite in that series.
The rest of the East? I’m not buying the Raptors, my preseason pick of the Orlando Magic just can’t figure out how to maximize their two best players, and the Hawks, Heat, and Sixers just don’t have the horses. Maybe Boston can challenge the Knicks if Jayson Tatum returns from his Achilles tear this season, but that almost sounds like too much to ask.
Is it crazy to think the Knicks might be a bigger favorite in the East than the Thunder are in the West. OKC has to deal with the Nuggets, Rockets, and Spurs, three teams that feel significantly better than any East challenger this year. The path to the Larry OB still runs through OKC, but there’s no doubt who the favorite is in the East. It’s the Knicks’ year. It has to be.
No NBA Cup champion has ever advanced in the NBA Playoffs
Okay, this is only the third year of the NBA Cup, but so far the Cup Curse is real.
- The Lakers won the Cup in 2024 only to be eliminated in the first-round by Denver in five games
- The Bucks won the Cup in 2025 and proceeded to get knocked out in the first-round for third straight year
The Knicks are going to win a series this year, because they won a series the past three years, and this is their best team yet. Making the Finals will be a different beast, the Knicks will be favored in every series.
New York still has its problems. Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns need to prove they can both be on the floor in big moments despite both wearing targets on their chest defensively. If KAT has to go to the bench, well, there goes the five-out spacing. Robinson is proving to be a huge difference maker for this team, but he’s one of the most injury prone players in the league. Can he really stay healthy for a full postseason run? It feels like New York needs him to be.
This the year Knicks fans have been waiting for. Giannis rumors will be waiting if they fall short any time before the Finals, and hell, maybe even if they reach the Finals. This isn’t the banner New York wants, but winning the NBA Cup at least shows the Knicks really can compete with the league’s best this year.
