For the first time since 1973, the New York Knicks are NBA Champions

For the first time in 53 years, the New York Knicks are NBA Champions. I really didn’t think I would ever type that sentence but here we are. It has been a long time with a lot of bad moments separating then from now but here we are. There will be a new banner in Madison Square Garden this coming October.

I think we need to go back to 2019 with our story. The Knicks were bad and traded away star Kristaps Porzingis at the trade deadline as they sought to create cap space to sign Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to pair them up with the number 1 pick, Zion Williamson. Knick fans dreamed of it, they had the worst record in the NBA and tons of cap space. That is not what happened. As New York got the third pick in the draft lottery, where they picked RJ Barrett, while Durant and Irving elected to sign with the cross-town rival Nets. The Knicks signed a lot of players with their cap space, Bobby Portis, Marcus Morris Sr., Taj Gibson, Reggie Bullock and Elfird Payton as role players. Their big move was signing Julius Randle away from the Pelicans, who had drafted Williamson. It was a bummer for Knick fans and they were mocked relentlessly but it ended up being a blessing in disguise.

The 2019-20 season was a forgettable one for New York, they finished 21-45 in the COVID-19 shortened season and were one of 8 teams not invited to the bubble. Their big move that offseason was firing President of Basketball Operations Steve Mills and hiring Co-Head of CAA Sports and former NBA Agent Leon Rose to fill the job. What a hire that ended up being.

That offseason, Rose and crew got to work, hiring Tom Thibodeau as the new coach. Thibodeau brought a new identity to the Knicks focused on defense and toughness. They selected Obi Toppin and Immanuel Quickley in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft while signing Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel as free agents. In February, New York would get their point guard, acquiring Derrick Rose from the Pistons for Dennis Smith Jr. and a future 2nd round pick. 2021 was the first time since 2013 that New York would make the playoffs as they were led by a Julius Randle breakout as he averaged 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game as New York would be the 4th seed in the east. The playoffs would not go their way, however, as Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks bested New York in 5 games, ending a great season.

The 2021 draft was a good one for New York, they picked Quentin Grimes and Miles "Deuce” McBride. Free agency didn’t go as well. They signed former Celtics guards Kemba Walker (2yrs/$18 million) and Evan Fournier (4yrs/$72 million) while Rose, Burks, Noel and Gibson all got new multi-year deals as the Knicks tried to make the playoffs again. Like Free agency, the season also did not go well. New York finished 37-45, which was 11th in the Eastern Conference and missed the playoffs and Play-In Tournament (the Knicks remain one of the few teams to have never played in the play-in). They spent the summer of 2022 trying to clear up cap space and collecting assets as they tried to make a new backcourt of Jalen Brunson and Donovan Mitchell.

New York made a few trades at the draft, sending the 11th pick to the Thunder for 3 future first round picks and sending the 13th pick and Kemba Walker to the Pistons for a 2025 first round pick via the Bucks. They then traded Burks, Noel and 2 future 2nd round picks to Detroit for a 2nd round pick that was top 55 protected and did not convey. That freed up the money for the Knicks to sign Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson to a 4-yr/$104 million deal. The Brunson deal left many scratching their heads (not me) but Brunson had just put together an elite playoff run averaging 21.6 points per game as Dallas made the Western Conference Finals. They also re-signed Mitchell Robinson and signed Isaiah Hartenstein to fill out their center room. The deal New York did not make was sending RJ Barrett, other players and a whole lot of picks to the Utah Jazz for Donovan Mitchell, who is from the area. Mitchell, instead, went to the Cavaliers for a big package. It was a risky choice for the Knicks to not take the swing on Mitchell, and one that I criticized, but it has clearly worked out for them not making that deal.

The 2022-23 New York Knicks were good as Brunson continued his elite play averaging 24.0 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. At the trade deadline, the Knicks traded Cam Reddish and a 2023 first round pick to the Portland Trail Blazers for Josh Hart, who was college roommates with Brunson. New York finished 47-35, good enough for 5th in the Eastern Conference. In the first round, New York would take on the Mitchell-led Cleveland Cavaliers. They would win that series in 5 games, winning 3 in a row to close Cleveland out. In round 2, the Knicks took on the 8th seeded Miami Heat, who had just upset the Milwaukee Bucks. New York would drop Game 1 of that series and were unable to recover, dropping all 3 road games in that series to be eliminated by the Heat.

