Following the release of the 2025-26 NBA regular season schedule, the New York Knicks officially know when they’ll have the best chance to prove all of their skeptics and naysayers wrong—or, for that matter, right. It’s a brutal-but-necessary opportunity, and it will come immediately after the 2026 All-Star break, when they face a daunting string of should-be contenders, predominantly while on the road.
For some, the Knicks have little to prove. For others, the burden of proof is reserved for the postseason, where New York is decidedly entering Finals-or-bust territory.
Both slants underestimate the importance of the regular season, and the breadth of criticism the Knicks still face.