The Knicks may not have initially set their sights on this particular achievement, but following a decisive 132-120 win over the Orlando Magic in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, the NBA Cup is now tantalizingly close. Interestingly, history—albeit recent and limited—suggests that vying for the In-Season Tournament banner can set the stage for future success in the broader NBA context.
Back in 2023, during the inaugural year of the NBA Cup, the Los Angeles Lakers emerged victorious over the Indiana Pacers to secure the league’s first-ever in-season title. The Pacers, however, didn’t stop there; they advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals the next spring and narrowly missed a fairy-tale ending, hampered only by a Game 7 injury to Tyrese Haliburton.
The following year, the Milwaukee Bucks claimed victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Cup. Remarkably, the Thunder went on to capture their first NBA championship later that season, besting Indiana in the 2025 Finals.
Now in its third year, the league’s newest initiative is proving to be more than just a coincidence in shaping future champions.
After two consecutive quarterfinal eliminations, the Knicks find themselves among the last two contenders standing in Las Vegas. They overcame the Toronto Raptors in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, securing their place in the NBA Cup Final against the Magic on Saturday night.
In doing so, the Knicks have positioned themselves among an elite group, holding a promising 50 percent chance of achieving even greater success in the near future.
The New York Knicks are for real. They entered the season with championship aspirations, and a third of the way through the year, they’re finally beginning look the part. And while an In-Season Tournament banner was never the target, competing for one has given the world a glimpse into the heights this team’s ceiling has pushed toward this year.
“I was one of those guys when they came up with the Cup idea, I was like, ‘Oh, man, for what? In the middle of the season? We are trying to do this and that and practice and blah, blah, blah,” head coach Mike Brown recalled after practice on Friday. “It’s a fantastic experience for everybody. You really applaud how the NBA has tried to continue to find ways to make this more meaningful across the board. So it’s a pleasure to be here.”
So the Knicks look the part. Jalen Brunson looks the part, too.
Brown has been vocal about wanting his All-Star point guard to finally receive MVP consideration. Performances like the one Brunson delivered Saturday make it impossible to have the conversation without him.
The Knicks’ captain dissected an Orlando defense specifically built to grind him down — a physical, switch-heavy unit designed to make every touch uncomfortable. Instead, Brunson made it look easy: 40 points and eight assists on 16-of-27 shooting from the field in New York’s highest-pressure game of the season.
“Yeah, [the Magic] are really physical. That’s what [Orlando’s head coach, Jamahl Mosley] prides himself on. The way that they have been able to do it makes them very successful,” Brunson told reporters after practice on Friday. “There’s a lot of ways you combat it. Obviously with physicality. But I would move it, with space and transition, getting stops and running. I think no matter what, they are going to play their solid basketball. We have to play ours and do it to the best of our abilities.”
Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 29 points and eight rebounds, and OG Anunoby added 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field, as the Knicks advanced to a 17-0 record in games they lead after three quarters.
Jalen Suggs scored 26 points for the Orlando Magic but left in the second half due to injury. Paolo Banchero scored 25 points, and Desmond Bane added 18, but the Magic couldn’t match New York’s firepower with both teams missing key contributors on the injury report. Miles McBride is nursing an ankle injury, and Landry Shamet is recovering from a shoulder sprain, while fringe All-Star Franz Wagner remains out with a high ankle sprain of his own.
Now it’s one more game in Las Vegas against the best of the West. The NBA Cup is beginning to be a true playoff preview, and the Knicks are living up to the early billing they can compete for their first title in decades this season.
