The team showed their commitment to chasing an NBA championship by acquiring Mikal Bridges in the summer and later making a headline-grabbing preseason trade for Karl-Anthony Towns, bringing in a top-tier perimeter defender and an All-Star center to join Jalen Brunson at the core of the roster.
Despite these bold moves, the Knicks fell short of their ultimate goal. On Saturday, Indiana Pacers eliminated them, extending New York’s championship drought that dates back to 1973. Still, after reaching the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2000—following two consecutive exits in the second round—the team can at least take pride in their progress.
“It’s an improvement from last year, but it’s not our ultimate goal,” said coach Tom Thibodeau.
With Boston Celtics having won the 2024 title and keeping their core intact, they entered the season as favorites in the East. However, the Knicks, who have steadily built their team since Leon Rose became president in 2020, refused to back down.
They secured OG Anunoby with the biggest contract in franchise history and gave up five first-round picks to bring Bridges from Brooklyn. Just before training camp started, they sent two starters, All-Star Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo—who set a team single-season record for three-pointers—to Minnesota to acquire Towns.
These moves made New York strong enough to defeat the Celtics in the second round. But they struggled against the deep and fast Pacers, who knocked them out for a second consecutive season.
“You make moves to win, so it’s painful not to bring a championship opportunity to the city,” Towns said. “We have a great group in that locker room, and now the goal is to get back here and succeed next time.”
Now, Rose and the front office must assess how close the team truly is to championship contention.
With a 51-31 record, the Knicks finished third in the East, behind Cleveland and Boston. They went 0-8 against those two teams in the regular season, only overcoming Boston in the playoffs after Jayson Tatum suffered a ruptured Achilles in Game 4.
Brunson and Towns have earned All-NBA honors, making the starting lineup one of the league’s strongest. But the bench lacks the depth that teams like Cleveland, Boston, and Indiana have.
Still, after years of falling short, the Knicks have become a contender. They have won 50 or more games in back-to-back seasons and reached the playoffs in four of five years under Thibodeau. Despite Saturday’s loss, there is confidence the Knicks will have another chance soon.
“I’m the most confident—maybe overconfident,” Brunson said when asked about the team’s chances of winning a championship. “There’s not an ounce of doubt in my mind about this group.”
Brunson’s decision to accept a below-maximum contract extension last summer could help the Knicks add more pieces. It might be that they are finally close to having a complete roster.
The team will regret the missed opportunity, especially after their Game 1 collapse at home, where they squandered a 14-point lead in the last 2:45 of the fourth quarter. Disappointment was natural.
That was the norm in New York during the 2000s. But now, alongside the disappointment, there is hope.
“So the challenge for us is to accept what happened,” Thibodeau said. “We finished in the top three but fell short of our goal. Now we need to use that as motivation to work hard all summer, keep improving, and take the final step to reach our goal.”
