This past season, the New York Knicks showed everyone what their greatest superpower is: the ability to exceed expectations.
As pointed out by Josh Hart during a post-championship episode of the Roommates Show, everyone on this title team "has been doubted before," an accepted reality that helped keep New York "humble" and motivated to strive for ultimate glory, even when times were good during the NBA playoffs.
Now, after keeping their core rotation largely intact, the Knicks find themselves heading into a title defense campaign in 2026-27 with even more reason to remain driven, as it seems literally everyone is once again doubting their chances of taking home the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
Knicks still doubted despite already proving everyone wrong
Everywhere you look, it seems someone is counting out this Knicks team from being capable of snapping the league's historic eight-year streak of parity and winning back-to-back championships.
Be it long-time NBA reporter Adam Mares ranking them second behind the Spurs in his 2027 title projections or FanDuel slotting them in behind both the Thunder and San Antonio in their own pecking order, it seems the consensus opinion is that New York is once again being overlooked as a legitimate favorite to successfully run the postseason gauntlet.
Fortunately, that's exactly where they like to be.
Right from the beginning of his Knicks tenure, superstar guard Jalen Brunson revealed that, even dating back to high school, he's always been doubted as a player. However, the one thing that has kept him going is the fact that these naysayers "don't measure heart."
This has been the driving force in him becoming "the greatest overachiever we've seen in the modern era," as ESPN analyst and life-long Knicks fan Stephen A. Smith recently said, and, clearly, it played a role in snapping New York's 53-year championship drought.
At this point, it seems there's virtually nothing New York can do to shed this astonishing league-wide perception they have.
Even with a title now under their belt and after putting together a tremendous offseason where they not only ducked under the second apron but also addressed many rotational needs along the way, this club still doesn't seem to be getting the kind of respect a defending champ typically receives from the media and odds-makers alike.
Of course, in an odd way, this lack of shared esteem may prove to be the exact thing the Knicks need to keep their focus sharp as they now try to run it back next season.
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