Brooklyn Knicks fans erupted in celebration Monday night as New York punched its ticket to the NBA Finals for the first time in 26 years, sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals and reigniting hopes of ending the franchise’s 53-year championship drought.
At a packed watch party at The Commissioner on Fifth Avenue in Park Slope, fans cheered, hugged and chanted as the final buzzer sounded, celebrating a long-awaited return to basketball’s biggest stage after decades of heartbreak, disappointing seasons and playoff collapses.
The team made history by winning 11 consecutive games in a single postseason, and some fans predicted the Knicks would end their 53-year championship drought no matter who they face in the finals. The Western Conference finals series between the five-time NBA champion San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder is currently tied 2-2.
Park Slope native Gregory told Brooklyn Paper he expected an NBA Finals rematch between the Knicks and the Spurs. The last time the two teams met in the Finals was in 1999, when the Spurs defeated the Knicks 4-1 to capture their first NBA championship behind the Twin Towers duo of Tim Duncan and David Robinson, along with veterans Sean Elliott, Avery Johnson and Mario Elie.
Despite all the fanfare surrounding Spurs star forward-center Victor “Wemby” Wembanyama — whom Shaquille O’Neal described as the “first perfect big man that’s ever been created” — Gregory said he wasn’t impressed by the “wonderchild,” who has an astonishing 8-foot wingspan. Gregory predicted the Knicks would sweep the Spurs in a Finals matchup.
“Wemby needs to come to New York and get a taste of New York. We’re going to scoop them by poking him and prodding him like a whole cow,” Gregory said. “We’re healthy, we’re excited. We’re gonna get another sweep, another series, guaranteed.”
Shaun wasn’t as sure about a Knicks-Spurs matchup but said the Knicks could “definitely” beat Oklahoma City thanks to the team’s “grit and persistence.”
“The Spurs are a little scary,” Shaun told Brooklyn Paper. “If we do get the Spurs, we just gotta hope that the role players aren’t hitting the threes, and we’re attacking as much as we can.”
Lifelong Knicks fan Jon Gretah was a child when the Knicks lost in the NBA Finals to the Houston Rockets in 1994 and to the Spurs in 1999.
“I can’t believe it, I’m emotional. The Knicks are everything to me,” Gretah told Brooklyn Paper, adding that it didn’t matter which team the Knicks faced in the Finals because “they’re both chicken.”
While he acknowledged that the Spurs and Thunder were strong Western Conference teams, he said he was confident the Knicks could handle Wembanyama and Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, also known as SGA.
“What it looks like right now, we were unstoppable, but I don’t know if we’re gonna sweep,” Gretah said. “But the fact that the Knicks are in the finals is crazy to us. It was just a couple of years ago that they were the worst team in the league, and it’s just been a f—ing slog all the last like 20 years. So, this is big for us.”
Brendan Byrnes, owner of The Commissioner, said he was impressed by the energy of the crowd, which packed not only the bar but also the outdoor seating area, where fans watched the game on two screens. He said he believed the Knicks could beat either the Thunder or the Spurs.
“The finals are gonna be incredible. [It’s] the first time since ’99, I wasn’t in New York at that point, but you can tell how excited the city is. The way they’re looking right now, I feel like they’re unstoppable,” Byrnes said.
Michigan native Kinani moved to New York City four years ago and said she loved the euphoria among Knicks fans.
“I love the camaraderie here and the passion about the New Yorkers wanting the Knicks to win. I just love the passion, and I’m here for it,” Kinani told Brooklyn Paper.
Brandy Thomas and her friends were at the Portland Fire-New York Liberty game at Barclays Center while the Knicks clinched their spot in the NBA Finals.
Usually die-hard Nets fans, the group attended the game because their childhood friend, Queens native Emily Ann Engstler, plays for the Portland Fire, Thomas explained.
“We’re New York, Emily’s from New York. We love New York, but you know she’s not here right now, so we’ve got to root for our girl always; that’s our number one,” Thomas said.
Thomas predicted a Spurs-Knicks NBA Finals matchup.
“It’s tied for the Spurs and OKC, but Wemby is going to come and show out. I don’t know if the Knicks will be able to contend against the Spurs, but we’re going to root for them anyway. Either way, we’re going to be in MSG. We’re going to be there to celebrate win or lose,” Thomas said.
The first NBA Finals game will be played June 3 at 8:30 p.m.
