But on the very first night of the new NBA season in October, a scout watching San Antonio Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama raised a proverbial white flag as the 21-year-old from France completed a 40-point highlight reel of body-contorting dunks, blocked shots, crossover dribbles and deep 3-pointers.

The NBA playoffs consist of 16 teams split evenly into two conferences, the Eastern and Western, from around the United States. These teams feature top basketball players from different states as well as international players.

The Knicks can now hang a banner next to the 1973 NBA championship banner in Madison Square Garden, the last title they won.

The Knicks won the NBA Cup with a 124-113 victory over the Spurs on Dec. 16. Now, New York needs to validate that with a bigger title.

Jalen Brunson was a little excited when hyping up his Knicks teammates after their NBA Cup final win on Tuesday night, letting out an accidental expletive while speaking with Prime Video before catching himself.

"This is the best practice for important games," said Victor Wembanyama. "I guess it's good that we had this experience together."

Definitely the latter. Brunson was the steadiest of players and certainly the most impactful for the Knicks during their journey to the midseason championship. The 123-114 victory in the title game over the San Antonio Spurs and against their pesky guards was the Cup’s crowning achievement but, honestly, rather routine for Brunson.