After a nail-biting Eastern conference semifinal last season that ended with a close Game 7 loss to the Indiana Pacers, the New York Knicks left Madison Square Garden with a bruised roster, with star players like Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and OG Anunoby suffering injuries throughout the series. But this year, after months of off-season trades and player movement, the Knicks look ready for redemption.
With a thrilling NBA season about to kick off, basketball fans are eagerly awaiting a new season. With teams like the 2024 champion Boston Celtics hoping to herald a new dynasty, the Knicks aspire to finally bring a Larry O’Brien Trophy to New York.
The Golden State Warriors, with a rebuilt roster and no Klay Thompson for the first time since 2011, are also hoping to revitalize their past dominance. With many new faces welcomed to the league, such as 76ers’ rookie and social media star Jared McCain and the first ever father-son duo in the league — 39-year-old LeBron and his son Bronny, 20, on the Lakers. The storylines going into this season will be some of the most interesting ever yet, and only one team can come out on top. We think it will be the Knicks.
Why the Knicks will win it all
The Knicks look scary for this year, as they’ve assembled a copy of the 2016 Villanova University NCAA Champion team, with Mikal Bridges joining his old teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart. Donte Divincenzo — also a part of the ‘16 Villanova team — was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves alongside Julius Randle in exchange for four-time all-star, Karl-Anthony Towns.
Sophomore Emma Williams, a passionate NBA fan, thinks that despite a devastating trade for Knicks fans who wanted to see the “Villanova Quartet” (Brunson, Hart, Bridges and Divencenzo) play together, the Knicks will still have a championship-worthy season.
“Even after some tough trades, I can see the Knicks in the NBA finals, because now they are more fueled than ever with Mikal Bridges joining and adding to the chemistry in the team, and also with Karl Anthony-Towns really wanting a championship,” Williams said.
Anthony-Towns, an agile, sharp-shooting 7 footer, brings huge playoffs experience and star power to the Knicks team after reaching new heights with the Timberwolves last season alongside rising star Anthony Edwards. Anthony-Towns’ size is also invaluable for the team as their lineup previously consisted of many five-star guards like Brunson, Hart, and Bridges, but lacked any of the post player size that Anthony-Towns brings.
The Knicks have a 4-1 record currently in the NBA preseason, making them first in the Eastern conference standings — level with reigning champions, the Boston Celtics. All signs point to the Knicks being on the best form they’ve seen in a long time, and the finals aren’t a long shot for the team this year, after narrowly missing the Eastern conference finals last season.
Other possible contenders
While the Knicks are potential prospects for the NBA Finals, the Warriors may revitalize their dynasty as well, as they’ve got to a good start in the preseason, leading the Western conference with a 6-0 record. The welcoming of new players such as Buddy Hield, already averaging 12.2 points per game, 3.2 rebounds per game and 2.8 assists per game adds hope to the future of the Warriors.
With returning younger talents Jonathan Kuminga and Brandon Podziemski as potential Warriors starters, the team will continue to improve. In the preseason, Kuminga is averaging 16.1 points per game, 4.8 rebounds per game, and 2.2 assists per game with Podziemski with 9.2 points per game, 5.8 rebounds per game, and 3.7 assists per game.
The Bay Area team has a powerful starting five with veterans like Stephen Curry, who is off the back of a stellar Olympics performance in Paris in which he guided the USA team to gold, and Draymond Green, still a key defensive option and a guiding force on offense. While they lack a dominant post option, they have in past seasons have proven that a smaller team can still be better.
“The Warriors will probably do better than last year, because Klay Thompson was kind of a liability, and now he’s gone to the Mavericks. I don’t think the Warriors will go that far, but there will definitely be an improvement,” Junior NBA fan Kate Vasquez said.
Thompson’s offseason move to the Mavericks came as a shock to most NBA fans who had long considered Thompson as a crucial part of the Warriors. However, after a poor season, the move was perhaps necessary for both the Warriors and Thompson to reset and move on. Thompson expressed his excitement to play with the Mavericks and star player Luka Doncic in an interview with Sports Illustrated.
“I think I’m going to have to adjust to playing off such good creators. In Golden State, it was a very motion-based offense,” Thompson explained. “But playing with Luka the past few days, his ability in the pick and roll has been like the best I’ve ever seen.”
In the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics are still favorites, as fans want to see if the team will be able to win back to back championships in a dominant fashion. The Celtics have kept all their key players for the coming season, so a general consensus is that they’ll still be strong. However, dynasties are hard to build, and the Celtics still need to prove themselves as the newest dominant force in the league.
“I think the Celtics win was a fluke [laughs], I don’t see them doing well this year. Them having no trades leaves them at a disadvantage because they aren’t able to cycle through newer players and develop a newer team dynamic,” Williams said. “It’s going to be close between the Knicks and Celtics this year.”
Though we’ll have to wait and see, this season could very well be the Knicks best chance at a championship in decades. Especially with the long-tenured duo of Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart staying with the team, the chemistry will be greater than ever. Additionally, Brunson and Hart are the GOATs of the NBA and will certainly guide New York to a championship at one point or another.
Despite the many different routes this season could play out in, we’ll all be eating our popcorn while eagerly watching the drama of this season unfold. Catch the season openers with the Knicks and Celtics or the Lakers and Timberwolves today on Oct. 22 to see for yourself.