That summer Leon Rose got to work, trading Obi Toppin to the Indiana Pacers for 2 future 2nd round picks which freed up the space to sign Donte DiVincenzo to a 4-yr/$46 million deal. The team also signed Josh Hart to a 4-yr/$81 million extension to keep him in New York long term that summer as well. On December 30th, the Knicks were sitting at 17-15 and swung a huge blockbuster trade sending RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and a 2024 2nd round pick (which ended up being the 31st pick) to the Toronto Raptors for OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn. The big get was Anunoby, who became instrumental in turning around the Knicks season. New York had a monster month of January, going 14-2 and jumping from 8th to 3rd by the end of the month. At the trade deadline, New York acquired Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks (the Alec Burks return was beautiful) from the Pistons for Flynn, Grimes, Fournier and Ryan Arcidiacono, a weird deal by the Pistons if we are being honest. It wasn’t all fun and games as New York would lose Randle for the remainder of the season with a dislocated right shoulder that he needed surgery on.

In the first round of those playoffs, the Knicks would face off against the Philadelphia 76ers in a really fun first round series. It was probably the best series of those playoffs. We all remember the Mike Breen ‘double bang’ when DiVincenzo put the Knicks in the lead during Game 2 but Games 4, 5 and 6 were all really fun ballgames as well. Tyrese Maxey’s really deep three to force a Game 6 is the 2nd biggest play of the series. A Josh Hart dagger in Game 6 would put New York in round 2 against the Indiana Pacers. The Knicks would take a 2-0 series lead, winning Games 1 and 2 at home. An Andrew Nembhard game winner in Game 3 flipped the series in a big way. Indiana would go on to win 4 of the last 5 games of the series and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. A big part of this series loss was the Knicks injuries, DiVincenzo and Burks scored 60% of New York’s points in Game 7 as Brunson and Anunoby both got hurt. It was a disappointing ending but the Knicks knew they were close and had to go all-in.

The 2024 summer saw New York push all their chips into the middle of the table as they traded Bogdanovic, 5 first round picks, a pick swap and a second round pick to the Brooklyn Nets for Mikal Bridges. As Isaiah Hartenstein walked out the door and Mitchell Robinson was dealing with injuries, the Knicks traded for their center, sending Randle, DiVincenzo and a 2025 first round pick to the Timberwolves for Karl-Anthony Towns. New York was all in and ready to win the Eastern Conference. They had a good regular season, finishing 51-31 which was good enough for 3rd in the east.

In round 1, the Knicks took on the Detroit Pistons. After splitting at MSG, the series shifted back to Detroit tied at one. After the Knicks pulled out a tight Game 3, there was a questionable no call on a Tim Hardaway Jr. three pointer as New York took a 3-1 lead. After dropping Game 5 on their home floor, a Jalen Brunson game winner clinched a trip to the 2nd round where New York would face off with the Boston Celtics. In both Game 1 and Game 2, New York trailed by 20 on the road and won to take a 2-0 series lead. After a Boston win in Game 3, Jalen Brunson’s 39 points and 12 assists pushed the Knicks over the finish line to put the Knicks up 3-1, where after losing Game 5 in Boston. They would close out the Celtics at home by 38. The Eastern Conference Finals saw New York matchup with the Indiana Pacers. Game 1 remains one of those, where were you moments. Six Aaron Nesmith three pointers and a Tyrese Haliburton foot on the line to bring the Pacers back from down 16 in the 4th and down 8 in the final minute of the game to force overtime. After Indiana closed it out in overtime and took Game 2 at MSG, the Knicks didn’t recover, losing to the Pacers in 6 games and ending their season.

That summer, Leon Rose and crew made their boldest decision yet, firing the coach who turned the team around and led the Knicks to the playoffs in 4 of his 5 years at the helm. Tom Thibodeau was no longer the coach of the New York Knicks. The team hired Mike Brown to replace him. The Knicks didn’t make a ton of roster changes in the offseason, signing Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele as free agents. A 2-9 stretch in January had people worried. KAT trade rumors got loud and people were wondering if the Knicks could swing a Giannis Antetokounmpo deal at the deadline. They did not but they did send Yabusele out the door, along with 2 second round picks to acquire Jose Alvarado from the Pelicans. New York would finish the season 53-29, 3rd in the east yet again.

We just lived through these playoffs, I don’t think I need to recap them. Instead what I will say is this playoff run is amongst the most dominant in NBA history. New York went 16-3 in the playoffs with a net rating of +16.9. For context, the 2016-17 Warriors, the team I think is the greatest ever, had a playoff net rating of +16.0. While I don’t think this team ranks among the best ever, the playoff run ranks among the most dominant ever. They weren’t dominant in the Finals, trailing by double digits in every game but they out toughed the Spurs both mentally and physically to win their first title since 1973.

Congratulations to all the Knick fans for winning this title. However, I do want to shout out the people who thought Kevin Knox was the next coming after Summer League 2018. Those who really believed in Cleanthony Early and Langston Galloway could be serviceable NBA players. Those who saw their team make the Andrea Bargnani trade. Those who watch Isiah Thomas run their team into the ground. You deserve this moment so congratulations.