Trail Blazers HC Offers High Praise for Knicks

Nothing like getting respect amongst your peers. It’s refreshing to hear a few nice words when speaking about another team in a positive light, especially in defeat. Portland Trail Blazers head coach and former NBA player Tiago Splitter wasted little to know time acknowledging the New York Knicks after the 123-114 loss.

“It’s a very good team. Very smart. Lots of vets. Lots of shooting around the perimeter. It's one of the best teams in the East for me,” Splitter said.

Jan 2, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Portland Trail Blazers interim Head Coach Tiago Splitter looks on against the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The Knicks have been the most accomplished team within the last three seasons.

Going by the standings, the Knicks are ranked number two in the Eastern conference at 25-14. Looking up and down at the Eastern conference, the Knicks have been the most accomplished team for the last three seasons outside of the Boston Celtics.

Within the last three years, they’ve been a top three seed with a conference final, and semi-finals appearance. There are high expectations for the Knicks to go all the way with the roster that Splitter complimented. Filled with three point shooting, perimeter and interior scoring, wing defense, rebounding and experience. The roster that won the In-season tournament was no fluke, and this may be the most well-rounded team in the NBA.

The Eastern Conference is favorable for the Knicks to win.

The Knicks have not been to the finals since 1999 against the San Antonio Spurs where they loss the series 4-1. The last time they won a championship was in 1971 under Hall of Famer Willis Reed. That may not sound too bad for certain teams in the league, but for arguably the biggest market in the world, and a city with rich basketball history the city is itching up to hold that Larry O'Brien trophy come June.

The good news is that the road to the championship for the Knicks seems favorable.

Jan 11, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) drives to the basket past Portland Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan (23) and forward Toumani Camara (33) during the second half at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images | Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers have been the team that has gotten in the way over the last two years in the playoffs. That will not be the case this season. With the number of injuries, they have accumulated this will be a write-off year for Indiana as they are bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.

The Celtics were eliminated by the Knicks last year when they had Jayson Tatum, and are weaker without him. Unless Tatum comes back this year from his Achilles injury, their fate will likely be the same.

The Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers have proven to be two great regular season teams but haven’t turned the corner into a proven playoff team. Teams such as the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks have proven veterans, but because of the inconsistency with their main guys like Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo being out, it's tough to see how good they really are.

The majority of the league understands how good the Knicks are, and what they are capable of when they are clicking at all cylinders. The question is will the Knicks be able to capitalize on the opportunity in front of them?

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