“We care way more about the Knicks than the World Cup right now.”
New York is witnessing a moment of sports history – and it has nothing to do with football.
On Saturday night the New York Knicks clinched their first NBA championship in 53 years with a 4-1 series win over the San Antonio Spurs, and the long-awaited victory sent fans into a frenzy.
Fewer than 10 miles away, Brazil faced Morocco in the sixth game of the football World Cup, but it was at Madison Square Garden where scenes were electric.
Thousands of fans gathered – around the home of the Knicks that is 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 the incredibly close game five in the best-of-seven series.
It is an interesting position for a city in the middle of co-hosting the World Cup.
“People live and shed tears here for basketball,” Knicks fan Raymond Yu told the BBC.
“We care way more about the Knicks than the World Cup right now.”
While Americans were never considered the biggest football fans in the world, New York in particular – with its diverse communities – always had a stronger tie to the game. But the Knicks’ win has overshadowed the World Cup for now.
At the Molly Wee Pub, when a win 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 in the bar rushed into the streets screaming at the top of their lungs and embracing complete strangers.
The celebrations swelled and lasted well into the early hours of the morning, with people climbing light poles and setting off fireworks, while police on foot and even horseback tried to make sure the chaos was controlled.
Among them was Matthew Sorbonne, who told BBC Sport what the win meant to him.
“I watched them since I was a kid. This means everything to me. For 25 straight years they’ve been garbage. Finally we have a win,” he said.
