The New York Knicks got a quality road win over the Indiana Pacers last night despite only getting 8 points from Jalen Brunson. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 40 and Josh Hart chipped in with 30 more to move Tom Thibodeau’s team to 35-18, solidly in 3rd place in the Eastern Conference but 8 games back of the Cleveland Cavaliers and 2.5 games back of the Boston Celtics. In the wake of the win, the cast of Get Up spoke this morning about whether the Knicks were true championship contenders. While Monica McNutt said that she could see New York going on a run due to their offensive firepower, Brian Windhorst was a bit more pessimistic because of how the Knicks have fared against the other top contenders in the league.
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.@McNuttMonica believes the New York Knicks could go on a championship run pic.twitter.com/PAJB5sYojt
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) February 12, 2025
“They’re 0-5 against the Celtics, Cavs, and Thunder this year… I’m impressed with them—championship contender with that record against the top teams? Can’t say that right now.”
Windhorst pointed out that the Knicks will have many more chances after the All-Star break to prove themselves against the other top teams in the league, as they still have three games against the Cavs, two more against the Celtics, and a road game against the Grizzlies, who currently have the 2-seed in the West.
The Knicks certainly have the kind of roster that can contend for a championship, with Brunson, Towns, and Hart complemented by guys like Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby. They’ll need to drastically improve on the defensive end, though, where they currently rank 17th, down from 11th last season. By comparison, OKC, Cleveland, and Boston rank 1st, 8th, and 5th respectively. Each of those teams are also top-six in offensive rating, so for as good as the Knicks are on that end of the court, they can’t currently make up enough ground to cancel out the defensive disparity.
Can the Knicks truly contend for an NBA title this year?
The Knicks were knocked out in the Eastern Conference semis last year by the Pacers, though it should be noted that nearly their entire team was compromised in that series by some kind of injury. Despite still employing a top-heavy lineup this year, the Knicks have managed to stay relatively healthy, but there’s still a lot of basketball left.
The move that sent Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota in exchange for Karl-Anthony Towns has proven to be a good one. Towns has seamlessly acclimated to playing in New York, and he gives the Knicks the offensive versatility to not be totally reliant on Brunson for every crucial possession.
That will only matter if the Knicks can figure out how to beat the top teams. If the favorites hold serve in the playoffs, right now the Knicks would have to go through the Pistons, Celtics, Cavs, and Thunder. Combined, they’re 1-7 against those teams this year. Until that changes, they can’t be taken seriously as a true title threat.
