The Knicks Take Over Charlotte: A Preseason Encounter

The Charlotte Hornets’ first home preseason game felt like it was unfolding 600-plus miles northeast, right between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in Manhattan. Inside the Spectrum Center in the Queen City, blue and orange apparel dominated the scene, overpowering the teal and white of the Hornets. More fans sported Jalen Brunson and Patrick Ewing jerseys than those of LaMelo Ball and Kemba Walker. The loudest roars of the evening were reserved for the visiting New York Knicks, escalating in volume when second-round rookie Tyler Kolek scored his first unofficial NBA points.

New York fans have an unwavering love for their basketball team, especially for their emerging talents. They revel in taking over rival arenas, a tradition that has persisted despite the Knicks’ struggles since 2001, enduring more seasons with 30 or fewer wins than playoff appearances. The last time they advanced beyond the second round of the postseason was at the dawn of the new millennium, making the upcoming season feel crucial.

A Promising Roster

The Knicks’ roster, on paper, boasts one of the most formidable starting lineups in basketball, featuring players in their prime, including a 6-foot-1 point guard who finished in the top five of MVP voting last season. They have also added arguably the two best wings in the sport who have yet to make an All-Star team, along with one of the greatest shooting big men to ever play the game. The front office has made astute decisions, while the coaching staff has proven its mettle, with a combined record of 97-67 over the last two seasons, including back-to-back trips to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Knicks fans have endured over two decades of heartache, yet this season feels different; there is a renewed sense of mutual appreciation between the team and its supporters.

Reflecting on the Glory Days

In the parking lot of Commack High during the spring of 1995, the familiar voice of Mike Breen echoed through a white 1987 Nissan Pulsar, drowning out the melodic strains of “Waterfalls” by TLC and the youthful excitement of the school’s junior prom. The Knicks were deep in the postseason, and two diehard fans, Jason D’Angelo and his friend Barry Dworkin, both 17 at the time, were glued to the game, their friendship forged around their shared passion for the team.

With the car’s T-top down and a refreshing spring breeze flowing through, D’Angelo recalls, “I can tell you we definitely did not have dates. That wasn’t us.” Now at 46, D’Angelo’s fervor for the Knicks remains, although the many losing seasons have occasionally dampened his enthusiasm. Family life has also played a role in shifting his focus.

Looking back, D’Angelo wishes he had recognized that he was in the “good old days” before they slipped away. In the 1990s, the Knicks were among the NBA’s elite, making the Eastern Conference semifinals five times, the conference finals four times, and reaching the NBA Finals twice between 1992 and 2000. However, he always felt there was a ceiling to their success.

The Shadow of Jordan

“We were never getting past Michael Jordan and the Bulls,” he said, reflecting on those years. “The fact that 1994 was a year he wasn’t around only cemented that. If he was playing, there was just no way. We were never good enough. Patrick Ewing is a Hall of Famer, but he wasn’t Michael Jordan.”

Even with tempered expectations, D’Angelo believed the Knicks would eventually find a way to surpass their rivals. After the 1997-98 season, however, the team began to change. They traded Charles Oakley to the Toronto Raptors for Marcus Camby and sent John Starks to the Golden State Warriors for Latrell Sprewell, signaling the decline of the Pat Riley-led team that had captured the city’s heart.

“It didn’t feel the same,” D’Angelo admitted. Yet that new version of Knicks basketball still made an impact, reaching the NBA Finals in the 1998-99 lockout season as the No. 8 seed, though they ultimately lost to the San Antonio Spurs. The following season saw them achieve a 50-32 record and another Eastern Conference finals appearance.

Despite this brief resurgence, D’Angelo never anticipated that the Knicks would endure another two decades without real success. “I know a lot of people like to blame owner James Dolan,” he noted. “Blaming Dolan is like blaming your mom when you go to therapy. Some of the blame does lie there, particularly for his loyalty to Isiah Thomas, who led the franchise into a dark era with questionable trades and contracts.”

The Long Road to Recovery

The Long Road to Recovery

From the 2000-01 season to 2019-20, the Knicks had only four seasons with a winning record. D’Angelo reflects on the painful years, but one moment stands out as particularly stinging: “Firing Phil Jackson eight days after letting him make the Frank Ntilikina pick in the draft — those were lean years for me. It made no sense to let him make that pick and then get rid of him so quickly.”

