I’ve been a Knick fan since I could walk. I watched them lose two finals in my lifetime–neither were much of a close matter. Last night was the pinnacle of Knick fandom for me. Of course I want them to finish the job, but down 29 and coming back to win in the finals… It doesn’t get much better for a Knick fan. All we’ve known as adversity as a fandom. The Knicks are cursed with an ownership determined to ruin things. They wrecked Linsanity. They brought Carmelo and detonated a roster to do it. They jacked up ticket prices for the finals. They let Trump come through and kill the vibe (and likely the damn game).
None of that matters. NYC is resilient and yesterday was a reflection of what it meant to be from that city and be a part of everything that city has gone through over the last half century. I was born there. Raised there. Survived the 80’s when the city was at its roughest and worst. I watched fandoms come and go. I watch the Jets faithful suffer setback after setback (and still going). I watched Hockey rise to prominence. I watched The Giants make us proud, the Nets try to hop on (y’all still suck). I’m 26 years removed from a Subway Series.
We’ve had a lot of success in these 2000’s everywhere but in the realm of basketball where NYC has long been a disappointment. I wrote about Lauren Hill rapping about Knick failures. But last night I heard Wu-tang shout “Knicks in 5!” at the half. They were down 76-49 at the time. 27 points. They only gave up 30 in the entire second half.
This was legendary. I’ll remember it always.
Some Thoughts:
- Absolutely Bonkers Headline of the Day: “Knicks complete record rally from 29 points down and beat Spurs 107-106 for 3-1 NBA Finals lead“
- Kid is on another OV without me. Funny how that works. I pay for the non-official visits but when it comes time for the free trip, I don’t even get notified. I just hope his kids don’t do him like he does me.
- I’m still a dad though. I’ll still show up for him. Still proud of his accomplishments and his future. Less so of who he is choosing to be and how he is choosing to treat half his family.