It’s been 51 years since the New York Knicks became NBA champions, led by the dazzling Walt Frazier.
Frazier has seen much of the good, bad and ugly of the Knicks as a commentator in the years since his playing career ended in 1979, but he believes today’s Knicks may be as good as any team since the year New York won its last championship.
“I see the vibrations,” Frazier said via New York Post reporter Zach Braziller. “I see a lot of similarities with [our] championship teams, starting with the coach. [Tom Thibodeau] is a lot like Red Holzman. He holds guys accountable, they’re defensive-oriented, and the players really like each other.
“I think this is going to be our year. Obviously, health is going to play a big part. But if the Knicks can stay healthy, I think we can get back to the greatness we were.”
Those are strong words from Frazier, but there’s reason to believe he knows what he’s talking about. The Knicks reached the NBA Finals twice in the 1990s, but they fell short each time. Since 2000, the Knicks haven’t even reached the Eastern Conference Finals, but last season they were just one win away from winning.
If it weren’t for injuries throughout the team, the Knicks might have found themselves in the Eastern Conference Finals against the eventual NBA champions, the Boston Celtics.
The Knicks’ health will remain a major obstacle, but other than that, they don’t have much to worry about. The Knicks know that if they can control their destiny, they can go as far as they want, and that’s a great position to start the season in.
