NOTE: Buddy Diaz has Yankees’ blinders and refuses to write about the crosstown Mets… even now.
SPANISH HARLEM – The New York Knicks are only one win away from the Emirates NBA Cup Championship game after beating the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday. The last 2 years the Knicks have lost in the Quarterfinals, so this is the farthest they have been since the tournament began. Is it something that Knicks fans should be proud of?… Let’s discuss.
From my knowledge the prior winners never got to the actual NBA championship, so there is no guarantee that the team that wins is a superior team in the league (Unless OKC wins but that’s another story). Some players may take this tournament more seriously than others but winning or losing doesn’t offer any glimpse into what the future holds. It’s fun to say that you won and the players get some money, which may be chump to most on the roster but does help those on lower contracts at the end of bench.
There is also a sense of pride to be had from winning it all. Some on the Knicks have stated that it can jump start your focus, that can be used later in the season and the playoffs. Knowing that you can bare down in tough games early in the season can be helpful, yet it does nothing but give you a banner that you can hang in the rafters. I won’t sit here and say I will be hurt if they don’t win (though I hate losing any games period), it’s not the end all be all that the playoffs are.
It is a nice trophy to hang your hat on and I will be rooting for them to win, especially if they play OKC in the finals. Could be a measuring stick for the Knicks early in the season, just to see how they match up but first, they have to beat the Orlando Magic and that won’t be easy.
That’s it for now, please come back tomorrow for more great content from Jackson Sternberg.
