Most Boston Celtics fans have been watching this NBA Finals hoping to see the New York Knicks’ hopes of ending their 53-year championship drought go up in smoke. Those who aren’t probably haven’t seen the videos of Knicks fans trying to either fight or ignite anyone they see in a San Antonio Spurs jersey.
Knicks fans tried to set a Spurs fan on fire last night 👀 pic.twitter.com/PNiLOCF6Aw
— USA NEWS 🇺🇸 (@usanewshq) June 9, 2026
Successful hate watches have been rare this postseason. But, when they happen, they're just about as rewarding as actually seeing your own team win. If the Knicks blew their 2-0 series lead to the Spurs it’d result in a borderline euphoric feeling for me and many others.
Or at least, it normally would…
By blowing a chance at a title, New York could actually win -- just in a different way. According to NBA Insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, the Milwaukee Bucks are believed to be waiting for the Finals to conclude before finalizing any potential Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, just in case the Knicks want to get in on the fun.
“There is an increasing belief leaguewide that they would prefer to wait until after the NBA Finals before completing a deal to see if the Knicks end up squandering a 2-0 series lead,” the pair wrote in their Tuesday newsletter. “Might the Knicks then decide to re-enter the Giannis Trade Sweepstakes in response to the disappointment of letting the title slip away?”
The Knicks consolation prize coming potentially at the Celtics' expense would be brutal
Don’t get me wrong, I would absolutely take a Knicks choke even if it meant that they’d land Giannis this summer. It’s just upsetting that there’s seemingly a consolation prize awaiting them if they somehow failed to get across the finish line.
Especially since that consolation prize has been heavily linked to the Celtics for the past month or so. Literally in the same newsletter, the insiders shared that “the idea of landing in Boston is still in [Antetokounmpo’s] thoughts somewhere.”
Now, there’s a long way between rumor and reality. By all accounts, Boston hasn’t made any heavy efforts to shake up their roster by pursuing the two-time MVP. Though, his reported interest in coming to town shouldn’t be overlooked.
Giannis only has one season left on his current contract and is due for an extension later this year. His ability to decide whether or not he wants to re-sign with whichever team he’s traded to gives him serious say in where he ends up.
For what it’s worth, Antetokounmpo has flirted with the idea of playing in New York for years. If the Knicks were thinking about trading for him, it’d be shocking if he wasn’t willing to ink an extension.
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