20 Knicks/Liberty Dates You Can’t Miss in 2025

It’s officially 2025, but New York Liberty and New York Knicks fans have already come to enjoy 20-25…Sabrina Ionescu and Mikal Bridges, respectively.

An exciting year of New York basketball came to an end this week, but the memories will keep the tri-state area sustained for generations: the Liberty took home their first postseason championship in a thrilling five-game triumph over the Minnesota Lynx.

While injuries may have denied the Knicks a chance to get there first, the NBA squad still managed to set victorious landmarks: behind the continued rise of Jalen Brunson, the Knicks won 50 games and finished second on the Eastern Conference playoff bracket for the first time since 2012-13.

The stage is set for even more exciting affairs in 2025, as Bridges, Brunson, Ionescu, and their blue/seafom co-horts are ready to build upon what was established over the last 365 days. With that in mind, Knicks on SI has compiled the most anticipated 20 days on the road ahead, at least ones that have dates so far (so no playoffs, quite yet).

The Knicks interior picture has become clearer and is nearing masterpiece status since Isaiah Hartenstein left to chase big bucks in Oklahoma City.

Karl-Anthony Towns has lived up to his billing while Precious Achiuwa has been a solid spell option, even if he sees himself more as a power forward rather than a pure center. Mikal Bridges’ holiday season breakout has likewise soothed the blow, as some blamed the trade for the former Nets star for Hartenstein’s departure.

But what Hartenstein has done for the Western Conference-leading Thunder has assured that he will continue to carry his share of loyalists in Manhattan. Through 16 appearances, Hartenstein is averaging 12.6 points and rebounds each, both of which stand as career-highs and justification for his newly-earned three-year, $87 million contract.

Two meetings against the Thunder within the first 10 days of the ball drop (Hartenstein will make his return to MSG on Jan. 10) serve as intriguing early landmarks for the Knicks: not only is it a chance to show how well they’ve recovered since Hartenstein’s departure but it stands as a battle of rising Association talents looking for larger respects. With the matchup packed to the brim with star power, some may even view this couple as a fringe Finals preview.

The Knicks got their Towns reunion out of the way in December, but the Minnesota Timberwolves make their annual visit to Madison Square Garden and things will feel just a tad more emotional this time around: it’ll be the first time that Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle play a game on MSG hardwood since their services were dealt to Minneapolis in exchange for Towns.

While there’s no doubt that both men will have earned a hero’s welcome back, saying goodbye has, admittedly, gotten easier considering what has transpired since that late offseason trade. Little more needs to be said about Towns’ growing impact on the Knicks’ fortunes but Randle and DiVincenzo have each struggled to live up to their respective billings.

Though stuck in the thick on the Western Play-In chase, the Timberwolves found a slight groove toward the end of the year by winning three in a row before dropping a narrow decision to Oklahoma City on New Year’s Eve. They’ll no doubt be inspired to come out strong against the Knicks, especially considering that the prior meet-up, a 133-107 loss at Target Center that saw Towns score 32 on 10-of-12 from the field, reportedly created some raw feelings in the Wolves’ den.

Seafoam civil war will be staged in Miami as the stars of the Liberty take their talents to South Beach.

Some of the most touted portions of the scheduled for Unrivaled, the new domestic three-on-three league co-founded by Liberty star Breanna Stewart, will pit some of Brooklyn’s finest against each other: Stewart and Courtney Vandersloot are set to rep Mist BC while Sabrina Ionescu was late addition to Phantom BC earlier this month. The teams will do battle thrice at the Unrivaled facility in South Florida this winter.

Both sides will have their share of assistance: Stewart and Vandersloot will be flanked by Aaliyah Edwards and Rickea Jackson, fresh off fantastic freshman campaigns in the WNBA, as well as Stewart’s former Seattle teammate Jewell Loyd. Ionescu also gets a reunion, as she’ll work with fellow former Oregon Duck Satou Sabally and Olympic teammate Brittney Griner.

Knicks fans have come to adore and love the current iteration of their team’s lineup. But how much of it will be in tact come the NBA trade deadline?

The Knicks have used the in-season trade block to their advantage in recent seasons: in 2023 they acquired Josh Hart and brought in OG Anunoby at this time last year from Toronto. Getting Bojan Bogdanovic and re-acquiring Alec Burks at last year’s deadline didn’t have the impact many were hoping for but Leon Rose and Co. were at least able to flip the former in the Mikal Bridges trade.

This time around, the Knicks could use some depth in the interior and that could mean saying goodbye to a franchise staple like Mitchell Robinson, especially considering the draft pick cabinet is pretty much empty after acquiring Bridges and Towns. Robinson has yet to play a game this season but remains one of the most covetable assets thanks to his relative upside and potential to stand as a unique weapon. Has it run its course in Manhattan?

The eyes of the sporting world will be centered upon a big game come the second weekend in February–also Super Bowl LIX will be staged in New Orleans.

With the Giants and Jets’ title chances long deceased, the metropolitan area has like turned its focus to the Knicks’ showdown with the defending champion Boston Celtics at MSG. Amidst the team’s eight-game winning streak to close out 2024, the Knicks have inched to within a game of their green rivals for the second seed in the East.

The Knicks’ recent history with the Celtics has been rather complicated: many expected them to do battle in last spring’s Eastern Conference Final but the Knicks’ injuries denied them an opportunity to prevent Boston’s 18th Larrry O’Brien Trophy hoist. New York earned a one-sided victory the last time they did battle last season in April, but Boston had the East’s first seed long locked up.

