The Knicks waited 53 years for a second championship before this roster delivered one last June. Camp winds down with the extension and center questions still open, and the title defense starts for real Monday in Philadelphia.
Then And Now
New York waited 53 years for a second banner, and it finally dropped last June. Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, Dave DeBusschere, Dick Barnett and Phil Jackson won the first two under Red Holzman, in 1970 and 1973. The current group — Brunson, Anunoby, Bridges, Towns and Hart — delivered the third by beating the Hawks, sweeping the 76ers and Cavaliers, then beating the Spurs in five games, with Brunson named Finals MVP. Monday's trip to Philadelphia, the same franchise the Knicks swept on the way to that title, is the first live look at the group defending it.
A Long Wait Before
The drought traces back further than most fans want to remember. Joe Lapchick's Knicks reached three straight Finals from 1951 to 1953 and lost all three, two to the Minneapolis Lakers. The low point came in 1962, when Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points on a Philadelphia floor in a 169-147 loss. Patrick Ewing's teams reached the Finals twice, in 1994 and 1999, and still came home empty both times.
The Rebuild That Worked
Brunson signed as a free agent in July 2022, and the additions of Hart, Anunoby, Bridges and Towns between 2023 and 2024 built the group that finally got it done. Last season they went 53-29, third in the East, with the league's third-ranked offense and a net rating of 6.4, fifth-best in the NBA. They won the 2025 NBA Cup with Brunson as Cup MVP before the championship run that followed.
What's Still Open
Camp settled most of the roster questions, but not the money ones. Towns and Hart addressed his extension talks at Media Day on September 28, and nothing has moved since. McBride called his own extension talks a little disappointing, and an October 1 headline still listed Towns and the starters without resolution. A center scramble — Drummond, Wiseman and Bradley all in the mix — is one more thing Mike Brown has to sort before the games count.
The Real Test
History is not kind to Knicks teams that get one shot at a parade. The 1970 and 1973 champions did not become a dynasty; a 53-year gap followed. This group's best argument against repeating that pattern is that Brunson is 30, not aging out, and the core under Brown is already built, not rebuilding. Philadelphia on Monday will not decide anything, but it is the first look at whether this era holds.
When did the Knicks last win a championship before 2026?
1973, the second of two titles under coach Red Holzman with the Willis Reed and Walt Frazier core, 53 years before the 2026 title.
Who built the current Knicks roster?
Jalen Brunson signed as a free agent in July 2022, then Hart, Anunoby, Bridges and Towns joined between 2023 and 2024 to complete the championship core.
More from The Garden Line
all Knicks news →
The big question · Sun, Oct 4The Bill Comes Due For New York's Champions
Morning · Sun, Oct 4Knicks Still Chasing An Answer At Center
By the numbers · Sat, Oct 3Knicks Spend Big, Brunson Carries the Weight
Rumor check · Sat, Oct 3Towns Standoff Is The Knicks' Only Real Rumor
Morning · Sat, Oct 3Brunson Set the Standard. The Centers Are Still Scrambling
Around the beat · Fri, Oct 2Knicks Play Hardball While Two Contracts Hang