Jalen Brunson and Landry Shamet messages show New York Knicks motivation to repeat ahead of 76ers opener

Now the hard business is set to start of trying to repeat. No team has won back-to-back NBA Championships since the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018.

Ahead of their season tip-off against the Philadelphia 76ers, the Knicks are fully focused.

Star player and Finals MVP Jalen Brunson said the Knicks are fully focused on repeating their success.

He told SNY: “Every year is a new year to attack something. When people say we’re ‘defending the title’…that’s one way to look at it. It’s something we’ve won, we’ve put it in our past, and now we’re just trying to attack another.”

Also speaking via SNY, Landry Shamet added: “None of us are satisfied with just this championship. We’ve got things we’re still striving towards. 0-0 starting tomorrow.”

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Knicks roster continuity helps their cause

The New York Knicks have managed to keep the core of their title-winning team intact, with only one major loss.

Mitchell Robinson was allowed to enter free agency and signed with Eastern Conference rivals the Boston Celtics.

The Knicks have replaced him with Andre Drummond, and also added James Wiseman as further depth. Robinson will certainly be a loss, however.

Aside from this, the Knicks roster remains almost the same as last season, with Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, and Karl-Anthony Towns all returning.

Knicks fans and players have a lot to look forward to on opening night with the raising of the banner at Madison Square Garden. It promises to be emotional.

But then the competitive nature of the battle with the new-look 76ers will quickly jolt them back into action.

The comments from Brunson and Shamet show the Knicks’ players’ focus is in the right place.

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