The New York Knicks have their first trophy in over five decades, but don’t expect anything going up to the rafters for it.
Per multiple reports, the Knicks will not raise a banner for their NBA Cup championship, which they won on Tuesday night in Las Vegas with a 124-113 win over the San Antonio Spurs. Instead, they will hold a celebration before their regular-season matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.
This makes the Knicks the first NBA Cup winner to not raise a banner. The previous two title holders, the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers, raised banners in their respective home arenas.
Considering this is only a three-year-old, in-season tournament, the legitimacy of this competition is still up for considerable debate. League commissioner Adam Silver has been doing all he can to promote the importance of this, but there is still an understandable number of detractors who see it as nothing more than a gimmick.
Raising a banner to the rafters is normally bestowed upon those who have achieved the highest of honors, whether that be championships or retired numbers. The book is still out on the NBA Cup, and the Knicks are already focused on ending their 52-year-old league championship drought. An NBA Cup crown likely would not soften the blow if the Knicks fall short in the playoffs again.
Star point guard Jalen Brunson echoed those sentiments just moments after Tuesday night’s win, when he assured that there would be “no parade” in New York City.
“It’s good having won this. It’s good the way we won it, that’s special as well,” he said. “…This is great, we’re going to enjoy this. But once we leave tomorrow, we’re moving on.”
