Following an injury-riddled postseason that saw three superstars go down with ruptured Achilles tendons, the NBA’s Eastern Conference will be in shambles next season. Even if they keep Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks will be without Damian Lillard. The Indiana Pacers lost Tyrese Haliburton for the entirety of the 2025-26 campaign in the final contest of the season. The Boston Celtics have already begun a retooling phase with Jayson Tatum sidelined next year as well.
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With nearly half of this season’s East playoff teams already marred by injury, the conference will be wide open to the few lucky playoff teams that escaped unscathed. The New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers are the lone contenders in the East who remain fully healthy, prompting Molly Qerim to question which team is under more pressure to make the NBA Finals next season.
Tim Bontemps believes the answer is obvious: the Knicks. Even though Cleveland dominated the East en route to 64 wins and another first-place finish, Bontemps stressed that they are still a young team adjusting to a new coach. New York, meanwhile, is laden with battle-tested veterans and has just fired their long-tenured head coach, insinuating the franchise is growing impatient.
“This is a veteran team that traded for Karl-Anthony Towns, that traded for Mikal Bridges to believe they could take steps forward,” Bontemps said on First Take. “They fire their coach, which to me, when you fire a coach after making the conference finals, there’s only one thing that’s acceptable, which is making the NBA Finals and/or winning a championship.”
New York’s sudden urgency combined with the wide-open Eastern Conference provides the franchise the perfect opportunity to win their first championship since 1973, according to Bontemps. With so many superstars sidelined, the veteran sportswriter doesn’t see the Knicks having a better chance to win it all than next season.
“As you just said before, no Tyrese Haliburton, no Damian Lillard, no Jayson Tatum next year. The Eastern Conference is totally wide open. The Knicks have not won a title in 50 years. They are a team that’s not made the Finals since 1999. This is their opportunity right now,” Bontemps stressed.
After some roster refinement and a new head coaching hire, New York will be in their best position to win a title in decades. “This is the Knicks’ year. They have to take advantage of this opportunity. They’re probably never gonna have a better chance than they do right now, with this group, to win next season,” Bontemps continued.
The Cavaliers are far from being the only team the Knicks will have to worry about on their path through the East, though. The Orlando Magic have already fortified their offense with a trade for Desmond Bane, while the Atlanta Hawks made waves by acquiring Kristaps Porzingis before the draft.
The Miami Heat will also be a threat if they can make a savvy move or two, and the Detroit Pistons have burst onto the scene after spending over a decade in mediocrity. The path is certainly there for the New York Knicks, who boast arguably the conference’s most complete roster. If they fail to build on their recent postseason run, though, the franchise will have more questions than answers next summer.
