NY Knicks: A New Crew, a New Grit, a New Hope

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If you, like me, have been a Knicks fan for many decades, then suffering the agony of defeat is the norm. Yes, there are two NBA championships, but for Knicks fans, we know it should be more.

In 1970, it was a different game and a different time. A team that was tough and fought was led by the likes of Walt Clyde Frazier and The Captain, Willis Reed. Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals will always be remembered for the moment Reed came out on the floor limping. Frazier would score 36 points, grab 7 rebounds, and dish out 19 assists to seal the title. Knick fans couldn’t wait till 1971.

It would be 1973 before the Knicks would get back to the promised land. They would lose Game 1 and then take the next four to win their second NBA championship. Oh boy, Knick fans couldn’t wait till 1974.

For the next decade, the Knicks would wallow in mediocrity. They were no threat to make the playoffs. Red Holtzman would retire and Hubie Brown would take over as head coach. The acquisition of Bernard King gave the Garden a marquee highlight reel, scoring machine of a player. But that would not be enough to help the Knicls make any meaningful push come playoff time.

In 1985, the basketball world held its breath during the NBA Draft Lottery. When the smoke cleared the mountain had been scaled. The prize? Coveted center from the University of Georgetown, Patrick Ewing. The vibe and electricity in New York was at a fever pitch. We got our man and now we make a comeback.

The pieces of the championship puzzle began to be put in place. Rick Pitino was hired, Mark Jackson was drafted, and Charles Oakley was acquired in a trade. Another seismic moment for Knicks fans happened on May 31, 1991, when Pat Riley became the new head coach. Oh, how sweet basketball was about to become in the Garden.

Derek Harper, Larry Johnson, Allan Houston, Latrell Spreewell, and John Starks would complete a NY Knicks team that was now considered a championship team. Led by Ewing, the Knicks would become one of the best and hard-nosed defensive units in the league. Unfortunately, they had but one thing standing in the way of what could have been should have been, a couple of NBA Championships. That one thing was a guy that wore the number 23. The championship we knew was coming when the Knicks drafted Ewing never happened.

Isaiah Thomas is without question one of the best players we have ever seen on the court. As Knicks President and then coach it was the exact opposite. It was one mess after another whether it was bad drafting of players or bad choices as the head coach.

As the 2010 season rolled around some things changed in NY. The Mike D’Antoni years brought a new hope. The team would get players like Amar’e Stoudemire in a sign-and-trade with the Phoenix Suns. On February 22, 2011, the Knicks would make the much-anticipated move and acquire Carmelo Anthony from the Denver Nuggets. The Knicks would go on to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2004 season. But the elusive championship never came and the team would once again go dark. Not even Phil Jackson as President of the team could turn things around.

Over the last couple of seasons, Knick fans have watched their team improve little by little. Leon Rose took over the team and hired Tom Thibodeaux as the new coach. Julius Randle would take the next step in his maturation and had a great season and the Knicks would make the playoffs for the first time in eight years.

This brings us to the team we have today in the 2023-24 NBA season. After some tinkering and adjustments, the team added players that now have Knick fans dreaming of a deep playoff run and maybe, oh just maybe, a spot in the 2024 NBA Finals.

Jalen Brunson has been the biggest thing to hit the Garden since Ewing. He has simply been magnificent. More than what anyone thought of, Brunson is now the engine that makes the Knicks roar. A scoring machine with grit and determination to play as hard as he can every play, every night.

Isaiah Hartenstein is one of the biggest surprises the team has. A chairman of the boards cleaning up the glass at will and showing us he has some offensive skills too. His best work came after he was called into the starting lineup after Mitchell Robinson went down for a while.

Josh Hart is just energy and motion personified. He is a non-stop, hard-working player who excels at all phases of the game. If he played a full game, he is a triple-double threat every time.

OG Anunoby started this all in 24 when he got to NY and the Knicks went on a run that has not let up. He is exactly what the doctor ordered as far as what a player should do representing the Knicks on the floor. Ferocious rebounder and hard worker.

Donte DiVincenzo fills out the two-time NCAA championship foursome from Villanova (Brunson, Hart, and Ryan Arcidiacono). His ability to control the game and make plays has taken the Knicks to another level. He can score and he can dish, but most of all, he, like his teammates, embodies what it means to be a New York Knick.

See, Knicks fans want a winner and we want it bad. This team, in my opinion, is the first team in years to give us that hope. A hope, that even with Randle out, this is a team that has all the tools to make a run in the East.

A team that has shown it can score with you or they can play a defensive game too. A team that does not recognize the cloud of losing that has hung over the Garden for so long. A team that has a roster of players that are more than capable of making a run for it all.

It has been more than 50 years since we, Knicks fans, have tasted glory. We are hungry for another one. For some of us, time is getting short, and speaking for myself, I just want one more before I go.