Jeff Van Gundy last coached the New York Knicks in 2001, becoming one of the most successful in franchise history. He led the organization to its last NBA Finals bid in 1999, but now watches his former team from a distance as an assistant for the Los Angeles Clippers.
The 64-year-old coach-turned-broadcaster, who is now a coach again, still has feelings for the Knicks franchise. So much so that he’s rooting for the New York Knicks to win it all this season.
“To win that many in a row in dominant fashion, to me, the Knicks are the favorite now to win it all,” Van Gundy told The Athletic. “They are playing that good, they’re healthy and everything is going great for them.”
Jeff Van Gundy Explains Picking the Knicks to Win the NBA Finals
Although Knicks owner James Dolan decided to let go of Jeff Van Gundy’s former assistant, Tom Thibodeau, and hired Mike Brown to become the new leader of the franchise, that hasn’t stopped Van Gundy from rooting for New York.
It’s safe to say Van Gundy is impressed, calling this year’s playoff run the greatest in franchise history.
“You can say, well, Atlanta this and Philly and Cleveland that, but when you win road playoff games by 50, and you’re kicking a– and taking names, anybody who tries to diminish that is wrong.”
This is the greatest playoff run in Knicks history,” Van Gundy mentioned. “They still have to win it, but there’s never been a Knicks team this dominant. They are just waylaying people.”
Van Gundy may never be a part of the Knicks franchise again. As a current assistant coach of the Los Angeles Clippers, he is a finalist for the Portland Trail Blazers‘ vacant head coaching position.
Van Gundy has received interest from other teams looking for a head coach as well.
A Summary of the Knicks 2026 Playoff Run
New York wasn’t as appealing to NBA fans at the beginning of the NBA Playoffs. They finished the regular season with a 53-29 record and were the No. 3 seed in the East behind the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics.
The Knicks didn’t begin the 2026 playoffs in impressive fashion either. In their first-round matchup against the Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta got up to a 2-1 series lead. Following their Game 3 loss, New York has simply won.
Not a single loss in over a month of postseason basketball.
After closing out the final three games of the first round, New York went on to take on a hungry Philadelphia 76ers team that had just come off an upset win over the Boston Celtics. This wasn’t something Jalen Brunson and the Knicks were scared of, leading to a series sweep over the 76ers.
New York won each game by an average of 22.25 points per game.
Then came the Cleveland Cavaliers in the same round the New York Knicks lost last year, the Eastern Conference Finals.
The series didn’t start out as planned, as the Cavaliers got up to a 22-point lead in the final quarter of Game 1. However, Jalen Brunson took over, helping lead the Knicks to come back and tie the game. New York dominated in extra time, putting up 14 points to the Cavaliers’ three.
Cleveland was unable to rally from a Game 1 collapse, and the Knicks went on to dominate the rest of the series.
New York won by an average of 19.25 points in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Jalen Brunson went on to win the Eastern Conference MVP, and the Knicks now wait for the winner between the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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