These are the types of moments that could make a fan base — desperate for a title since 1973 — take a step back and utter the most dangerous phrase in the fandom dictionary. Usually, what if is reserved for the retroactive regrets, the ones that follow a crushing injury, an earlier-than-expected postseason exit or the are-you-kidding-me losses that shake up the standings.
Usually, in the context of the Knicks, those are the feelings expressed and the questions asked when the regular season ends without a playoff appearance or, recently, when their playoff runs fall short in the Eastern Conference semifinals or finals.
But for one night, and really for the next several months, the Knicks flipped that phrase around and made it about the future.
When they defeated the Spurs, 124-113, to win the NBA Cup in Las Vegas on Tuesday, everything immediately shifted to wondering what if the Knicks were the last team standing in the tournament that really mattered? What if they actually raised an NBA title banner at MSG? What if the celebration that unfolds Friday night against the 76ers actually took place down the Canyon of Heroes in June, dusting off a parade route the Liberty used in 2024 and that, prior to their taste of WNBA immortality, no other basketball team had used in decades.
