The New York Knicks have been a legitimate wrecking crew in the 2026 NBA Playoffs. After falling down 2-1 to the Atlanta Hawks, they seemingly flipped a switch. The focus became execution: players doing their part to ensure the team was producing healthy possessions, process-wise, on both ends of the court.
Fans of the Knicks have been told all season long, by both national and local pundits and analysts, that this group didn't have what it took to make it all the way. As the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons compete to face off against New York in the Eastern Conference Finals, though, it's becoming increasingly difficult to downplay just how well this team has been playing.
The heights the Knicks have reached have been undebatably historic. Even if it doesn't pan out exactly as fans hope, they should ignore the noise and lean into the hype. Why not? When else?
Knicks have been setting new records with practically every win
In Game 6 against the Atlanta Hawks, these Knicks scored the most points in the first half of a road playoff game in NBA history. Their 83 points, according to Josh Dubow of AP, beat the Denver Nuggets' previous record of 81 from Game 6 against the Phoenix Suns in 2023.
Second on that list is also the 2026 Knicks. Their 81-point performance in the first half of Game 4 against the 76ers tied Denver's.
More importantly, though, both of those first halves led to full-game victories. And after just the first two rounds, the Knicks joined the only three other teams in NBA history to have multiple 30-point series-clinching victories in one playoff run.
According to ESPN Insights, the 2025 OKC Thunder, 2008 Boston Celtics, and 1987 Los Angeles Lakers are the only other teams to have accomplished such dominance. Those three teams have something in common: each of them received NBA Championship rings for the final results of those playoff runs.
The data is piling up: these Knicks have long been "legit"
When a team proves capable of both producing offense and locking opponents down, to those extents, it's not crazy to think they can keep making some real noise.
Especially given that Brunson and Towns were the league's best pick-and-roll duo from February 1st and on. And that, after ranking below league average in mid January, the Knicks finished the season with the seventh-best defensive rating.
In the playoffs thus far, they have the second best offensive rating (124.8) behind the Thunder (126.3). The team in third place, the San Antonio Spurs, has an offensive rating exactly 10.0 points lower (114.8) than the Knicks' through their first 10 games.
Those same Spurs boast the postseason's best defensive rating thus far, but the Knicks aren't far behind in second place. And the best net rating overall – thus far – is 20.0. It belongs to Brown's 8-2 group from New York.
The Knicks are rolling. They've decimated the competition in front of them thus far, proving able to win close games and come out on top of blowouts. Fans of the team shouldn't be afraid to get excited.
The result might not be a championship: but there's a saying about it being better to have believed and lost, than never to have believed at all.
Or something like that.
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