As a New York sports fan, it’s always been hard to keep things in perspective. Besides the Yankees, the city hasn’t seen a whole lot of winning lately. The Knicks just won their first playoff series in ten years. Football is atrocious, postseason hockey has been mostly futile, and the Mets are the Mets (the Nets don’t even make the list). There’s just not much to look forward to outside of the hardwood, and the Knicks are the talk of the town right now, determined to change New York’s public image this season once and for all.

Naturally, with the Knicks looking competent, there’s been a buzz surrounding this team. The media circus has already used up every slant and angle towards the team you can think of. Now Lebron’s coming to the play at the Garden? Embiid? Even Giannis? The Knicks are favorites to come out of the East? R-E-L-A-X. Relax.

It’s easy to get caught up in Jalen Brunson’s meteoric rise. It’s easy to get lost in the team’s chemistry, or the bench playing incredibly through injury, or Isaiah Hartenstein and DDV proving themselves as two of the best value signings in the league. I wouldn’t blame you if you thought that Leon Rose is the best GM in the league, and that it’s a matter of months, not years, until Julius Randle has a championship ring to show for his ups and downs in the city of New York. Trust me. I get it.

On the other hand, I wouldn’t blame you if you were in the ‘same old Knicks’ department. We saw what happened with Aaron Rodgers and the Jets. Sometimes the name on the front of the jersey is more important than the name on the back. Some franchises just don’t have good things happen to them. The Knicks are one of them.

But with the All-Star break coming to an end tonight, it’s important to take an objective look at where the Knicks are at, and what to expect for the rest of the year, bo