The New York Knicks have a real shot at potentially winning the NBA championship in the 2025-26 season. The Eastern Conference is wide open, given the number of injured stars. The Knicks could take advantage of not having serious competition in the conference and be in the Finals following the regular season. Longtime analyst Stephen A. Smith believes that the team will do just that to advance past the conference finals.
New York hasn’t been in the Finals since 1999. Last season, the team made history by breaking its conference finals drought. The team made an appearance for the first time since 2000, but lost to the Indiana Pacers.
Smith thinks the squad should capitalize on its momentum and the absence of strong rivals. The Pacers are not expected to contend since Tyrese Haliburton is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon. The Boston Celtics have the same case.
In a recent broadcast of ESPN’s “First Take,” Smith had a crazy opinion about the New York squad exploiting injuries sustained by other teams.
“I’m looking forward to my Knicks, my New York Knicks, capitalizing on the Achilles tear to Jayson Tatum, the Achilles tear to Damian Lillard that ultimately led to him departing from Milwaukee and going back to Portland, the Achilles tear to Tyrese Haliburton and Indy, the New York Knicks are going to the NBA Finals,” Smith said.
"I'm looking forward to my Knicks capitalizing off of the Achilles tear to Jayson Tatum… Damian Lillard… Tyrese Haliburton. … The New York Knicks are going to the NBA Finals. It happened by default… I wish them all well."
– Stephen A. Smithpic.twitter.com/b4QczXrKyg
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 30, 2025
Smith must have forgotten that there are other competitive teams in the East. The Cleveland Cavaliers, the Atlanta Hawks and the Orlando Magic could also be a problem for New York. But given that Smith is a fan of the franchise, he strongly believes in what they can do.
Knicks’ Josh Hart takes the blame for postseason disappointment
There was a lot of blame directed at Karl-Anthony Towns after the Knicks lost in the Eastern Conference finals. Most of the blame was on his lack of defensive tenacity. When it comes to that end of the floor, Towns has always been criticized by the media, fans and other players.
However, Josh Hart stood up for his teammate on Monday during their Media Day. Instead, he took the blame for the team’s loss against Indiana.
“I thought he played well in the playoffs … I think the only one who should get blamed is me,” Hart said. “I think I played well in Detroit, played well in Boston. With Indiana, I just didn’t have nothing left.”
During the playoffs, KAT was one of the team’s top options offensively. During that stretch, he averaged 21.4 points and 11.6 rebounds on 35.1% shooting from beyond the arc.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
