Copyright New York Daily News
New Yorkers know all about the drought. Wednesday marked 13 years, eight months, three weeks and two days since a New York team won a championship in one of the traditional four major sports leagues. That’s 5,008 days since Eli Manning and the Giants hoisted the Lombardi Trophy after defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI on Feb. 5, 2012. Ring doorbells didn’t exist yet. Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” was the No. 1 song. Jaxson Dart was 8 years old. Let that sink in. Not all 5,008 of those days were miserable, of course. The Yankees made it to the World Series just last year, and the Mets were there in 2015. Aaron Judge and Pete Alonso and Odell Beckham Jr. and Jalen Brunson authored their share of memories. But the past 13 years, eight months, three weeks and two days have overwhelmingly been defined by disappointment, and the last few weeks have been particularly rough. The Mets’ monthslong collapse ended with them missing the playoffs, despite last winter’s addition of Juan Soto and a payroll that significantly exceeded $300 million. The Yankees were eliminated in the ALDS — by the division rival Toronto Blue Jays, no less — to cut short a season filled with championship aspirations. The Jets (0-7) are the NFL’s only winless team, and the shots owner Woody Johnson took at quarterback Justin Fields this week only added to the drama. And while Dart and fellow rookie Cam Skattebo have inspired hope for the future, the Giants fell to 2-5 with Sunday’s historic meltdown against the Denver Broncos. “I understand that the most important thing for everybody is winning, and as competitors that’s how we feel, too,” Dart said after a Week 6 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. “I feel like this city is starving for that, and we are starving for that.” But there is hope. The Knicks, now about five months removed from their run to the Eastern Conference Finals, begin the 2025-26 season with a legitimate chance to contend for their first championship since 1973. Last year’s core of Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and Mitchell Robinson returns, now bolstered by the type of deep bench the Knicks so badly lacked last season. Only the Cleveland Cavaliers, whom the Knicks welcomed to Madison Square Garden for Wednesday night’s season opener, appear on paper to have as strong of a chance to claim the No. 1 seed in the East. “Nobody has any bigger expectations than I do,” Mike Brown, who replaced Tom Thibodeau as head coach, said at his introductory press conference in July. “This is the Knicks. We talked about Madison Square Garden being iconic. We talked about our fans. I love and embrace the expectations that come along with it. Our goal, starting with Mr. [James] Dolan to [team president] Leon [Rose] to the players, all the way down to the fans, is to build a sustainable, winning culture that produces championships. That’s why I’m here.” Whether or not this is a successful season for the Knicks will ultimately be determined in June. But the Knicks serve an important purpose in the present day, too. That’s because the Knicks have a chance to bring good sports vibes to a city begging for them. Sure, the Yankees and Mets will generate buzz with their moves this offseason, but they don’t resume playing meaningful games until late March. Dreams of a Giants playoff run took a massive hit with Sunday’s blown-lead loss, and there seems to be no relief in sight for the Jets. The Nets have not made the playoffs since 2023 and are now in the middle of a rebuild. After winning the WNBA Finals last year, the Liberty suffered a first-round exit last month and have since fired Sandy Brondello, the winningest coach in franchise history. The Rangers (3-4-1) and Islanders (3-3) are off to middling starts, and while the Devils are surging, they could never captivate the city the way the Knicks can. Just look at how thousands of fans rowdily reveled outside of the Garden after the Knicks’ semifinals-clinching Game 6 win over the Boston Celtics last May. And that was after a second-round victory. Imagine what they would do if the Knicks won the NBA Finals. So celebrate the return of the Knicks, because they represent the best chance of bringing another championship to New York — and of bringing good energy to the city in the meantime.
