Becoming the first NBA Champions to go back-to-back in nine years was already a tall task for the New York Knicks. Now that LeBron James is a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, their path to defending their title just got even murkier.
Even if you don't trust the new-look Sixers to properly space the floor and sacrifice touches by way of setting screens for their teammates, it's impossible to ignore the reality that the Los Angeles Lakers play in the Western Conference — and Philadelphia does not.
The Eastern Conference was already better than its counterpart last season. Even then, the Knicks claimed the third seed (and homecourt advantage against each of their first three opponents). James leaving Hollywood for the City of Brotherly Love, and Kawhi Leonard's planned return to the Toronto Raptors, though, complicate things further.
Knicks' path to reclaiming homecourt advantage just got harder
After falling down two games to one at the talons of the Atlanta Hawks, it didn't seem like there was anything that could slow New York down in their quest for the Larry O'Brien trophy. It definitely didn't hurt, though, that they had homecourt advantage against those Hawks, against the 76ers, and against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference finals.
Both Tom Thibodeau and Mike Brown have maintained in recent years that teams, including the Knicks, are responsible for creating their own luck. New York's luck, this past postseason, was not having to match up against either of the conference's top two seeds in the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics.
Both of those teams, though, certainly had the chance to play the Knicks in the 2026 Playoffs. They just didn't make it happen. New York shouldn't stretch themselves too far in any efforts to credit luck for their title.
They should, however, be looking ahead to next season in pursuit of any edge they can get their hands on. And with James coming to the Atlantic Division, homecourt advantage stands out as an important one that'll be hard to come by.
Brown needs Towns' playmaking leap to be very, very real
The Knicks have a pivot of their own ready for next season: a full summer of gameplanning around Towns as a playmaker. His success from the top of the key throughout the postseason, particularly against a Hawks team that lacked a defensive stalwart of a big man, opened all sorts of doors for New York.
Brown can certainly continue to lean on him in that regard, something that led to disagreement between the two throughout the regular season because of Towns' penchant for taking too long to make reads out of the post.
The result was often a turnover, or missed opportunity for a 3-point shooter, leading to plenty of frustration on the part of Brown, Towns, the rest of the Knicks, and especially their fans. Everyone's true dedication to winning was tested by the Hawks, though, and the Knicks came out the other end looking and playing like NBA Champions.
Towns' top-of-the-key wizardry could represent their upgrade next season, even after losing Mitchell Robinson to the Boston Celtics. But going from Paul George to Jaylen Brown and LeBron James, or Brandon Ingram to Kawhi Leonard, or Tyler Herro and Jaime Jaquez Jr. to Giannis Antetokounmpo, certainly project as much bigger ones.
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