The New York Rangers know a thing or two about massive disappointments. Just look at this past season, perhaps the most unsightly in 100 years of Rangers hockey, all things considered. Or gaze back to last spring and the franchise-altering six-game loss to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final. Or how about the fact they’ve won one Stanley Cup championship in 85 years, none since 1994.
So, if anybody is fit to console the New York Knicks right now, it’s their Madison Square Garden brethren, the Rangers
Misery loves company, so the Rangers ought to be there for the Knicks, who were finished off by the Indiana Pacers in a fairly uncompetitive Game 6 of their own Eastern Conference Final on Saturday.
Just as the Rangers were last spring, these Knicks are now trolled for being too soft, not owning a championship DNA. Blowing that massive lead against the Pacers in Game 1 helped earn them that label. This group will be forever tied to that photo of Indiana’s Tyrese Halliburton with two hands around his throat, signaling that the Knicks choked.
The other obvious similarity is the glaring deficiencies on defense. An overabundance of turnovers, and critical ones at that, plagued the Rangers last spring against the Panthers and were at epidemic proportions during the 2024-25 season. The Knicks turned the ball over 18 times in the must-win Game 6 Saturday. And their inability to adjust and defend the open three almost cost them the second-round series against the Boston Celtics, and most certainly was their undoing in the conference final.
At least the Rangers had Igor Shesterkin as the last line of defense. It wasn’t enough, but it gave the Rangers a chance every night in the 2024 postseason. The Knicks? There’s no stopper, much less an elite one like Shesterkin … no slight intended to Mitchell Robinson.
It’s not to say the Knicks didn’t have their moments in these NBA playoffs. You don’t come back from 20 points down multiple times to win postseason games on sheer luck. So, they were capable of playing tough D and making clutch shots and displaying heart. They just couldn’t sustain it. Like Shesterkin with the Rangers, Jalen Brunson of the Knicks had a limit on how great he can be.
It’s not to diminish what the Knicks did accomplish this season. After all, they did knock off the defending champion Celtics, and this was their first trip to the conference final since 1999. But it doesn’t soothe the disappointing sting that they could’ve — should’ve — gone further.
And how about this similarity between the Rangers and Knicks: a respected veteran coach too stubborn to change his lineup mix, alter playing time nor adjust play style and/or systems? It’s partly why Peter Laviolette is unemployed today and Tom Thibodeau’s future is in question.
Each of these teams has talent. Each has had some playoff success in recent years. But neither guarantees success for the Rangers nor the Knicks moving forward — just look at the Blueshirts in 2024-25.
It’s going to be an interesting summer inside the offices at Madison Square Garden.
There’s an important reason why Mike Sullivan is the “perfect coach” at this time for the Rangers, according to long-timer Pittsburgh Penguins beat reporter Dan Kingerski.
However, Sullivan must change one key negative perception from his previous run with the Penguins.
Breaking down four affordable free-agent options for the Rangers to consider to center their third line.
Here’s why Jackson Smith and Logan Hensler could be worthy defenseman options for the Rangers with their No. 12 pick in the upcoming NHL Draft.
Former GM Neil Smith told Forever Blueshirts that he believes the Rangers will make the playoffs next season, but as currently constructed, they are not a Stanley Cup contender.
Leave a Reply