The New York Knicks got back into the win column on Wednesday with a road win over the Utah Jazz, but it still wasn't an inspiring win over a tank opponent. Previously, the Knicks had suffered two consecutive uncompetitive losses to the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers on their West Coast trip, and the team is currently in third place in the Eastern Conference.
One person who believes the Knicks have everything they need to compete for a championship this year is none other than team owner James Dolan, who has put the organization on notice with his bold comments recently.
"We want to go to the finals," Dolan said, per WFAN via ESPN.com's Vincent Goodwill. "And we must win the final. This is sport and anything can happen. But to reach the final, we definitely have to do that."
Many speculated that the Knicks might try to shake things up at last month's NBA trade deadline amid a difficult stretch for the team, but it seems New York is mostly back on track since then, with emphatic wins over the San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets last week being some of the highlights of the season.
On paper, the Knicks have as much talent as anyone, and they've made several win-now moves over the past few seasons to build their roster into a contender. However, concerns still remain regarding the team's two best players, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, both of whom have been markedly negative on the defensive side of the ball, and most recently, there have also been major questions raised about Mikal Bridges' reliability to perform with consistency in what has been a disastrous road trip for him.
The Knicks will hope they are able to get back to form before the NBA Playoffs, which begin in just over a month.
