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New York Knicks: A 2021 playoffs retrospective

By Avishai Sol

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 23: Fan are on their feet during the second half of Game 1 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series between the New York Knicks and the Atlanta Hawks on May 23, 2021 in New York City. The Hawks defeated the Knicks 107-105. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Seth Wenig - Pool/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 23: Fan are on their feet during the second half of Game 1 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series between the New York Knicks and the Atlanta Hawks on May 23, 2021 in New York City. The Hawks defeated the Knicks 107-105. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Seth Wenig - Pool/Getty Images) /
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Julius Randle, RJ Barrett, NY Knicks. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

Well Knicks fans, it’s over.

Julius Randle dribbles the ball out as the clock ticks down on the 2020-21 Knicks season. A season like no other in so many ways. Trae Young takes one last opportunity to gloat in victory as he fires an exaggerated bow at Madison Square Garden and the fans rise to their feet. Only this time not to boo. They rise to applaud. To applaud a scrappy basketball team that wasn’t the most talented, wasn’t the most winning, but walked as tall as any Knicks team to ever wear the orange and blue.

As the fans clap for their losing Knicks, it makes this writer think about what exactly they’re thanking them for. This team won’t be remembered historically, they didn’t compete for a title or restore glory to New York, but perhaps they gave us something even more valuable. As the team loses game 5 to thunderous applause, I realize that this team has given us our pride back. For the first time in who knows how long, there is pride in The Garden. And for that, we can’t clap loudly enough.

Granted, it still hurts.

I know we Knicks fans promised ourselves that going to the playoffs at all was enough, that we were playing with house money, that the improvement shown by our boys was enough to satiate our appetites. We did promise that.

Still, to see them come so far and fight so hard only to lose in a gentleman’s sweep, we can’t help but be a bit disappointed. We didn’t think they would get past the second round, maybe not even the first, but thought they would do better than they did.

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