The New York Knicks were two games away from reaching the NBA Finals during the 2024-25 season. Expectations for the upcoming campaign are the highest they’ve been in the Big Apple in years, and one noted media member (and known Knicks fan) has predicted that his team will make it somewhere that they haven’t been since 1999.
ESPN Pundit Predicts An NBA Finals Appearance For The Knicks
During Tuesday’s taping of First Take on ESPN, the cast was discussing the upcoming season. Stephen A Smith was asked about what he is most looking forward to for 2025-26, and he wasted no time putting his fandom on a pedestal. Citing the injuries to key players in the rest of the conference as well as New York’s rise to prominence over the last couple of seasons, Smith called his shot, saying that the Knicks would represent the East in the championship:
“The opportunity is there. I am looking for my New York Knicks to represent the Eastern Conference in the Finals. The Finals will be here, in the Big Apple…It’s a failure if they don’t get to the Finals.”
In his statement, Smith acknowledged the injuries to key players. With both Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton out for extended periods due to Achilles tears, both the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers are projected to be middle of the pack teams at very best. They represented two of the biggest obstacles for the Knicks last NBA season, making the path more clear for New York during the spring of 2026.
"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."
– Stephen A. Smith
(🎥 @FirstTake / h/t @ClutchPoints )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 30, 2025
The oddsmakers believe that there is one other team that is more worthy. The Cleveland Cavaliers finished with the best record in the East last season, and had the top offense in the NBA. But they were upset by the same team that knocked the Knicks off, losing to the Pacers in five games in the Eastern semi-finals.
At the start of October, Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers are listed at +230 on the betting board when it comes to representing the East in the NBA Finals. They are followed closely by the Knicks at +250, with all other teams in the conference listed at +550 or higher.
