The Knicks have taken over New York City – and the Internet

The New York Knicks are returning to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999, and that sentence still doesn’t ring true.

Consider the timeline: The kid born the last time the Knicks played in the championship is now 27 years old. An entire generation of Knicks fans, including Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet, reached adulthood without ever once watching their team play meaningful basketball in June.

Now they have arrived. Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, and OG Anunoby have four wins left in the contest. He won four to end a 53-year title drought. Four wins to become the first New York men’s team in one of the Big Four sports to win it all since 2011, and the New York Liberty’s championship banner in 2024 is still widely recognized and respected.

The weirdest part of it all is the vibe. Knicks fans are known for their “romantic” feelings about their team and other teams in the league (eg Trae Young). As one of X’s posts bluntly stated, if the Knicks win it all, “the city might be out of control.”

For now, at least, New York City seems happy. I’m honestly, quietly, almost excited in disbelief. It’s as if a huge weight has been lifted from everyone’s shoulders, and the city that never sleeps is just free now.

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After sweeping the Cavaliers, Knicks fans filled the streets of New York, which was fitting enough. While the Thunder and Spurs are officially in the West, there is no concern in New York. Just fans who really enjoy being fans of their team maybe for the first time in their lives.

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Even the politics of this city have entered into it. The newly elected mayor of this city, Zohran Mamdani, was seen in Game 2 last week bleeding at Madison Square Garden, rooting for the Knicks.

After the Game 4 win, Mamdani tweeted that NYC Sanitation had reported the sweep. It’s the kind of corny, honest post that makes you like a politician more. It also helps that he’s a lifelong fan of English football club Arsenal, who also recently ended a drought after years of strangling allegations.

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The power is exactly right. Meanwhile, former mayor Eric Adams, never one to miss a beat, marked the occasion by posting what appears to be an AI-generated video of dancing broomsticks, somehow summing up exactly where his relationship with the city stands right now.

There are good comparisons to be made with Detroit a few years ago. The Lions are finally ready after decades as one of the NFL’s favorite franchises, and something has changed in the city around them. Detroit’s offensive offense dropped to its lowest level in 60 years in 2023 — the same season the Lions went 12-5 and won their first playoff game since 1991.

Now, criminologists will tell you that the cause is complicated, and of course, they are right. But there’s a certain kind of magic in every city that has a team you have to believe in too.