The New York Knicks are the proud owners of an 8-game winning streak and the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference. Yes, those Knicks. With Julius Randle and RJ Barrett leading the way on offense, and the whole team buying into head coach Tom Thibodeau's physical, defense-first philosophy, the Knicks are looking like the one team no other squad wants to face in the playoffs, and everyone's excited- even other players. Check out Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James' tweet about the Knicks' recent turn of fortunes:

Agreed, LeBron. For years, the Mecca of basketball has been anything but, as lowlight after lowlight has hounded New York's favorite sports franchise. But there's a shine to these Knicks now, and a grit reminiscent of their beloved squads of the 1990's. Julius Randle is turning in a stellar season and making a case for All-NBA and Most Improved Player honors, while Tom Thibodeau is a legitimate Coach of the Year candidate in his first season at the helm.

But of course, credit where credit is due. LeBron, and Twitter as a whole, noted that New York's win streak weirdly started with a set from local hip hop group The Diplomats (Dipset). Watching their performance, it's not hard to see why:

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lebron james nikola jokic

Michael Corvo ·

Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura with the Lakers arena in the background, Gabe Vincent Nuggets NBA Playoffs

David Yapkowitz ·

Magic Johnson holding a coaching board with the faces of D'Angelo Russell, Gabe Vincent, Austin Reaves and D'Angelo Russell on it. LeBron James looking serious

Angelo Guinhawa ·

https://twitter.com/1DJFirstClass/status/1385073218759925763

Makes you want to run through a brick wall. Run strong, New York. As for the Knicks, they are in the driver's seat to get back into the playoff and could be a force to reckon with in the Eastern Conference come playoff time.