5 Reasons Why It Would Be Awesome if the New York Knicks Win the 2026 NBA Championship

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK—With the first two games of this NBA season’s best-of-seven series now in the books, New York City counts the hours before tip-off to Game 3. The New York Knicks won decisively over the San Antonio Spurs with a 10-point advantage in Game 1 and by the slimmest of margins in Game 2, both on the road. The Finals shifts to The Big Apple with the next couple games to be held at Madison Square Garden giving the Knicks a chance to win it at home if they sweep but that’s getting ahead of ourselves.

The 2025-26 season has been a culmination of a multitude of things that have led the Knicks to where they now find themselves. Currently on a historic 13-game winning streak in the playoffs, sweeping Philadelphia and Cleveland in the process. This feat has only been previously accomplished by Golden State in 2017 and a win on Monday night (Tuesday in Manila) would break that record and put them just another win away from winning it all. Even for someone who has rooted for another NBA team almost all my life, it’s difficult not to be thrilled seeing New York succeed.

Here are five reasons why it would be awesome if the New York Knicks Win Their First NBA Championship title in over five decades.

The Knickerbockers are one of the NBA’s charter teams that founded the league in 1946. Almost 80 years later, they have only made it to the Finals nine times and have only won two NBA championships—in 1970 and 1973. After years of heartbreak, New Yorkers are dying to hang another banner in The Garden. For the first time in the 21st century, the Knicks are back and are just two wins away from doing just that.

Just this week, debates on what makes a real New Yorker flooded social media. Some say you need to be born in New York to be one (we’re looking at you, Jennifer Lopez). It’s funny how only one player on this season’s team is, and that’s okay. New York has long been a melting pot of cultures, proudly welcoming immigrants searching for better lives with transplants from all over looking to make names for themselves in the big city.

The Manhattan snobbishness is out-of-date. There’s absolutely no shame now if you’re part of the bridge-and-tunnel crowd. Even Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, two of the Knicks brightest stars, are originally from across the water in Jersey. Everyone’s a New Yorker. 

People forget that the Knicks are the reigning NBA Cup Champs from just last December. Maybe even the Knicks have. The three-year-old In-Season Tournament is something that have divided fans. The Knicks have made it clear that unlike previous NBA Cup winners, only NBA championship banners will hang from their rafters at The Garden.

Winning the Cup and possibly taking the Larry O’Brien trophy home to New York in the same season would be a historic first for any team, further making this a dream season for the Knicks. It could also make people think twice about dismissing the tournament and see it as a great way to prep for playoff action instead of just going through the motions of a long regular season.

Yes, we know the Spurs have rookie Dylan Harper, who is playing amazingly by the way. We’re all proud of the kid. But 12-year veteran Jordan Clarkson has served the country twice, playing for Gilas Pilipinas most recently during the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Harper has his whole NBA career ahead of him.

Now on his second Finals appearance, it would be nice to see JC finally get a ring this time around.

Jalen Brunson is undeniably the star of this Knicks team but does not act like it at all. I was fortunate enough to join the good folks at Cignal on a New York trip two years ago. We visited the NBA offices at Secaucus and watched the Knicks host the Cavs. We were able to watch the pre-game warmups and we were fortunate enough to meet Brunson on his way back to the dugout. While the other players were busy getting ready for the game and zoning all distractions out to focus on the 40 minutes ahead, we couldn’t believe how the King of New York took the time to acknowledge his fans courtside, take photos, hug kids wearing his #11 jersey, and sig autographs for us. It was refreshing to see an NBA All-Star with so much humility reciprocating the devotion to the fans. I’ve followed the Knicks games since and it’s been a constant progression for them each year advancing to the Eastern Conference Semifinals that season and the Conference Finals last year.

Born in New Brunswick and raised in South Jersey, Brunson grew up a Knicks fan. His dad Rick was a journeyman in the NBA over the course of nine years. He played for the Knicks in 1999-2000 and was ironically part of the Knicks’ last Finals appearance in 1999. The previous year, in between NBA teams, the senior Brunson played for Ginebra San Miguel in the PBA as an import. He now serves as an assistant coach on Mike Brown’s staff while his son is the undoubtedly the biggest star in the greatest city in the world. Winning the championship would definitely be a full-circle moment for the Brunsons.

Former longtime Knicks staff member Erwin Valencia described it best when he said the Knicks are the NBA’s Ginebra. The fans venerate the Knicks through good and bad. It’s been mostly bad, which makes their loyalty to the Knicks even more admirable. Seeing how the crowds have gone out to the streets and converged on West 33rd and 7th Avenue after the first two games with the Knicks playing in San Antonio, we can only imagine how even more insane the celebrations would be if the Knicks win it all. Even the President is scheduled to be in attendance for Game 3 and it should be interesting to see how that factors in with all the other moving parts of what looks to be a game for the ages.

The New York Knicks play the San Antonio Spurs June 8th 8:30 p.m. (EST).