Former NBA Champion Believes Knicks Can Make the NBA Finals

A former NBA champion and analyst has a bold take on the New York Knicks' Finals chances, and it all comes down to how they use their biggest weapon.

June 8, 2018; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Kendrick Perkins (21) during the second quarter in game four of the 2018 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors at Quicken Loans Arena. The Warriors defeated the Cavaliers 108-85 to complete a four-game sweep. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks are one of the favorites to come out of the East this season, sitting at 37-21 and third in the Eastern Conference after Karl-Anthony Towns dropped 28 points and 11 rebounds to hold off the Bulls. But according to one former NBA champion, going even further comes down to how New York uses him.

ESPN's Get Up shared the take on X, with former NBA champion and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins laying out exactly what the Knicks need to do to make a real run this postseason.

"If they use this recipe ... the Knicks actually got a legit chance of going to the NBA Finals. Karl-Anthony Towns is the most important player on this team. And they got to continue to find ways to feature him in the offense," he said.

"If they use this recipe ... the Knicks actually got a legit chance of going to the NBA Finals."

—@KendrickPerkins on the Knicks 🍿 pic.twitter.com/zgZV2cOUvC

— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) February 23, 2026

Perkins went further, saying the Knicks need to build their offense around Towns, even if that means fewer touches for Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and others. His reasoning is not just about scoring.

"Karl-Anthony Towns is a guy that works off emotions. He's a guy that you have to stroke his ego. He's a guy that you have to force feed the rock so that you could get a better player on the defensive side of things," he continued.

Karl-Anthony Towns Is the Key to the Knicks' Playoff Run

That point about defense is really what ties the whole argument together. Towns has been one of the better rebounders in the league this season, averaging 11.8 boards per game and piling up 39 double-doubles. But his defensive effort has always been tied to how engaged he is on the other end.

When KAT is locked in offensively, the whole team looks different. Against the Rockets, he dropped 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting and led New York back from 18 down, closing the fourth quarter with the kind of presence that changes a game completely. That version of Towns, scoring 20 or more for the fifth straight game, is exactly what Perkins is talking about.

Perkins connected that kind of stretch directly to what the Knicks could be in May.

"If the Knicks are going to get this Karl-Anthony Towns that we seen against the Rockets and last night, then the Knicks have a legit shot of coming out of the east. But if they don't feature him and they have those games where they put him on the back burner, then they could possibly be, you know, an early round exit in the postseason," Perkins said.

The message from Perkins is pretty clear. The Knicks have the roster and the record to make noise in the playoffs. Whether they actually get there in one piece depends on how much they trust Towns to carry the load when it matters most.

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