Knicks-Magic May Define NBA Cup's True Purpose

The New York Knicks have used the NBA Cup for its most valuable, if not unspoken, purpose.

Geoff Magliocchetti | Dec 3, 2024

Feb 14, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) dribbles the ball against New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) in the second quarter at KIA Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images / Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images

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New York Knicks

With the area's football teams unable to proide, the New York Knicks are bringing a championship feeling, no matter how artificial fans may find it, to December.

The Knicks have a chance to get back to in-season glory on Tuesday night when they face the Orlando Magic at Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT). The winner of the conference clash will also win Group A in the Eastern Conference as part of NBA Cup pool play and the knockout round bid that comes with it.

New York is looking to make a return trip to the knockout round, having set its sights on a longer stay and the various rewards that come with a visit to Las Vegas' semifinals/final festivities.

December 9, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) celebrates with the champions trophy after the in-season tournament championship against the Indiana Pacers at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

"I want to win because I want a damn watch," Josh Hart remarked as the Knicks prepped for Orlando, per Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News. "The new AP."

Captain Jalen Brunson was a little more altruistic, countering Hart's tongue-in-cheek greed by hoping to land the $500,000 prize for the two-way men and reserves toward the bottom of the New York roster.

“It would mean a lot. It would mean a lot for us to get there and do all that,” Brunson said, per Barbara Barker of Newsday. “You have guys on the team who may be on one-year contracts or two-ways ... you get to go out there and try to win for them, and it means a lot. I’m not going in thinking, ‘How is this going to benefit me?’ I’m thinking, ‘How is this going to benefit the team?’ There are games on the schedule, they matter, and we have to go out there and win them.”

One year later, it's still hard to fully hone in on the practical purpose of the NBA Cup, the polarizing in-season competition introduced last season. At its surface, it's nice to see the league's headliners like Brunson fight for their lesser-heralded men. Less charitable interpretations center on granting LeBron James another ring or perhaps standing as the quickest way for the Association to add juice to its December slate increasingly overshadowed by the NFL's activities.

But the Knicks, and the Magic, for that matter, excel in an NBA Cup purpose the league will never, and probably could never, embrace: its status as a stepping stone.

Like those at Rockefeller Center before them, the NBA Cup is an opportunity for "Not Ready For Prime Time Players" like the Knicks and Magic to land high-profile experience, to clear their throats, and offer a hint of what's to come.

Sure, James' Los Angeles Lakers somewhat spoiled that party with last season's win but the opponent they vanquished--the Indiana Pacers--made an unexpected run to the conference finals. The Houston Rockets may be ready to spoil the party in the West's Group A this time around and even the long-rebuilding Detroit Pistons are undefeated heading into the final hours of group play.

Tuesday's tilt between the Knicks and Magic defines such a concept perfectly: each long-suffering franchise (yes, New York has far more to grovel about) is viewed as a rising franchise, ones perhaps incapable of besting Boston for the time being but enough to make current kings squirm in their seats when questioned about the future.

Hope stems from expected and unexpected places alike: Paolo Banchero goes down? Meet Franz Wagner, America, the earner of 26.6 points, 7.1 assists, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.1 steals in the last 13 games--all but one ending in Central Florida's favor.

On the other side, a Knicks team slowly generating chemistry has a chance to fuse on the national stage, one that could be blinded by the bright lights of Las Vegas. Yes, there's an aura of familiarity to the proceedings (Brunson's expected mastery, Hart's comic relief amidst transforming himself into a walking triple-double, Karl-Anthony Towns' nightly earnings of double-figures) but such a phenomenon has yet to translate on a national level.

Whoever wins the NBA Cup will rightfully punt on the parade, brush off a banner-raising, tuck away the trophy. The ultimate prize--prime time confidence and a foundational message to the rest of the Association--may well linger and prove to be the most valuable Vegas souvenir of all.

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Published Dec 3, 2024

GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI

Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks