What Does Success Look Like For the Knicks?

The New York Knicks are trapped in a relative paradise.

There are plenty of fanbases that would give limbs to be in the Knicks' spot: they're going to the playoffs for the third consecutive season, they're equipped with one of the most formidable top units in the Association headlined by one of its top rising stars in Jalen Brunson (when he's healthy, of course), and some they've made some shrewd maneuvers that are the envy of front offices everywhere (seriously, Josh Hart for Cam Reddish?).

Yet, the Knicks' position is simultaneously unenviable: they're trapped in a conference with the defending champion Boston Celtics, the Cleveland Cavaliers are the cusp of swiping victory away from the Donovan Mitchell dealings, and a plethora of injuries could end any progress before it truly gets rolling. It places the Knicks in a relative no-win situation, one where the Knicks tax — where common basketball blues become guaranteed fodder for the would-be hardwood comedians — becomes more prevalent than ever.

The national critics, of course, won't fully be silenced until the Knicks are parading down the Canyon of Heroes with the Larry O'Brien Trophy, which is more of a possibility than the harshest critics would ever care to admit. Even if they fall short of the NBA's final four, the Knicks have a couple more manageable goals that can at least place them on a more positive path going into year two of the current core.

Mar 17, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Miami Heat forward Kyle Anderson (20) drives to the basket against New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Nifty Fifty

While the Knicks will more than likely land in the third spot on the Eastern Conference bracket — a spot below last season's second-place finish — they still have a realistic shot at getting half-a-hundred wins. The Knicks haven't reached such a landmark since getting in a row between 1992 and 1996.

Getting to 50 wins perhaps isn't the accomplishment it once was in the era of explosive offensive and superteams, but it's still a strong barometer for where a team stands on the NBA landscape. The Knicks would reach that plateau despite several hurdles they haven't fully cleared: the Brunson injury is one thing but the Knicks' defensive issues still aren't fully solved, and let's not even start on their record against the Association's elite.

But good teams know how to handle their business and do the ordinary things extraordinarily well. Former head coach Stan Van Gundy expounded on the value of a 50-spot en route to last year's tally in an interview with Steve Serby of the New York Post.

“I think that 50 games has always sort of been a marker in the league of a really good regular season team," Van Gundy, who led the 59-23 Orlando Magic to the 2009 NBA Finals, said. "I think, unfortunately, people discount the challenge of the regular season and the consistency it takes to go out and play high-level basketball every single night in the NBA."

Consistency in consistency is a strong first hurdle for the Knicks, even if they fall short of their larger aspirations. It won't be easy: the Knicks could well decide the top seed honors in the East thanks to three remaining meetings against Cleveland and Boston. Over the last eight, only two remaining opponents (Philadelphia and Brooklyn) are fully removed from the postseason conversation.

Knicks Bucks — Mar 28, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) lays a shot up against New York Knicks forward Precious Achiuwa (5) in the first half at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

Break Out the Brooms

The most thankless task on the NBA postseason to-do list is likely what the Knicks face in the opening round of the postseason.

The current first-round set-up is the Knicks critic's dream: each of their likely potential opponents carries an argument if the Knicks prevail. Pound the Pacers? "Where was that last year?" Down Detroit? "Oh, the Pistons are a rebuilding team ahead of schedule." Best the Bucks? "Milwaukee is injury-prone and clearly shades removed from their championship group."

In one way, it's a step in the right direction that May games are viewed as a more assured staple of the Knicks' schedule. But that makes it more difficult to appreciate the undeniable steps forward the Knicks have made. There is a solution, however: a sweep.

If the Knicks thoroughly dominate one of their fellow automatic playoff qualifiers, that would at least lower the volume on some of the offseason chatter surrounding the Knicks' core and force the expected goal of winning in the first round to carry a little weight. The Knicks not been perfect in a best-of-seven set since besting the Atlanta Hawks in the 1999 conference semifinals en route to the Finals. Their last after a full regular season was three decades prior, when they bested the Baltimore Bullets in the same round.

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