What I Expect out of the Knicks Against the Heat

In 1999, I was no longer a Knicks fan. I was a 13 year old boy who had been living in basketball limbo for 5 years. To understand what I mean, see my post (here) on how the New York Knickerbockers broke my heart.

Basketball limbo consisted of me liking all teams that played hard. In some rivalries, you had to pick a side so when the Knicks played the Heat or the Pacers, I picked the Knicks. It's like when you flirt with that girl that you use to mess with but don't mess with anymore. Even if no one cares, you just won't mess with her on principle.. That's how it was with me and the Knicks; it was about principle. They broke my heart and I had too much pride to go back.

I did enjoy watching Grandmama throw it on people's head from time to time but I even enjoyed Reggie Miller making Jordan look slow or like a bad defender sometimes.

In one of their attempts to woo me back, the Knicks went into the 1999 playoffs as the 8th seed. An 8th seed that really wasn't an 8th seed as this was the NBA's short year due to the strike. I often argue that the Knicks would have been much, much higher seeded if they had an entire season. I mean, they were a good team. The following play is the one that sealed the deal for New York.

They went on to make it to the Finals but would lose to David Robinson, Tim Duncan and the Spurs in 5 games.

I respected their play but how could I accept a team that broke my heart at age 8? I couldn't...

But I do hope they beat the f**k out of the Heat tonight.