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“We care more about the Knicks than the World Cup right now.”
Witness a moment in New York sports history — and it has nothing to do with football.
The New York Knicks won their first NBA championship in 53 years with a 4-1 series victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night and the long-awaited victory sent fans into a frenzy.
Less than 10 miles away, Brazil faced Morocco in the sixth game of the soccer World Cup, but it was at Madison Square Garden where the scenes were electric.
Thousands of fans gathered – around the home of the Knicks, often referred to as the ‘mecca of basketball’ – for an outdoor watch party, despite the game being played in Texas.
Nearby bars were overflowing with anxious New Yorkers who hung on every shot and call during five incredibly close games of the best-of-seven series.
It’s an interesting location for a city in the middle of a World Cup co-host.
“People live here and shed tears for basketball,” Knicks fan Raymond Yu told the BBC.
“We care more about the Knicks than the World Cup right now.”
Americans have never been considered the world’s biggest soccer fans, but New York in particular – with its diverse communities – has always had a strong bond with the game. But the Knicks’ victory overshadowed the World Cup for now.
At the Molly Way Pub, when victory seemed likely a young college student remarked to his friends: “Oh my God, I’m going to see the Knicks win the Finals. I can’t believe it.”
Once it was official, he and everyone else at the bar ran down the street screaming at the top of their lungs and hugging complete strangers.
Celebrations swelled and lasted well into the early hours of the morning, with people climbing light poles and setting off firecrackers, while police on foot and even on horseback tried to ensure the chaos was contained.
Among them was Mathieu Sorbonne, who told BBC Sport what the win meant to him.
“I’ve watched them since I was a kid. It means everything to me. For 25 straight years they’ve been rubbish. Finally we won,” he said.
