NYC NOW - Knicks Fever Has Taken Over New York City

Episode Date: May 29, 2026

For the first time since 1999, the New York Knicks are headed to the NBA Finals. Sports reporter Priya Desai joins us to discuss the team’s dominant playoff run, the electric atmosphere around the city, and why this moment feels bigger than basketball for generations of Knicks fans. Photo cred: David Dee Delgado / Stringer via Getty Images -Got any questions, comments or story ideas? Send us a message at [e-mail] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

From WNYC, this is NYC Now. I'm Jene Pierre. All right, I can finally say it without yelling. The New York Knicks are headed to the NBA finals. The team sweep to win the Eastern Conference Championship energized fans across the city and has others in disbelief. On today's episode, we're talking about what this moment means for NICS fans of all generations. But before we get into that, here's your local news headlines.

The New York State budget is finally done, and it's already an issue in the gubernatorial election. Hours after state lawmakers approved the $268 billion spending plan, Republican candidate Bruce Blakman was outside the Capitol denouncing its size. That's obscene. That's costing every taxpayer a tremendous amount of money that makes it less affordable for them to live in the state. The Nassau County Executive says he would scrutinize large programs like Medicare. He says New York spends twice as much as Florida, which has a higher population. Governor Kathy Hockel is defending the budget.

She's touting a provision that will send rebate checks to more than 8 million New Yorkers. So we are managing our money well by being able to expand programs, but also not have to put more of a burden on New Yorkers' backs. All budget bills have officially been signed by the governor. JFK Airport will serve as an arrival hub for travelers flying into the U.S. from countries affected by an Ebola outbreak happening overseas. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says U.S.-bound passengers coming from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan will be rerouted to JFK or three other airports before heading to their final destinations. Travelers will be escorted to designated screening areas to complete questionnaires about their travel history.

Then they'll be observed by CDC staff for symptoms. Anyone showing signs of illness will be transferred to a high hospital. for further evaluation and isolation. The World Health Organization says the outbreak, which is centered in the Congo, has killed more than 200 people. State public health officials say there's no immediate risk to New Yorkers. For the first time, in 27 years, the New York Knicks are headed to the NBA finals. Chance of Let's Go, NICS.

It's over. Believe it, Nick fans. For the first time, that's 1999. It's a go. The city erupted when the Knicks beat the Cavs to win the Eastern Conference finals. Three, three, three, three, three, three, three, three, three, three. You're the next goal to the finals? It's like Jesus, what's turning. And we're going to talk about the road ahead for the team in this episode.

But first, I wanted to stop by a New York institution highlighting just how much our city wants to win. Great. You guys doing this morning. Good, good. Good, how are you? Thank you. You got it. Milt the grass, Tyson.

In the Natural History Museum's Hall of Gems and Minerals, you'd usually find geodes and precious stones that came straight from the dirt. Impressive, right? But the For the Win exhibit takes that to a whole other level, and it's showcasing major awards and trophies made from precious metals. Oh, it's right here. Just walked upon the Olympic gold medal for Jesse Owens. Like Jesse Owens' gold medal from the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

Super Bowl trophies and some ranks. Justin Tuck's NFL Super Bowl ring when the Giants won the Super Bowl back in 2008. And even some bling from our very own WNBA team, the New York Liberty. Beautiful silver trophy with a basketball at the top. Curator Vicki Tobak said it was a natural connection. All these things are made from gold, platinum, silver, bronze, you know, all these materials that really belong in the hall of gems and minerals and belong in a museum that's dedicated to, you know, the science of mankind.

There is a Knicks ring already in the exhibit. This Knicks, Red Holesman ring, and as you can see here, it's pretty humble when you compare it to the rings that you see now. Former head coach Ridd Holtzman's ring from the 1973 championship is actually on display there. I mean, New Yorkers are always excited about sports. We have like the best fan base, and that was sort of the spark. The exhibit is open until January 2027, so who knows?

There might be another Knicks ring joining the case. Fingers crossed. Let's talk more about the Knicks, shall we? We'll do that on the other side of the break. Stay close. This past Monday, the New York Knicks completed a sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers with a dominant 130 to 93 win, having off playoff run that's completely transformed the mood around New York City.

Fans packed bars, flooded the streets outside of Madison Square Garden, and are suddenly starting to believe that this team could bring New York its first NBA championship in more than 50 years. I had to hit up sports reporter Priya Desai, who has been following the Knicks playoff run. What's up, Priya? How you doing? I'm feeling good. How are you feeling? I'm excited. You look well rested, and I think the Knicks will be too.

Yes. But can you describe the mood in the city right now? Like, what's the vibe? It feels like everyone's so happy. I don't know what crimes looking like, but I'm like, everyone's saying good morning. You know, and I think it started once the second sweep of the calves was complete. Yeah. People were like a little in disbelief. I was texting people, especially like a bunch of New Yorkers, like born and bred New Yorkers, and they were just in shock. And I think that's sort of fallen. And they're like, okay, we can breathe now. Yeah.

We can celebrate. Yeah. I always, I don't mean to tease our producer, Jared, but like he's never pleased with the Knicks. So I had been waiting, waiting to see if he'd, like, crack a smile, maybe be proud, say Cat did a great job, something. And even he is excited just a little bit. He never shows too much. I would say that it's like a very, like, quiet optimism. Yeah. You don't want to jinx it.

