New York, New York, it’s been a great week.
So good, we have to talk about it twice.
First, Nas and DJ Premier finally released their long-awaited and highly-anticipated album, ‘Light-Years’, last Friday. Concluding the calendar’s ‘Legend Has It…’ series of hip-hop albums from indie label Mass Appeal. Featuring releases from the likes of Raekwon, Ghostface Killah and Slick Rick, to name just a few. The definitive LP of December even featured the trilogy concluding ‘N.Y. State Of Mind Pt.3’, sampling a sweet Billy Joel song.
The only boys that own Madison Square Garden more than the ‘Piano Man’ are those Knickerbockers. And now they have the glory.
The latest New York Knicks have been the talk of the town lately. The Big Apple core of Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and Jordan Clarkson have been reminding Midtown folks of those old golden era Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley, Larry Johnson and John Starks teams of the 90s.
From Bernard King to Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks have always been in an empire state, but lately they’ve garnered a superstar following with the likes of Ben Stiller, Timothée Chalamet, and the rest of Hollywood courtside like it was a Laker game in Los Angeles.
‘Zoolander’ even appeared on last week’s cover of the iconic New York Magazine, with the ‘Bodega’ KAT on the subway. Sharing headphones, like other cover stars Macaulay Culkin (of ‘Home Alone’ fame) and Blondie’s Debbie Harry.
Tomorrow’s newspapers, on the other hand, will read that just a year and change after the New York Liberty claimed the 2024 WNBA championship, the Knicks have now won the NBA Cup.
Defeating Victor Wembanyama and his San Antonio Spurs, 124-113, in the Emirates Cup thanks to a late rally.
The Most Valuable Player of the tournament, Jalen Brunson, had 25 points and eight assists, after coming in to Vegas with a 33.2 points per game average in Cup play.
Dialing up the digits at the T-Mobile Arena, OG Anunoby had a line of 28 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Towns ran a double-double of 16 points and ten rebounds. Whilst Josh Hart (11 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block) and Jordan Clarkson (15 points) also got on the board big. This is one of the most complete Knicks tapes for decades.
Bringing their black jerseys to Sin City like a funeral procession, the grey of the Spurs was stifled by NYK. But the runners-up still ran. A wounded Wemby had 18 points off the bench, to go along with rookie Dylan Harper’s 21. Yet it was the Texan starting five that was perfectly balanced. De’Aaron Fox (16 points), Harrison Barnes (11), Luke Kornet (14), Devin Vassell (12) and soaring star and King crucifer Stephon Castle’s 15 points and 12 assists.
These young Spurs are beginning to click.
The orange and blue have become the third franchise to lift the trophy of this in-season tournament after fellow storied franchises, the Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks.
The Lake Show and the deer you should fear won after recently claiming championships in 2020 and 2021 respectively. The Knicks, mind you, haven’t won a damn thing in 52 years after clinching ‘chips in 1970 and 1973.
Now, can the New York Knicks be the first team to win, what in football’s Premier League they’d call, the double?
Boston, Oklahoma and Denver may have something to say about that. But in this new year, New York show no signs of dropping the ball. And like Mike Brown’s men led by Jalen Brunson say it best, “(they’re) going to find a way.”
