Knicks make Madison Square Garden banner decision after NBA Cup win

The New York Knicks won this season's edition of the NBA Cup via a 124-113 come-from-behind victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night.

Shortly after, reporters from The Athletic shared that the Knicks were going to hang a banner inside Madison Square Garden commemorating the achievement "because everyone on the team agrees that when you work for something, you honor that."

Assuming that report was accurate, it seems people within the Knicks experienced a change of heart. 

Are Knicks hanging an NBA Cup banner at MSG?

"Knicks will not raise an NBA Cup banner at Madison Square Garden," NBA insider Ian Begley of SNY shared on Wednesday. "NYK doesn't want to diminish accomplishment but has bigger goals in mind," such as winning the NBA Finals this coming spring. 

Begley added that the Knicks will celebrate the NBA Cup win when the 18-7 club hosts the Philadelphia 76ers (14-11) at MSG this coming Friday. The Knicks began Wednesday responsible for the second-best record in the Eastern Conference, behind only the 21-5
Detroit Pistons.

Why Knicks had to address "Banner Gate" 

According to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, Knicks head coach Mike Brown "talked to his team in the locker room about hanging a banner inside Madison Square Garden with a victory." The Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks previously hung banners to celebrate their NBA Cup triumphs. 

Whether or not the Knicks should hang an NBA Cup banner at "The World's Most Famous Arena" had become a hotly debated topic on sports radio station WFAN leading up to Tuesday's game. Some members of the NBA community, such as Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, find the existence of the in-season tournament to be "somewhat embarrassing" for the Association. However, others noted that winning the tournament is an achievement similar to finishing atop the Atlantic Division standings.