On Wednesday evening, June 10, after the Knicks pulled off a jaw-dropping comeback against the Spurs, chaos and jubilation reigned on the streets of New York, leaving behind a trail of broken Timberland necklaces and toppled street signs. The city’s oldest basketball team, which hasn’t won an NBA championship since 1973, is now on the cusp of victory: all they need to do is beat the Spurs again on Saturday. In a moment when America feels fractured and exhausted, New York City has found a new sense of possibility.

That possibility looks like A$AP Rocky and Rihanna dunking hoops on the streets, Spike Lee and Timothée Chalamet faithfully sitting courtside, and viral MC and native New Yorker MD Ahnaf Hossain updating his now-iconic verse for the occasion: “My mayor still Muslim, my bagel still Jewish, the Pope on our side – Knicks in 5!” As the verse suggests, it’s not just the Knicks that have people excited about New York again. Since democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani became New York mayor, people have been posting about how the city feels increasingly separate from Trump’s America, christening it “Mamdanistan”.

The Knicks’ current run carries the same urgency, electricity and aliveness that have always defined New York’s streets. Naturally, everyone wants to lay claim to that cultural pulse. Although the internet may never settle the perennial debate over who gets to call themselves a New Yorker – J Lo famously insists you have to be born in one of the five boroughs – the Knicks’ resurgence is a reminder of New York’s enduring spirit as a city that loves to be outside. In an era increasingly defined by isolation, algorithms and life lived through screens, there is something powerful about witnessing thousands of strangers united by collective joy.

Ahead, we went outside Madison Square Garden, also known as the mecca of basketball, to speak to the next generation of Knicks fans. 

KELSI BOWEN, 19

“It means unification for New York City. I haven’t seen this many people come together for something in a long time. Everywhere I go, I see watch parties. Growing up, I was kind of taught to avoid big crowds, but seeing people come together for the Knicks has changed that for me. I take a lot of pride in being a New Yorker, especially now with so much change happening in the city with gentrification. The Knicks are an OG team. If New York wins, it puts the city on the map in a different way. It’s about community. It’s about unity.”

PAULOFAME, 30

“I’m a New Yorker through and through, born and raised here. I’m from South Jamaica, Queens. This is the furthest I've ever seen the Knicks go in my lifetime. On whether you have to be born in one of the five boroughs to claim New York, I think that’s pretty accurate. Anybody can be a Knicks fan, though. Anybody. If they win, I’m climbing the Empire State Building. Then I’m gonna be all over New York, celebrating everywhere, causing a little chaos (in a good way). We’re gonna be lit.”

ELLICE CHOO, 21

“They better win. I’m getting a tattoo now because when am I ever going to get a tattoo during the Finals on a bus for 50 bucks? Honestly, I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I don’t do any of that. Just being out here with a friend, getting tattooed – that’s how I celebrate.”

WILL, 20

“I come from a big Knicks family. Some of my earliest memories are watching Carmelo Anthony with them and seeing the look on everyone’s face when he’d go off for 30. Tonight, we’re tearing up Seventh Avenue. We’re running through the city. I love it. This is what New York is all about. Everyone wants to be better than Brunson until it’s time to be better than Jalen Brunson. Nobody’s doing what he’s doing. He’s having one hell of a run.”

ALANI VALLE, 19

“I grew up in Manhattan, and for as long as I can remember, I’ve been a huge Yankees fan and a huge Knicks fan. We’d all gather at my uncle’s apartment on the Lower East Side – like 30 people packed into this tiny living room – to watch Knicks games. I didn’t always love it because it was so loud, but everyone was a huge fan. A championship would make my heart drop. It would mean so much to my family. The energy in my house would be absolutely insane. We’re meeting up with some friends and just celebrating wherever the night takes us.”

FELLA HADID, 28

“Knicks winning would heal the world. The Knicks winning tonight means there’s still a possibility of Knicks in five. Happy Pride! Knicks in fucking five! The Knicks came out a little too aggressively and a little messy last game, but hopefully they’re hungry now. It’s been a long time coming. Knicks in five. Knicks in five.”

DENNIS P, 27

“I’ve been rooting for the Knicks since I was a baby. My pops is a Knicks fan, so the whole family has been repping the Knicks forever. I’m from Brooklyn – East New York. When I was born, the Knicks were in the Finals, so I don’t remember it myself, but my parents have been riding with this team for the longest. If the Knicks win, we’ll probably be out on 34th Street, hanging out with everybody, chilling with the fans, having a good time. We’re not trying to do anything crazy; we’re just trying to enjoy ourselves.”

VICTORIA, 21 

“It means everything. We haven’t won in, what, like 27 years? So yeah, it means everything. We’re from Long Island… Long Island representing. If the Knicks win, we’re at the bar, obviously!”

DONNIE GAITHER JR, 27

“For New York City to win? That would mean the world. Sports-wise, we’ve been in a drought. No Giants, no Knicks. To see how this brings the city together is a beautiful thing. As long as you're from out here and you're supporting us, it’s all love. Come enjoy this moment with us. We’re gonna be up and down these streets getting content and having a blast. Everybody, stay safe. Let’s have fun and keep it positive.”

DINA MARIE, 34

“As a New Yorker who’s lived here my entire life, born and raised in the Bronx, [winning] means a lot. To see the city come together like this, to see the camaraderie and the unity, is incredible. This is about more than a basketball team winning. It’s about people rallying around something. You look around and see people of different races, ethnicities, and ages all celebrating the same thing. That’s what makes New York special, and that’s what this run has brought out."