Camille Naredo

Spike Lee celebrates during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers during Game Four of the 2026 Eastern Conference Finals on May 25, 2026 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Nathaniel S. Butler, NBAE via Getty Images/AFP

PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 8: Miles McBride #2, Jalen Brunson #11, Josh Hart #3 and Mikal Bridges #25 of the New York Knicks look on during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers during Round Two Game Three of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on May 8, 2026 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE   Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant / NBAE / Getty Images / Getty Images via AFP)

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New York Knicks v Philadelphia 76ers - Game Three

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1780108074914AFP__20260509__2274635738__v1__MidRes__NewYorkKnicksVPhiladelphia76ersGameThree.jpg" style="width:960px;display:block" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Miles McBride #2, Jalen Brunson #11, Josh Hart #3 and Mikal Bridges #25 of the New York Knicks look on during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers during Round Two Game Three of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on May 8, 2026 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Jesse D. Garrabrant, NBAE via Getty Images/AFP" width="960"/>Miles McBride #2, Jalen Brunson #11, Josh Hart #3 and Mikal Bridges #25 of the New York Knicks look on during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers during Round Two Game Three of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on May 8, 2026 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Jesse D. Garrabrant, NBAE via Getty Images/AFP</div>NEW YORK -- Jerry Lucas, who helped spark the New York Knicks to their most recent NBA crown in 1973, says this year&#x27;s team is the most talented Knicks squad since his own.And the 86-year-old legend is convinced they can win the Knicks&#x27; first NBA championship in 53 years.&quot;Oh, I feel confident,&quot; Lucas said. &quot;They have displayed by far the better skill, more than anything, than any other team this playoff series by far... it&#x27;s just incredible what they&#x27;re doing.&quot;The Knicks swept out Cleveland in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference final after sweeping Philadelphia in the second round and dispatching Atlanta in the first round in six games.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/basketball/2026/5/26/knicks-sweep-cavs-to-reach-first-nba-finals-since-1999-1109">READ: Knicks sweep Cavs to reach first NBA Finals since 1999</a></div>Lucas sets this year&#x27;s Knicks roster above the 1994 squad, which narrowly lost in the finals to Houston, and the 1999 New York side, which fell to San Antonio at the same stage, as the best since the Knicks last won the crown.&quot;I don&#x27;t think there&#x27;s any doubt about that,&quot; Lucas said. &quot;They have skill at every position. They have backup skill at every position.&quot;The former center, a member of the 1960 US Olympic gold medal team, has watched every Knicks playoff game despite living in Ohio, where he was a college star and played in the NBA for the Cincinnati Royals.This year&#x27;s lineup reminds the man once nicknamed &quot;Dr. Memory&quot; of his own title squad from long ago.&quot;There are some comparisons, of course. The game has changed,&quot; Lucas said. &quot;Yes, we had no three point shot when we played, so that has dramatically changed the game, far more than anything I think has ever been introduced into the game.&quot;We were deep. We&#x27;re very deep. They have a great center (Karl-Anthony Towns). We had a great center (Willis Reed). We had super shooters, and they have super shooters, so there are a lot of similarities.&quot;Jalen Brunson has made certain the current Knicks sacrifice and work for each other for the benefit of the team, much the way Lucas and his teammates did a generation ago.&quot;We were an incredibly intelligent team,&quot; Lucas said. &quot;This team seems to be a very intelligent team, too, because they know the game, they sacrifice themselves for others, which we did all the time. It&#x27;s a team sport. It&#x27;s not one or two guys, it&#x27;s a bunch of guys, and they all have that attitude, they all have that ability, and it&#x27;s fun to watch them play.&quot;<div> </div><div>- &#x27;Vitally important&#x27; -</div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1780108099134AFP__20260528__2277954121__v1__MidRes__NewYorkKnicksVClevelandCavaliersGameFour.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Spike Lee celebrates during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers during Game Four of the 2026 Eastern Conference Finals on May 25, 2026 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Nathaniel S. Butler, NBAE via Getty Images/AFP" width="960"/>Spike Lee celebrates during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers during Game Four of the 2026 Eastern Conference Finals on May 25, 2026 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Nathaniel S. Butler, NBAE via Getty Images/AFP</div>The Knicks are allowing the fewest average points of any playoff team just as Lucas and his squad did in the 1972-3 campaign.Lucas said his former coach, Red Holtzman, would stress defensive work in half-time talks.&quot;He knew we knew what to do. He would never talk about offense,&quot; Lucas said. &quot;He would always talk about defense, telling us what we were lacking, what we should be doing. &#x27;If we&#x27;re going to win, we have to be able to stop the other team, because we&#x27;re not going to always make every shot.&#x27; So defense was vitally important.&quot;Lucas, inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980, was 6-foot-8 (2.03m) and 230 pounds (104kg). He was able to challenge 1960s giants like Wilt Chamberlain by working away from the basket.&quot;I felt with my ability and being able to go away, I could give our team an advantage when I was in there, and it worked out that way for us,&quot; Lucas said.&quot;And nobody shot the ball from a distance. There was no three point line, so nobody went out there except me. I was able to take Wilt away from the basket, make what would be threes out there today, and change things for us a little bit.&quot;With the Knicks stuck in a 53-year win drought, there&#x27;s no doubt who Lucas wants to see lift the championship trophy in June.&quot;We would all like to have seen them won another championship,&quot; Lucas said. &quot;And hopefully this will be the year.&quot;

Jerry Lucas, who helped spark the New York Knicks to their most recent NBA crown in 1973, says this year's team is the most talented Knicks squad since his own.

Jerry Lucas, who helped spark the New York Knicks to their most recent NBA crown in 1973, says this year's team is the most talented Knicks squad since his own.

NBA: Knicks most talented since last title says Lucas, '73 champion

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NBA: Knicks most talented since last title says Lucas, '73 champion

Thomas Urbain,

Agence France-Presse

Published May 30, 2026 10:39 AM PHT

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