Carmelo Rios, 12, was born a Knicks fan.<\/p>\n
He was named after former Knicks superstar Carmelo Anthony.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s supported and cheered on his favorite team from as early as he could crawl, alongside his die-hard fan of a father, Felix.<\/p>\n
And now people around the world are rooting for not only NYC\u2019s beloved home team<\/a>, but for the middle-schooler to live out his dream of watching the Knicks claw their way back to basketball glory.<\/p>\n As Carmelo celebrated his 12th birthday on May 23, the Knicks, who hadn\u2019t gotten this far since 1999 <\/a>and hadn\u2019t held a championship title since 1973, were going neck to neck against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs.<\/p>\n Carmelo Rios (center) posing with his best friends during a Game 2 watch party. Angelisa Rossi<\/p>\n Humbly asking his parents for a pair of Knicks shorts for his birthday, his mother, NYC-based photographer Angelisa, had something better in mind: Game 5 playoff tickets.<\/p>\n \u201cI was going to get three tickets for us, but when we saw the prices of the playoff tickets, I wanted to get them in a really good section,\u201d Angelisa explained. \u201cIt was really just not only having them in the building, but having them at seats where it\u2019s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.\u201d<\/p>\n She pulled the trigger and purchased the $1,700 tickets from TickPick, despite not being sure if Game 5 was even going to happen.<\/p>\n Rios was seen bent over, sobbing upon receiving the special gift. Angelisa Rossi<\/p>\n \u201cI open all my gifts that day, and the shorts aren\u2019t in there,\u201d Carmelo recalled to The Post. \u201cThen my mom says, \u2018I forgot to give you one last gift\u2026\u2019 I see a piece of paper that says \u201cNew York Knicks versus Cleveland Cavaliers, Game 5, Madison Square \u2014 I was going insane, the 12-year-old explained, understanding the gift\u2019s magnitude and the sacrifice his parents made to purchase it.<\/p>\n As many excited parents do, Angelisa recorded her son\u2019s shocked reaction and posted it to her photography account\u2019s TikTok page<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cLiterally an hour later, she picks up her phone, checks the video, and it\u2019s gone absolutely viral,\u201d Carmelo said.<\/p>\n The touching video has garnered close to 900,000 views, with thousands of commenters just as excited for Carmelo and his dad to live out their dream.<\/p>\n \u201cI really wanted Knicks in 4, but now I want Nicks in 5!\u201d one commenter wrote, while another read: \u201cHis shock and appreciation on how expensive this gift is just shows what an amazing young man you\u2019ve raised!!!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe response was so positive,\u201d Angelisa said. \u201cEven Spike Lee commented on it,\u201d her husband chimed in.<\/p>\n However, in a surprising turn of events, the Knicks defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in just four games, meaning Game 5 was nixed along with the opportunity for Carmelo and Felix to witness their favorite team play live.<\/p>\n Angelisa (L), Carmelo (M), and Felix (R) Rios will soon witness NBA history. Angelisa Rossi<\/p>\n \u201cI just wanted them to go to the game, but I knew deep down Carmelo felt like he was the winner\u2026 he was the winner if he was going to game five, but he was also a winner if his team made it to the finals,\u201d Angelisa told The Post.<\/p>\n