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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 17: Guard Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks looks on from the bench during the second half against the Indiana Pacers at Madison Square Garden on March 17, 2026 in New York City. The Knicks won 136-110. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

The New York Knicks had another strong regular season, but players around the NBA don’t believe they have a chance to win the NBA Championship. An anonymous players’ poll from The Athletic featured current NBA talent picking any team outside of their own with the best shot at taking home the title. The Oklahoma City Thunder remained with top favorite, with the San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics as their biggest threats.

However, New York fell below teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and Atlanta Hawks with the following voting percentages:

Oklahoma City Thunder: 50%

San Antonio Spurs: 25.3%

Boston Celtics: 8.2%

Denver Nuggets: 7.5%

Detroit Pistons: 4.1%

Cleveland Cavaliers: 1.4%

Los Angeles Lakers: 1.4%

Minnesota Timberwolves: 1.4%

Atlanta Hawks: 0.6%

The Knicks did not receive a single vote, despite entering this season as the favorites to make the NBA Finals and represent the Eastern Conference. Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns had All-Star seasons to show the star power is still there.

New York even won the mid-season NBA Cup by scoring a big victory over the Spurs in the finals. However, inconsistent regular season results see them ranked fifth likely to win it all from the East and not even cracking the top nine teams since they didn’t get any votes.

Why Players Don’t Believe In The Knicks

New York looked like a legitimate contender in the early portion of the season. The Cleveland Cavaliers had a poor start to make the Knicks feel like the top team between the two strongest favorites from the East.

However, a lot of other changes in the Eastern Conference make New York feel less threatening. The Detroit Pistons dominated the regular season to get the 1 seed and outperformed the Knicks on a few occasions. Jayson Tatum’s return to the Boston Celtics also makes them feel more capable than they appeared entering the season.

The West teams received the most love as the clear top two options among the players. New York getting voted below the Atlanta Hawks is where things feel disrespectful, but the latter only received one single vote. No one voting for the Knicks just means they’ll have to prove their peers wrong.

Most Surprising Takes From Players Poll

The Knicks and Cavaliers each getting little to no faith from fellow players was a bit surprising compared to the other teams. Players view Boston as the clear Eastern Conference favorite and gives Detroit a chance as the other main threat.

The West featured some surprising votes for the Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves as outside choices in the Western Conference. However, the top three of Oklahoma City, San Antonio, and Boston mirrors what fans and betting sites think about the postseason as well.

Every other team will have to pull off at least a couple of surprising upsets to have a deep run and a chance at the NBA Championship. New York will have their chances to prove they can defeat some of the teams that opposing players believe in more. Brunson must outplay some MVP candidates to lead them to ultimate success.