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New York Knicks: All-Time Team in NBA 2K18 announced

By Ed Easton Jr.

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 29: New York Knicks legends pose for a photo before the Memphis Grizzlies game against the New York Knicks on October 29, 2016 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Reid Kelley/NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 29: New York Knicks legends pose for a photo before the Memphis Grizzlies game against the New York Knicks on October 29, 2016 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Reid Kelley/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The All-Time Team rosters for NBA 2K18 have officially been announced. Who made the legendary squad for the New York Knicks?

The New York Knicks are among the league’s most iconic franchises. Being in existence for over 70 years, they have had some legendary players suit up for them. The amount of Hall-Of-Famers and perennial All-Stars on the list that could comprise the starting lineup of an All-Time Team is probably the most debatable in the NBA 2K series.

The announcement of NBA 2K18 including All-Time Teams for every franchise in the league created plenty of anticipation and conversation amongst fans. It gives fans a chance to play as some of the mores iconic players in NBA history on an even playing field at their career peak form.

The Knicks miracle team from 1999 that became the first No. 8 seed to earn a trip to the NBA Finals will also be featured for the first time in this year’s game. That team may not have won the championship, but it definitely won the hearts of many New York and NBA fans for their never-say-die, overachieving attitude against heavily favored teams.

However, in regards to the All-Time Teams, the many dream combinations and discussion in regards to who made the team are just part of the fun the NBA 2K18 brain trust has delivered on this year.

The various combinations that will be featured for all 30 teams will be amazing considering the amazing amount of talent in NBA history. The Knicks have had quiet a few interesting rosters in the past featuring superstar players that haven’t benefitted from strong supporting casts. As expected, the championship teams from 1970 and 1973 are well represented, along with standouts from the Eastern Conference champions of 1994 and 1999.

Here’s a look at the Knicks’ All-Time Team:

At first glance, the Knicks’ All-Time roster seems very iconic but is still missing a few names. The starting lineups were very interesting considering the history each player listed had with the team and their overall legacy.

A notable position for debate would be starting shooting guard as Allan Houston got the nod over fan favorites John Starks and Earl Monroe. Houston’s rating of 89 overall surprised me considering he’s essentially ranked higher than Monroe, who helped lead New York to the 1973 championship and has his number retired in Madison Square Garden.

The addition of Amar’e Stoudemire was a little puzzling considering he had only one well-deserved All-Star appearance during his New York tenure. The rest of his seasons were marred by various injuries, including a badly injured hand after punching a fire extinguisher following a loss during the 2012 NBA Playoffs.

I was expecting a forward from one of the ’90s squads like fan favorites Anthony Mason or “Mr. four-point play” Larry Johnson for their strong performances during those infamous playoff journeys.

Another interesting note from the starting lineup was iconic center and former team captain Willis Reed being slated as a power forward up front along with Patrick Ewing.

Reed is considered one of the greatest centers in NBA history and led the Knicks to their only two championships, but even he has stated that Ewing was the best center in team history. Reed was very candid about these thoughts during an ESPN interview in 2000 with Adrian Wojnarowski.

"“If you look at all his stats, the number of times he made the All-Star team, scoring and rebounding averages, he had a great career. You don’t appreciate it until you don’t have that kind of guy. A lot of teams never had that kind of guy.“The unfortunate thing is that they never put the right pieces together. He had almost had it together with Pat Riley [in 1994], when they went to seven games in Houston. If Olajuwon doesn’t tip that ball on that [John] Starks shot, he might have won it. He’s got all the numbers. But during that time, they just didn’t have the pieces together. In the prime of his career, he was doing the thing that it takes to win championships in that position.”"

There will always be opinions on this topic for not only the Knicks but the other 29 loyal fan bases around the league.

Next: Ranking NBA teams by tiers for the 2017-18 season

The game will definitely call for plenty of excitement and duels as fans will look to prove All-Time Team supremacy against one another starting next month with the release of NBA 2K18.

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