As New York prepares to host the World Cup, the city is awash in Knicks blue and orange, showing the deep passion for a strong, cohesive team chasing a historic NBA Finals victory.
The Knicks took a 2-0 lead on Friday in the best-of-seven series against the San Antonio Spurs, and now the action shifts to the Big Apple in games three and four.
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“The Knicks, this is New York at its best right now,” said John Patrick Walsh, 65, who comes from a family of fans.
“Everyone is a Knicks fan together. It’s a big family, love,” Walsh, a voice actor, told AFP near Madison Square Garden, home of the Knicks.
The streets around the Manhattan area have become a gathering place for thousands of fans to cheer on their team, as celebrity fans including Spike Lee, Timothee Chalamet and Ben Stiller applaud on the court.
“It’s very energetic, very chaotic,” said Melanie Mendoza, a waitress at Bourbon and Branch, a bar near the famed Garden fully decked out in team colors.
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“Even if you don’t know anything about basketball, you like to get into that atmosphere, that noise. People go crazy, basically.”
Outdoor viewing parties around Madison Square Garden were initially banned during the NBA playoffs after several arrests were made during wild celebrations, but will continue until the finals.
– ‘City game’ –
After more than 50 years without a title and decades of false starts, the rebirth of the Knicks is raising an extraordinary level of enthusiasm for the entire city.
Sports sociologist Jay Coakley, of the University of Colorado, noted that basketball is “a fast-paced game, so it represents the kind of pace of urban life, especially New York City life.”
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For him, that explains why many support the Knicks despite other New York sports teams such as the Yankees (baseball) or the Giants (American football) having the greatest success.
Coakley also noted that the Knicks provide a sense of belonging to New York’s immigrant population, as they join other citizens in supporting the team.
Amy Bass, a sports studies professor at the University of Manhattanville, said New York’s urban environment is perfect for basketball.
“All anyone needs to play basketball is a ball and a hoop, a place to run, and New York City has the worst of that kind of space,” he said.
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“The game of the city, from Harlem to the City.”
– Common language –
The Knicks have drawn on their tumultuous history to project an image of toughness — much like how New Yorkers like to see themselves.
In the 1970s, when they won their only two NBA titles, the Knicks were known as “a raw, hard-working, tough-minded team,” according to Adam Criblez, author of a book about the squad.
“It’s not that other organizations don’t do that, but the Knicks just took the idea,” said Criblez.
The team’s roller-coaster run this season, with many dramatic wins scored in the final seconds, has cemented that image.
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Bass noted that the Knicks have become a unifying force in a city plagued by severe socioeconomic inequality.
“The city can be lonely, the city can be difficult,” he said.
“At a time when social media and AI and politics are creating islands, this is something that feels organic, sharing a language, of purpose.”
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