Should You Bet on the New York Knicks to win the 2026 NBA Finals?
Heading into this season, the New York Knicks were favored to win the Eastern Conference with the Cleveland Cavaliers following closely according to oddsmakers. Inconsistent play and bad results against other contenders has led to a significant shift in those odds, with the Boston Celtics now well ahead of both teams as the East favorites and the top-seeded Detroit Pistons slightly ahead of the Knicks to win the conference.
New coach Mike Brown hasn’t generated the same regular season consistency as his predecessor, Tom Thibodeau. But could Brown’s Knicks hit a different level in the playoffs?
This team did navigate the NBA Cup bracket and took down the San Antonio Spurs in the Cup Final this past December. The Knicks have flashed massive potential in tough matchups this year, but have also played down to their competition with plenty of head-scratching losses.
Entering the NBA Playoffs as the No. 3 seed in the East, are the Knicks worth a wager to win the conference? Or to win the third NBA title in franchise history?
New York Knicks to Win Eastern Conference?
To win the East, the Knicks would likely have to go through the Celtics in the second round. They took down Boston with a pair of wild comebacks in the 2024-25 playoffs and capped a 3-1 season series against the Celtics with a dramatic win at Madison Square Garden April 9.
The Knicks are built to match up with Boston’s huge wings by deploying OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges on the opposition’s top scorers. Mike Brown’s squad has struggled with 3-point defense at times this season, but ranks eighth overall in defensive rating and fifth in opponent’s field goal shooting (45.9%) overall.
Ahead of New York in those defensive metrics we have the Celtics and a Pistons team that demolished the Knicks in three blowout wins this season. The Pistons or Cleveland Cavaliers could be waiting for the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals if they manage to take down the Celtics again, and neither is a great matchup, although New York has handled Cleveland in past playoff matchups.
According to projections at Basketball-Reference.com, the Knicks have a 16% chance to win the East, ahead of the Cavs (8.3%) but well behind the Celtics and Pistons.
Since they wouldn’t have home court advantage in a matchup with Boston or Detroit, it’s worth pointing out that the Knicks average 6 fewer PPG on the road and are just 23-19 away from MSG.
In this case, we can overlook some of the regular season blips from the Knicks and lean into this experienced team finding their ceiling in the postseason. The Knicks are worth a wager at 5/1 odds to win the East.
Best Odds: New York Knicks to win Eastern Conference
New York Knicks to Win NBA Finals?
While they only have a 4% chance to win the title per ESPN’s Power Index, there are only four teams ahead of the Knicks in those projections.
Those projections might be undervaluing a team led by Jalen Brunson, one of the best clutch playoff performers of the past two decades. The Knicks also have one of the best offensive rebounders in the NBA in Mitchell Robinson, and a mercurial, but talented co-star in Karl-Anthony Towns.
The Knicks went 19-12 against Western Conference foes this season, or 20-12 if you count the NBA Cup Final. They were bottled up in a pair of losses to the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, but lit up the Denver Nuggets in both meetings, and backed up their Cup win over the Spurs with a 114-89 blowout to start March.
It appears that if Thunder repeat as West champions, the Knicks wouldn’t have a great shot to beat that squad. However, if the Spurs, Nuggets, or another team slays the Thunder, the matchups would shift to give the Knicks a better chance as the potential Eastern Conference representative.
With odds four times as long (+2000) to win the title, the Knicks would be worth a small wager to go all the way if you’re willing to back them to win the East.
Best Odds: New York Knicks to win NBA Finals
Photo Credit: AP/Colin Hubbard
