Knicks Still Considered Top Contender

The New York Knicks are still one of the best teams in the NBA.

Feb 23, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) controls the ball while New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) defends during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks' latest losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics have exposed them against the league's elite, but that still doesn't mean the team isn't considered to be one of the best in the NBA.

The Athletic's Law Murray still believes that the Knicks are the best team in the league behind the Cavs, Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder.

"I could just make another tier if I wanted to, but I’m not going to do that," Murray writes.

"I’ll just point out that a lot of weird things can happen in the playoffs and on the way to the playoffs. The Knicks know that very well, losing Julius Randle before the All-Star break last year while dealing with a rash of injuries until their elimination in the semifinals. New York has made it very clear this season that it’s not capable of beating the three teams ahead of it in these rankings. But the Knicks also are very good against everyone else, and they’re going to have to hope some other team takes out the squads they don’t match up well against. We have a long way to go, so let’s see how it plays out."

The Knicks will likely have to face one, two or three of the top teams in the league en route to a championship, so it is very rare that they will get lucky with other teams knocking them out. It's clear that those three have been beating up on pretty much every other team in the league this season, and the Knicks aren't immune from that.

The Knicks have to accept the fact that they just might not be good enough right now. However, there isn't a whole lot that can be done about that until the offseason, so for now, they need to try their best with what they've got.

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