Dolan Expects Knicks To Win NBA Title
Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
By Andrew Rosario
Brunson And Knicks Need 4 More Wins
Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
New York Knicks owner James Dolan put all of his chips on the middle of the table when he quashed rumors that the team was pursing the Milwaukee Bucks center Giannis Antetokounmpo. After a disappointing last season that saw the team lose in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Indiana Pacers in 6 games, they fired head coach Tom Thibideau despite the fact he led them to consecutive 50 win seasons. The organization considered ex-head coach Jeff Van Gundy, Billy Donovan, Jason Kidd and Sean Sweeney before hiring Mike Brown. When the Knicks faced the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs, they found themselves down 2 games to 1. Panic set in with rumors the team would be broken up and Brown would be fired despite leading them to the #3 seed in the East Conference. There would be no team only meeting. The Knicks righted themselves and took out the Hawks in 6 games. They would sweep both the Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers to get to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. In game 1 against Cleveland, they overcame a 22-point deficit with more than 7-minutes to go, coming away with a 115-104 overtime win.
When they faced the San Antonio Spurs in game 1 Wednesday night, they will be coming off a second straight series in which they have not played in 9 days. The Spurs had to play a grueling 7 game series against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder winning the deciding game on the road. Games 1 and 2 will be played in San Antonio with 3 and 4 played at Madison Square Garden.
New York have won 11 straight playoff games. The 2 games lost against Atlanta were only by 2 points. In the deciding game against the Hawks, they scored 140 points scoring 83 points in the first half. There were concerns that the time off between series would hurt the Knicks. It looked like that in game 1 against Cleveland. Behind captain and guard Jalen Brunson, they rallied for the win. The Cavs never recovered. Brunson was named the Eastern Conference Most Valuable Player.
The New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs faced each other 3 times during the regular season. New York took out the Spurs December 16th winning the NBA Cup outscoring San Antonio 35-14 in the 4th quarter. The Spurs would get revenge in the New Years Eve win 134-132. San Antonio would come to the Garden with an 11-game winning streak March 1st. The Knicks ended their streak coming away with a 114-89 win.
James Dolan’s history of running the team has been well documented. He has been criticized and has been urged to sell the team. He has alienated some of the fan’s favorite players. Dolan is looking for the team to win the NBA title for the first time since 1973. Said Dolan, ” I’d say we want to get to the Finals and we should win the Finals. This is sports; anything can happen. Getting to the Finals, we absolutely have to do. Winning the Finals, we should do.”
The New York Knicks have gotten to the Finals. The San Antonio Spurs are in their way from ending their 53-year drought.
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