Knicks' quest for title must first go through the Hawks

On Jan. 5, James Dolan, executive chair and CEO of Madison Square Garden Sports and Madison Square Garden Entertainment, issued what can plausibly be construed as an implicit edict.

- By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum and New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby, facing each other on April 6, will meet again in opening round of NBA playoffs.

(AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)

During an interview on New York City-based radio station WFAN, the principal owner of the New York Knicks articulated his expectations for the team. “I'd say we want to get to the finals and we should win the finals,” the 70-year-old Dolan firmly asserted. “This is sports. Anything can happen. Getting to the finals, we absolutely have to do. Winning the finals, we should do.”

Ironically, the Knicks haven't played in the finals since 1999, the year Dolan assumed management of the franchise. One of the central reasons former head coach Tom Thibodeau was fired last June after taking the Knicks to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they lost to the Indiana Pacers 4-2, was that he fell short of taking them to the NBA's finish line.