BOSTON – Excited Knicks supporters invaded Boston ahead of the pivotal Game 5 against the Celtics, a game that could propel New York into the Eastern Conference Finals.
Outside TD Garden, fans passionately chanted, “Five Knicks, Five Knicks.”
Queens resident Allen Edwards, 32, shared his sentiment, saying, “As a Knicks fan, all we can do is hope. We’ve been struggling for a long time. We can just hope for it.”
Michael Blake, a candidate for Mayor of New York City, made the trip to New England with a group of 20 supporters.
“The Knicks’ misery has been so long and we have to celebrate a day like today,” Blake mentioned.
Another devoted fan took a Greyhound Bus to Boston on Wednesday for a game that could tie the series up. George Kuni, 23, remarked, “Even if you have a bus, you’ll get here for $600. The garden is luxurious,” referring to Madison Square Garden, the Knicks’ home.
Last year, the Knicks made it this far in the playoffs, only to fall to the Indiana Pacers in Game 7. It’s been since the 1999 season that Big Apple basketball enthusiasts have seen the Knicks in the NBA Finals, and the team hasn’t claimed a championship since the early 1970s.
Edwards noted that Knicks fans share a bond with Boston supporters, as both fan bases have experienced long stretches without major victories. “They’re suffering from the Red Sox,” he said. “We’re suffering from the Knicks.”
