Could the Knicks Win the Championship? The Last Time They Won Progressive Hinduism Didn’t Even Exist

In 2014, as a part-time liaison to Upper East Side’s Assemblymember Dan Quart, I went to a halal cart around the corner to grab dinner right before attending a local community board meeting. In front of me was this humongous man who looked like he could eat the entire cart as an appetizer. He turned around and it was former New York Knickerbocker Anthony Mason. I could not stop talking to him about himself. I told him I would watch him every night when I was a kid on MSG and then on NBC when they made the playoffs. I forgot what he told me afterwards, but I never forgot that rare moment to meet one of my basketball heroes in real life. 

For lifelong Knicks fans, those who know, know. We all remember the pain of losing to the G.O.A.T himself Lord Michael Jordan, then Reggie Miller, then Tim Duncan in the finals the year of the lockout. There was magic too though. Allan Houston’s gracefully silent game winning shot in 1999 to defeat a number one seed Miami Heat as the eighth seed in the playoffs. Larry Johnson’s 3-point bucket and the foul and the free throw that same year. And that John Starks dunk in 1993.  

Boy, was I just a tad bit upset when that B-league basketball player Tyrese Haliburton hit a buzzer beater in game one of the Eastern Conference Finals last year and made a choking gesture mimicking his old pal, Reggie Miller. Mind you, both will never have a championship ring. Am I glad the Pacers are nowhere to be found right now in this year’s Eastern Conference Finals. And do I want to opine on what exactly the fudge has been going on with the New York Knickerbockers in this year’s NBA playoffs. 

So, the Knicks, as of May 27^th, have swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals on the Cavaliers home court by a slim margin of four games to zero (4-0). The Cavs, led by an aging James Harden who is currently 36 years old, were not spared judgement by sports analysts who correctly predicted a Knicks sweep. If you saw games three and four then you’ll completely understand why. Jalen Brunson, captain clutch, ‘Mr. Brunson Burner’ himself, the man of the hour, is showing why his only objective is to hold up that championship trophy at the end of this year’s playoffs. The Knicks have not won a championship since 1973. Progressive Hinduism didn’t even exist then. 

Brunson isn’t alone in this at all. Josh Hart is simply on fire from behind the three-point line in this year’s playoffs. Karl-Anthony Towns, the 2016 NBA Rookie of the Year, is finally finding himself as the true successor to Patrick Ewing. He commands the ball with so much more confidence, and as a three-point threat his accuracy, like Hart’s, is only getting better with time. Add to this lineup Mikal Bridges, another Villanova graduate, is averaging 45% from behind the three-point line this postseason. Put all that together with coach Mike Brown who has won 4 NBA championships as an assistant coach, and you can see that maybe something is seriously cooking here. 

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If the Knicks can keep up this momentum heading into the NBA Finals, the San Antonio Spurs or the Oklahoma Thunder will be facing the toughest team to come out of the Eastern Conference since the 2004 Detroit Pistons (who went on to defeat the heavily favored Los Angeles Lakers in 5 games). If the Spurs or Thunder go in tired, which is what will happen, and the Knicks are playing this well, maybe, just maybe, the Knicks could win a championship. 

Rohan Narine is a Hindu storyteller and clean amateur comedian who lives in Queens, NY. He is a co-founder of Sadhana: Coalition of Progressive Hindus.