A Moment 25 Years in the Making

^{Article graphics by Omar Zahran (@omarzahran.bsky.social on Bluesky)}

When the lead in Game 6 against the Celtics ballooned up to 41 points in the third quarter, I was in disbelief. It was finally going to happen; the Knicks were finally going to be headed back to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years. When the final buzzer sounded, my eyes were filled with tears.

Around social media and Knicks content coverage, the sentiment was the same. A fan base that has been given so little to root for in the last two and a half decades finally had its moment of celebration.

Many people outside of the Knicks sphere have seen the clips of fans celebrating in the streets of New York and can’t fathom why we are so happy about a Conference Finals appearance. But for those that stuck through the darkest of dark days, this moment is vindication laced with pure elation that this team is finally repaying the unrelenting loyalty and belief that this fan base has shown.