Like countless other Knicks fans across the city and the tri-state area, I sat at the edge of my couch beaming at the television as the clock hit zero, officially ending a closeout game that had essentially been decided nearly an hour earlier.
The latest historic beatdown delivered by the Knicks in a series-clinching game offered plenty of time for reflection before the reality of what the team just accomplished became official. When a monumental achievement arrives, it’s impossible not to think about the journey and what it took to get there. To say Knicks fans have been through a trying journey would be a criminal understatement.
As I watched the Knicks starters sub out early in the fourth quarter for the third consecutive series, well on their way to another series win, I admittedly jumped to the memories of the times I sat on my couch and watched Andrea Bargnani inexplicably hoist up a three-pointer while nursing a two-point lead over the Bucks with 11 seconds left in overtime, or jumping up and down in celebration when Mario Hezonja blocked a potential game-winning shot from LeBron James in the closing seconds of another meaningless game in March, leading me to question how low the bar had been set when it came to celebrating my team’s achievements. I thought back to the pile of jerseys I threw out when I moved back to New Jersey in 2021, from Kristaps Porzingis to Landry Fields and the custom Jerian Grant jersey I had made when I was convinced he would be the star point guard the Knicks had been starving to find for nearly my entire fandom.
Then it hit me. The light bulb went off as I scrolled through social media to virtually celebrate with my fellow fans, getting a chuckle of identification from every random Knicks failure mentioned as a rite of passage to “earning” the fulfillment of seeing your team punch its ticket to the NBA Finals. It was amusing, and in its own sick way, nostalgic to experience flashbacks from names like Ron Baker and Cleanthony Early and Arron Afflalo, but after scrolling past a few of those familiar posts that come with every Knicks series victory, I realized they were no longer relevant. If anything, they had become a subtle showing of credentials to validate why some of us deserved to celebrate this Finals berth or “earned” it more than others through heightened levels of suffering.
But that’s not the story anymore. The fact is, the Knicks are good, and they have been for multiple years now. Now, they’re REALLY good, and the reflecting does not need to go back to the Larry Brown days or whenever your fandom began. The journey can be traced back to when James Dolan, at long last, let go of the strings and conceded power to Leon Rose, who then committed $104 million to a backup point guard in Dallas who has now cemented his place on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore. This team is the story. Jalen Brunson is the story. The stunning ascent of Mikal Bridges is the story. The daring move to hire Mike Brown after an Eastern Conference Finals appearance with Tom Thibodeau is the story. The lights-out shooting of Landry Shamet, signed to a non-guaranteed contract, is the story. These Knicks, not the failures of decades past, deserve the spotlight all to themselves.
It took a conscious effort to fight off the memories of what it took as a fan to reach this level of fulfillment, and to finally feel like there was a suitable return on investment. Once I did, it became a lot more enjoyable to be in the present moment and celebrate this team, this roster, for the historic level of dominance it has maintained for an entire month now. The fact is, this team endured its own pain and pitfalls, from the towering injury wave in 2024 to the game one meltdown against Indiana a year later. It withstood scathing criticisms during this regular season, labeled “soft” and “frauds” who pushed out their head coach because he was pushing them too hard. Now, they are in the NBA Finals, all while carrying the burden of a city’s decades-long sports trauma. It is much more satisfying to focus on that accomplishment, and the beauty that is this current brand of Knicks basketball.
The Knicks fanbase was once a tortured one, to the likes of which few other fanbases could identify with. That is no longer. This team had already established itself as a consistent playoff team, and now, it is a bonafide contender, one that will have a legitimate shot to win it all, regardless of who comes out of the West. So, while we as fans kick our feet up and wait for June 3, that will hopefully be my focus from here on out.
The nightmares of years past are now irrelevant. It is time to take the lead from this team’s collective mindset and turn the page to the next – and final – test that stands in the way of this team’s entry to New York sports royalty.
Reminiscing about past nightmares is fun in its own twisted way, but now is the time to acknowledge what's in front of these Knicks.
Reminiscing about past nightmares is fun in its own twisted way, but now is the time to acknowledge what's in front of these Knicks.
