Longtime Knicks Fans and Bandwagon Jumpers Show Up
As the sun set over the Hudson, a crowd had already gathered in downtown Yonkers outside the Yonkers Brewery. The New York Knicks were on a 13-game winning streak, the second longest in playoff history. They were back in New York with a 2-0 series lead, and the fans were ready to see another great game, a game that could prematurely put the nail in the Spurs’ coffin.
Across NYC, watch parties were expected to attract thousands – if not tens of thousands or perhaps millions. It was only right for the Sixth Borough to see some action too, so I took the MTA from the Bronx to check it out.
Before tip-off, I spoke with Knicks fan Victor Dickson, 19, who was confident and excited to see his team become the overdogs. “The Knicks had a lot of dark moments up to this point,” said Dickson. “A championship would feed families because they [the Knicks] were always a big-name team, and the media made our lowest moments worse overall. It’s definitely not something you want to remember at all.”
Two Yonkers police officers who were keeping an eye on the growing crowd also expected a home team win. One officer has followed the Knicks for over 10 years. “I’m pretty confident that the Knicks are winning,” he said. “Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby have to step up today; they’re very important for the team.” The other officer, although not a diehard fan, had tuned in for the playoff run. “I think Karl-Anthony Towns has to continue the way he’s playing and be aggressive. If he doesn’t allow Wemby a lot of touches in the paint, it’ll change the game,” he said.
Also in the casual fan department was Tony, 20, who has been a Knicks fan for about three months. He was at the watch party to see if his bet was about to cash out. “My friends told me to say that Wemby’s not gonna do nothing; I saw some of his lowlights from game 2 and it was looking bad for him,” said Tony. “I pretty much made a bet with my friends. One of my friends likes the Spurs, and to be honest, I’m a hater. So I basically just put money on the Spurs to lose.”
Hundreds Came to Out to Watch Together
The watch party was nothing short of electric. About 200 people squeezed in, and even though many of the jersey wearers were nothing more than bandwagon jumpers, it didn’t really matter.
After a slow start, technical difficulties, and being down by 11 points in the 1st quarter, the Knicks found their rhythm and scored 42 points in the second quarter, reclaiming the lead and going up 7 points just before halftime. The crowd popped and chanted after every momentum-shifting play. People celebrated every defensive stop like it was the game-winning play. A strong response from the Spurs in the third quarter put them back up by one point heading into the fourth, and it was enough to suppress the Brewery cheering section. The crowd murmured and groaned with every questionable call. A replay of Victor Wembanyama intentionally shoving Jalen Brunson got more boos than Trump. Game 3, just like Games 1 and 2, ended up going to the dying minutes of the fourth quarter. As the quiet fans sadly dispersed, many grumbled about the free throw differential. The Spurs shot 22 free throws in the second half to the Knicks’ 4, a drastic difference that stank of biased officiating.
However, a lot of Knicks fans will find peace in knowing that teams that take a 2-0 lead in the Finals go on to win the series 85% of the time, with only five teams in history being able to overcome the deficit, the last one being the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021. The Knicks now look to extend their series lead to 3-1 with a win on Thursday.
The watch party brotherhood and sisterhood will be back. Maybe a bit more nervous this time. Not in search of the quick dopamine hit that comes from a team that swept all the way to glory without a single defeat. But chasing the deeper, more fulfilling satisfaction that comes from having a team that’s human, given to a stumble or two, but that in the end totally compensates us for the last 53 years of championship-free existence.
Jimmy, 35, was fundraising for TellCancer2Bounce on the same block as the Brewery. He said he’s hoping for a Game 6 – a return to MSG after the next game in Texas. “The Children’s Cancer Society will be outside Madison Square Garden for Game 6, and I’ll be in a dunk tank wearing a Spurs jersey, talking trash. People will be able to throw balls at me, the fake Spurs fan, for money for cancer.”
