Winning the NBA Cup sparked an unusual debate in New York. Some within the New York Knicks, including Mike Brown and Josh Hart, openly supported hanging a banner at Madison Square Garden. But that idea was quickly shut down. The plan shifted to a simple in-game celebration instead. For owner James Dolan, MSG rafters are reserved for one achievement. An NBA championship.

The Knicks won their last championship over half a century ago, in 1973. Since then, they have still been searching for one, despite having legendary players like Patrick Ewing, Bernard King, and Carmelo Anthony. The NBA Cup trophy was their first title of any kind in 52 years of drought. But in his interview on WFAN Sports Radio 101.9 FM on Monday, Dolan said he didn’t want any compromise on what he actually wanted to win.

“I never had that thought [about raising the NBA Cup banner]. I would’ve thrown it away,” Dolan told hosts Craig Carton and Chris McMonigle. “We want an NBA championship, we don’t want the consolation.”

The NBA Cup was a big win for the Knicks. They defeated the San Antonio Spurs team, which has proved to be a nightmare for the OKC Thunder. However, Dolan was not ready to call the Emirates Cup championship a real banner.

“We felt good about the NBA Cup. … To get a chance at midseason to try out what you’re going to be like at the end of the season, it was exciting,” Dolan added. “I was very proud of the guys that did a great job. We’re proud to have the Emirates Cup, but we’re going to hang a championship banner, a real banner.”

The Knicks have just one Conference Finals appearance in the last 30 years. While Dolan might claim that the NBA Cup isn’t the real banner, New York does hang the Atlantic Division banners. So the hanging NBA Cup banner wouldn’t be a bad notion, and Josh Hart has straightforward logic.

“It’s a cup. It’s a title… something that you want to win. Hang a banner,” he said.

James Dolan finally opens up about firing Tom Thibodeau amid title expectations

Before the Knicks hired Tom Thibodeau to coach the Knicks, they had played seven consecutive seasons without a playoff appearance. In his first years as a coach, Thibodeau took the Knicks to the playoffs. In five seasons that he coached, he took New York to the playoffs in four seasons, including their first Conference Finals appearance in 30 years.

So when the Knicks decided to sack Thibodeau, it shocked the NBA world, and the team’s front office received a lot of flak for its decision. Dolan was asked about what factored into his team’s decision to fire the former coach. He indicated that the Knicks wanted a coach with a different voice.

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I won’t say you can’t win a title with Tom Thibodeau,” he said. “I don’t necessarily know if that’s true. It’s just that if you want to build a long-term, competitive … you need somebody who’s much more of a collaborator than Tom was.”

Despite whatever reason that Dolan and Leona Rose, the Knicks president, might have to fire Thibodeau, it’s kind of unsettling to hear that a team fired its coach just after a historic season. New York looks better under Mike Brown. However, the end of this season will properly assess the Knicks’ decision.