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Mar 24, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) gestures after scoring in the third quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Why 52 Wins Wouldn't Silence Knicks Fans' Concerns

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Steven Simineri | Last updated Apr 9, 2026 1:45 PM ET

The New York Knicks have 50 secured wins for the third straight year, marking just the third instance of such a streak in franchise history. One more victory sets a new high of 52 for the Jalen Brunson era. This will be fifth playoff appearance across the last six springs.

You can argue that this Knicks squad has the biggest collection of talent since the Walt, Willis and Pearl days. This is one of the great eras of New York basketball, but some fans seem to not be fully satisfied so far with this season, and rightfully so.

Knicks Prompt Legit Suspicions Despite Higher Expectations

"There are many Knick fans, and many in the media and many within organization who feel that this season would be considered a disappointing one if Knicks don't make Finals,” Mike Breen, the longtime voice of the Knicks, said last week. “How about that? If that doesn’t show you tremendous progress to go to the point where a non-Finals appearance is a disappointment."

This is a franchise that missed the playoffs 16 times in 20 years to kick off this century. The Knicks had just one playoff series win during the timespan and seven consecutive losing seasons before Leon Rose and Tom Thibodeau dragged New York out of basketball oblivion.

Fans can appreciate where the team once was while still wanting to achieve their first championship in over 40 years. Both things can be true.

The lingering uneasiness is how it seems that this group could be a first-round exit or win the whole thing. There are questions about the core being good enough to go the distance and doubts about Brown being a championship-caliber coach.

Apr 1, 2026; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown reacts after a turnover during the second quarter Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The highs and lows of this season have been noticeably extreme. There was the NBA Cup Championship win over the Spurs. There's been three different winning streaks of at least seven games. There were also losses to Chicago, Sacramento, Dallas and Indiana.

They are better, however, than last year’s squad in almost every metric and have performed better against playoff teams. They have 27 wins against teams over .500 – the only squads with more are the Thunder, Spurs, Pistons and Celtics. They were 12-22 against winning teams a year ago. The Knicks also finished their road schedule with a 23-19 record.

During the regular season last year, the Knicks were 0-16 against the Celtics, Cavaliers, Lakers, Clippers, Warriors and Thunder. They were also 1-3 against Detroit. Regular season success (or lack thereof) doesn't always paint the full picture.

Knicks Facing a Make-or-Break Playoffs

Under Thibodeau’s direction, the Knicks won 51 games last season despite Brunson sitting out 17 games and Mitchell Robinson missing the first 58 contests of the season.

There were four rookies on the roster and a bench dependent upon Cameron Payne and Precious Achiuwa. It was also year one of a brand-new core with Rose trading Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo for Karl-Anthony Towns and five No. 1 draft choices for Mikal Bridges.

The Knicks entered this season as the favorites to win the Eastern Conference. Coach Brown was supposed to win between 55-60 games after being silver spooned an Eastern Conference Finals roster. They are likely going to finish third in the conference and win just a game or two more than last season despite a deeper roster and pretty good injury luck.

The starting unit is the most expensive in the league with every starter earning $19 million+. The core guys are all in their primes. The roster is deep and the depth is still cheap. They’re all healthy. It'll be next to impossible for Rose to improve this roster over the summer aside from a possible Giannis Antetokounmpo trade. Expectations are deservingly high.

It'll only get harder from here for the Knicks with the Pacers retooling, Jayson Tatum with a full season ahead, and the Pistons, Hawks and Hornets on the rise. If they can’t make the Finals now, it’s not going to happen for this group. This is truly championship or bust.

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

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