Knicks Stars Unfazed By Massive Expectations

KAT and the 'Cat believe the New York Knicks are up to scratch when it comes to dealing with the rigors of an expectation-laden season.

Led by Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson, the Knicks retain most, if not all, of the core that reached last season's Eastern Conference Finals amidst an otherwise turbulent landscape. With that in mind, many have pegged them as the grouping's favorite and one of the top contenders capable of silencing the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

In the final hours before the Cleveland Cavaliers ring in the new year at Madison Square Garden, Brunson and Towns offered classy rejection of those who believes the expectations will derail metropolitan momentum.

Dec 9, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) watches as center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) celebrates after making a three point basket to clinch a win against the Toronto Raptors near the end of the fourth quarter at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

"Doesn't matter to me, so I don't know what it's like," the captain Brunson said in video from SNY. "You hear and see everything in this era of social media and TV and podcasts and everything ... It's just up to the person who's consuming that knowledge to either want to believe it or disregard it. I just disregard it. It doesn't mean s***. It doesn't mean anything. It's not for me to worry about [that chatter]. My worry's practice, my worry's film, my worry's getting better every single day. I don't have time time to think about what people say or think about us."

"I'm not thinking about that. All that is looking at a crystal ball, hoping things work out like the crystal ball says. We've got to get there," Towns added in another video from SNY. "We've got to take care of our job to even think about [the Finals]. Stay in the present, don't worry about all the chatter, all the noise outside, just worry about what's in the locker room, what we know we've got to accomplish, what we've got to do: get better every day and put ourselves in the best spot every day to win and hopefully make those odds right."

For all the success that this current decade has seen, the Knicks still have several dubious streaks hanging over them as they embark on the new campaign: while they reached the NBA's final four for the first time since 2000, they haven't been to the NBA Finals since 1999 and little more needs to be said about their championship drought, which recently reached five decades.

But with several fellow Eastern contenders reeling, ailing, or both, the Knicks have their most legitimate championship case in quite some time. In addition to the All-Stars Brunson and Towns, New York welcomes back recurring headliners like OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, and Mitchell Robinson, while potential-packed depth stars Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele were added to the fold over the offseason.

New York will get an instant opportunity to prove its contending mettle: in addition to the Cavs' visit, the Knicks face a recent playoff entrant in each of its first four games, also hosting Boston before embarking on trips to Miami and Milwaukee.

Make sure you bookmark Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!