Dec 16, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; The New York Knicks react after winning the Emirates NBA Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Paul Pierce Makes Bold Knicks Championship Declaration

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Henry Brown | Last updated Dec 19, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The New York Knicks finally broke through in hoisting a championship trophy earned off of the hard work they'd displayed over the course of the regular season. They topped the San Antonio Spurs to decisively win the NBA Cup, their first banner-worthy victory in over half a century.

Unfortunately for the Knicks, the wait for a full-blown NBA title still continues, and the sort of tournament win that requires contenders to beat every opponent thrown their way over a two-month playoff span will always be worth more than an in-season title.

The Knicks proved something to the general public in shaking off a rusty start to put together a quietly-imposing defense to pair with plenty of All-Star caliber scoring, but not everyone's convinced that they've turned a new leaf. Paul Pierce, one of New York's most vocal critics, certainly thinks that this is where the Knicks will peak.

"This the only championship the Knicks are ever gonna win," he boldly claimed following their victorious finish. "They won't win an NBA title in my lifetime.

Paul Pierce clowns the Knicks and says the NBA Cup is the only championship they’ll ever win

“They won’t win an NBA title in my lifetime.”

( @NFGShow / https://t.co/A7KMqMIbPj) pic.twitter.com/ku2l2UaiVk
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) December 18, 2025

Separating Bias from Rationale

It's worth noting that things have always been personal between Pierce and the Knicks. The Boston Celtics legend hasn't lost any of the fire he maintained for his division rivals, who were run fairly poorly during the Hall of Famer's championship-filled run in Boston.

He's also experienced his own fair share of highs and lows in continually doubting the Knicks across 2025, having to publicly walk the walk after he made the put his money behind his beloved Celtics against New York in last season's playoffs.

Boston Celtics Forward Jayson Tatum Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Pierce ended up getting back on the horse in correctly siding with the Indiana Pacers over the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals, but the bad blood's only had time to continue marinating as the relationship between player and enemy team approaches three full decades.

And despite his obvious personal relationship holding him back from ever having a nice thing to say about the similarly-historic franchise, he did actually whip out a few stats in making his case. The Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks, the two squads who reach Cup glory in the tournament's first pair of seasons of existence, each failed to build on their momentum with respective first-round-and-out playoff appearances.

The Knicks have a long way to go until the playoffs commence, still facing two-thirds of the regular season ahead of them, but they look like the team to beat out east. The conference is waiting for a strong contender to seize control over the middlers, and this public win made for a strong advertisement for their dominance going forward.

This article first appeared on New York Knicks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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