At the genesis of this blog, I figured that the only potential championship across "my teams" I would be compelled to write about once it happens would be a Buffalo Bills Super Bowl. The reasons for this are more complex than simply being more serious about rooting for the Bills than other teams but can be boiled down to these tenets:
Sometimes though, magic is to be found elsewhere, in this case the #1A tenents of Madison Square Garden. It is trivial to recognize that Our New York Knicks completed the greatest championship run ever with the greatest championship moment ever. The only one that comes close in my mind (and coincidentally, the last time I stuck around to watch a trophy ceremony on TV) was the 2016 Cavs, and that team employed LeBron James at his best.
It's no secret that the NBA isn't kind to underdogs. The only team lower than a 3-seed to win a championship was the 1995 Rockets, who were defending champions (and favorites to repeat) that just ended up facing a more turbulent than expected regular season. Despite being one of those top three seeds, the Knicks set a new benchmark in underdog success by being the first team to become champions without a single player receiving an MVP vote since the onus of voting for MVP was given to the media. Coach Mike Brown and executive Leon Rose were somehow not in line for their respective awards either.
"Nobody believed in us" is such a common quote from winning teams that it's become cliche. This Knicks team is a rare example of one that can pull up receipts to prove that claim. Nobody believed that Jalen Brunson could be the number one option on a championship team solely because he's an undersized guard. Nobody believed that the Knicks would emerge as clear winners of the trades that brought Anunoby, KAT, and Mikal Bridges to them. Everyone was calling the WCF between the Spurs and the Thunder "the real Finals" despite there being a more experienced team who has proven itself by dominating all phases in the Eastern Conference. Even with a long track record of coming back down double figures, the peanut gallery was convinced that this deficit or that one would be the one the Knicks fail to overcome.
If there is a lesson in all of this, it is that being a homer with irrational confidence in your team is more fun than playing armchair commissioner or making attempts at nuanced clairvoyance. This Knicks run regularly made homer fever dreams into reality. The bright lights of MSG, which for a long time shined the opportunity to be a villain to opposing teams' stars, blinded them instead. Earlier in the playoffs, garbage (or rather, party) time happened early and often. Every on- or off-court attempt to tip the karmic balance of the Knicks back towards "bad" failed spectacularly. Anunoby's tip-in to complete the greatest single game comeback in NBA history was divinely inspired. Brunson put all of the previous debates about him (including the Finals MVP) to bed by playing one of the greatest championship-clinching games ever. Mike Breen and Walt Frazier, who've seen just about everything there is to see from the Knicks up to this point, were there to witness the coup de grace. The Knicks faithful even got to see the team's asshole owner apologize to them for the first time in his life.
Now, roll the tape and celebrate!