Mike D'Antoni was thrilled to see his old team win a title, but he knows how hard it will be for the Knicks to do it again.
Mike D'Antoni knows how rare it is for New York to celebrate a championship.
The former head coach led the New York Knicks from the 2008-09 season until he resigned in March 2012, and now he is watching his old team try to do something nobody has done in years.
In an exclusive interview with Action Network's Kyle Odegard, D'Antoni said he was really happy for the Knicks after their title in June.
He also said it was a good sign that New York was able to bring back nearly its entire core, but he did not pretend the road ahead will be easy.
D'Antoni Sees an Uphill Battle
D'Antoni said the challenge will come from the other strong teams around the league, from the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs in the West to the teams that reloaded in the East.
"It's hard to repeat," D'Antoni said in the interview. "There's no guarantee of anything. You need some luck along the way. They are going to be good, and it would make the NBA interesting, because they haven't had a repeat champion for 10 years or so. We'll see. It's a nice goal for them to try to reach."
D'Antoni is a little off on the number, but not on the point, since the last team to win back-to-back titles was the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018.
The Knicks went through the Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers in the East before beating the Spurs in five games in the Finals, winning the title with a 94-90 victory in San Antonio on June 13 for their first championship since 1972-73.
D'Antoni also does not think the attention after the title will throw the team off, saying the players are pros who will get used to the pressure, and he noted they peaked at the right time last season.
That will be tested, since guard Jalen Brunson, the Finals MVP, became just the fifth NBA player to host Saturday Night Live in late September.
Why the Knicks Have a Real Shot
Plenty of people have already made the case for this team winning it all again.
Brunson, center Karl-Anthony Towns, forward OG Anunoby, forward Mikal Bridges and forward Josh Hart are all back, and the Knicks added center Andre Drummond and brought back guard Jordan Clarkson this summer.
Head coach Mike Brown also returns after a 53-win regular season, and he deserves plenty of credit for how this group came together.
The Knicks sit behind just one team in the preseason power rankings, but D'Antoni has a point about luck, since a title run needs good health and good timing.
D'Antoni went 121-167 with the Knicks and reached the playoffs only once, in 2011, so his praise for this group comes from someone who saw the hard years up close.
What Comes Next
The Knicks open the preseason on Monday, Oct. 5, at Philadelphia, and they start the regular season against the 76ers on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at Madison Square Garden.
D'Antoni is right that nothing is promised, but this is the same group that went 12-2 through the East last spring, and it is hard to bet against that.
