New York Knicks fans are among the most passionate and dedicated in all of sports. Coming off an offseason that saw the team land Mikal Bridges, there are now aspirations of Madison Square Garden hosting multiple games of the 2025 NBA Finals. At least one basketball legend isn’t convinced that’s close to happening.
The Knicks roster is in a very good position as the summer winds down. New York re-signed OG Anunoby and Precious Achiuwa, while All-Star guard Jalen Brunson took a historic discount to help out the team. With the roster stronger and deeper than ever, fans are hopeful that Bridges’ addition will put this team over the top.
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Asked if the Knicks’ addition is enough for them to be in the conversation to win the Eastern Conference next season, Shaquille O’Neal said on The Big Podcast with Shaq that he doesn’t view them as a championship contender right now.
“Listen, no. You know what it is, New York is a place built on hype, that controls the hype. They can hype everybody else up. They haven’t won s***. But, ‘Oooh, New York, New York’. So, young fella can play, I was wrong about him, he’s impressive. But they’re nowhere close to winning a chamionship.”
Shaquille O’Neal on whether or not the New York Knicks are championship contenders
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Shaq does have a point that the Knicks haven’t won in a long time. In fact, New York last played in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2000 with its last appearance in the NBA Finals coming in a Game 5 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on June 25, 1999.
However, past history has nothing to do with the future. The Boston Celtics went 16 years without winning a championship and the Denver Nuggets had never won a title before they dominated the 2023 NBA Finals.
The Knicks have built one of the best starting lineups in the NBA and the front office provided coach Tom Thibodeau with more depth for next season. While the Celtics should rightfully be the favorites to win the NBA Finals and they look better than New York on paper, a healthy Knicks team does have a realistic shot to win a playoff series against Boston.