Now, after a prolonged period of confusion, D’Angelo feels a renewed sense of pride in being a Knicks fan. The current regime has demonstrated competence and innovation. “People trust Leon Rose,” he said. “What Brock Aller has done with the financials is impressive. He worked some incredible financial magic with the Karl-Anthony Towns deal.”

D’Angelo and Barry remain best friends, their bond strengthened by their shared experiences as Knicks fans. They even host a podcast together, “It’s a Hard Knicks Life,” which began in 2017 as an outlet for their frustrations but shifted to a more positive tone in 2021 when the Knicks made the playoffs for the first time in eight years.

Newfound Joy and Hope

For D’Angelo, even amid the most exhilarating moments of Knicks fandom, nothing compares to the present. “Players want to be here now,” he observed. “It’s not the same organization that it used to be.”

Ray McConville, who grew up in a non-sports household, also fell in love with the Knicks at a young age. “Even growing up in New York in the 1990s, there were a lot of Bulls fans,” he recalled. “That drove me nuts. I’d come home from school complaining to my mom about it, and she’d just look at me like I was crazy.”

At 16, McConville experienced the excitement of the Knicks’ 1999 NBA Finals run. However, as the team began to decline, he felt the end of an era approaching. The pivotal moment came when the Knicks traded Ewing to Seattle in 2000. “They should have let him finish his career here,” McConville lamented. “Instead, they ended up with bad draft picks and players on long-term contracts.”

Finding Light in the Darkness

Despite the challenging years, McConville remained a loyal fan, though he admits to tuning out during the rough patches. “If I had nothing going on, I’d catch those late-March games when they were going nowhere,” he said. “I have a hard time remembering a lot of those teams, which is probably for the best.”

Even amidst the despair, the summer of 2010 brought a glimmer of hope when LeBron James became a free agent. While McConville never fully believed the superstar would join the Knicks, he held onto a shred of hope. When James chose the Miami Heat, New York acquired Amar’e Stoudemire, who initially reinvigorated the fanbase.

After a rocky start, the Knicks went on a remarkable run, and McConville found himself re-engaged. “It felt like basketball mattered again,” he said, reminiscing about the excitement surrounding the team. However, losses to the Celtics and Heat in high-stakes games brought him back down to earth. “It was the worst I felt after a game in a long time,” he admitted.

A Family Affair

A Family Affair

Floyd Converse, a devoted Knicks fan for over 50 years, has longed to share the experience of being a Knicks supporter with his children. Raised in Westchester County, Converse recalls the glory years of the early 1970s. Now, at 64, he has passed on his love for the team to his sons, who have yet to witness the Knicks’ recent resurgence.

“Matthew, my youngest son, it’s been torture for him,” Converse said. “He used to say, ‘I thought they were supposed to be really good.’” The recent success of the Knicks has rekindled enthusiasm within the family, with Converse and Matthew prioritizing Knicks games over other entertainment options.

Converse has experienced his share of lows, including a painful night at Madison Square Garden in 2019 when James Harden scored 61 points against the struggling Knicks. “I told my kids, ‘I’m not coming back for years,’” he recalled, feeling disheartened by the team’s performance.

Hope on the Horizon

Yet, he could never fully abandon his love for the Knicks. The current era has brought some of the most exhilarating moments in recent memory. Converse found himself invested in Donte DiVincenzo’s pursuit of the franchise record for made three-pointers, a milestone he achieved by March. Though losing his favorite player stung, Converse understands that it signifies the organization’s commitment to greater aspirations.

“Every decision management has made in recent years has paid off well,” he said, expressing cautious optimism. “It feels like we’re in contention.” However, the scars of past disappointments linger, prompting Converse to approach the upcoming season with a mixture of excitement and wariness. “People my age are holding back the enthusiasm,” he noted.

Converse vividly recalls the heartbreak of the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals against the Bulls, where a series of missed calls and bad luck left a lasting impression on Knicks fans. “Everyone who is a Knicks fan with gray hairs remembers that Charles Smith was fouled in that game against the Bulls,” he said. “We got so close. You kind of give up a little bit.”

As the most anticipated season in the Knicks’ recent history approaches, Converse remains cautiously optimistic. Despite his past experiences, he is ready to embrace the journey ahead alongside his sons, finally sharing the excitement of being a Knicks fan together.

(Illustration by Meech Robinson: The Athletic; photos by Andrew D. Bernstein, Nathaniel S. Butler, Jeyhoun Allebaugh, Jeff Zelevansky, Nathaniel S. Butler, Sarah Stier/Getty Images and Theo Wargo/WireImage)

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