Despite playing in two totally different sports, the Rangers and Knicks have a lot of similarities and both have the opportunity to accomplish something special.
A New York sports team hasn’t won a championship since the Giants Super Bowl victory back in 2012.
The Rangers and Knicks are both currently leading their second round series 3-2, on the brink of making it to the conference finals in their respective sports.
How cool would it be for these two historic teams to win a championship in the same year?
While there is still a long way to go before either the Rangers or Knicks reach the promised land, it’s hard not to think of this extremely unique potential scenario.
Hockey and basketball are totally different sports, but the Rangers and Knicks actually have a lot more similarities than many people may actually realize.
First off, both squads are led by old-school coaches. In his first season with the Rangers, Peter Laviolette propelled his team to the NHL’s best regular season record this year.
Meanwhile, Tom Thibodeau has molded the Knicks into one of the top defensive teams as they have fully embraced his scrappy mindset en route to securing the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
At the heart of both teams are two superstar caliber players. For the Rangers, Artemi Panarin had a career year, producing 49 goals, 71 assists and 120 points. He uses his speed on the ice and smooth puck handling skills to create high quality offensive chances for himself and his teammates.
Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson has emerged as a superstar since arriving in New York back in 2022. This season, Brunson averaged 28.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 6.7 assists. Brunson is a pure scorer and he’s willed this Knicks team through the regular season and the playoffs thus far.
Most importantly, the Knicks and Rangers play with a ton of passion and heart, which perfectly embodies what it means to be a New Yorker.
Watching these two teams, it’s easy to tell how close knit they are and the comradery they have is truly special.
Finally, the people of New York have something to be proud of when it comes to their sports teams.
The Rangers and Knicks share the legendary Madison Square Garden, so almost every night for the past couple of weeks it’s been a party at the mecca of sports.
This is an exciting time to be a New York sports fan. The people of New York deserve to win and the Rangers and Knicks have been able to provide just that.