Why not the Knicks, you ask?

I get bothered a lot about being a fan of my favorite NBA team, the Boston Celtics. Don’t get me wrong, I get it. I’m a New Yorker and I wholeheartedly dislike Boston. My favorite MLB team is the New York Yankees and my favorite NFL team is the New York Jets; those will never change. But there’s something different about basketball…

Basketball is my first love. Past lovers realized that they automatically came second to my first love. It was (is) really that serious. As with all forms of love, it proved to be painful at points. The most painful experience with my first love came at age 8.

My favorite team at that point was the New York Knickerbockers! They had Patrick Ewing, whom I idolized for his shutdown defense and occasional facials to opposing centers. I also realized that he wasn’t that easy on the eyes and if that guy could be famous, it was a faith filled testament that looks were not everything! They also had this dude named John Starks, who I didn’t care much for but my mother thought was cute. He played o.k. sometimes; I guess he made the All-Star team that season. I never was that big of a fan but I respected him.

It was the spring of 1994, which meant time for the NBA Playoffs! I was excited as the Knicks were seeded 2^nd in the East, giving them a good shot at making it far. The first round consisted of the Nets, who were definitely better than the team we witnessed this season but probably worst than the team we’ll see next season… Anyway, that seemed easy enough. The path only got tougher with the Knicks’ two biggest rivals ahead of them; the Chicago Bulls and the Indiana Pacers.

The Bulls were a solid team even though they lost Michael Jordan to (his first) retirement and forced the Knicks into a 7 game series. The Knicks pulled out the series win and had to face Reggie Miller and the Pacers next. Even as a former Knick fan, I still hate Reggie Miller; that’s how good this guy was against the Knicks. The Pacers forced another 7 game series with the Knicks but the Knicks won that one too. Awaiting the Knicks in the finals was the Houston Rockets with their NBA MVP and NBA Defensive Player of the year, Hakeem Olajuwon.

Another 7 game series ensued from this battle of Goliaths, attempting to win all the championships possible with Michael Jordan out of the league. But let’s begin explaining the pain from Game 6’s final shot. New York Knick John Stark’s takes the final shot, a 3 pointer, with the Knicks down by 2… in other words, it would have been a game winner, a series winner and a championship clincher. But Olajuwon blocked it.

Something about that blocked shot must have done something to Starks. He went on in game 7 to have (probably) the worst Finals game 7 ever by an All-Star! If not, I would love to see who has had worst! He went 2 of 18 from the field, 0 of 11 from the 3 point range and finished with 8 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 5 personal fouls. AND THE KNICKS LOST BY 6 POINTS!

I cried for so long that night. I had feelings of disappointment, betrayal, uncertainty. I think I knew deep down that the Knicks would never win a championship in my lifetime. I guess I loosely considered myself a fan by city association but if faded so much over the years. By the time they reached the Finals again in 1999, I could care less. To put it into clearer terms, my mother who knew nothing about the Knicks except that they had Grandmama (Larry Johnson, pictured) and the “hoodlum who chokes people” (Latrell Spreewell), cared more.

I can’t say for certain when my fire for the Knicks died but I do remember early on in my high school career scavenging for a new team. In 2002, I found the Boston Celtics.

While everyone was watching the Western Conference Finals between the L.A. Lakers and the Sacramento Kings, as it will go down as one of the best series EVER (yeah I said it), I was paying attention to the Celtics and the New Jersey Nets over here on the East. The Nets were the first in the East and the Celtics had their hands full. They actually ended up losing the series 4 games to 2 but Paul Pierce played with a fire that I hadn’t seen in a while. He made the game look hard, which it is. His style directly opposes the finesse that Jordan or McGrady or Kobe plays with and for that, it appealed to me. I went back and forth for a while trying to settle on a favorite player between Tracy McGrady and the Celtic’s Paul Pierce but with McGrady’s decline due to injuries, the choice is simple. Paul Pierce a.k.a. the Truth is my favorite player on my favorite team.

When the Celtics added my favorite baller/actor in Ray Allen and the loud, talks-a-lot-of-trash-because-he-can-back-it-up trouble starter in Kevin Garnett, how could I not be excited?!

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Sorry for the longest explanation in history (this post is starting to rival that of a Bill Simmons’ piece in length and Celtic's love) but I had to explain my hatred for the Knicks and my love for the Celtics. Around this time every year, I get questioned and next time I do, I can forward my interviewer this post! If LeBron James does end up coming to New York though, I’ll go to games. Mostly so I can boo him. Secondly, so I can take bets with my friends on which teammate is going to try and Delonte West* LBJ’s mom (yes, I just used Delonte West as a verb and you should too). My preliminary bets go on Chris Duhon, if he makes the Knicks' end of year cuts!

*Delonte West (v) – to have sexual relations with a colleague/friend/teammate’s mother.