The New York Knicks seize some NBA Cup hardware by beating the San Antonio Spurs in the championship game on Tuesday night in Las Vegas. This could be the year they win their first NBA title since 1973.
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — The New York Knicks haven't won an NBA championship since 1973, and it's been a very public drought in the nation's largest media market. But they've been knocking on the door the past couple of years, and the organization is very intent on ending that skid this season.
Winning the in-season NBA Cup — which the Knicks did Tuesday night with a 124-113 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Las Vegas — in no way satisfies that urge to hoist a trophy and raise a banner at Madison Square Garden.
But there is this: It's December, and the NBA Cup is the only title available at the moment. The playoffs don't start until April, an the NBA Finals aren't until June.
Living in the moment is a big deal. So beating the Spurs and winning the NBA Cup — with a round-robin and then three single-elimination games which we never get in the NBA — truly is a big deal.
And it should be.
Coach Mike Brown, who was hired by the Knicks in July, wasn't a big fan of the tournament when in started in 2023, but he sees some value to it now. There was value to the players, too, who each earned more than $500,000 for winning the title.
"During the course of the year, you try to find situations to put pressure on your group," Brown said. "This is a single-elimination tournament when you get to a certain point. Every game counts. There's pressure on every game if you expect to be who you think you are.
"That pressure is manufactured without you as a coach having to try to do it all the time. When you're able to have success doing it, it breeds confidence in everybody within the organization. That can propel you come the right time when you're in that environment, to be able to handle the pressure because you've already been through it."
It was an impressive win for the Knicks, which did not count in the NBA standings (All the other Cup games did.) They outscored the Spurs 35-16 in the fourth quarter to take the title. OG Anunoby led New York with 28 points and Jalen Brunson added 25. The Knicks had seven players in double figures.
“This is great and we’re going to enjoy this,” Brunson said. “But once we leave tomorrow, we’re moving on.”
The Knicks are 18-7 so far this season, good for second-best in the NBA's Eastern Conference behind the surprising Detroit Pistons, who are 21-5. But according to the oddsmakers at Fanduel.com, it's the Knicks who are favored to win the Eastern Conference.
Here are the latest odds to win the East:
New York Knicks — plus-270
Cleveland Cavaliers — plus-410
Detroit Pistons — plus-500
Boston Celtics — plus-700
Orlando Magic — plus-700
Atlanta Hawks — plus-1000
The window is open on a Knicks title run right now, especially with the two teams that have eliminated them in the past two years — the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers — dealing with serious health issues in 2025-26.
Boston is playing without Jayson Tatum, and Indiana will go the entire year without Tyrese Haliburton. Both are MVP candidates, and two of the top players in the game. They'll be back to contend for titles next year, but for this year, New York should be that team to win the East and go to the NBA Finals.
What they've learned in the NBA Cup is that they are capable of being some good teams in a one-and-done situation. It's a good learning experience, something that might pay dividends in April.
And May. And, hopefully, June.
The extra tournament game forces a busy stretch of basketball for the Knicks, who will play five games in the next eight days, starting with a game on Thursday in Indiana against the Pacers, a rematch of last year’s conference finals.
Then, it’s right back on the court again on Friday for a back-to-back against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Knicks will play on Christmas Day against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Noon ET.
Back at the grind. With eyes on a title.