'Best time ever to be a New Yorker': Spike Lee, Fat Joe and others reflect on an iconic Knicks run
With a little over three minutes to go in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinal matchup between the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics, Knicks forward Mikal Bridges hit a short pull-up jumper to give New York a 111-104 lead. After trailing by as many as 14 points in the third quarter, the Knicks battled back to take the lead, and the tightly contested final quarter was critical to the series — either New York would go up 3-1 or lose its second straight and head to Boston tied 2-2. For the third time in the series, though, the Knicks would ultimately overcome a double-digit second-half deficit and win. And Bridges' midrange jumper was the shot that made everyone at Madison Square Garden realize what was about to happen. The World's Most Famous Arena erupted as a dejected Celtics team called a timeout and lumbered to their bench. Everyone from the celebrities courtside to the fans in the last row was on their feet, enjoying what longtime Knicks broadcaster Mike Breen called the franchise's most important win in 25 years. That's because for most of this millennium, there's never been a better time to be a New York Knicks fan. "Right now, it's an incredible time in New York City and the best time ever to be a New Yorker," hip-hop legend and Bronx native Fat Joe tells NBC News. "When the Knicks are winning and thriving, it's like a feeling of euphoria and magic." Joe adds, though: "But from 2001 to 2020, those were some painful memories. The Knicks would be competitive at times, but they would always lose games in the clutch and just break your heart." "They would raise your blood pressure too high sometimes, but that's what makes you appreciate the last couple years of greatness." Knicks fans certainly seem to appreciate this current team after spending two decades in the NBA wilderness. The Knicks on Friday dismantled the Celtics, who were heavily favored entering the series, by a score of 119-81 to advance to their first East Conference Finals in 25 years. Following a run to the Eastern Conference finals in 2000, New York spent the next 20 years floundering. From '01 to '20, the Knicks played in only 30 postseason games, posting a pitiful 9-21 record. In the last five years alone, the Knicks have played in 39 playoff contests, winning 21. It may not be a full return to glory, but it's at least a return to relevance for a franchise that made the playoffs in every season in the 1990s. The 2025 playoff run has featured the comebacks against the Celtics as well as a 21-0 run against the Detroit Pistons to win Game 1 in the first round and a series-clinching three by point guard Jalen Brunson. Those moments are now a part of Knicks lore. Joe, an MSG fixture who was in the building for Larry Johnson's iconic 4-point play in 1999 ("I still get goosebumps thinking about that moment") is only one of the faithful seeing his patience pay off. "I ride for my team through all the ups and downs," he says. So does Michael Ompod, a 29-year-old from Clifton, New Jersey, who has spent most of his life with his favorite basketball team being a laughingstock. "I mean, when I was younger, it was the team to be made fun of," Ompod says. "I was bullied by Nets fans back in the day. And for us to do good, it means a lot to me. Like something in the air is different." For a long time, it was quite easy to bully Knicks fans, as the team was often mired in some combination of poor management, ineptitude or overall poor play on the court. The 20 years before the recent playoff success brought with them the ignominious Isiah Thomas years, the failed promise of the Carmelo Anthony era, constant chants for owner James Dolan to sell the team, and some of the most baffling contracts in NBA history (sorry, Jared Jeffries). New York first hinted at a resurgence in 2021 when forward Julius Randle won Most Improved Player and led the team to the playoffs for the first time since 2013. The Knicks missed the playoffs in 2022, but that summer signed Brunson, arguably the best free-agent signing in team history. Brunson signed a four-year, $104 million contract in '22, which ended up being absurdly good value for a player who has proved to be a superstar and the face of the franchise. Brunson has since signed a four-year extension that gave New York a second discount, taking less than a maximum contract to give the front office more flexibility in building around him. And the Knicks have taken advantage by making shrewd move after shrewd move, acquiring two-way wings such as Bridges and OG Anunoby, while trading Randle and guard Donte DiVincenzo for All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns before the season. The result was the best team in years. New York won 51 games in the regular season, its most since 2013. "It still feels surreal that we've made it this far," Ompod says. "I mean, coming from a Knicks fan, I love that we're doing good, but a part of me is just like, 'Oh, this is actually happening.' I mean, if the Knicks could win, anything's possible." The recent success is also creating a new generation of diehards, like Terrence Lacewell, a 22-year-old from West Long Branch, New Jersey. Lacewell comes from several generations of Knicks fans, but he's lived most of his life during the team's lean years. He heard stories from his grandfather and mother about the '90s and what it was like to watch New York battle with the Chicago Bulls and the Houston Rockets. At Game 4, wearing a Randle jersey and sitting in the last row of Section 420, Lacewell got to experience a legendary Knicks playoff at Madison Square Garden for himself. With only the WNBA's Liberty winning a major championship for New York since 2012, Lacewell believes there's an extra motivating factor for the city, which hasn't seen a Knicks title since 1973. "We all get up for a contender," Lacewell says. "We're so desperate, everyone is rooting for the New York team." Director Spike Lee, a fixture in the front row for decades and perhaps the team's most famous fan, was also at Game 4, arms outstretched when Bridges sent the crowd into a frenzy late in the fourth. When asked what it means to be a fan of the Knicks, Lee thinks back to the team's first championship in 1970. He shows off the championship ring belonging to Red Holzman — the coach who led New York to its only two titles in the '70s — and said he had to take it out of the vault to wear for Game 4. "That's it, that's all I've got to say," Lee said. "I was at Game 7, May 8, 1970, the Willis Reed game. Also, the Walt Frazier game. I was 13 years old." Lee, now 68, may finally get a chance to update that ring collection this summer.
'Best time ever to be a New Yorker': Spike Lee, Fat Joe and others reflect on an iconic Knicks run With a little over three minutes ...
