By: Mohammad Ali
The last time the New York Knicks won an NBA championship, Richard Nixon was still in office. Since then, the franchise has seen its ups and downs. The Linsanity era coincided with the 2012-13 team consisting of Carmelo Anthony, J.R. Smith, and Amare Stoudemire. Of course, the NBA has changed since then. Talent has developed exponentially. With that being said, the $6.6 billion sports franchise has found a way to garner some respect in this new era of basketball, contrasting previous narratives.
As Stephen A Smith obnoxiously proclaims at 8:30 in the morning, “Orange and Blue Skies Baby!” Orange and Blue Skies indeed.
Starting with the addition of Julius Randle in the 2019-2020 season, the Knicks have built a team culture instead of a “Superteam.” Tom Thibodeau was made coach the same year. That year the Knicks struggled, and the following season they lost to the Hawks in the first round of the playoffs. Then came the addition of Jalen Brunson, who formerly played with Luka Doncic in Dallas. Since the acquisition of Brunson, along with his former Villanova teammates Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart, the Knicks have stamped themselves as serious contenders in the NBA.
They lost to the Heat in last year’s playoffs; during the series Randle faced a serious ankle injury but played through it, in an old school hard knock ’90s fashion. This season (23-24), the addition of OG Anunoby, a 6’8 240 lb small forward, has been immense. The head of the snake on any given day can be any player. On March 23, DiVincenzo dropped 31 points and led the Knicks past the Brooklyn Nets, who are hometown rivals.
The eyes are on the prize. The Knicks are 1-1 against the Nuggets this year (the winners of last year’s NBA finals). They’re the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, just one seed behind Orlando, currently tied with a 42-28 record. Unlike previous years, the seedings are extremely close. Considering the team depth, the Knicks have many lineups they can run in case of injuries. They have added Precious Achiwua, Bogdan Bogdanovich, Alec Burks (a fan favorite), and Shake Milton, all of whom are perfect additions to the Tom Thibodeau defense. Mitchell Robinson, Randle, and OG are set to be ready for the playoffs.
The cherry on top is that the Knicks have cap space. They can hunt for superstars in the offseason, along with enough future first-round picks to endorse a blockbuster trade if need be. The future looks bright for New York. Orange and blue skies, baby, orange and blue skies.