The New York Knicks have officially gone all-in on winning an NBA Championship with the core they have put together over the last few seasons. After their first trip to the Eastern Conference Finals in 25 years this past season, they decided that they love what they have and that they’re locking it in for another run, but hopefully a more successful one this time around.
Earlier this Summer, Mikel Bridges signed a four-year, $150 million contract extension to stay in town and run it back with the Knicks. This made it clear that New York is throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks.
The goal is clear: Championship or bust. And the good news for New York is that this is their best chance to do it, and it has never been easier to win a championship, but can they break through?
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This Season Is Championship Or Bust For The New York Knicks
With the core of Jalen Brunson, Karl Anthony-Towns, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart locked in, it is now or never for New York to get the job done.
The Knicks have long been one of the most famed franchises in sports, but success has been hard to come by over the last 50 years despite that fame.
Having one of the most valuable franchises in North American sports is not good enough anymore. It means nothing that you play in the world’s most famous arena. No one cares that you play in the biggest, brightest market in the world. And it does not matter how much regular-season success you have if you follow it up by falling short when it matters most in the playoffs.
This is the most talented New York Knicks team we have ever seen, and anything less than an NBA Championship should be seen as a huge failure for such a good team with such high expectations.
Luckily for the Knicks, there is no better time than now for them to get that elusive NBA Championship than this season.
The Eastern Conference Is New York’s To Lose Now
With Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton going down in the NBA Playoffs with Achilles injuries that have already ruled them out for the entirety of next season, that means that two of the top three players in the Eastern Conference will be watching their teams from the sidelines this season.
You also have the walking IR team that is the Philadelphia 76ers. One of the most talented but unreliable teams in the league. They will likely once again suffer from their star’s inability to stay on the court.
Then you have Damian Lillard and Jimmy Butler, who are out of the picture in the East this season, as well as they’re now back out West. This means that the biggest threat to New York this season is the Cleveland Cavaliers.
To be quite honest, I think that we have seen the best of the Cavaliers, as last season’s success will be hard to match again. They will be great, but can they outdo what they did last year? It is doubtful, considering we did see them get beaten by a team that they matched up well with and were favored to beat in the Indiana Pacers, during the playoffs.
The rest of the East is filled with lots of question marks. The Magic, Pistons, and Hawks are all teams that can make some noise and will definitely be better, but they don’t feel like a sure thing in the same way the Knicks do.
The Knicks are clearly the best team in the East for the 2025-26 season, and it should leave you confident in their ability to navigate through an injury-riddled and uncertain Eastern Conference as the most proven squad left that still has another gear to hit.
The defense is shaky, I know, but the offense is so hard to keep up with that it almost makes up for the defensive inefficiencies we see from them. You’re telling me that a Jalen Brunson and Karl Anthony-Towns-led team can’t win it all, especially when the East is as depleted as it has been in forever?
The cards are down, the pressure is on, and the time for talk is over. Jalen Brunson and company know what’s at stake, and this is easily their best chance at bringing the Larry O’Brien back to New York, and they will not fail.