Everyone universally agrees this season is the New York Knicks’ best chance yet to crack the Finals with their current core. As NBA analyst Tim Legler astutely alludes to, though, it may also be the last opportunity this Knicks nucleus has to prove they can.
“If they don’t do it this year, when the hell are they going to do [get to the Finals]?” the ESPN color commentator said during a recent appearance on The Zach Lowe Show, at around the 20:30 mark. “When you look at the path, it’s like looking at the path through the forest, and a lot of these trees have been cleared out of your way. It’s right there for the taking.”
This won’t come as a shock to those who considered the Knicks Finals-or-bust entering this season. But the road to the franchise’s first Finals cameo since 1999 is more navigable than even the most optimistic fans could have predicted. And this, in turn, puts a metric ton of pressure on the team to deliver.
The Knicks are running out of excuses
Things always go wrong over the course of an NBA season. The Knicks themselves have been dealt a few flips to start this year. But as Legler also points out, none of the obstacles standing in front of them rise to the level of a concrete excuse.
“I don’t think there’s enough in their way where you look at and go ‘Yeah, it’s going to be tough for them to get to the Finals this year,’” he said. “I almost feel like they have to look at this as, if we don’t there, it’s a failed year, based on what the Eastern Conference looks like right now.”
The landscape of the East proves Legler’s point. Legitimate threats have never been harder to come by. The Boston Celtics might be pluckier than expected, but they shouldn’t be considered a rival without Jayson Tatum. The Indiana Pacers are in the midst of a (less successful) gap year without Tyrese Haliburton.
Injuries are running through the top of the Orlando Magic’s roster, and that squad has looked uneven at full strength. The Cleveland Cavaliers are banged up, and unconvincing. While the Detroit Pistons are lording over the rest of the East, they still feel like a big trade away from running through the postseason bracket.
Nobody else really registers. The Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, and Miami Heat are varying degrees of good-not-great. No one quite knows what to make of the Philadelphia 76ers, but they’re not contenders. The Milwaukee Bucks are seemingly speeding toward a breakup with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Expect big changes if the Knicks don’t get it done
Boiling down an entire season to one singular outcome feels reductive, if not disingenuous. And yet, these are the circumstances New York has created for itself.
The Knicks have spent themselves dry of tradeable assets. Their payroll is right up against the second apron. They fired head coach Tom Thibodeau after making it to the Eastern Conference Finals. Failing the surprise acquisition of Giannis, New York has no more nuclear upgrades to make. It is the definition of all-in.
Anything less than winning the East at this point would be a major letdown. Even if you think the competition is fiercer than advertised, the conference pecking order won’t get any easier next season. At minimum, both the Celtics and Pacers should be more dangerous.
If the Knicks don’t make it out of this version of the East, big changes feel inevitable. A teardown is unlikely, but this core, as currently constructed, won’t be given another opportunity. Their time is now. Or else.