The Knicks have not won a championship since 1973, when a legendary and selfless group came together to win its second title in four years. Since then, the Knicks have really only come close to another title twice, when they lost in the NBA Finals in 1994 and 1999.
They now hold the second seed in the Eastern Conference and are riding a season-best 12-game win streak. Optimism in New York is high, with fans daring to dream of the franchise’s third championship. Even Bernard King, one of the newest members of the Basketball Hall of Fame, said Monday that he thinks the Knicks can knock off the defending champion Heat.
Knicks coach Mike Woodson has another word for the Knicks’ state right now, and it is not “optimistic.”
“It’s desperate times for our team to win, and win now, and there’s nothing wrong with that, because that’s how it should be,” Woodson said on ESPN New York. “You don’t get in this thing [and] not try to win a title. … We’re in desperate times right now to try to win an NBA title, absolutely.”
Woodson also said that his team’s goals still include winning the Atlantic Division even as they have already achieved a separate goal of winning 50 games. The Knicks need one win or one Nets loss in the next two weeks to clinch the division.
