The New York Knicks kicked off this season with a lot of hype. After last year’s run to the Eastern Conference Finals, everyone figured they’d be pushing for a real shot at the title this time.

Knicks head coach Mike Brown isn’t shying away from that talk. He’s convinced this team can win it all. Sure, they've looked sharp in his first year at the helm, but it hasn’t been smooth the whole way. They started strong with 23 wins and 9 losses and even grabbed the NBA Cup. Then, out of nowhere, they crashed into a 2-9 skid that almost derailed everything.

After that rough patch, they rattled off eight straight wins, but since then, it’s been a lot of back-and-forth. One night they look like contenders, the next they’re just average. Even with the ups and downs, they’re sitting in third place in the East, just a game and a half behind the Celtics.

Brown still believes in his squad, despite all the turbulence. “I truly believe it,” he said Thursday. “We’re a championship team. But you have to be playing your best basketball;contenders; everyone has to be on the same page. Sacrifice is non-negotiable. If even one guy isn’t buying in, that wrecks your chemistry, and chemistry is everything. You need to want to compete every night. And you have to believe.”

He knows the pressure is there, but he keeps bringing it back to belief and accountability. “Even when things go south 2-7, 2-9, you can’t just believe in the process; you have to believe in each other. And everyone, starting with me, has to be held accountable.”

The Knicks have had their moments, but they still don’t look settled. Karl-Anthony Towns is having the worst shooting year of his career. Mikal Bridges can’t seem to find his rhythm, on offence or defence. It doesn’t help that tough, physical teams have given them nightmares. The Pistons, who are running away with the East, have manhandled the Knicks in all three matchups, outscoring them by a whopping 84 points combined. That’s not just a bad night; that’s a glaring talent gap the Knicks need to close.

If they want to be a real championship threat, everything has to come together. Right now, it’s obvious they’re still adjusting to a new system, and time is running out. The playoffs are coming fast. If they don’t figure it out soon, belief alone won’t be enough.

Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, one of the top prospects for the 2026 NFL Draft, took a moment at the NFL Combine to look back on his last year with the Crimson Tide.

Simpson started for Alabama for the first time in 2025, and he took the team to the SEC Championship and even got them to the second round of the College Football Playoff. Still, it wasn’t all smooth. Alabama lost its season opener on the road to Florida State, starting off 0-1, and then dropped two of its last three games to close things out.

Talking about the season, Simpson didn’t dodge the tough stuff. He owned up to his part in the team’s struggles.

“I definitely think I have to play better,” Simpson said. “I have to be accountable. I need to make sure we win those big games. Sometimes, you run into teams with better schemes. But at the end of the day, it’s got to be simple; we have to make the easy plays and stick to what we do well. We had some guys banged up, some injuries, but that’s part of the game. You just have to overcome it, and big-time players step up.”

Even with the rough patches, Simpson said he was proud of what the team pulled off.

“I’m honestly really proud of this team,” he told reporters. “I’m not taking anything away from what we did. We won a playoff game on the road after being down 17-0. We played in the Rose Bowl. We made it to the SEC Championship. That’s a long, tough season. I’m not making excuses, but starting the way we did and then turning it around like that just makes me really proud of my teammates. I love those guys, and I’m proud to be a part of Alabama football.”

Now, Simpson is getting ready to throw in front of NFL scouts at the Combine this week.