Put an extra 5 mil on the contract

There are several reasons why there hasn’t been a repeat champion since 2017-18. Which one do you think is the most important?

Fader: Defending a title takes a tremendous physical (and mental) toll. And it becomes harder and harder to do as teams age. Therefore, parity has increased.

Hollinger: It’s hard! There are 30 teams out there, and only one of them can win the title. But beyond my extremely reductive first answer, I’ll blame injuries. In particular, postseason injuries to key players, which have become a much bigger factor in recent years, have been massive.

Injuries to the Thunder’s Jalen Williams in 2026, the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum in 2025, the Bucks’ Khris Middleton in 2022 and the Lakers’ Anthony Davis in 2021 contributed to eliminating repeat scenarios for their respective teams. And this whole trend started, of course, with Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson going down for the Warriors in the 2019 NBA Finals.

Taylor: The league’s desire for competitive balance, achieved in part through a collective bargaining agreement that restricts player movement more than before, has made it harder than it already was. And injuries, of course, are huge.

Of the champions between 2019 and 2026, which did you think had the best chance to repeat but couldn’t because of injuries, bad luck or other factors?

Fader: The Celtics, who tried to repeat in 2024-25 after beating the Dallas Mavericks the year before. To have the kind of regular season they had, going 61-21, it seems cruel for that special group not to have won twice.

Tatum’s Achilles injury, suffered against the Knicks, was horrific. The situation could have been different had that not happened. (Although the Knicks were about to go up 3-1 in that series before the injury.) The more I reflect on this topic, the more I keep saying to myself, “Injuries.” We all talk about it, but there haven’t been many changes to deal with the astounding number of injuries, especially serious lower-body injuries that frequently pop up in the playoffs.

it's not a straightforward comeback. Game 1 against Cleveland was different. That was just an insane run in a short amount of time.

But when you watch the full broadcast instead of highlights you realize what a climb this was. Knicks are stuck at a 15-20 point deficit for a LONG time. They miss shots and even have some bad turnovers along the way. The only one who consistently had it going was OG, he deserved to have the heroic moment.

Via Eyekonsworldofficial on IG

Katseye is literally our lucky charm this season, they’ll help the Knicks go back-to-back.

It feels like I watch highlights in some form or fashion at least three times a week but during the summer, it might have been 10 times or more.

Finally got my New York Knicks version of Billy Joel "New York State Of Mind" and Alicia Keys "Empire State Of Mind" 7" on Orange Vinyl!! 🔥🔥