The Knicks face what feels like an insurmountable 3-1 deficit in their ECF series with the Pacers.
Assuming they don’t pull the comeback off, this could be a huge missed opportunity that will be hard to replicate/do better in over the next few years for the Knicks.
One analyst strongly believes that the Knicks missed out on their best chance to win it all.
MORE: How rare is a 3-1 comeback in the NBA? Breaking down the Timberwolves’ and Knicks’ chances
Why did the Knicks miss their only chance?
NBA analyst Bill Simmons recently talked about how big of an opportunity the Knicks have failed to capitalize on, during his recent podcast episode.
Simmons’ main points were that a lot of the teams that were supposed to be contenders in the East either failed or were injured, saying “This is an incredibly missed opportunity for them.”
They beat the Celtics, but the Celtics were very banged up and didn’t put up as big of a fight as they were capable of, gifting Game 1 & 2.
MORE: Kings interested in trading for Celtics’ two-time NBA champion
The 76ers were preseason favorites to be near the top of the East, just to fall short of making the play-in tournament.
Jimmy Butler made a situation about himself in Miami and blew up any chances of the Heat being a threat this season.
The Cavs looked like one of the more dominant teams in basketball but struggled against an emerging Pacers team when the stakes were higher in the ECSF.
MORE: Thunder winning 2025 NBA Finals would make them one of the greatest teams of all time with this stat
They didn’t have to deal with the Bucks, as Lillard tore his achilles, although that was after some poor team performances anyway.
Simmons’ point isn’t that the Knicks aren’t capable of winning, but the fact that all these things happened on top of the Knicks’ core finally being healthy is a tough pill to swallow because the likelihood of getting back again is difficult in new circumstances next year.
Simmons finished off by saying “It’s never going to get better for a situation than it is for them right now…I think this is the moment.”
MORE: Pacers/Thunder NBA Finals would be the first under this difficult financial rule
