The New York Knicks had a great weekend, blowing out the Hawks and Suns on Saturday and Sunday to reach 50 wins for the second consecutive season. While this milestone seems trivial compared to the pursuit of a championship, it’s worth noting how far this franchise has come. It’s a stunning fact for a city that prides itself on being the Mecca of Basketball, but this was the first time New York has had back-to-back 50-win campaigns since they did it four straight times from 1992 to 1995. That was over three decades ago when Patrick Ewing ran the show at Madison Square Garden. In fact, before Jalen Brunson and Tom Thibodeau, the Knicks only won 50-plus games one time since 2000 (2012-13). It’s been decades since this iconic franchise has been a sustainable contender. Well, they finally are now, and the fanbase shouldn’t take it for granted.
Knicks Fans Should Appreciate This Team After Reaching 50 Wins
I understand why there is a general air of disappointment surrounding this specific Knicks team. They’ve made several transformative trades in the last year-plus, leaving the fanbase feeling like they upgraded in talent but downgraded in culture. Several of the foundational pieces of the gritty, hard-nosed Thibodeau Knicks teams that resonated so well with New York City are gone. From Julius Randle to Donte DiVincenzo to RJ Barrett to Isaiah Hartenstein, the fans miss the underdog mentality of previous iterations of the squad.
When you add the struggles against the elite teams in the league (0-10 against BOS, CLE, OKC, and LAL), it doesn’t even feel like the Knicks got better through these trades. Fans feel as though they’ve sacrificed their identity for better talent that doesn’t produce better results. While the concern about losing to the NBA’s best is legitimate, this year’s team is undisputedly the best Knicks squad in nearly 30 years.
They’ve reached 50 wins with four games to go in a league that is deeper with talent than ever before. They have the fifth-best record in the entire NBA. New York has a top-three quality offense that is certainly good enough to win a championship. They have a starting lineup that stacks up with any other team. NY has just about locked up the East’s third seed with a week to play and can look ahead to the playoffs. Yes, they’ve struggled mightily against the league’s top teams, but it doesn’t mean they haven’t had an excellent season.
New York Is Still A Championship Contender
While the top tier of the NBA certainly seems to be Boston, Oklahoma City, and Cleveland, the Knicks are right on their heels. New York is as well positioned as anyone at the top of the next group of teams like the Lakers, Rockets, Warriors, Nuggets, and Timberwolves. New York has thrived against the rest of the playoff field and is arguably the most talented team outside of the top three.
When Game 1 of the first round tips off at MSG, all of the regular season baggage disappears. NY’s entire 10-man rotation is healthy. Their superstar, playoff-proven point guard is back at full strength. Thibodeau has incredible lineup flexibility depending on their postseason matchups. The Knicks have arguably the best home-court advantage in basketball to lean on. There are a lot of reasons to be excited for a potential playoff run, even if NY enters the playoffs as massive underdogs. The team should embrace the doubt and take advantage of an opportunity to shock the world.
Boston is an extremely tough second-round opponent for the Knicks. The Celtics have certain matchup advantages over New York but are certainly beatable if Thibodeau’s squad plays its best. Furthermore, this is just the first year of this core playing together. If they can’t get it done this season, there’s no shame in that. They’ve already accomplished a lot and will have many more cracks at a championship run.
Photo credit: © Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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