Don’t start planning another parade in 2027 just yet.
As millions gathered in Lower Manhattan to celebrate the Knicks’ first NBA title in 53 years Thursday morning, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith declared the team as a heavy favorite for another deep postseason run next season – but not necessarily a championship.
“We’re gonna keep it a buck. [The] New York Knicks shouldn’t be the favorites next season, even if they are the champions,” Smith said during Thursday’s edition of “First Take.”
“If you know basketball and you’re covering basketball, you know what happened this year. You could look at this team and legitimately say the New York Knicks deserve to be the favorites coming out of the East.
“Without question, the Knicks should be the favorites to represent the Eastern Conference in next year’s NBA Finals — not the Celtics. I don’t give a damn if Jayson Tatum is healthy, okay?”
If the Knicks do make it out of the Eastern Conference, however, Smith believes the Oklahoma City Thunder — not the Spurs — pose the biggest challenge.
The Thunder came close to back-to-back NBA Finals appearances before falling to San Antonio in a seven-game Western Conference Finals while missing several key players.
“We can’t put anything past the Oklahoma City Thunder,” Smith added. “The Oklahoma City Thunder were in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals. The Oklahoma City Thunder were without Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell, your second and third [best] scorers.”
Williams, after initially suffering a left hamstring sprain in the Western Conference Semifinals, returned with a bang in Game 1 win against the Spurs before re-aggravating the injury in Game 2.
He missed the rest of the series.
The Thunder fell to the Spurs in seven games during this year’s Western Conference Finals. Getty Images
As for Mitchell, the Belgian guard sustained a right calf injury, which sidelined him for most of the series, including the decisive Game 7.
“When [Williams] is healthy, you can’t key on [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander] the way [the Spurs] did, double and triple teaming him,” Smith said. “As a result, the reigning two-time MVP is free to get loose…so gotta look at it from that standpoint.
“Ajay Mitchell, some were debating whether he was better than Jalen Williams or not, that’s how much of a stud they both are, and they were both out.”
Smith downplayed the Knicks’ chances of repeating as NBA champions. Getty Images
Sportsbooks agree with the sentiment, with FanDuel’s odds giving New York the fourth-best odds to take home the Larry O’Brien trophy next season, with the Thunder +250 favorites.
Knicks owner James Dolan indicated during a WFAN interview Wednesday that he would “write as big of a check as possible, but I can’t write a check that goes into the second apron.”
If that comes to fruition, the team could be without several key players from this year’s Finals run, which, partnered with a healthy OKC, could spell trouble next season.
“If they’re healthy, they beat the Spurs in the conference finals,” Smith added. “Spurs ain’t in the Finals, they beat the Spurs and they would’ve been favored over the Knicks.
“So I think because that’s the reality, Oklahoma City is number one, Knicks number two and then everybody else is behind them. I believe right now, if you’re making a prediction, it should be the New York Knicks and the Oklahoma City Thunder will meet one another in the NBA Finals next year.”
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