Jalen Brunson authored a 45-point masterpiece, and the seemingly impossible took stage Saturday. For the first time since 1973, the New York Knicks are NBA champions, an outcome thought to be improbable even heading into this year’s playoffs. In many respects, the Knicks and the Toronto Maple Leafs are kindred spirits: massive, diehard fan bases in the respective sporting capitals of the world, plagued by executive incompetence and playoff malfunction for decades. As Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby and the Knicks lifted the Larry O’Brien Trophy, it’s only natural to contemplate what the end could look like for the Leafs. If the Knicks can break their curse, so can the Leafs.

It won’t happen overnight, but if we’re going to extend this Knicks parallel to the Leafs, let’s have a real examination. Leon Rose was considered an unconventional hire when he took over as Knicks president in March 2020. Rose was best known as LeBron James’ former agent, who was partly responsible for engineering the Heatles era in Miami. Aside from some high school coaching experience, Rose’s experience in the basketball world was primarily centred around the negotiating table. Although there were question marks about his relative lack of experience, Rose can now claim that he oversaw the first Knicks championship team of this century.

Brunson’s greatest supporters couldn’t envision what he’s turned into, a three-time All-Star and now, a NBA Finals MVP. He signed a below-market contract (four years, $104 million) in July 2022, but team success didn’t take place overnight. Brunson continued to work tirelessly on his game after signing his massive contract and morphed into one of the NBA’s best guards, while taking over as a leader. There isn’t a clear parallel in the Leafs’ ecosystem to Brunson, but he’s a prime reminder of the constant improvement one is capable of at the professional level.

Towns was a first overall pick who was considered incapable of elevating his game in the playoffs. After a dominant playoff run, Towns will always be considered a champion. In their respective sports, Auston Matthews is the more accomplished regular season performer. Will Matthews and Nylander be able to go on a Knicks-like run, aided by Gavin McKenna, Matthew Knies, Easton Cowan and the rest of the Leafs’ core? Perhaps it takes a coaching change.

Toronto fired Craig Berube after two seasons behind the bench. Berube joined the Maple Leafs with a championship resume, but failed to maximize the talent of his group. New York fired head coach Tom Thibodeau after a 51-win campaign last summer. Thibodeau was widely considered one of the NBA’s best coaches, with a propensity to run his starting lineup into the ground, while running a hyper-pace offence. It was a controversial move. Mike Brown is one of the NBA’s most respected coaches, but he had never won an NBA title, after steering a 22-year-old LeBron to the 2007 NBA Finals against the far more experienced, eventual champion San Antonio Spurs. Brown has spent his entire life in basketball and after 840 games, he’s now an NBA champion. As Toronto looks for its next head coach, is the next Mike Brown waiting in the wings?

No one saw this Knicks team coming, not even the loudest, most ardent fans in the NBA world. No one thought Jalen Brunson would develop into an all-NBA guard, no one thought Karl-Anthony Towns would shed his playoff reputation. No one thought the Knicks would win a championship with James Dolan as their owner. The 2026 Knicks pulled off the seemingly impossible. It sounds a bit familiar, eh? Start spreading the news: if the Knicks can win it all, have some faith, the Leafs can win it all, too.