Celtics Meet Warriors in NBA Finals: 3 New York Knicks Storylines
For New York Knicks fans, the start of the 2022 NBA Finals simply means that only three weeks separate their team and the 11th overall pick in the NBA Draft.
The Knicks have been reduced to spectators for the 23rd consecutive championship series, one that will stage one of their biggest rivals, the Boston Celtics, against the Golden State Warriors. Tip-off for the 2022 Finals is scheduled for Thursday night in San Francisco (9 p.m. ET, ABC), three weeks before the NBA Draft in Brooklyn.
Though the Knicks will once again be watching from the sidelines, several New York-connected names appear on the ledgers of the respective competitors. The only on-court competitor will be Boston's Luke Kornet, who played 66 games with the Knicks over two seasons (2018-19) in addition to a couple of years working with the team's G League affiliate in Westchester.
Kornet keeps up one of the most unusual streaks in NBA history: throughout its 75-year lifespan, only one (1980) has not featured a former Knick. The Vanderbilt alum played for three teams this season, ending in Boston, after beginning his NBA career with the Knicks. His most notable New York moment came in his debut when he earned an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double in a loss to Toronto. Kornet has appeared in six games during Boston's run to the finals, including three during the Celtics' seven-game win over Miami in the conference finals.
The most notable former Knick involved with the series is undoubtedly Ime Udoka, the Celtics' first-year head coach.
Udoka's single season as a Nets assistant wasn't his first New York experience: he partook in eight games with the Knicks in 2006, averaging 2.8 points and 2.1 rebounds. It was part of a seven-season career that also visited Los Angeles, Portland, San Antonio, and Sacramento. He entered coaching shortly after his career ended as an assistant with the Spurs, putting him on the path toward accepting the Celtics' top spot.
On the Warriors' side, assistant coach Kenny Atkinson reps the metropolitan area, having worked with both the Knicks and Nets. Atkinson began his NBA coaching career as a Knicks assistant under Mike D'Antoni, serving for four seasons (2008-12) before taking the job with Brooklyn in 2016. He joined Golden State after a single season with the Los Angeles Clippers.
The 2022 NBA Finals will tip off Thursday, June 2.
