Knicks Headed to NBA Cup Final: A Taste of Glory, a Glimpse of What’s Possible
It’s been nearly 30 years since the New York Knicks played a game with a trophy on the line. June 22, 1994 - that’s the last time this franchise stood under the spotlight with something tangible at stake.
Now, they’re 48 minutes away from doing it again. By knocking off the Orlando Magic 132-120 in the NBA Cup semifinal, the Knicks punched their ticket to Tuesday’s final in Las Vegas, where they’ll face the San Antonio Spurs.
Sure, it’s December. And yeah, the NBA Cup is a new wrinkle - a made-for-TV tournament that lives somewhere between preseason excitement and postseason intensity.
But don’t let that fool you. This matters.
You could see it in the way Tom Thibodeau coached it. You could feel it in the way the players approached it.
And you could hear it in the way the Garden faithful roared, even from afar.
Meaningful Basketball in December? In New York, It Hits Different
This isn’t just about a trophy or a payout. It’s about belief.
About momentum. About a team that’s trying to build something real.
The Knicks haven’t won a title since 1973. That’s not just a drought - that’s generational.
And while no one’s confusing the NBA Cup with the Larry O’Brien trophy, this is still a chance to win something other teams want. That counts.
Ask the New York Liberty. They hadn’t won anything in their history until they captured the 2023 Commissioner’s Cup.
That didn’t immediately translate to a WNBA championship - they lost the Finals to the Aces - but it helped lay the foundation. The next season, they broke through.
That Cup win mattered. It gave them proof they could win when it counted.
The Knicks are hoping for the same kind of spark.
The Spurs Await - and They’re Not Just a Wemby Sideshow
The Knicks won’t have it easy. The Spurs are here for a reason.
Even without Victor Wembanyama for a stretch, they’ve shown they can hang with anyone. But with him?
They’re something else entirely. In his first game back after a month off, Wemby dropped 22 points, grabbed nine boards, and swatted a couple of shots - all in just 21 minutes.
He’s not just tall. He’s a force.
And watching him go head-to-head with Chet Holmgren in the semifinal was like watching a great white shark circle a megalodon. There just aren’t many guys who can match Wemby’s size and skill, let alone survive it.
This Spurs team isn’t just about the future. They’re here now. And they’re a problem.
Brunson, KAT, and the Knicks’ Statement Win Over Orlando
Back to the Knicks. Their semifinal win wasn’t just a box score filler - it was a statement.
Jalen Brunson, once again, was the heartbeat. Another 40-point night.
Another display of poise, control, and sheer will. Karl-Anthony Towns?
Nearly flawless - 9-of-11 from the floor, 9-of-10 from the line. His efficiency lit up the stat sheet, but it was his confidence that lit up the team.
And then there was the supporting cast, combining for 52 points and eight “stocks” (steals + blocks) - a WingStop-worthy performance that kept Orlando chasing shadows.
Since the start of 2023, the Knicks are now 8-7 against the Magic, but this one felt like a turning point. Orlando’s been surging, building something real under Jamahl Mosley.
But New York just put them in the rearview - at least for now. And with this win, the Knicks join a small group of teams (alongside the Spurs, Nuggets, and Pistons) who’ve separated themselves from the pack.
Only the Thunder are clearly ahead of everyone else.
The Cup May Be New, But the Stakes Are Real
Let’s be honest - the NBA Cup is still finding its place in the league’s ecosystem. It’s not the playoffs.
It’s not the Finals. But it’s not nothing, either.
The fact that coaches are extending rotations, that stars are playing heavy minutes, that teams are treating this like a real opportunity - that tells you everything you need to know.
Tom Thibodeau didn’t need a memo to take this seriously. He’s always going to ride his best guys when it matters.
But even Mike Brown, who’s been cautious with minutes in the past, leaned in. Because Vegas isn’t just a backdrop.
It’s a stage. And the players know it.
Knicks vs. Spurs: A Final Worth Watching
This is the matchup we deserve. Two teams with something to prove.
Two franchises trying to build toward something bigger. The Thunder may be the darlings of the analytics crowd, but they’re not here.
The Knicks and Spurs are. And they’ve earned it.
This isn’t about who has the most draft picks or the best cap sheet. It’s about who showed up, who delivered, and who gets a shot at the first-ever NBA Cup.
That’s not abstract. That’s real.
And it’s fun.
A Budding Rivalry with Orlando? Maybe. But the Knicks Are Focused on the Now
There’s a chance something is brewing between the Knicks and Magic. They’ve met in the playoffs.
They’ve had some heated moments. But it’s not quite a rivalry yet.
The Knicks clearly like TJ McConnell too much for that - and if you’re not going after the other team’s pest, it’s not war.
Still, there’s something there. And if both teams keep trending up, we might be talking about Knicks-Magic the way we used to talk about Knicks-Heat or Knicks-Pacers. For now, though, the focus is on San Antonio.
The Broadcast Dilemma: A Trophy Game You Can’t Watch?
One note that’s hard to ignore - Tuesday’s final is behind a paywall. If you don’t have Prime Video, you’re out of luck.
That’s a tough pill to swallow for fans who’ve followed this team for decades. The league’s media deals may make financial sense for owners and some players, but they’ve made it harder for fans to simply watch their teams.
That disconnect is real. And it stings.
But for now, let’s live in the moment. The Knicks are playing for a trophy.
In December. And it matters.
Bottom Line: A Chance to Raise a Banner, and Maybe More
If the Knicks win on Tuesday, no one’s going to confuse it with a championship parade. But it’s something.
A step. A moment.
And maybe, just maybe, a sign of things to come.
Because winning - in any form - builds belief. And belief is how you start building banners.