This is undoubtedly the best feeling we’ve had riding into an All-star Break in years. It’s the latest the Knicks have had a winning record since 2013. The Garden has just reopened to a portion of the fans, which has injected new life into an already hype season. We have an Allstar, a rookie of the year candidate, a Rising Star, and that’s not to mention our cap space and multiple draft picks for this offseason…all while we break to celebrate the midway point from a 5th seed in the Eastern Conference. I bring this all up because there are a gang of buzzkills in the media trying to make a mockery of fans enjoying winning.
I never realized that celebrating a win on the way out of an arena was unacceptable until some ESPN and Fox Sports News suits decided to work on their tight five at our expense. The jokes are clear reaches, cringe-worthy attempts to get attention by swinging on enthusiastic fans. They couple nicely with the slew of completely random superstar name drops that national media figures keep suggesting for the Knicks. We’re not falling for Doncic, Booker, or Beal rumors. Knicks fandom can get tough when the team is bad, but we’re not about to let the media ruin our good time when the team is winning.
That
energy is pervasive in the CP vs Max Kellerman clip. A true fan speaking to the present-day success of the team while a hater tries to equate media treatment with fandom. I don’t know if it sucks to work the beat at MSG, but I know what the Garden is like for a fan.
There are only two places I’ve ever felt magic in real life, and neither one is Disney. I felt the ghosts of October at the old Yankee Stadium, which is now gone. The other place I’ve felt the magic is the Garden when the Knicks are good. Hell, I’ve felt that magic in a down-season when Jamal Crawford hit a St. Paddy’s Day buzzer-beater.
New York is built different. We’ll celebrate with the same bravado we’re famous for in all other walks of life. Forget the haters and enjoy this while we’ve got it! They might laugh at loyalty, but that’s not our problem. We’ll keep showing love for our team, whether they’re the best or not, as long as they continue to be the hardest working squad around. Let’s enjoy our All-star break, chant MVP for our star, and give a King’s welcome to every player that gives us this fleeting sense of hope for the future.