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Fans clap back at Brian Windhorst’s ‘distant third’ take on Knicks

Originally posted on NBA on ClutchPoints | By Malik Brown | Last updated Feb 14, 2025 10:49 AM ET

The New York Knicks are having a strong season, and they have stayed in the top 3 of the Eastern Conference for the majority of the year. They’ve shown that they can be a tough team to face in the playoffs, but there could be a cap on their success, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.

“If you’re a Knicks fan, you’re having so much fun watching this team,” Windhorst said on Get Up. “Karl-Anthony Towns has been the exact player they’ve wanted to trade for. Jalen Brunson I think right now is a top 5 candidate for MVP.

“If you evaluate them as, ‘Can they win the East?’ No, I think they’re a distant third to Boston and Cleveland. But, they are built to have a run for three or four years here.”

The knock on the Knicks is that they can’t beat the teams above them, and the Cavaliers and Celtics are the two who could give them problems. When they come back from the All-Star break, they have to face those two teams, and that could tell a lot about how those games go.

They didn’t make any big moves at the trade deadline, and they seem content with what their roster currently is.

Can the Knicks beat the top dogs in the East?

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) looks to drive past Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) in the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The Knicks are currently third in the Eastern Conference, with the Celtics and Cavaliers ahead of them. Some would say that those two teams are in a tier by themselves, while the Knicks are on the outside looking in. There’s no doubt that they have the talent, and their starting five is one of the best in the league. Nonetheless, they have struggled with those teams this season, and they recently lost to the Celtics 131-104.

The team is still trying to combat the loss of OG Anunoby, who has been injured, but they still have the talent to win games. When it comes to the playoffs and they have to face either the Cavaliers or the Celtics, many will be looking to see if they have what it takes to bring them down. Some also think the high number of minutes that the starters are playing can come back to bite them late in the season and into the playoffs.

Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns have led the way for the Knicks and are playing some of their basketball. After a slow start to the season, Mikal Bridges has been a solid 3-and-D option for the team, and Josh Hart is the do-it-all type of player that the Knicks need on both sides of the ball.

This article first appeared on NBA on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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