Jalen Brunson’s stature can be deceiving. How can someone so small, so unassuming, be a cold-blooded killer on the court? He is the beating heart of the New York Knicks. He’s like Atlas, but only New York City sits on his shoulders—which is perhaps a bigger burden.
Brunson and the Knicks vanquished a feisty Atlanta Hawks team in the first round after falling behind 2-1in the series. Atlanta tried to play spoiler early in the series only for the Knicks to rattle off three wins in a row.
Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia 76ers completed a 3-1 comeback to take down the Boston Celtics, setting up a second round matchup between the 76ers and New York.
Suddenly, Philadelphia looked like a dangerous opponent. Yet, none of that mattered against the Knicks. New York throttled the 76ers, sweeping them in four games. A team long plagued by poor ownership and a lackluster front office; the Knicks seem to have their best chance of making the NBA Finals in years.
Sure, the same could have been said last year after New York took down a Celtics team that was looking to repeat before falling victim to the Indiana Pacers buzzsaw. But that’s the past, and there’s no Pacers—or Tyrese Haliburton—to dash their dreams.
The Knicks have a roster built for 2026. There are a bevy of players on the roster capable of hurting the opposing team. Brunson’s bona fides are obvious; he’s already one of the best players in the league. Karl-Anthony Towns continues to be a matchup nightmare, who, when right, feels unstoppable. Mikal Bridges has not been the offensive player advertised when New York spent all that draft capital to acquire him, but his perimeter defense is vital in hiding some of Brunson’s defensive flaws. OG Anunoby has quietly become a dangerous scorer as he has averaged 21.4 points per game during the playoffs while shooting a blistering 53.8% from behind the arc. Josh Hart rounds this five-man lineup out and is emblematic of the Knick’s style of play. This lineup has been the go-to option for Mike Brown in the first year of being New York’s head coach.
There are standouts beyond these five as Mitchell Robinson, Miles McBride, and Jordan Clarkson, among others, have provided valuable playoff minutes for New York.
But just how far can the Knicks go? Can they set their sights on the Larry O’Brien Trophy? Will this fanbase that’s been starving for another championship since the 70s finally get one?
The Knicks will face the winner of the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Detroit Pistons.
The Knicks match up well with the Cavaliers as they won the season series 2-1. But only one of those games came after Cleveland traded for James Harden. The two-headed monster of Harden and Donovan Mitchell will likely provide a defensive challenge for the Knicks. Brunson would presumably be switched off of the two guards, onto a taller player when on defense, most likely Dean Wade.
Despite this, I would still expect the Knicks to handle the Cavaliers if for no other reason than the fact that I have little faith in Cleveland’s playoff consistency. After last season, when the Cavaliers were beaten by the Pacers, there were questions raised about whether Cleveland was really prepared for playoff basketball. Trading for an infamously trick-or-treat playoff performer like James Harden did little to alleviate this stigma.
Their round one win over the Toronto Raptors may have signaled that these fears should be gone, but in all honesty, Cleveland never should have let that series get to seven games. They were clearly the superior team on paper yet struggled to put Toronto away.
As for the Piston, they would likely be more of a challenge for the Knicks. Detroit swept the regular season series between the two, winning all three games. While neither team was really at full strength for any of the games, the Pistons won every matchup by double digits.
Cade Cunningham is an interesting counterpart to Brunson as lead guards that much of the offensive burden falls on. The Pistons have less supporting talent around Cunningham in terms of offense, but the Piston’s strength comes in the form of their stifling defense.
They allowed the third fewest points per game in the regular season, which will be tested against New York, who scored the third most points per game.
Yet, the Pistons have struggled in these playoffs. The lack of offensive firepower has resulted in games akin to the early 2000s.
In the first round against the Orlando Magic the Pistons just couldn’t get the ball in the basket and routinely couldn’t break 100 points. This caused them to fall behind 3-1 in the series only for them to come back down the stretch.
In a series against the Pistons, New York would be in a good position because of their versatility on the defensive end of the floor. Because Cunningham in the central force behind Detroit’s offense, slowing him down is key. Anunoby and Bridges would be key in hampering him.
The injury concern with Anunoby is also worth monitoring. He’s currently dealing with a minor hamstring injury but will likely be ready for the Conference Finals.
The elephant in the room though is the team that wins that Western Conference. Any of the remaining three teams—the Oklahoma City Thunder, the San Antonio Spurs, and the Minnesota Timberwolves—would prove tough matchups against the Knicks.
The Thunder are the team most likely to make it out of the three, and with a soon-to-be healthy Jalen Williams, it’s hard to imagine that the Knicks will be able to muster a strong resistance. Oklahoma City’s pure talent would be too much for the Knicks to overcome.
But as the Pacers showed in the previous season, the playoffs create chaos. Perhaps Brunson elevates even further, or Towns avoids mistakes. It’s not impossible for the Knicks to pull it off—they just may need a little New York magic.
