NFL
With the addition of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, fans of the Brooklyn Nets figured they’ve moved ahead of the New York Knicks for NBA supremacy in the city. Think about it. The team has two top-tier superstars with championship rings and the Knicks have been suffering through mediocrity for the past 7 years. But something has changed throughout the city.
The Nets ARE supposed to win games. Hell, they may be even pegged as eventual NBA champs this season with the “Super Team” but the Knicks, well that’s a different story.
Picked by many to end the season at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, the new-look Knicks are sitting in 4th place thanks to a recent winning streak that has seen them play with the intensity of a championship-contending team. But how? Wasn’t this supposed to be the Nets getting all of the attention?
The Nets have played well and rightfully so even with the injuries to Kevin Durant and James Harden but these blue-collar Knicks have done their winning the hard way. Grit and hustle combined with a young core that features All-Star Julius Randle and the slashing of RJ Barrett and the Knicks are looking to reclaim their spot in NYC as the team to beat.
It doesn’t matter what will happen in a 7-game series in the playoffs between these two teams. What matters for the city is that the Knicks are back. Brooklyn came to New York from New Jersey with big names and a brand new arena and stole the thunder that the Knicks and Madison Square Garden once held. Not anymore.
Yes, Durant, Irving, and James Harden are BIG names but the Knicks have finally assembled a team that fits the foundation the city was built on. This team mirrors the 90’s Knicks’ team led by Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley, and John Starks. It wasn’t about flash to them, it was their desire to win and leave it all on the floor for 48 minutes.
For years, the Knicks’ front office went chasing big names to compete with the likes of the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat and lost focus on what it means to represent this beautiful city. Carmelo Anthony was a great fit but it was hard building around him. They went searching for names instead of building their own.
The city is buzzing again. The rivalry is renewed and Knicks’ fans can now walk with their head held high and say they have one of the hottest teams in the NBA at the moment. The playoffs are a lock for New York. What happens when they get there is just icing on the cake.
