The Knicks’ championship turnaround drew a salute from an unlikely corner this week: the Jets.
Ahead of Tuesday’s season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers, the Jets’ official X account posted, “Time to run it back,” and added, “Good Luck.” It was a simple nod, but an eye-catching one given how far the Knicks have come - and how closely their rise mirrors the kind of climb the Jets are trying to make.
That wasn’t always the case in New York. For years, the Knicks were right there with the Jets in the conversation about the city’s most frustrating teams.
Under James Dolan, the franchise spent 2001 through the 2011-12 season collecting just one playoff win while piling up nine losing seasons. Their best regular-season finish in that stretch was only 42 wins.
Things didn’t get better right away, either. After a short-lived bounce in 2012, the Knicks went through seven more seasons with no playoff appearances and five years with at least 50 losses, including two 65-loss seasons.
Now the city is celebrating the other end of that story. On October 20, 2026, New York is watching the Knicks receive their rings and raise the banner after their 2025-26 title run.
That championship came with plenty of memorable moments, from OG Anunoby’s tip-in against the San Antonio Spurs to the second-half comebacks that kept fueling the run. Jalen Brunson also capped it off by winning NBA Finals MVP, despite being labeled “undersized.”
But the title wasn’t just about the stars who finished the job. It also stood as proof that a broken situation can be rebuilt.
Tom Thibodeau, Julius Randle, Leon Rose, and Jalen Brunson helped breathe life back into the organization, while Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and Mitch Robinson gave the Knicks a core capable of chasing a championship. Mike Brown then made the adjustments that put them over the top.
time to run it back @nyknicks pic.twitter.com/2nqnYAfHQR
— New York Jets (@nyjets) October 20, 2026
The Jets are still in the middle of their own version of that process. Darren Mougey has not yet found the franchise’s next long-term quarterback, and Aaron Glenn still has to prove himself as a head coach, but this season has looked more competitive and more organized than what New York has seen in recent years.
At 2-4, the Jets have lost three games by a total of 14 points, which suggests there is at least something taking root in the Meadowlands. A win over the visiting Miami Dolphins on Sunday would put them at the same number of victories they had all last season. The bigger step, though, would be turning that into more before the year is over.
The Knicks made that leap in 2020. Six years later, they are chasing something even bigger: becoming the first NBA team in nearly a decade to win back-to-back championships.
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Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson were the main sources of offense for New York, but the bigger concern was how often Philadelphia was able to make the game uncomfortable on the other end. For a Knicks group trying to establish itself early, letting a struggling rival dictate stretches of the game is the kind of lapse that tends to linger, especially when the other side finds enough edge to cover its own flaws. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Title Night Had One Ring Moment Fans Didn't See Coming
The Knicks made Opening Night feel like a celebration before the ball even tipped, with championship rings handed out and the new banner rising at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 20. It was the kind of scene New York has waited a long time to see, a reward for a run that ended with the franchises first title in 53 years and Jalen Brunson taking home NBA Finals MVP honors.
Some of the buzz around the night spilled well beyond the arena, too, when Danhausen jumped onto social media and publicly asked for a championship ring of his own. He even singled out Karl-Anthony Towns in the request, jokingly asking to borrow one, a reminder that once a team reaches that level of spotlight, the attention can turn playful fast and the victory lap can wind up reaching places nobody expected. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Fans Sent LeBron A Message He Couldnt Ignore At MSG
Madison Square Garden was already buzzing for the season opener, but the loudest moment came when LeBron James stepped to the free-throw line and Knicks fans made their message impossible to miss. The chants were pointed and immediate, with the crowd letting James know, in no uncertain terms, that he was not wanted in New York.
It made for a sharp reminder of how much the Garden can still turn into a referendum on star power, especially when James has long talked about the idea of playing and even finishing his career there. But this is also a fan base that has grown more attached to its own team after recent championship success, and the nights hostility did not stop with James, as Philadelphia center Joel Embiid also drew chants from the crowd. [Read more 🡒]