Carmelo Anthony thinks teams are not intimidated by the Knicks winning a championship

1 day ago 5

After the 2025-26 NBA season, the New York Knicks now have a big target on their backs. They are the team to beat now, which is a huge shift for the league. This has led to plenty of moves around the league, as they are looking to close the gap.

While the Knicks are now champions, it seems that other teams are not intimidated by their victory. Knicks legend Carmelo Anthony thinks the same based on what he has seen in the offseason so far.

Carmelo Anthony believes teams are not intimidated by the Knicks' title

Around the league, there have been many roster moves that involve teams looking to close the gap against the Knicks. The Philadelphia 76ers and the Miami Heat are fantastic examples, as they now have rosters that could compete.

With Jaylen Brown now in Philly and Giannis Antetokounmpo in Miami, the Eastern Conference is getting stronger. They are not backing down against the Knicks despite them winning a championship.

MORE: Jeremy Lin reveals what made the Knicks' 2026 championship special

As an outside observer, Anthony thinks that teams are motivated because they know they can be better than the Knicks. They feel like the gap is not that big, so making these moves could be the key to beating the Knicks and winning a championship.

"I don't think the census around the NBA is intimidated by the New York Knicks. We caught fire, we caught momentum, we came together at the right time. They're like if they can make a move here, make a move there, they can put us right there with the Knicks," Anthony said on 7PM in Brooklyn.

Teams feel like they can catch up to the Knicks. They might be overconfident because they could be underestimating the Knicks once again. They still have most of the same core, but they replaced Mitchell Robinson with Andre Drummond.

The Knicks are still a threat for the NBA championship, especially now that they have experience. It will be a tough task to beat them, and the teams might regret thinking that it's a close gap.