The Bucks and Lakers raised banners in their arenas after winning the first two NBA Cups in 2023 and 2024, and head coach Mike Brown told his players prior to the 2025 final on Tuesday that the Knicks would do the same if they won.
However, the team has reversed course on that plan, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post, who reports that the Knicks won’t hang a banner for this year’s NBA Cup championship after all. A league source tells Bondy that the decision was made because the Knicks are “focused on the bigger picture.”
The team will still celebrate winning the in-season tournament before Friday’s home game against Philadelphia, Bondy writes.
Here’s more on the NBA Cup champs:
- The Knicks have won nine of 10 games since reinserting Josh Hart into their starting five. As Vincent Goodwill of ESPN writes, Brown referred to a November meeting between him and Hart as an important turning point. “I was open and honest,” the Knicks’ head coach said. “He hadn’t played a lot in the preseason because he got hurt early on, so I didn’t have a great feel for how to use him, when to use him, what his game was completely like.” Brown added that Hart took accountability for not playing up to his usual standard early in the season and said the candor in that meeting helped their relationship grow.
- While Brown was focused early in the season on implementing his own offensive system, rival coaches believe he has pushed those changes less aggressively as of late and has been more inclined to simply let his players do what they do best, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. “The first 10 or 12 games, it felt like they were running more,” Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic said. “Now, it seems like they’re settling into personnel. They’re playing a little bit more to the strengths of their main players, but at the same time try to implement ball movement and body movement. Obviously, they’re a very talented team, so it’s the right thing to do to focus on the strengths of those guys and let them be who they are.”
- OG Anunoby (28 points) and Jalen Brunson (25) were the Knicks’ top scorers in Tuesday’s NBA Cup victory, but a handful of reserves provided crucial contributions off the bench. Bondy of The New York Post singles out center Mitchell Robinson, who racked up 10 offensive rebounds in just 18 minutes of action, while Jared Schwartz of The New York Post takes a look at the contributions the team is getting from second-year guard Tyler Kolek, whose 14 points and five rebounds on Tuesday would be career highs if the game had counted toward the regular season.
- In case you missed it, we wrote earlier today about the Knicks players who benefited most from the $531K bonus for winning the NBA Cup.
This is awesome by the Knicks. It’s not only the right thing to do, but it’s also a slap in the face to the Lakers and the Bucks who make a big deal of winning the cup.
Love it.
Trust me when I say that they may not hang one now but once the season’s over, this coming summer, sometime before the start of next season, there absolutely WILL be a 2025 tournament champion banner hanging in NY. As sure as the sun rises.
By all means though, enjoy your ‘slap in the face’ to Lakers/Bucks fantasy while it lasts.
If NBA Cup games count towards win-loss records, then the statistics should also count towards regular season statistics. The final should also count towards standings as extra motivation. The losing team shouldn’t lose anything from a tie-breaker perspective with the extra loss, but the extra win should be counted in terms of standings.
The statistics for the quarterfinals and semifinals do count toward the season. It’s just the final that doesn’t.
Its the 83 gm of the season. It’s no big deal for this game not to count. All 82 do same as always. Both teams get compensated for the 83 gm of season.
It’s just to make the beginning of season more interesting. Make it more rewarding with incentives to win. All teams know what the real trophy is. You play gms to win. There is nothing new here except the Final game.
All teams in knockout round want to win it. It’s always good to win. I get this is still new. A banner is just the action of history. O get why Knicks feel that way. Hopefully at end of year we put up two.
“ The Knicks have won nine of 10 games since reinserting Josh Hart into their starting five.”
I don’t get why folks are so obsessed with Towns playing the 4. The media in NY wanted him there with Mitch starting. Yet we all forget that last year KAT was the starting Center all year. And Hart started with him. Hart also led the NBA in mins played. Considering Knicks went to East finals. With a first year team, really. Why do we think Mitch is the answer. Brown says he didn’t really know Hart. No shhh Sherlock. Maybe you should have watched tape of last yr Knicks. Until you get a big defensive 4. Hart is your best option as a starter. Most teams play small today anyway.
So Brown finally got the memo. Even the pace has slowed down. This is a vet team. They know how to play to win. Ball movement and player movement. Helps any offense and creates pace. Seems to me Brown is just learning who his team is…….
Kolek has been looking better. Time for other young guys to push for mins. Knicks still have a major move to make. NYK
Guerschon Yabusele, Dadiet, Diawara with a pick for a defensive starting PF
Resign PJ Tucker and or Taj Gibson or any older veteran. You need one more veteran. Clarkson as your only veteran isn’t enough. The nba needs to bring back veterans, PF’s and the handcheck rule
This is coming from a Knicks fan, I’m glad they’re not hanging the banner. The NBA Cup is dumb. I know Silver is trying to mirror eruopean Cup tournaments like the FA Cup or Copa d’Italia, but it doesn’t work for so many reasons. The pro leagues play their regular league games on the weekends, and then play their Cup games during the week. That makes those game more special than a mid-week regular season game between the Grizz and Wizards that is deemed a Cup game.
With the European Cups, teams from multiple levels are included in the tournament (ie. Serie A, B, C1, C2 clubs in Italy). That brings a lot of matches that you would not see normally. Grizz vs. Wizards you see 2-3 times a year, so what’s really different?
Either expand it internationally as a “Champions League” style tournament (which would almost assuredly not work, or just get rid of it.
I like the cup. I enjoyed the games even though my team was not playing. The basketball was good. We learned that the spurs are for real, but are still young. If you don’t care and your team is not in it, then just skip the games.
The NYK, if they like, can hang their NBA Cup banner in their practice facility. It’s not appropriate for MSG, which has a unique place in the nation’s sports and entertainment history. I wouldn’t even allow the use of those clownish playing floors in the place.
Bondy is actually right. It’s Mitch that won this game. The run that flipped the game in the last minutes of the 3rd Qtr and early minutes of the 4th Qtr was fueled almost exclusively by second chance points following his offensive rebounds. OG continues to play great below the radar screen; just needs to stay healthy.
Silver trying to make NY happy