Winning tends to cure all ills. Just ask Karl-Anthony Towns, who looks and sounds like just about the happiest athlete in the world since winning the 2026 NBA Finals with the New York Knicks.
But here’s a guy, a former No. 1 overall pick, who was often criticized or called ‘soft’ as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves. He gets a chance to go back home and wins a championship in his second season with the Knicks? It’s a beautiful story.
Now, the shoe is on the other foot, and it’s Towns’ turn to have some fun.
Karl-Anthony Towns Hasn’t Forgotten How Analytics Work
With the ESPYs taking place in New York this year, naturally, Towns was around the action. After all, he’s coming off one of the best seasons of his career, and his Knicks were up for a lot of awards.
When it came close to the time to crown the “Best Team,” Towns was asked how he felt about the Knicks’ chances to take home the award. The 7-footer stated his case, and it’s a pretty good one.
“The city hasn’t seen this in 53 years,” Towns said. “Hasn’t even seen the opportunity of being in the Finals in 27 years. So, when you think about those factors. A team that wasn’t picked to be the favorite. Underdog in every series we played, including the last one.
“For us, with the playoff run that we had, how dominant it was. … Six points that we lost by in the games that we did lose. 49 days, I believe, without losing a game in the playoffs. That’s my pitch for best team.”
It’s hard to argue against Towns here. But of course, the six-time All-Star also took a somewhat subtle jab at Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson for his now-infamous playoff speech about analytics.
“You can pick up all the analytics and statistics you want, but analytically, we should win this one,” Towns quipped. “We should win this one, analytically.”
Karl Anthony Towns makes a joke towards Kenny Atkinson 💀
“Analytically, we should win this one. We should win this one analytically.” https://t.co/7p0D0JWM6h pic.twitter.com/PYn9dC6M78
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) July 15, 2026
It was against Towns’ Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals that Atkinson said his Cavaliers were “analytically” ahead in the series, despite actually trailing 3-0. Atkinson argued that Cleveland was shooting worse than expected; meanwhile, the Knicks’ shots were going in at an unusual rate.
That made Atkinson feel as though his team should have won two of the first three matchups against New York. Of course, basketball games are not played “analytically”; whichever team scores the most points still decides the winner, and Atkinson’s Cavaliers ended up as the loser, four times out of four.
