When Zach Lowe of The Ringer says something about your NBA team, you have no choice other than to listen. He isn\u2019t one of those analysts that tosses around off-handed, inflammatory takes willy-nilly. So when he declares that the New York Knicks have officially entered championship-or-bust territory, you know it\u2019s true.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the most pressure a Knicks team has faced, I\u2019m gonna say, since [Patrick] Ewing\u2019s prime,\u201d he explained on a recent episode<\/a> of The Zach Lowe Show, at around the 8:16 mark.\u00a0 \u201cThis is the first year in forever where the Knicks legitimately face pressure of like, \u2018If you don\u2019t make the Finals, it\u2019s a disappointing season.\u201d<\/p>\n It turns out Lowe has something in common with the vast majority of Knicks fans. Earlier this summer, The Athletic\u2019s James L. Edwards III<\/a> ran a poll for the Orange and Blue faithful. Over 70 percent of those who responded believe the Knicks must make their first trip to<\/a> the NBA Finals since 1999 for next season to be considered a success.<\/p>\n That is an awfully high bar to clear. It also comes with the territory. The Knicks just made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. Progress isn\u2019t always linear, but appearing in the Finals, if not winning the title, is the natural next step. Especially under these circumstances.<\/p>\n This is the Knicks\u2019 best chance to win it all<\/p>\n Critical injuries to the Indiana Pacers (Tyrese Haliburton) and Boston Celtics (Jayson Tatum) have left the East as wide open as ever. Many have billed the Knicks as favorites to emerge from the conference<\/a>, with only the Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic looming as potential rivals.<\/p>\n Hierarchies are always debatable. New York\u2019s ticking clock is not.<\/p>\n Extending Mikal Bridges locks down the lion\u2019s share of the Knicks\u2019 core for multiple years. Mitchell Robinson is the lone exception. But the team will cannonball into the second apron<\/a> next season if it keeps everyone together. That investment cannot be taken lightly. And even if New York makes it, the nucleus has an expiration date.<\/p>\n Spending more than two years in the second apron is basically out of the question. Teams don\u2019t want to face frozen draft picks, and selections moved to the end of the first round. Navigating the restrictions placed upon second-apron squads in free agency and on the trade market can also only be done for so long.<\/p>\n The Knicks\u2019 situation is particularly precarious because they\u2019ll struggle to integrate cost-controlled talent via the draft. Landing Mikal Bridges obliterated their asset base, and even if it didn\u2019t, they have yet to show they can develop youngsters while competing<\/a> at this level.<\/p>\n Zach Lowe is right about the Knicks<\/p>\n The Knicks, as Lowe notes, haven\u2019t been on the periphery of favorite status since Ewing was annually finishing top-10 in MVP voting\u2026just like Jalen Brunson is now. The 1999 Finals was a happy accident. And the 2000 conference finals appearance felt like a bonus.<\/p>\n The closest another recent squad has come is 2012-13. And even that 54-win team wasn\u2019t engendering the same kind of hype.<\/p>\n This season may not be New York\u2019s last with the current core, but it\u2019s certainly the most important campaign this franchise has faced in decades. The Knicks\u2019 rise over the past few years has been more of a pleasant, just-happy-to-be-here surprise. That honeymoon phase is over.\u00a0<\/p>\n