Former Indiana Pacers legend Reggie Miller shocked a lot of NBA fans after openly saying he believes the New York Knicks are the favorites to win the NBA Finals despite his legendary rivalry with the franchise during the 1990s.
Appearing on Pardon The Interruption, Miller explained why he believes this current Knicks team has separated itself from the rest of the NBA during the playoffs.
“Look, I love the players. I love the organization. It’s the fan base at times that makes me scratch my head. But as an organization, I absolutely love those guys. I love the way they play, the way they carry themselves. It’s all about business.”
“What I meant by them not being the betting favorite is that obviously the San Antonio Spurs or the Oklahoma City Thunder would probably be the betting favorites. But sentimentally, I think people are pulling for the New York Knicks because it’s been forever since they’ve been to the Finals, and New York City is fully behind them. That’s what I was trying to say last night.”
“The way they’re playing right now, 11 in a row, they are so connected on both ends of the floor. That’s why I think they would be favored, not from a betting standpoint, but from the standpoint of winning a series because of how connected they are.”
Honestly, Miller has a point.
The Knicks have completely steamrolled the playoffs after an early scare against the Atlanta Hawks in the first round. New York fell behind 2-1 in that series before completely flipping the switch and winning three straight games, including a brutal 51-point destruction in Game 6.
After that, they swept the Philadelphia 76ers and then dismantled the Cleveland Cavaliers in four games during the Eastern Conference Finals.
And the numbers behind this playoff run are absurd.
The Knicks currently own the best offensive rating in the playoffs at 123.3. They also have the best defensive rating at 103.5 and the best net rating at 19.8. They lead all playoff teams in field goal percentage at 51.5%, three-point percentage at 40.0%, assists per game at 26.7, and point differential at 19.3 points per game.
Even crazier, New York enters the Finals on an 11-game winning streak and has outscored opponents by 262 total points during that stretch. That is the best point differential over any 11-game stretch in NBA history, including both regular season and playoff games.
This has been a complete team effort.
Jalen Brunson has led the way with 26.9 points and 6.6 assists per game while continuing to dominate clutch moments. OG Anunoby has added 19.7 points and 6.9 rebounds while defending at an elite level every night.
Karl-Anthony Towns has given New York 16.9 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 5.9 assists while functioning as one of the best offensive hubs in basketball. Mikal Bridges has been automatic from nearly every area on the floor, while Josh Hart continues doing everything possible with 11.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game.
Head coach Mike Brown deserves massive credit, too. This Knicks team looks disciplined, connected, physical, and completely confident right now.
Still, the challenge ahead is enormous. The Knicks will face either the defending champion Thunder or Victor Wembanyama’s rising Spurs squad in the Finals. New York split the regular-season series against both teams, so this matchup has all the ingredients for a classic NBA Finals.
But right now, according to Reggie Miller, nobody is playing better basketball than the Knicks.
