Here’s the reaction from Radio City as the clock expired and the Knicks became NBA champions. Bing bong. Fin.

0-2, and I’m not worried one bit. We lost two really close, competitive games against: 1. A Celtics team that replaced Jaylen Brown with a healthy Tatum + Mitch. That’s an improvement on a team that already had a better record than us last season. 2. A Sixers superteam led by Jaylen Brown, who led an inferior Celtics team to a better record than us last season. This is simply a good reminder that the Knicks were not nearly the best regular season team last year, and the East only got tougher. Pistons aren’t going away either. And the Pacers are back. Cavs had a better record than us last year and the 1 seed before that—they don’t scare me in the playoffs, but they could knock us down a seed. Heat have Giannis. Even the Wizards are gonna be good. Only the Bulls, Bucks and Nets are doormats. Oh, and OKC will always be lurking on the other side of the bracket, if not Wemby and the Spurs who are going to get better every year. So I wouldn’t bet on a repeat, but not because the Knicks aren’t for real. They are very real and here to stay. The problem is party got a lot more crowded. This just makes me feel so grateful for 2026. The window opened wide for us right at our peak, and we seized the opportunity with one of the greatest runs ever and a storybook ending against Wemby. Do you know how lucky we are to have that? The Pacers were on the verge of doing it until Haliburton tore his achilles. You can’t ask for more than that. The good news is we can’t play all of them in the playoffs. Getting as high a seed as possible will minimize the pain.

Ah yes, because a franchise is defined by their owner, and not the fans who hate the owner!

Cleveland Browns have the chance to do the funniest thing ever

“NBA teams had also won 466 consecutive regular-season games when leading by at least 29 points.” Knicks fans:

You thought you knew how petty James Dolan was. You were wrong. “Seven league sources, all speaking on condition of anonymity so they could talk freely about a sensitive matter, said the Knicks assistant coaches did not get rings on banner night. Two of those sources told The Athletic that the assistants learned earlier Tuesday that they would not be getting their rings that evening, which came as no surprise because they had not yet been fitted for one and that boxes without their rings were a late addition to the ceremony.” “Team sources described the assistants’ reactions to not getting rings ranging from genuine anger to annoyance.” “The Athletic received conflicting information about whether head coach Mike Brown received his ring on Tuesday and could not immediately verify if he got one.” “NBA commissioner Adam Silver was seated in a chair on the court, but at the opposite end from Breen and far from the table where the rings were kept. Silver typically addresses the home crowd on ring night and either assists in handing out rings or at least shakes the hand of each player immediately after he gets a ring. But on Tuesday, Silver did not speak. His administration has long been at odds with Knicks and Madison Square Garden owner James Dolan.“ “Typically, most employees for NBA teams receive rings, even if they are not as fancy and expensive as the ones the players receive. Those Madison Square Garden employees got their hopes up at the end of September when the Knicks sent an email to a long list of employees, which gave recipients a first glimpse at their would-be championship rings. Atop the email, a copy of which The Athletic has obtained, was a graphic of two differently styled rings….But the email was a fake-out, a phishing test Madison Square Garden sent to see if those employees would click, multiple team sources said. Those who did click the link at the bottom of the message did not get to choose any jewelry; instead, they were forced to attend a mandatory cybersecurity class to help satisfy some of Dolan’s growing cybersecurity concerns.”

Not upset at all. I waited my entire life for this ring you bet your ass I will be thinking constantly about it and dissecting every feature. At least until the next game.

The Dodgers and OKC both did this in 2025, actually. A giant bedazzled ring that houses a smaller band inside. Shocked the Knicks didn’t do the same, it’s definitely going to be the norm in a few years.

WOAH—if you twist off the the Garden court and lower bowl on the Knicks ring, it reveals a bejeweled replica of Penn Station underneath!

It’s funny because the Nets should play in Jersey and the Jets should play near the LIRR.

The rings are just too big nowadays. You can’t actually wear them. Meanwhile Clyde wears his two rings every day. Don’t get me wrong, the 2026 rings are awesome. But if I had to choose, I’d want something I can actually wear. Something that reminds me every day for the rest of my life about what I earned.

The Knicks rings are awesome. But the OKC rings were better. (Obviously none of this really matters, but I happen to think it’s interesting!) Championship rings are getting way too big. The point of a ring is to wear it. It’s not a trophy to keep in your closet to look at when you’re bored. I’m sure that gets old real fast. On the other hand, players these days want absolutely decked out bejeweled rings. And they do look awesome, as absurd as they are. So it’s a dilemma. OKC solved it by making the ring even bigger, and then putting a second ring inside. Something smaller and more subtle, but still indisputably a championship ring. Something SGA and Chet can wear every day while living their lives. Genius. This also gives a sense of functionality to opening the ring. It’s not just artwork, it has a purpose. And you can’t say this second ring is “not the real one,” because it stays inside the larger one when you’re not wearing it. It’s all part of one piece. If I were an athlete who won a title, I would rather have a ring that I can wear every day of my retirement. Something that reminds every single person I interact with that I’m a champ. Not something to keep in my mancave with my other memorabilia. Every team should have made them like this going forward. But unfortunately, the bespoke jeweler who made the the OKC rings was indicted in a federal money laundering scheme. I’m sure that “ring within a ring” concept is patented up the wazoo, so maybe it wasn’t possible. I love the Garden concept for the Knicks ring. It looks so cool in this video. But how often is Jalen Brunson ever going to twist that thing open? How often is he even going to wear it? Why not put a smaller band inside, maybe patterned like the outside of MSG? It would have been cool to see him waiving to fans at Knicks games 20 years from now, with that smaller band on his finger. Again, none of this really matters. But I think it’s interesting to ask what the point of a championship ring is. Is it something the fans see on ring & banner night and watch a bunch of cool TikTok videos about and then never see again? Or is it something you see on your favorite player’s finger for the rest of his life?

Definitely stashing my weed in there.

This is awesome. The Nets should simply move on from the black and white look and go with this. Classic color scheme, goes all the way back to the ABA. The bland BROOKLYN font has to go, too.

These Sixers are a scary matchup for the Knicks. Jalen Brunson had nowhere to go, couldn’t take over the game.

Weird game.