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In a twist that almost no one could have expected, the 2025-26 New York Knicks just put up one of the most dominant postseasons the league has ever seen, dropping two games in their first-round playoff series (against the Atlanta Hawks, of all teams), before sweeping through the second round and then the Conference Finals. Once in the championship series, New York would drop just one more contest to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy for the first time in over 53 years.
After a great-but-not-spectacular regular season, one that saw New York go 53-29 with a plus-6.4 net rating, good for fifth in the league in the latter mark, the Knicks became the definition of playoff risers, posting a plus-16.0 net rating in the postseason and finishing with an absurd 16-3 record in the playoffs. New York's 83.3 winning percentage in the playoffs is now tied for the 10th-best such mark in league history, along with the 2023-24 Boston Celtics, and ahead of the likes of '96 Chicago Bulls and the '86 Boston Celtics (yes, you're reading that correctly).
What's more, New York posted the best point differential in NBA playoff history at +283, just ahead of the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors (+230), who lost one game in their entire championship run. Despite having a lower win percentage than that all-time squad, New York blew out its opponents so emphatically that it surpassed every other team ever in total margin of victory.
That's now three of the greatest teams in NBA history, the '96 Bulls, the '86 Celtics and the '17 Warriors, who have seen their playoff numbers surpassed by the 2025-26 New York Knicks.
Nuts.
The Knicks accomplished this by becoming huge playoff risers, posting the second-biggest point differential difference between regular season and postseason ever in the NBA, trailing just the 1955-56 Los Angeles Lakers. That Laker squad had a regular-season point differential of minus-0.9, before having a playoff point differential of plus-18.7 for a difference of 19.56. These Knicks had a regular-season point differential of plus-6.3 and a playoff point differential of plus-17.6, a difference of 11.30, a much more impressive feat considering the NBA had eight teams back then.
The team-oriented manner in which New York dominated the playoffs must be applauded. Just look at the Finals: When star lead guard and reigning Finals MVP Jalen Brunson was struggling with his shooting in the championship series, the team's defense and the underrated OG Anunoby helped carry the way. And then, when it was time to take things home, it was Brunson who closed things out with a masterful Game 5, dropping 45 points on just 27 shot attempts. Big man Karl-Anthony Towns was also fantastic with his shooting and bullying of Victor Wemanyama down low. The defense and shot-making of Mikal Bridges was awesome, the relentless energy of Josh Hart and Jose Alvarado were awe-inspiring.
All in all, New York built a near-perfect postseason team for the modern NBA, replete with one superstar and a bunch of excellent, high-level, non-superstar pieces around him.
This Knicks team did something not many outside of the Big Apple thought possible, and did so in stunningly dominant fashion. Sure, you can partly look at a weak Eastern Conference this year as having part to do with that, but for New York to win the championship series against a favored Spurs squad in five games makes the team's domination of the Eastern Conference in the playoffs look explainable in hindsight.
Those Eastern Conference teams were simply facing a juggernaut.
Even New York's two losses before the Finals to Atlanta were of a fluky fashion, requiring CJ McCollum to go nuclear.
On top of all that, lest we forget, this Knicks team also won the NBA Cup this year, making them the first team to win the coveted NBA Cup-NBA championship double, something that we think may actually mean something looking back a decade from now.
So now uncomfortable conversations might need to be had at some point regarding whether this Knicks team will go down as one of the greatest in NBA history. On numbers alone, you can certainly make the case.
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: When discussing the greatest teams ever, we will now have to bring up the 2025-26 Knicks
Continue reading...
After a great-but-not-spectacular regular season, one that saw New York go 53-29 with a plus-6.4 net rating, good for fifth in the league in the latter mark, the Knicks became the definition of playoff risers, posting a plus-16.0 net rating in the postseason and finishing with an absurd 16-3 record in the playoffs. New York's 83.3 winning percentage in the playoffs is now tied for the 10th-best such mark in league history, along with the 2023-24 Boston Celtics, and ahead of the likes of '96 Chicago Bulls and the '86 Boston Celtics (yes, you're reading that correctly).
What's more, New York posted the best point differential in NBA playoff history at +283, just ahead of the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors (+230), who lost one game in their entire championship run. Despite having a lower win percentage than that all-time squad, New York blew out its opponents so emphatically that it surpassed every other team ever in total margin of victory.
That's now three of the greatest teams in NBA history, the '96 Bulls, the '86 Celtics and the '17 Warriors, who have seen their playoff numbers surpassed by the 2025-26 New York Knicks.
Nuts.
The Knicks accomplished this by becoming huge playoff risers, posting the second-biggest point differential difference between regular season and postseason ever in the NBA, trailing just the 1955-56 Los Angeles Lakers. That Laker squad had a regular-season point differential of minus-0.9, before having a playoff point differential of plus-18.7 for a difference of 19.56. These Knicks had a regular-season point differential of plus-6.3 and a playoff point differential of plus-17.6, a difference of 11.30, a much more impressive feat considering the NBA had eight teams back then.
The team-oriented manner in which New York dominated the playoffs must be applauded. Just look at the Finals: When star lead guard and reigning Finals MVP Jalen Brunson was struggling with his shooting in the championship series, the team's defense and the underrated OG Anunoby helped carry the way. And then, when it was time to take things home, it was Brunson who closed things out with a masterful Game 5, dropping 45 points on just 27 shot attempts. Big man Karl-Anthony Towns was also fantastic with his shooting and bullying of Victor Wemanyama down low. The defense and shot-making of Mikal Bridges was awesome, the relentless energy of Josh Hart and Jose Alvarado were awe-inspiring.
All in all, New York built a near-perfect postseason team for the modern NBA, replete with one superstar and a bunch of excellent, high-level, non-superstar pieces around him.
This Knicks team did something not many outside of the Big Apple thought possible, and did so in stunningly dominant fashion. Sure, you can partly look at a weak Eastern Conference this year as having part to do with that, but for New York to win the championship series against a favored Spurs squad in five games makes the team's domination of the Eastern Conference in the playoffs look explainable in hindsight.
Those Eastern Conference teams were simply facing a juggernaut.
Even New York's two losses before the Finals to Atlanta were of a fluky fashion, requiring CJ McCollum to go nuclear.
On top of all that, lest we forget, this Knicks team also won the NBA Cup this year, making them the first team to win the coveted NBA Cup-NBA championship double, something that we think may actually mean something looking back a decade from now.
So now uncomfortable conversations might need to be had at some point regarding whether this Knicks team will go down as one of the greatest in NBA history. On numbers alone, you can certainly make the case.
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: When discussing the greatest teams ever, we will now have to bring up the 2025-26 Knicks
Continue reading...
