{"id":264274,"date":"2026-06-12T10:15:23","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T10:15:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/264274\/"},"modified":"2026-06-12T10:15:23","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T10:15:23","slug":"im-a-bandwagon-knicks-fan-in-new-york-that-doesnt-matter-opinion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/264274\/","title":{"rendered":"I’m a bandwagon Knicks fan. In New York, that doesn’t matter. | Opinion"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK CITY \u2014 It was the comeback of the century.<\/p>\n

Against all odds, the New York Knicks<\/a> defeated the San Antonio Spurs<\/a> 107-106 in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on June 10, delivering the largest comeback in series history<\/a> when OG Anunoby<\/a> tipped in the final shot off Jalen Brunson<\/a>\u2019s three-point attempt with 1.2 seconds left on the clock<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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The Knicks overcoming a 29-point deficit surpassed<\/a> the Boston Celtics<\/a>‘ 24-point comeback against the\u00a0Los Angeles Lakers<\/a>\u00a0in Game 4 of the 2008 NBA Finals.<\/p>\n

The Knicks are now up 3-1 in the seven-game series, with Game 5 being played<\/a> on June 13 in San Antonio<\/a>. And while New York City isn\u2019t trying to jinx it, the five boroughs are alive with the sound of camaraderie.<\/p>\n

It’s a magical time to live in the city.<\/p>\n

I walked through New York City. The vibes are electric right now.<\/p>\n

On the morning of June 11, I switched up my usual morning commute by getting off the Q Train<\/a> at Herald Square to get a bootleg Knicks shirt outside of Madison Square Garden before walking to my office.<\/p>\n

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Celebrities react to Knicks Game 4 win \u2013 See the emotional NBA Finals moment<\/p>\n

Celebrity New York Knicks fans showed out to celebrate a Game 4 win in the 2026 NBA Finals<\/a> against the Spurs at Madison Square Garden on June 10, 2026. See the emotional moment. <\/p>\n

Taylor Swift celebrates<\/a> with Alana Haim and Este Haim after game four of the 2026 NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.<\/p>\n

(Vincent Carchietta, Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images)\"\"<\/p>\n

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Celebrities react to Knicks Game 4 win \u2013 See the emotional NBA Finals moment<\/p>\n

Celebrity New York Knicks fans showed out to celebrate a Game 4 win in the 2026 NBA Finals<\/a> against the Spurs at Madison Square Garden on June 10, 2026. See the emotional moment. <\/p>\n

Taylor Swift celebrates<\/a> with Alana Haim and Este Haim after game four of the 2026 NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.<\/p>\n

(Vincent Carchietta, Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images)\"\"<\/p>\n

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Celebrities react to Knicks Game 4 win \u2013 See the emotional NBA Finals moment (Vincent Carchietta, Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images)\"\"<\/p>\n

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Celebrities react to Knicks Game 4 win \u2013 See the emotional NBA Finals moment (Dustin Satloff, Getty Images)\"\"<\/p>\n

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Celebrities react to Knicks Game 4 win \u2013 See the emotional NBA Finals moment (Dustin Satloff, Getty Images)\"\"<\/p>\n

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Celebrities react to Knicks Game 4 win \u2013 See the emotional NBA Finals moment (Brad Penner, Brad Penner-Imagn Images)\"\"<\/p>\n

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Celebrities react to Knicks Game 4 win \u2013 See the emotional NBA Finals moment (Brad Penner, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)\"\"<\/p>\n

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Celebrities react to Knicks Game 4 win \u2013 See the emotional NBA Finals moment<\/p>\n

Taylor Swift and Mariska Hargitay <\/p>\n

(Dustin Satloff, Getty Images)\"\"<\/p>\n

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Celebrities react to Knicks Game 4 win \u2013 See the emotional NBA Finals moment<\/p>\n

Mariska Hargitay and Taylor Swift <\/p>\n

(Brad Penner, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)\"\"<\/p>\n

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Celebrities react to Knicks Game 4 win \u2013 See the emotional NBA Finals moment<\/p>\n

A general view inside Madison Square Garden as the New York Knicks celebrate their 107-106 victory against the San Antonio Spurs in Game Four of the 2026 NBA Finals on June 10, 2026, in New York City.<\/p>\n

(Dustin Satloff, Getty Images)<\/p>\n

From my front door in Bedford-Stuyvesant to the corner of 53rd Street, I counted 10 Knicks baseball caps, six jerseys and countless outfits that were blue and orange but could plausibly be a coincidence. If you were lacking in Knicks merch, the souvenir shops on Broadway had you covered, as did random guys hawking T-shirts on the street.<\/p>\n

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Even the blue hard hats and orange safety vests of the Midtown construction workers felt like they were donned in celebration.<\/p>\n

Opinion: Trump, GOP must believe Knicks NBA Finals game was rigged <\/a><\/p>\n

Everywhere I turned, people were talking about the game. Every advertisement I passed was either for the Knicks or the World Cup. The city was brimming with enthusiasm in a way I hadn\u2019t experienced in the three years I\u2019ve lived here.<\/p>\n

