In Korea, there is a phrase known as “ee han timing” in a video game.
It’s the specific point where everything aligns perfectly for you, and in that split second, you have a shot to win the game or lose everything.
The New York Knicks are in their ee han timing with their roster.
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All of their players are in their late 20s or early 30s. The contracts line up. They have the depth to withstand a war of attrition. The top teams around them in the Eastern Conference, like the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers, had season-altering injuries to their superstar players.
And following their blowout of the Philadelphia 76ers to sweep the Eastern semifinals and head to a second-straight conference championship, the narrative is extremely clear: If the Knicks were ever going to do it, it has to be this year.
No, although an NBA title is the ultimate goal, losing to the possible dynastic Oklahoma City Thunder or Victor Wembanyama-led San Antonio Spurs wouldn’t be an embarrassment.
But if this Knicks team can’t even reach the final stage and give New York City the hope they’ve been waiting a quarter-century for, then it should be considered a failure.
The Knicks are the best team in the East. They are the most complete team. The Detroit Pistons are a young team that still hasn’t felt the sting of postseason defeat. The Cleveland Cavaliers are a strong team, but nothing about them screams invincible or a Mount Everest to climb.
New York had their first shot last year against an Indiana Pacers team that never stopped pushing the pace.
This year, with the added rest they will get due to the sweep and everything they’ve learned from previous shortcomings in the postseason, this has to be their year to conquer the East.
The NBA Finals should take place at Madison Square Garden in June.
If they don’t, regardless of the road, it’ll be a monumental disappointment for the Knicks.
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