The Knicks Wanted to Chase a Fourth Straight Championship! Top-floor conference room, Knicks headquarters, Manhattan, New York.
Through the heavy floor-to-ceiling windows, the entirety of Madison Square Garden lay in view. Fans celebrating the three-peat could still be seen everywhere on the streets.
Yet inside the conference room, there was none of the excitement and clamor from outside. Instead, the atmosphere was grave and oppressive.
The Knicks executives, the general manager, and head coach Jeff Van Gundy were all seated, every gaze fixed on the team salary report spread across the table.
The most difficult issue facing the Knicks front office was determining the team's ultimate goal for the coming season.
Throughout the NBA's decades-long history, no powerhouse team had ever successfully achieved the supreme feat of four straight championships.
A three-peat was already enough to forge an immortal Dynasty. Four straight titles would touch the ceiling of league history—the ultimate glory every team dreamed of.
Everyone in the Knicks organization, from management to the players, harbored the ambition of chasing a fourth straight championship.
They had the foundation of three consecutive titles, along with Li Fei, the league's best player. Everyone wanted to rewrite history and create an unprecedented legend of four straight championships.
But beneath that beautiful vision, the cold reality of the salary cap brutally blocked their path forward.
The Knicks' cap space was already nearing full saturation, leaving almost no room to maneuver.
Core leader Li Fei's four-year contract had officially entered its final year.
Under the terms of that deal, Li Fei would officially become an unrestricted free agent after this season.
Countless powerhouse teams around the league had long been stirring in secret, each prepared to offer a max contract in hopes of luring away the legendary 23-year-old superstar with five championships and five