Our Time
The Knicks return to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years, and they're not done yet.
Game 6: Knicks 119, Celtics 81
Some of you weren’t yet born.
Some of you were infants.
Some of you were just scratching that initial itch, unsure of what this whole thing was about.
Before long, you’d signed a lifetime contract with a group of individuals who didn’t know you existed, merely hoping for the best.
If you knew then what you know now, would you have chosen differently?
Some of you - like me - went back to the 90’s, when this sort of thing wasn’t uncommon. Each time still felt like life or death. An extended run was expected. Anything less was deemed a failure.
How good we had it, even if we didn’t know it.
Some of you go back to Bernard, which seems like a great time to have entered the fray, even if the success was limited and fleeting.
Some of you came in just as the salad days were ending, with Bob McAdoo and Spencer Haywood inspiring your fathers and uncles and pappas to tell you about how much better things had been just a few short years ago.
Some of you remember those glory days. You couldn’t forget them if you tried.
Each one of us has taken our own journey to get to this point. Those journeys are separated by years, and in many cases decades, but that doesn’t change the emotion we share on this day, with the Knicks one step away from the Finals for the first time in 25 years.
Whether you weren’t alive for the last time the Knicks made it this far or you go back to the days of Gallatin, Braun and McGuire, if you were watching last night, you have more than earned your keep. The 2024-25 Knicks, after all, have not been a picnic.
They have tested us. They have teased us. They have tried our patience. They have challenged our faith in this blue and orange laundry we call life.
But they have also united us. All of us. We’ve all been been waiting forever for this day to come, even if forever means something different for each one of us.
Regardless of how long you’ve been a fan, 25 years is not for the faint of heart. I have two kids, one of which is starting to wear makeup and is too embarrassed to hug me in public. The last time we got this far, I hadn’t yet passed my road test and was myself too embarrassed to go near my parents in a public place. We’d just gotten through Y2K, cell phones weren’t yet mainstream, and Mission: Impossible II was still in theaters. The eighth installment comes out next week.
To say we have earned our keep would be an understatement.
We. Every one of us. Doesn’t matter how far back you go or how many wars you’ve been through.
Last night united. It bound. It rallied. It spoke to every one of us who have been waiting for this team to tell us, finally, who they were and what they were about.
Finally, we got the message.
As I continue to deal with the overflow of emotions that have been a quarter century in the making, I want to take a moment to say thank you to each and every one of you. Writing this newsletter has been the singular honor of my adult life. That is so because of the ties that bind us all together. Those ties have led me to dream about days like this, and moments like this one, when we can hold our heads high and proclaim that the Knicks - yes, the Knicks - are once again knocking at the door.
No, the job isn’t done. They know that.
I know that as well, even if right now, all I can think about is the journey to get to this point.
The Knicks are back in the Eastern Conference Finals. They dominated - dominated - the Celtics in Game 6 to get here.
I can’t wait to revisit this win in greater detail and relive a glorious night at the Garden.
For right now though, I leave you with this:
The hero’s journey is only so because of the transformation that takes place within. These Knicks didn’t start out on the path that got them here today, but that was never going to be the case.
Their struggle is what gave them direction…defined them…united them in the face of the harshest adversity.
The same could be said of all of us.
We are here together.
What a journey it has been.
🏀
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Jonathan, as a Knicks fan since childhood, my earliest memory is celebrating a championship, which made me think supporting the Knickerbockers (were you aware that Marv Albert might have been the last to regularly use that name?) would always be this easy. However, we've certainly experienced more heartache than wins.
Discovering your newsletter was a real turning point for me. Finally, there was someone whose daily writing echoed my intense Knicks obsession. I appreciated your approach – not snarky or negative, but genuinely invested in every game's outcome, every trade, and every injury. So, thank you for that consistent voice and connection. I listened to all three hours + of your post-game show and honestly, I would have happily tuned in for a ten-hour marathon.
There were many impressive aspects to last night's game. Beyond the team's unwavering focus from start to finish, I was particularly struck by their serious demeanor after the final buzzer. There was no excessive celebrating or clowning around. From the moment the game ended through all the post-game interviews, their message was clear and consistent : they were satisfied with the win but understood there's still a long road ahead before any real celebration. The players truly mirrored their captain's attitude – pleased and thankful for the victory, but not acting as if they've achieved their ultimate goal.
That unified purpose, the constant talk about playing for each other, and the immediate shift to needing to review the game film were incredibly impressive. They put the win behind them instantly to concentrate on the task at hand, and we all know what that task is.
Shocking!!!! How this series ended, I could have envisioned a 2 point win or loss. Although up by forty I was nervous for every basket Boston made. After all the Knicks came back from 20 twice. The Knicks really saved their best for last. Many have said throughout this playoff run “the Knicks have won without playing their best”. Well we saw their best tonight. And it was Shocking!!!!