I've lived in NYC for the past ten years, but I'm a New Englander by birth and sports fandom, so my perspective on the Celtics vs. Knicks (and all New England vs. New York teams) is slightly different from most fans.
You see, since I moved to the city I have seen only two NY fan bases who have consistently supported their teams year-in, year-out. Those teams? The Giants and Rangers.
The Giants have been good during that time, but their fan base is deep-rooted and football is the most popular sport in this country. The Rangers have not been consistently good over the past ten years, but surprisingly their fans have stood by them without a hitch. The two things that stand out about these fan bases are that they're multi-generational and they're as supportive and stubborn as Bostonians.
The Yankees don't count because fans only show up when they're winning championships (like Heat fans), and they abandon the team immediately when a championship isn't preordained (like former and future Heat fans). I respect old Yankees fans (e.g. Mattingly fans or Mantle fans) either because they stood by the team when they sucked in the '80s or are old enough to remember when baseball was telecast in black and white, but I don't respect the innumerable young Edited. Profanity and masked profanity are against forum rules and may result in discipline.s who wear Yankees caps because they're hip. They're not fans; they're fashion lemmings.
Every other fan base in NY is fair-weather, and no two teams exemplify this more than the Jets and the Knicks.
Lucky for me, the Jets are so often comically bad that I get a nice chuckle out of their obnoxious, mostly obese, fan base.
But, not during my first nine years here have I ever seen Knicks fans crawl out of the woodwork and rise up with such arrogance. There is always Spike Lee, but he's a clown who can be ignored. I'm talking about run-of-the-mill guys who I work with or play basketball with, or see on the street. I'm talking about people who I have never seen near a Knicks game or a piece of Knicks merchandise who suddenly wear JR Smith jerseys to work and spout off incessantly about how the Knicks' offense is the best the League has seen in years. Ugh! It's tough to have a discussion with an idiot.
These fans have already dismissed the Celtics. They've also dismissed the Pacers, Nets, Bulls, Hawks, and Bucks. It's Heat vs. Knicks, apparently, and we're all just waiting to catch up to the prophecy.
I'll tell you one thing about Knicks fans. I've been to over a dozen Celtics vs. Knicks games at MSG over the past ten years, and every single game has had an overwhelmingly large crowd of Boston fans. I saw KG hit a game-winner in MSG a few years back and the crowd literally erupted with cheers. Must have been a night of protest for Knicks fans. Maybe there was construction on the subway lines. Or, maybe their fans just don't show up year-in, year-out.
Today, however, I have to let Knicks fans' insults and predictions pass in one ear and out the other. I'm tired of these guys, and it hasn't even been one full season.
So, I pose this question to all you Celtics' fans:
Is it enough for you if the Celtics knock the Knicks off in Round 1 (and lose in Round 2)?
I still honestly believe that even without Rondo the only team in the East that can challenge the Heat is the Celtics. I don't believe any other team in the East can take the Heat to seven games (Chicago is close, but their offense is actually worse than the Celtics). But, I'm realistic, and I doubt the Celtics will be playing in the ECF. I'd be very happy to see the Celtics knock the Knicks down a peg and give a valiant effort in Round 2. From then on I won't hold out hope, but I will be content with sending the Knicks packing.
What are your thoughts?
Topic: Is it enough for you if the Celtics knock off the Knicks in Round 1? (Read 3915 times)