Following their impressive run to an NBA Cup championship, The New York Knicks made the executive decision not to hang up a banner celebrating the accomplishment. This decision has been supported by thousands of fans, and analysts including NBA legend Charles Barkley. However, the Hall of Fame forward has also fired some shots at the integrity of the NBA Cup while sharing his reaction.
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Ever since NBA Commissioner Adam Silver introduced the NBA Cup, it has been met with contrasting opinions. The majority of experts and fans agree that the increased performance level is a great thing. Unfortunately for the league, there’s a large group of people who don’t respect the NBA Cup in a manner Silver had hoped for.
After the Lakers won the inaugural NBA Cup, fans trolled the team for their celebration. The following year, the Milwaukee Bucks elected to forego a post-game celebration. Now, the Knicks won’t lift a banner boasting the feat. This development may not be to Silver’s liking, to Barkley’s, the NBA Cup isn’t a real achievement.
“I want to congratulate the Knicks for not putting up that stupid banner,” Barkley said on Inside the NBA.
Kenny Smith immediately checked Barkley to find out what he meant by that statement. The 11-time All-Star was quite blunt in his response.
“You’re the New York Knicks,” Barkley proclaimed. His tone insinuated that the Knicks are too big a franchise to concern themselves with participation trophies. Their main focus should be on an NBA championship, which it is.
After all, the Knicks have a legitimate chance to win an NBA title this season. Currently sitting at 20-9 on the year, the Knicks are in position for a potential deep run. Even Shaquille O’Neal, who is a notorious Knicks hater, has lofty hopes for this team.
“They’re playing great basketball,” O’Neal said. “Everybody on the team knows their roles. They know what they have to do. I think they can go all the way.”
This is unlike O’Neal, who has been on record to go against the Knicks at any opportunity he gets. That is a testament to how different this Knicks team feels in comparison to past years.
Of course, the path to a title won’t be easy, but time will tell if the Knicks truly have what it takes to break their 52-year-old championship drought.