Look, I know I\u2019m a bandwagon fan. I didn\u2019t grow up cheering for the Knicks. I don\u2019t follow professional basketball with any sort of regularity. My knowledge of the sport is limited to what I learned as a high school cheerleader, and up until two weeks ago, I could only name two players on the team.<\/p>\n

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But the energy the Knicks are bringing to New York City is inescapable \u2013 you have to get on the train or miss out on the experience of a lifetime. The city is alive with anticipation. I’m all in.<\/p>\n

Knicks fever reminds me of my college basketball town\"New<\/p>\n

New York Knicks fans celebrate outside Madison Square Garden after their team’s Game 4 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals in New York City on June 10, 2026.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve lived through a lot of monumental basketball moments in my life, on account of my alma mater.<\/p>\n

I was a sophomore at the University of North Carolina in 2017, when the Tar Heels won the NCAA men\u2019s basketball championship<\/a> against Gonzaga University after losing to a buzzer-beater<\/a> the year prior.<\/p>\n

I was one of the only UNC fans in a Durham, North Carolina, bar in 2022 when we beat Duke University in the Final Four<\/a>, which happened to be coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final game<\/a>. I have rushed the streets of Chapel Hill, jumped over fires and stayed out until 5 a.m. celebrating.<\/p>\n

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The energy around the New York Knicks<\/a> is what I felt in those moments, albeit on a massive scale \u2013 a community coming together to cheer on young men at the top of their game, experiencing the collective joy of an unthinkable comeback.<\/p>\n

My neighbors ask me what I think of the team. My deli is showing the games on the screen that normally displays its menus. I heard an eruption of cheers at the Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center subway station when the Knicks won Game 2 in San Antonio.<\/p>\n

New York is united around the Knicks. That alone is worth celebrating.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t help that I\u2019m a recent fan, in the same way that I can\u2019t help that I\u2019m a transplant. I realize that native New Yorkers \u2013 the ones who grew up with basketball courts in every neighborhood<\/a>, and the ones who suffered through years of a finals appearance drought \u2013 are experiencing something so much deeper than my excitement.<\/p>\n

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The NBA Finals are uniting all 8.5 million of us who live here<\/a>, but it\u2019s a special moment for those who have been cheering for the Knicks since they learned to shout.<\/p>\n

Opinion alerts: Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don’t have the app? Download it for free from your app store<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In spite of this, the NBA Finals feel like they\u2019re a moment of sincere community in the midst of a divisive time for the country. The United States may be divided on rigid political lines, but none of that matters in New York City. In my experience, everyone is welcome on the Knicks bandwagon \u2013 even people who live in New Jersey.<\/p>\n

No matter what happens next, 2026 will still go down in history as the year New York City was united by Brunson, Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns<\/a>, Josh Hart<\/a>, Mikal Bridges<\/a> and the rest of the team. It will be the year that every street corner found a way to play the Knicks game, whether it be on a television, a projector, a LinkNYC kiosk<\/a> or the back of a truck<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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I may be a bandwagon fan, but I\u2019m just happy there\u2019s room for me. Knicks in five.<\/p>\n

1 \/ 4<\/p>\n

MSG celebrity row turns up for Knicks vs Spurs in NBA Finals Game 4<\/p>\n

Madison Square Garden filled up again as they host Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals<\/a> between the Knicks and Spurs.<\/p>\n

See the familiar faces spotted courtside during another night of playoff action.<\/p>\n

Above, Michael J. Fox and his wife Tracy Pollan look on before Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on June 10, 2026, in New York City.<\/p>\n

(Al Bello, Getty Images)\"\"<\/p>\n

1 \/ 4<\/p>\n

MSG celebrity row turns up for Knicks vs Spurs in NBA Finals Game 4<\/p>\n

Madison Square Garden filled up again as they host Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals<\/a> between the Knicks and Spurs.<\/p>\n

See the familiar faces spotted courtside during another night of playoff action.<\/p>\n

Above, Michael J. Fox and his wife Tracy Pollan look on before Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on June 10, 2026, in New York City.<\/p>\n

(Al Bello, Getty Images)\"\"<\/p>\n

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MSG celebrity row turns up for Knicks vs Spurs in NBA Finals Game 4<\/p>\n

Adam Sandler arrives before Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on June 10, 2026, in New York City.<\/p>\n

(Al Bello, Getty Images)\"\"<\/p>\n

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MSG celebrity row turns up for Knicks vs Spurs in NBA Finals Game 4<\/p>\n

Tracy Morgan arrives before Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on June 10, 2026, in New York City.<\/p>\n

(Al Bello, Getty Images)\"\"<\/p>\n

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MSG celebrity row turns up for Knicks vs Spurs in NBA Finals Game 4<\/p>\n

Former New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist looks on before Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks\\ at Madison Square Garden on June 10, 2026, in New York City.<\/p>\n

(Al Bello, Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Follow USA TODAY columnist Sara Peque\u00f1o on Bluesky:\u00a0@sarapequeno.bsky.social<\/a><\/p>\n

You can read diverse opinions from our USA TODAY columnists<\/a> and other writers on the Opinion front page<\/a>, on X, formerly Twitter, @usatodayopinion<\/a> and in our Opinion newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Knicks in five! How NBA Finals made New York City come alive | Opinion<\/a><\/p>\n