Knicks’ refusal to hang NBA Cup banner is an insult to the sport

The New York Knicks won the NBA Cup last night in an electric 124-113 win over the San Antonio Spurs. While the team says they are celebrating the victory, they are refusing to hang a championship banner, stating they have “bigger goals in mind” for this season. Namely, winning an NBA title (which they absolutely will not and cannot do).

The Knicks should be embarrassed by this decision:

Knicks will not raise an NBA Cup banner at Madison Square Garden, per league source. NYK doesn't want to diminish accomplishment but has bigger goals in mind, winning title in June, source said. NYK is very proud of players & staff winning NBA Cup and will celebrate…

— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) December 17, 2025

I’ll be the first to say it, I’m an NBA Cuphead. I thought it was stupid when it first started, and maybe it still is, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t entertaining.

I would find this ridiculous if any team made this decision. But the Knicks? I’m downright disgusted by it.

This is a franchise that hasn’t won an NBA Finals since 1973 or a conference title since 1999. There are hardly any meaningful banners for this franchise in Madison Square Garden to begin with.

Also, let me just say this: New York is not winning an NBA title this season. They got lucky to make it to the Conference Finals last season with Jayson Tatum’s injury doing the work for them.

Now, even if they make the Finals, they’re walking into a buzzsaw. It’s a safe bet that the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder will be there waiting for them. Not only would they lose that series 4-0, but they’d be lucky if Lu Dort didn’t use Jalen Brunson as a weapon to bludgeon the rest of the roster to death by the end of it.

And if by some miracle OKC doesn’t win the West, I don’t see the Knicks winning more than one game against any of the remaining top three in that conference. Hell, I don’t see them winning a series against the top six.

But even with all of that, I still think the Cup deserves more respect from all franchises, not just the eternally embarrassing, low-down, disgusting, downright troglodytic Knicks organization.

It’s a unique test, and one that gives meaning to what would otherwise be usual regular-season games. All NBA fans agree that the regular season doesn’t mean what it used to, especially with the introduction of the Play-In.

WorldWideWob, the internet’s foremost Knicks fan, summed it up perfectly.

You can win the Larry O’Brien trophy with a playoff record of 16-12, but you can’t win the Emirates NBA Cup if you lose more than one game.

— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) December 17, 2025

Are there some kinks to be ironed out? Sure. Are the courts garish and an eyesore? Absolutely.

But I’ll be damned if the NBA Cup doesn’t have some juice. I was locked to my TV watching Wemby and the Spurs go up, only for the Knicks to bring it back and blow the game wide open. I’d even go as far as to say it was pure cinema.

In short, the Knicks franchise is doing its players, fans, and the entire league a disservice. So shut the hell up and hang the god damn banner.

And for those of you reading this thinking I’m some shill for Adam Silver and the NBA, you couldn’t be more wrong. The Liberty Line has been very vocal in our opposition to the NBA Deep State.

Now, if Adam Silver, China, or whoever wants to pay us to shut up and push propaganda, I have exactly one thing to say. When can we start?

We’re for sale. We have no principles. Just like you reading at home, we are slaves to the almighty dollar. Sure, I fancy myself as an Arbiter of Truth and Justice, but just like our politicians and legacy media outlets, I have a price. We all do.