The New York Knicks are one step closer to finally seizing the coveted NBA Cup, the highest and newest collective honor that the NBA’s regular season has to offer.

They’ve never made it as far as they ever have in the short history of the tournament after handling the Toronto Raptors and moving on to the Las Vegas semi-finals, and their road ahead doesn’t look any easier.

Toronto Raptors Forward Scottie Barnes and New York Knicks Guard Josh Hart
Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

Up next stand the Orlando Magic, a team that’s rediscovered their identity as a formidable challenge of the Eastern Conference. The physical Magic are never afraid of strong interior play or a confrontation, and they’re that much more dangerous with prized offseason acquisition Desmond Bane finally finding his rhythm with 37 points to eliminate the Miami Heat earlier this week.

The Knicks can’t be looking forward to that matchup, having already squared off against Orlando twice in their last 10 games, but that’s about as easy as it’s going to get for New York. Even if they ward off the Magic, the 24-1 Oklahoma City Thunder will likely be waiting for them in the Cup Championship Game.

Avoiding Flash-in-the-Pan Status

The Knicks received a shoutout in CBS Sports’ rundown of the winners and losers of the knockout round, with their opportunity at high-stakes basketball seen as great practice for another potentially-fruitful playoff run, but that was more-or-less nullified by Jack Maloney’s designation of anyone unlucky enough to be in the Thunder’s way to be considered a loser.

“This was the first time the Thunder have had anything at stake in a single game since Game 7 of the Finals, and if this is what it looks like when they actually step on the gas, good luck to everyone else,” Maloney wrote.

Oklahoma City Thunder Guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

“The Thunder have now won a franchise record 16 games in a row, and their 24-1 start is tied for the best in NBA history with the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors. Their 49-point win on Wednesday was the biggest margin of victory in the league this season and was their fifth win already by 30-plus points (the record in a season is 10).”

The Knicks have more imminent threats to focus on in bracing for an Orlando rematch and a chance to tie a midseason series against a team that’s already gotten the better of them twice, but this certainly makes for the measuring stick that fans have wondered about for much of the regular season.

New York is all-in on this team, and they’ll need to do more than rule over the east to reach their final goal. This current version of the Thunder are the most imposing team of the decade and looks ready to force the Knicks out of their comfort zone, but should they prevail against the more physical Magic, they’ll be as prepared as they could ever hope. It’s all physical defense from here-on-out, and though the Knicks have the best offense remaining in the field of Cup contenders, they’ll need to do good on their promise to take the rare whiff of stake-filled elimination basketball seriously.