There was a loud commotion near a hot dog vendor inside Madison Square Garden moments before Sunday’s playoff game between the Knicks and Miami Heat. A group of Knicks fans spotted another Knicks fan and started swearing. Other people turned their heads, turning cautiously away from the group; It seemed like a battle was brewing.
But when the fans walked up to each other, locked arms and started jumping, it became clear this wasn’t about to be a brawl. Center was Daryl Thompson, wearing a custom-made blue Knicks jersey with a four-letter word in orange and the name of the Heat’s MVP: Jimmy Butler. all the insults? That was just the fans, uh, reading the shirt’s message out loud.
“It worked,” said Thompson, 37, proudly. “It took about 30 minutes. I immediately got an idea and all that. I called some personal people to get the press for me. We just made one. We don’t want this to float.”
Moments like this filled Sunday’s Game 1 between the Knicks and the Heat, the first second-round playoff game at the Park in a decade. During the Knicks’ first-round playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Knicks fans stormed Seventh Avenue outside the arena, climbed sticks, danced and drank after the wins.
But on Sunday, the Knicks lost at home for the first time this postseason, 108-101, after up as much as 12 points during the first half. Seventh Avenue was deserted afterward, lined with police officers ready for a rowdy crowd, but instead watched fans jump through puddles in the pouring rain as they headed to the trains home. Match 2 on Tuesdays in the Park.
Here’s a look at some fans from Sunday.
Greg Dale, 48
Underneath Greg Dell’s Knicks hat is his hairless cape, which he uses to show people how long he’s been a fan of the team. “Since I was 12 years old, when I had hair,” he exclaimed. It’s possible that Nicks’ shortcomings over 36 years as a fan have contributed to some of the hair loss, but he wouldn’t replace it with anything else, he said. He added that once you turn 12, you can’t change your team unless you move to a new city.
Dale said this was the most exciting Knicks season he can remember since the team went to the 1999 NBA Finals because they finally felt like a legitimate competitor. He said he was “shaking up” losing Game 1 and predicted the Knicks would close out the series in six games.
“It’s like dating,” he said. “If you want to find a loyal person—your wife, your girlfriend—ask them about their favorite team. If they say Knicks, they’re loyal. They don’t cheat on you. They won’t leave you. That’s us.”
Miguel Garcia, 45
Miguel Garcia and his two brothers, Danny and John, grew up in the long shade of the park at 43rd Street and Ninth Avenue, close enough to hear some noise from around the arena on game days.
Their first memory of the Knicks is from Game Three of the 1999 Eastern Conference Finals when forward Larry Johnson was fouled. Made a 3-point shot He then made the next free throw to give the Knicks a 92-91 victory over the Indiana Pacers.
On Sunday, they hit the park in different colored wigs they bought from Party City because they “had to go crazy” on the special day.
“You know, I don’t have hair, so I needed to wear something,” García said.
Francis Vasquez forbade others nearby to speak, apparently so that they could understand the significance of what he was about to say. Vasquez raised one hand as they watched: This was for God’s sake, he said, before raising his other hand just below that hand, which, he said, was for the Knicks.
Greg Dale and Vasquez met Sunday after the game at a bar, and Vasquez said their relationship reflects what he loves about the Knicks fandom.
He said, “I could feel his energy, and he could feel my energy, so that just builds a connection.”
Vasquez grew up in Washington Heights in upper Manhattan, where he built a relentless support for a team that never rewarded him for that title. Still, Vasquez said, he would “die to die for the Knicks”.
“Don’t let us win the championship; it will be a riot that day,” he said. “I will probably be locked up that day.”
Romito family
Lea Romito has never been interested in basketball. But over the past two seasons, her 8-year-old son Axel has fallen in love with Knicks forward Julius Randle and guard Jalen Bronson, turning her into a fan, too. On Sunday, she followed her son’s directions, screaming and cheering as if she had been born into a Nicks fandom like many others at the park.
This was the first match she and Axel shared. Bronson scored 25 points, but Randle was sidelined with an ankle injury. “It’s sad,” said Axel. “very sad.”
Lakeisha Reid paid $1,500 to go to the game with her friend. She said she’s been a Knicks fan since she was a teenager, and was drawn to the excitement of being the former star kicker Patrick Ewing, who attended Sunday’s game, brought her father and people all over New Jersey, where she grew up.
Sunday was her first ever game with the Knicks, so she planned an eye-catching outfit for the occasion that included bright blue Balls. She said, “You only live once,” and I was like, “We want to do it right.” “
Reid said she was surprised by the familiarity of the crowd, which she described as “crazy but polite”. Reid recalled that fans would scream for others to sit and listen without arguing. One fan swapped seats with her friend to make it more comfortable.
“In the North we’re known for being a little rough, and sometimes we can be a little rowdy, but in the game it was just the love of the North, the vibe,” she said. “It wasn’t just drama. It was beautiful.”
Satchel Aviram grew up in Westchester County, New York, loving the Knicks for as long as possible. He values the fan base mainly because Knicks fans are loyal through a few countless ups and downs, unlike Nets fans, he said.
“The second the Nets lose, they know it’s over. When the Knicks lose, we know we’re going to fight,” Aviram said. “The team is always behind the Knicks, the city behind the Knicks.”
Aviram said the rain and gray skies could have reflected a gloomy feeling among fans after the loss, but instead said he felt a positive “electricity” in most fans looking forward to the second game.
Aviram said, “We’ve been down for so long and it means so much to the city that we’re finally fighting back, and it looks like we’ve finally figured out we can move on.”