Yeah. I get it, Jared. You don't want to jinx it. So as we mentioned, the Knicks completely dominated Cleveland. I'm wondering what oppressed you most about the team in the way they handle the Eastern Conference finals? I mean, outside of the 11 straight playoff wins and the back-to-back sweeps and the insane scores, it would have to be how they completely changed everyone's impression of the Knicks in the playoffs. Like, it was time to play the system that the new coach, Mike Brown, came here to do. Yeah. And they did that.

Again, as I say unbelievable, you start seeing these scores night after night. They're playing on the road and winning. I mean, they're winning series on the road. And not by two or three points. Right, exactly. They're going on them out. I have to put my glasses on. I'm like, is this correct?

Yeah. So I think that there were a lot of doubters that thought they could even get this far, right? Like a same old Nix sort of mentality. And really unbelievable. I think that's the only word I can still use when I think about it. You mentioned same old Nix. You know, you've covered a lot of Nix teams over the years. what feels different about this group of guys?

So, yeah, again, I want to give credit to Mike Brown. I think when I came in to talk to you in preseason, I said, this is a guy who doesn't want to push just one or two players. He wants a full team effort, and he wants to use his bigs to run the ball through. And so he came in and he switched up a system, which is not easy to do, right? You had Jalen Brunson, who was used to being the guy with the ball at all times. And to come in and say, okay, now that ball is going to be shared by everyone. not only our stars, but our role players, that takes a special kind of coaching. And I think if anything comes out of this, it's going to be Mike Brown probably on like the corporate business

circuit giving his like speeches about how to get everyone involved and how to deal with egos and how to deal with making a group of people actual competitors and friends. Like these guys look close and happy. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, it's like really team ball. Like you're having fun. Yeah, for sure. Yeah. What can you say about the bench? They have been performing excellently. See, here's a thing.

To go through a big, like, Kat, that means Jalen Brunston's taking last shots, but Kat is taking last shots, which means your role players are active players. They're no longer just sort of waiting in the wings to see how they can help. And I think that Mike Brown went in player to player and said, okay, OG, what can we get for you? What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses will focus on your strengths? And, like, he has really developed OG into, I think, especially a defensive player that was missing on a lot of his former teams. Yeah, yeah.

OG definitely another one who has truly stepped up this postseason. It has been so nice to watch all of the OGs on the court side, you know, to see Patrick Ngu and cheering as hard as he is. Like, can you just speak to that moment? I think it was really a cool moment. to see of all cities in Cleveland, all these New York Knicks, greats, who have been a really big part of what it means to be a Nick, but maybe necessarily haven't seen a lot out of this team, at least in the last two decades. Yeah.

And it was so special, like, to see that generational sort of look into what this team was. Yeah. Why do you think that this moment feels so emotional for people right now? Like, as you mentioned, like, there are entire generations of fans who have never seen the Nix make the finals. Well, one, the 90s are back, according to the kids. Yeah. Right? I love that.

And, but seriously, I think nostalgia is a big part of this. You have kids that have never known what it means to have a really good Nix team. Or you have kids that are always waiting for the other shoe to drop, right? And I dealt with it covering the team for 10 years. like, okay, great, Carmela Anthony's, the Knicks got him. This is going to be a great year. Okay, we're going to try, Phil Jackson's here. Oh, here we go. This is going to be it. Yeah. These fans put in all their faith, and then the other shoot drops. And so now you have a team that you can share with your parents, with your older siblings, a way to bond with families. I think it's really sweet. Yeah. And, you know, I have been bringing this up over and over, but the Nix also have the blessing of the Pope.

Is that right? I didn't see that. Yeah. There was a Nix fan outside of the Vatican as the Pope was riding along, you know, waving to folks outside. And the young man was like, go Nix. Pope Leo, go Nix. And the Pope turns around to this young man and throws a thumbs up. I love it. Yes. That's because the Knicks are an international team and an international logo. And going back to the teams of the 90s, they really shaped what it was to like wear a New York Knicks hat. Okay for you. So now comes the question that New Yorkers almost seem afraid to ask and I'm going to ask it now. How real does a championship suddenly feel for the New York Knicks? I think the most of the most. I think the most of the important thing is no matter who wins between OKC and the Spurs, because we don't know yet at this point, right. Either one of those teams are only going to be on three days rest.

The Knicks are in a nine-day rest. Vacation. Huge, huge advantage. The other shoe did drop, as I said, which usually happens with the Knicks, and Mitchell Robinson injured. But reports are saying that he will play in game one, which he has to. But if he can play, he has to play. And I think that will add to the lore, quite frankly. And it's not, I don't want to say what is a major injury.

I'm no doctor, but it's a pinky injury. Yeah, and he's not like a major shooter. So I think they'll put him on the court. His presence is very much important. And I know there are a lot of people, beg him and that like to say things like, oh, the West Coast has the best teams. Fine. Fine. Add that to the Knicks lore.

I feel like that kind of talk only gives more energy to this team specifically. Yeah. As we mentioned, as of this recording, we don't know who the Knicks will be facing off with for the NBA finals. However, which team do you think the Knicks could face off better against? I have my own thoughts, but I'm eager to hear yours. I think that OKC are champs for a reason. And I understand with the Spurs, you have Wembe and he's this phenomenal giant. But a championship team is a championship team. Yeah. So I think either team is going to be really fun to watch. I think if you're a Knicks player, you hope that it's a spurs. Just my thoughts. I'm no coach. As you say, I'm no coach. In fact, you are sports reporter Priya Desai. Thank you so much for joining me. And I didn't know we'd be having this conversation, but I am so happy to have had it. Thank you. Go Nix go. This has been NYC now. I'm Jenae Pierre. Thanks so much for listening. Have a lovely weekend. See you next time.