ESPN Analyst Explains Surprising Knicks NBA Finals Prediction

Bobby Marks, who surprisingly placed the New York Knicks in his 2024 NBA Finals prediction, explained why he believes the team should be included among the Eastern Conference's primary contenders.

Some NBA fans found Bobby Marks' 2024 NBA Finals prediction, one involving the Phoenix Suns, to be too much of a hot take.

Upon this week's unveiling of the 2023-24 NBA regular season schedule, the front office man-turned-analyst Marks raised eyebrows when he labeled the Suns' Nov. 26 visit to Madison Square Garden an early NBA Finals preview in a Q&A panel on ESPN.com. That would place the hosting New York Knicks in their first championship round since 1999 and a chance to play for their third Finals banner more than five decades after their second. 

While Marks faced some scrutiny for his faith in the Knicks, he defended his pick and continued to pile optimism upon the New Yorkers during an appearance on ESPN Radio's "Bart & Hahn" program. 

“I think there’s a lot of parity in the Eastern Conference here," Marks said. "I think barring an injury to one of their main guys, I think we should be talking about New York when it comes to representing (in the Finals)."

Marks believes that New York advancing to the Finals wouldn't be much of a surprise, claiming that they should be given the same preseason reverence afforded to the usual suspects like the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, and Milwaukee Bucks. Bringing back nearly every major contributor from last season's 47-win effort also impressed Marks, who also approved of more or less swapping Obi Toppin for Donte DiVincenzo.

Though the Knicks fell to No. 8 Miami in the conference semifinal round, the team made quick, five-game work of the favored Cleveland Cavaliers in the opening stanzas. Julius Randle earned his second career All-Star Game invite while marquee free agent Jalen Brunson proved himself well-worthy and then some of a nine-digit contract that lured him away from the Dallas Mavericks.

The parity of the Eastern Conference also has Marks believing in the Knicks: to that point, four different teams have repped the conference in the NBA Finals in the five years since LeBron James left the Cavaliers for the Los Angeles Lakers and none of them have been the No. 1 seed. 

New York's hypothetical opponent in Marks' fantasy is hardly a stranger to 2024 Finals prognostications: Phoenix has gone all-in on a title this time around, bringing in Washington Wizards franchise face Bradley Beal to join big-ticket stars Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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