Knicks reaching the NBA Finals provides a massive reality check for the Rangers

The New York Knicks steamrolled the Cleveland Cavaliers 130-93 on Monday evening, and the team's 11th consecutive playoff victory sent them to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. New York Rangers fans watching the team while the Blueshirts have been entrenched in offseason mode can certainly feel the distinct 1990s vibes radiating off this incredible postseason run.

How the Knicks' run compares to Rangers history

The Rangers have won four Stanley Cup championships in their history, while the Knicks have captured two NBA titles. The Blueshirts famously made the Stanley Cup Final back in 2014, won it all in 1994 against Vancouver, and before that suffered championship-round defeats in 1979, 1972, and 1950.

By comparison, the Knicks last went to the NBA Finals in 1999 against the San Antonio Spurs, fell in 1994 against the Houston Rockets, and prior to that made their last appearance in 1973 when they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Rangers were a joke for much of the 2000s before the salary cap was instituted in 2005-06. Following that lockout, the team executed a tremendous turnaround back to playoff contention that featured the legendary core of Henrik Lundqvist and Jaromír Jágr. The Rangers made steady progress, reaching the Conference Finals in 2012 for the first time since 1997, and then pushed entirely forward to get back to the Stanley Cup Final in 2014. Their push came after making strategic acquisitions that included Ryan McDonagh, Brad Richards, and Rick Nash among others.

They followed that up with a run to the Conference Finals in 2015, and they got slightly worse in subsequent seasons which eventually led to the transition of Letter 1.0. The fruits of that initial rebuild resulted in deep playoff appearances in 2022 and 2024. It was a long period in which the Rangers did everything but win the final game of the year, and they are now in a spot where they are looking to reset their contention window by altering the overall mix of the team post-Letter 2.0.

On the hardwood, after winning their last title in 1973, the Knicks made the Conference Finals in 1974, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2000, and then not again until 2025 against the Indiana Pacers. This year's dominant matchup against Cleveland marked the first time the team has made back-to-back Conference Finals appearances in 26 years. The Knicks went 481-307 in the 1990s, and the followed that up with a record of 348-472 in the 2000s, and a 324-480 record in the 2010s. The recent turnaround is something that fans have been waiting for, much like Blueshirt fans following the team in 1994.

Why this run feels more like 1994 than 1999

While the Knicks did make the Finals in 1999 as a historic eighth seed, the overall vibe and energy around the city right now feels much more like 1994. It was back then that you had Patrick Ewing and the Knicks locked in a brutal, physical battle against Hakeem Olajuwon and the Rockets on one night, while the very next evening Mark Messier was taking the ice alongside Brian Leetch, Mike Richter, and others who sought to finally slay the dragon of 1940.

The Knicks haven't raised a banner since 1973, ignoring this year's NBA Cup which they opted not to hang a banner for, and there is a very similar, white-hot hope across the city that this current group of Knicks can do exactly what the Rangers accomplished in the spring of 1994.

Juxtaposition of the Madison Square Garden locker rooms

The raging success on the basketball side could quickly bring a harsh focus back onto the Rangers, forcing more external attention onto what needs to happen next for the hockey club.

There is certainly an interesting juxtaposition between the two groups sharing the locker rooms at Madison Square Garden right now, and the contrast simply highlights how far the Rangers have fallen over the last year. They were once on a historic regular-season stretch that saw them win the Presidents' Trophy while making two Eastern Conference Finals runs, but they have now missed the postseason entirely in back-to-back years.

The Knicks, on the other hand, have been methodically building and working toward this exact moment. Leon Rose was hired in 2020 to serve as the team's chief executive, and he operated with a distinct, uncompromising vision. Jalen Brunson was signed to anchor a new culture, blockbusters were executed to bring in Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, and elite depth pieces like Josh Hart and OG Anunoby were acquired via trade to become the definitive, high-motor focal point up front.

They also made a controversial but bold choice to fire Tom Thibodeau, the team's most successful coach in recent memory, and hired Mike Brown who brought with him two Coach of the Year awards, and four championship rings as an assistant from his time in San Antonio and Golden State.

The Rangers brought in Mike Sullivan last offseason, and the hope is that he can have a similar impact in due time. The team still possesses premier, top-end talent in Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin, budding youngsters in Gabe Perreault and Alexis Lafrenière, and older veterans like Mika Zibanejad, J.T. Miller, and Vladislav Gavrikov.

There is still a massive amount of organizational work left to do this summer, but it is hard not to look at where the Rangers recently were, see how beautifully this modern Knicks squad has come together, and wonder exactly how long it will take for the Blueshirts to be back on the stage where the fans want them to be.

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