Even among contenders, all stakes aren’t created equal.
The Pistons just completed their best season in two decades and their two best players (Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren) are under 25. The Celtics are playing with house money, having welcomed Jayson Tatum back from an Achilles injury just over a month ago. The Thunder are coming off their first title. The Spurs are ahead of schedule.
But the Knicks have no excuses, no time to waste, no possible way to soften the pain of another crushing postseason exit.
That was obvious well before James Dolan’s Finals-or-bust declaration, with five healthy starters in their prime, coming off the team’s first conference finals run in a quarter-century.