The Celtics, on the other hand, handily beat the Knicks in this campaign’s opening act, but it’s clear that the chaser has improved since then. This Super weekend showdown, as well as the rematch at TD Garden just over two weeks later, will be the most legitimate barometer the Knicks will get to measure themselves against the mighty Celtics.

The NBA All-Star events return to the Bay Area this winter and it stands to reason that the Knicks will have a sizable contingent making their way west. One could make an argument that every member of the Knicks’ starting five has made a case for inclusion, though Brunson and Towns are the most likely candidates.

New York has not had two men partake in the NBA All-Star Game since the 2013 edition in Houston when Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler repped Manhattan (Brunson and Julius Randle were each nominated but the latter did not play).

This edition of the All-Star Game will feature the NBA’s latest attempt to inject some adrenaline into the exhibition. Many believe rock bottom came last when the East crushed West by a 211-186 final that featured 50 points from Towns alone. This year’s edition will revert to a fantasy draft format headlined by TNT analysts picking each team from a pool 24 men. With eight more added via group of Rising Stars, a tournament format will be staged, each game played to 40.

While nothing is official yet, it wouldn’t surprise anyone to see a sequel between Ionescu and Stephen Curry after their co-ed long-distance shootout in Indianapolis last season. Curry emerged with a narrow 29-26 victory shortly after Brunson placed sixth in his maiden voyage in the NBA’s contest.

Nearly three years removed from the Donovan Mitchell trade–and the Knicks’ decision to walk away from it–it’s safe to say that New York has prevailed in the deal between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Utah Jazz.

Cleveland had mostly disappointed with Mitchell in tow, as his era included a first-round loss to New York in 2023. The Knicks and Cavs have posted mostly similar ledgers but winning that playoff series, especially as the de facto underdog, undoubtedly pushes the needle toward New York.

But with each passing week, it becomes harder and harder to deny that the Cavs have something special going. An eight-game winning streak, matching the one that the Knicks posted to close out the year, has created some distance ahead of the mighty Celtics. Mitchell has been flanked by young yet established talent such as Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland, and Evan Mobley, while Kenny Atkinson seems to be a shoo-in for the Coach of the Year title.

The Knicks and Cavs previously did battle in October, and the latter took a 110-104 final against a metropolitan group that clearly did not have it figured all out quite yet by game three of the season. They have two more chances to re-affirm their mettle and strengths over the Cavs, with the first staged at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. It will be the second post-All-Star showing for each side.

April 13 is the final day of the 2024-25 NBA regular season. Metropolitan eyes will linger upon Barclays Center, where the Knicks will face the Brooklyn Nets, but the arena’s out-of-town scoreboard could likewise gain its share of lingering eyes.

It matters, at this point of the year, where New York stands. Last season, the Knicks caught some heat from observers for playing for seeding when the top tally was out of the question, but they cast those concerns aside by winning their last five and securing the second seed on the Eastern bracket. The victorious gambit didn’t seem so silly when they were able to avoid eventual champion Boston until the conference final round, even though injuries prevented them from such a matchup.

As mentioned above, the Knicks are only a game back of second place Boston coming into the new year. Catching Cleveland is its own task, but the Knicks would use any advantage they can get when it comes to besting the Celtics at this point and four games at The Garden–Madison Square, not TD–is one of the best pushes in the right direction that they can realistically obtain.

The Liberty will embark on their first postseason championship in what’s expected to be a mid-spring classic at Barclays Center.

The bearers of seafoam will get their rings and immediately get back to work, as they face the Las Vegas Aces in their 2025 season opener. Such a showdown is set to potentially feature the winning teams of the last WNBA Finals (Vegas winning the prior two) as well as the winners of six of the last seven WNBA MVP awards (Stewart, Jonquel Jones, A’ja Wilson) and six American Olympians (Ionescu, Stewart, Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young).

Both sides had to get through the other to earn their recent rings: Vegas took the 2023 WNBA Finals in four games while the Liberty bested the Aces in four games in last fall’s semifinal round.

The Liberty will welcome their new sister, the Golden State Valkyries, during a two-game set immediately after Memorial Day weekend.

The Valkyries’ visits will afford several reunions with championship talents: December’s expansion draft saw an early roster of 12 women assembled by Ohemaa Nyanin, now the general manager of the league’s 13th franchise. One of her selections was former Liberty sixth woman Kayla Thornton, who came up big off the bench at several points over the last two years. Thornton will receive her championship ring in a pregame ceremony and a tribute video on Barclays Center’s videoboards undoubtedly awaits.

The WNBA Finals will become a best-of-three series for the first time in its history but many were hoping that procedure could kick in a year early considering the way the Liberty’s maiden championship voyage went against the Minnesota Lynx.

Heroines rose on both sides before the Liberty escaped from New York with a 67-62 win in the decisive fifth game at Barclays Center. Courtney Williams’ four-point play paced the Lynx to a historic comeback in the opening showdown on Atlantic Avenue before a vintage offensive showing from Betnijah Laney-Hamilton restored metropolitan sanity in Game 2. Ionescu’s brilliance from deep gave the Liberty a Finals series lead for the first time in franchise history before yet another narrow Minnesota win at Target Center set the stage for the grand finale, which saw Jones earn MVP honors by the end.

Those who can’t wait for the sequel(s) will have to be a little patient, as each of the three meetings (two at Target Center) will be staged after the WNBA All-Star Game on July 19.

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