How the Knicks’ playoff dominance hurt NBA’s bottom line

Success has a cost – but the Knicks’ extreme success is an expense on everyone else.

With the Knicks winning 13 straight playoff games, sweeping two consecutive opponents and making short work of the Spurs in a five-game series in the NBA Finals, the NBA’s salary cap will be much lower than previously expected, according to ESPN.

When the NBA negotiated a $77 billion media rights deal, tripling the previous deal in total value, it attempted to curb the drastic increase in the salary cap by elevating it by a maximum of 10 percent.

Jalen Brunson’s Knicks dominated the NBA enroute to the Finals. NBAE via Getty Images

After the Knicks’ run, though, the upcoming salary cap jump is reportedly just 6.7 percent in the first year of the new media-years deal, which lasts 11 years.

That the Knicks needed just nine games total across the conference finals and NBA Finals — four in the conference, five in the Finals — factored into the dip, per ESPN.

The salary cap is currently $165 million, so the projected increase of 6.7 percent would land it at $175.73 million.

If it had gone up the full 10 percent, the salary cap would sit at $181.5 million.

The NBA warned that the salary cap increase might not reach the 10 percent number, but the Knicks’ postseason dominance is having even further resounding impacts than had previously been anticipated.

The NBA’s salary cap was much lower thanks to the Knicks playoff run. NBAE via Getty Images

The Knicks played in just 19 postseason games on their dominant run to an NBA championship, where they outscored opponents by 14.9 points per game, the best differential in NBA playoff history.

The 19 playoff games played by a champion are tied for the second-fewest in the NBA since 2002 and are only beaten by the 2017 Warriors, who added Kevin Durant to a 72-9 team.

The 2001 Lakers went 15-1 and remain the gold standard for teams in terms of dominance.

Many even pointed out that the Knicks’ payroll management, which included Jalen Brunson taking a discount of more than $100 million, helped them assemble a team with an incredible talent base, including a deep bench.