Entering the 2025-26 season, the Knicks were seen as the second-most likely team, according to oddsmakers, to come out of the East and reach the NBA Finals behind the Cavaliers. The Thunder were the clear favorites to win it all, with the Nuggets next in line.
With Jayson Tatum coming back earlier than expected, the Celtics eventually jumped over the Knicks in championship odds. The Pistons did likewise due to finishing with the best regular season record in the East as did the Spurs due to their dominant regular season. New York was never seen as the title favorite, but they overcame that on their way to the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
Fred VanVleet of the Rockets is using the Knicks’ championship run as inspiration. The 32-year-old guard will be returning to the court next season after he missed all of 2025-26 with a torn ACL. In an interview with Andscape’s Erik Horne, VanVleet brought up the Knicks.
“The lead up to the moment doesn’t matter,” VanVleet said. “We just watched the Knicks do it. Nobody thought they would win. Then they got there, dominated, and they were the best team ever. It’s just how the outside narrative works. But we got a lot of work to do.”
His Rockets won’t have many believers outside their own fanbase, much like the Knicks for the majority of last season.
The Knicks certainly inspired with their play in the postseason
VanVleet also talked about the 2018-19 Raptors, a team he was a member of. Even with acquiring Kawhi Leonard, they weren’t on many short lists of championship contenders. They came out on top though to win the franchise’s first title. OG Anunoby was also on that team, although he didn’t play in the playoffs after undergoing an emergency appendectomy.
Now, VanVleet is using his previous experience with Toronto, as well as what was just seen from the Knicks as inspiration. It’s understandable why he would look at New York after their incredible 16-3 run in this year’s postseason.
A similarity between next season's Rockets and the 2025-26 Knicks is that both teams have a star player entering their second year on the team after being acquired via trade. Houston added Kevin Durant in the 2025 offseason while Karl-Anthony Towns was brought in by the Knicks from the Timberwolves in 2024.
It’s been a long time since players have been using the Knicks as motivation. That would have been laughable for much of the 21st century, and it just shows how far the team has come in recent years.
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