Well, that happened faster than any of us thought it would, I’d wager. In just five games, the New York Knicks toppled the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals, adding insult to injury by stealing the last contest on the road in yet another comeback.
The Knicks won 15 of their last 16 games, including eight straight on the road. For the first time in 53 years, an NBA Championship is coming back to the city of New York. De'Aaron Fox and Keldon Johnson were less lucky, but we'll always be cheering for those legends, too.
And for the first time since the last Finals, a former Kentucky Wildcat will take home a championship ring. That is to say, the Big Blue footprint remains large and dominant in the league.
This time around, it’s Karl-Anthony Towns who gets to claim professional greatness at the highest level. KAT has now secured a title, a little more than a decade after his 38-0 Kentucky team fell just one game short of a chance to do the same.
That’s justice on the hardwood in the eyes of the Big Blue Nation.
KAT Secures His Long-Lost Ring
I won't revisit that painful, near-perfect season any longer than I have to, but it's a great feeling to see one of the leaders on that legendary group redeem Kentucky's shortcoming on the highest level of hoops.
While Towns has a rough performance on the road in game five, he put up 13 points, 10.6 boards, and a block per game in the Finals on the whole; averaging a double-double as a starter on the eventual championship squad is about as crucial as it gets. Our guy went all out and earned this thing.
With the Knicks' Finals victory, KAT adds a title to his ever-growing list of accomplishments, including his status as a former first overall pick and six-time NBA All-Star. That's a portfolio that would make any hiring manager extend an offer.
But for as much love as he's shown the city of New York, I have a feeling our former Kentuckian may have found a permanent home up north.
A Permanent Home in New York
For any of the guys on this Knicks team, making franchise history in this way will render them difficult to part with for New York fans at any interval. That's what winning the first chamionship in more than a half-century will do for you, I guess.
Kentucky fans can be happy to celebrate one of our former favorites winning it all, and it helps to know that the brand is continuing to thrive on the next level year-after-year, too. That's a broader win for the BBN.
Now, we just have to hope our own program can match this glory on the collegiate level. On eyes on Mark Pope and the ever-elusive ninth banner.
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