5 reasons the New York Knicks could end with a championship in 2024
Why the Knicks could win a title this season: 2. A weak East
Another factor that plays into winning a championship are the teams you end up playing in the playoffs. Looking at what the Eastern Conference is so far, there are maybe only two teams that are viable championship contenders.
The teams that are in contention to win the east outside of the Knicks are, the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Miami Heat. Every one of these teams has had major flaws.
The 76ers have the reigning MVP but having James Harden was a huge help in their 54-win season. Since James Harden wants out, the 76ers may end up taking a massive hit as team chemistry could be off and cause the 76ers to have a bad season.
The Cleveland Cavaliers were a dark horse team last year to come out the east but the Knicks game in and won in a convincing five games. The Cavaliers did make some nice additions to their roster but it's not enough for them to contend for a title.
The Miami Heat beat the Knicks in the playoffs but what can't be overlooked is the fact that five out the six games went down to the wire. The Knicks second-best player had a hurt ankle. If the Heat don't make a trade for Damian Lillard, the odds of them coming out of the East aren't as high.
The two top dogs in the east are the Celtics and Bucks. Both of them have their problems as both teams lost to the Heat. The Celtics aren't going to be the same defensive team and they did lose to the Knicks three times last season. The Bucks haven't been able to get the job done since 2021, losing in the first round of the playoffs last season.
The Knicks are one of the most underrated teams going into next season. When Tom Thibodeau made the switch to a nine-man rotation the Knicks had the sixth-best record in basketball and fourth-best in the East. After they traded for Josh Hart, the Knicks had the third-best record in the NBA and second-best in the East.
The Knicks are a very good basketball team and can absolutely contend with the best teams in the east. If they can get the right matchups and take advantage of their opponents flaws they could end up in the finals where anything could happen.