Rick Pitino, the legendary Naismith Hall of Famer and current St. John's head coach, has thrown his weight behind the New York Knicks as the team to beat in this year's NBA playoffs. Despite the franchise's championship drought stretching back to 1973, Pitino boldly declared that the Knicks boast "the best team" in the postseason—even with the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder still in the mix.

The Knicks are heading into their second straight Eastern Conference Finals, set to face either the Detroit Pistons or Cleveland Cavaliers starting Sunday or Tuesday. Coming off a dominant sweep of the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round, New York is riding a seven-game playoff winning streak with an eye-popping point differential of +194.

"The only negative is the home court," Pitino told the New York Post. "Outside of that, I think the Knicks have the best team. Now OKC obviously is great, they’re the defending champions. But the Knicks are deep, talented, and the way they are playing offensively – I don’t mean 3-point shooting, I’m talking about the ball movement, player movement – it’s so much better than I watched in January."

The key to this late-season surge? An offensive adjustment that puts Karl-Anthony Towns in the spotlight as a point big man, unlocking a new level of flow and chemistry. ESPN analyst Jay Williams echoed the sentiment during the Sixers series, noting that the Knicks "look and felt like a team that could win the NBA championship."

There's more good news for Knicks fans: OG Anunoby is expected to return from a hamstring injury in time for the next round, adding even more depth to an already formidable lineup. However, the path isn't without hurdles. If the Cavaliers advance, the Knicks would enjoy homecourt advantage—a major edge given Cleveland's 1-5 road record in the playoffs. But a matchup with the Pistons could spell trouble, as Detroit dominated New York in all three regular-season meetings this year.

For a team that's been searching for its first title in over five decades, the pieces are finally falling into place. As Pitino sees it, the Knicks have everything they need—except maybe a little home-court luck.