Knicks aren't taking this NBA Cup opportunity lightly
The Knicks' Jalen Brunson gets off the floor after falling during the first half of an Emirates NBA Cup quarterfinal game against the Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on Dec. 9 in Toronto. Credit: Getty Images
LAS VEGAS — The NBA Cup has been an acquired taste, slowly building during the three seasons since it was implemented, and by now it has risen to more than just an extra paycheck to lure the players and teams to feel something extra about a midseason trip to Las Vegas.
So when the Knicks went through practice and media sessions Friday afternoon, it had a little bit of a feel of the NBA Finals. There were crowds watching them finish up their practice session and interviews with international media asking them to say hello to fans in some far-off land and even a content creator performing card tricks for them.
But does it really mean anything special? Is it worth hanging a banner in the rafters at Madison Square Garden? Is it any sort of indicator of what could come later in the season?
“Yeah, I think it's a great opportunity for us to be in that kind of playoff atmosphere and understand what's on the line and go out there and show ourselves, again, how disciplined you need to be to win these kind of games in the NBA Cup,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “And also, how important execution is. For us to reach the goals that we have for our team, discipline and execution is going to be at the forefront of most important things that we need to build consistency at.”
The Knicks haven’t hung a championship banner since 1973 or a banner of any kind since 2013, when they settled for one for winning the Atlantic Division. So as they get ready to face the Orlando Magic on Saturday — and still would need to get past either San Antonio or Oklahoma City to make it more than a moot point — that’s something.
“Yeah, why not?” Josh Hart said when asked if he thinks a banner should be hung for a Cup championship. “Obviously it’s a Cup, it’s a title, it’s something that you want to win. So yeah, hang a banner. Obviously, there’s different standards to those, Cups and Finals. But whenever you want to go out there and compete and win a title, that’s what you want to do and celebrate that.”
It would be hard to deny the Knicks that honor, not with the wait they’ve already had for a chance to host a parade or hang a banner. The bigger question is what it could mean down the road. The Indiana Pacers spoke of what they gained from the initial tournament when they made it to the Cup finals before losing, then reached the Eastern Conference finals later that season.
Then again, maybe it doesn’t mean anything. The Knicks were 0-10 in the 2024-25 regular season against teams considered the powerhouses — Boston, Cleveland and Oklahoma City — and proceeded to eliminate the defending champion Celtics to reach the conference finals for the first time in a quarter-century.
“Being in environments like this, they do help you,” Mike Brown said. “I've been fortunate and blessed to be part of six NBA Finals teams. The media and the distractions are much bigger than this, but this is about as close as you can get, especially during the regular season. So there are some things that you can take from being here that correlate with you being in the Finals or whatever down the road.”
“Yeah, definitely,” Jalen Brunson said. “ I think that just the atmosphere and what this is capable of being for us can be a huge thing for us. Excited for this opportunity, for sure.”
This is not just another game even for the Knicks, who live under a spotlight wherever they go. The team brought injured players Deuce McBride and Landry Shamet along for the trip and packed the team plane with spouses and significant others.
Still, while it may not portend some future success or failure, the Knicks already have played Orlando three times this season and lost twice. The physical play of the Magic has been an imposing test. Oklahoma City is 24-1 and has an average margin of victory (17.5) that is better than any other team in NBA history through the first 25 games. Beat the Thunder and you convert some doubters.
“For us, you're still going out there and competing,” Brunson said. “It's part of your regular-season games. It's part of your journey as a team to go out there and be better than you were the night before. It's a journey. And regardless of who we are playing, where we are playing, what the circumstances are, Cup games or not, it's an opportunity for our team to go out there and compete. I think we embrace those challenges.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
