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Why Paul Pierce thinks the New York Knicks’ NBA Cup win is a dead end

Originally posted on NBA Analysis Network
By Charlie Walker | Last updated Dec 18, 2025 1:07 PM ET

The New York Knicks are the first team to lift silverware in the 2025-26 season, but by no means have they accomplished their season-long goal.

Winning the NBA Cup is an achievement for the New York Knicks that put them in the conversation with all-time great players and former championship-winning teams. LeBron James’ Los Angeles Lakers and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks are the only two other winners.

But their sights are set on an NBA championship with new head coach Mike Brown, and the Cup will be barely a consolation prize if the Knicks don’t at least make the NBA Finals this season.

However, Boston Celtics Hall-of-Fame player Paul Pierce is pessimistic about the team’s chances of winning the title. Not just this year, but at any point in the foreseeable future.

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Why Paul Pierce thinks the New York Knicks won’t win the NBA championship

After the Knicks won the NBA Cup, beating Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs, Celtics legend Pierce was quick to pour water on the flames in an attempt to bring their fans back to earth.

Speaking on No Fouls Given, he said, “This is the only championship the Knicks are ever going to win. Let’s just keep it 100. They won’t win an NBA title in my lifetime.”

He continued, “Every team that’s won the NBA Cup has never went to the Finals.”

That might seem extreme, but if anything, Pierce didn’t go far enough. Not only has no NBA Cup winner reached the Finals, they haven’t even made it out of the first round. Both the Bucks and Lakers were beaten in five games in round one after winning the in-season tournament.

The comedown from playing such high-leverage games in the middle of the season has proven too much for teams to overcome, as they suffer a post-Cup slump that sees them slip down the standings.

Antetokounmpo admitted it felt “weird” to return to the regular season after the highs of their Cup win, so the Knicks will have to be well aware of that to prevent them from slipping from second in the Eastern Conference standings.

NBA Cup win could have cost New York Knicks their best chance at NBA title

The East is wide open this season, making the Knicks one of the few leading candidates to make their first NBA Finals since the turn of the millennium.

Yes, the Detroit Pistons are the one seed and rolling, but their playoff inexperience compared to the Knicks casts some doubt on their ability to make a deep run. Meanwhile, New York has been knocking on the door for a number of seasons and made the conference finals last year.

But if this Cup curse continues and the Knicks’ season ends disappointingly early, then Pierce could well be right. This is likely to be their best opportunity at a title with Jayson Tatum injured and Antetokounmpo’s Bucks flailing.

It could be now or never for the Knicks, and by winning the Cup, history tells us the scale tipped towards never.

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

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