The Dichotomy of Knicks Fandom

It’s all or nothing with you lot.

On January 14th, just two weeks ago, I wrote an article discussing how the New York Knicks needed to do something special to get their month back on track.

The Knicks had just lost their fifth game out of seven, and the minutes police were on patrol. Teams were shooting the Knicks out of the gym. The offense looked rusty. After a nine-game winning streak, the tide had turned and people were questioning if the Knicks had what it took to be a contender.

Now, the pendulum has swung the other way.

New York is in the midst of rattling off five straight wins, and the train just keeps on rolling. In their last three games, they’ve scored 143, 143, and 122 against the Kings, Grizzlies, and Nuggets, respectively. Surpassing the Celtics in the standings is now a real possibility, as the Knicks sit just one game back of them and the two seed.

The squad has a chance to make an even further impression on a national level on Saturday night, as King James and the Lakers come to town.

The Mecca has now been turned into a House of Highlights.

Listen to the joy in Mike Breen’s voice on this one. He knows something special is coming together. It’s palpable, and when the Knicks are winning, it feels like the good times might never end.

Of course, navigating the ups and downs of an NBA season is never easy. 82 games is a lot.

For most teams, there will be stretches of dominance where it feels like the good times will last forever. And there will be stretches that are equally rough, times where every game is a battle, where the things that are supposed to come easily slip through your fingers.

All of this to say… let’s take a deep breath.

Just a couple of weeks ago, we were sensationalizing the lack of chemistry between this year’s Knicks. The rotations weren’t adding up, and Coach Thibs had to change his ways or get out of town.

Now, Tom Thibodeau can do no wrong, the bench unit is good as gold, and every player feels bought into this squad.

Dare I say that neither of these viewpoints is ideal?

I know Aaron Rodgers is a bit of a sore subject right now in NY, but at the risk of outing myself as an enemy of the state, I’ll quote him right here.

RELAX!!!

There are 80 days until playoff basketball starts. There are 34 regular season games to be played over the next two and a half months.

There will be moments where the imperfections of the roster and rotation makeup are blatant. There will also be moments where the level of talent on the court together is too much to ignore.

What all of New York seems to be forgetting right now is that both can be true.

It’s an exciting time to be a Knicks fan. But if the team happens to drop a couple close games in a row, or if the offense looks a little shaky at times, or if the defensive chemistry still looks a drop below 100%, I’m here to tell you that it’s okay.

Really! It’s alright!

I’m not saying don’t wake your family up cheering if the Knicks squeak out a late-night West Coast game. And you probably shouldn’t throw your remote at the television if a late game Brunson floater rims out instead of in, but I wouldn’t blame you if you did.

These games still matter. And the Knicks need to win as many as possible. But no matter how many games they win or lose, the objective truths about the players, rosters, and individuals hold to be the same.

We’re all a little traumatized from the last few decades. I get it.

Still, understand that if the ship rocks a bit more over these next few weeks, it will steady again.

These Knicks are excellent. Not perfect, but excellent.

Let’s take a collective deep breath and not throw ourselves at crazy takes these next couple weeks. It’s okay if we lose a couple games the rest of the way. Let it go. Please. Spare yourself the trouble. You’ll thank me for it.

This team is still in the midst of defining its legacy for New York. Come April, we’ll find out what they’re really made of.

In the meantime, win or lose, the Knicks have a good chance of winning against any team in the league on any given night. That in itself is a miracle. It’s been a long time coming.

Just try your best to soak it up.