The Knicks didn’t win a championship because they avoided adversity.
They won because they responded to adversity differently than everyone else.
They won because they never allowed the magnitude of the challenge to become larger than the next play.
They were a lesson in leadership and excellence those in the business world can learn from.
So, on the day of a victory parade that was five decades in the making, consider their game plan:
1. They let their preparation drive their mindset
“It’s only pressure when you’re not prepared,” Finals MVP Jalen Brunson said.
It showed. Game after game, this team refused to quit. They faced deficits, adversity, and moments when others had already written the ending for them.
Yet they always believed they had a chance. More importantly, they acted like it.
They trusted their preparation. They trusted the work they had done. They knew they could handle any situation and they never panicked.
Confidence is rarely created in the moment. It is earned beforehand through experience and preparation, and it allows us to focus on what we need to do next.
2. They stayed in the present
Perhaps the most impressive thing about the Knicks was their composure. They were never overwhelmed by the deficit or fazed by the score.
How often do we allow the enormity of the challenge before us to paralyze us? How often do we allow a setback to throw us off our game?
Being down 29 points is overwhelming unless you can ignore the 29 points and just focus on the next play.
3. They only thought about the next step
A product isn’t launched in a meeting. A startup isn’t built in an afternoon. A 29-point deficit isn’t solved in one play.
Every challenge requires you to make one initial decision. What is the next thing you need to do?
You don’t have to decide every move — or figure out every angle you eventually have to solve for — you just have to decide the next move. And be patient.
Great outcomes rarely happen all at once: Preparation compounds … decisions compound … actions compound.
One basket. One stop. One next move repeated over and over and over.
4. They knew teamwork multiplies talent
We assume teamwork simply means working cooperatively. The Knicks showed a deeper appreciation of the nuance of great team culture.
Teamwork is selflessness. It’s humility. It’s accountability. It’s understanding and accepting your role, performing it at a high level, and knowing that others will do the same.
Great teams compound individual talent through a collective culture of shared confidence in each other, in preparation and in a mindset that no situation is too large and no problem too complex to handle.
Which brings us back to Brunson.
He often says, “The magic is in the work.” That may be the simplest explanation for everything the Knicks accomplished.
It wasn’t destiny. It wasn’t talent alone. It was the daily commitment to preparation, trust in teammates, and just doing the next right thing that resulted in the first Knicks championship in 53 years.
And yes, having Brunson – an all-world basketball talent and leader – helped, too.
Eric Shuffler is the Founding Partner of River Crossing Strategy Group and Resolve Strategic Communications. He is a practitioner of gratitude, appreciation and the art of chasing joy. Follow him on Linked In for his regular Sunday Note on life, leadership and mindfulness.
